The Bride's Unexpected Change in Plans by Rachel Clark

giving them some space. The only reason she was still on the planet was because these two men had fought hard for her to be able to stay. Trouble was that it made her their responsibility until they could find a suitable Desconian couple to take her off their hands. “Maybe I should go h–home.”
    “No!” Ewin said immediately. Dayved stepped closer, cupped her chin with his hand, and lifted her face. He searched her eyes as if he could see deep into her soul. Hell, maybe he could. He’d shown an uncanny knack of sensing when she was feeling down.
    “Why?” Dayved asked as he locked his gaze with hers. Ewin looked angry, but he didn’t question his tredellabina’s calm attitude.
    “Because I’m interrupting your lives.”
    “In what way?” Dayved seemed just a little too calm. It was prickling her skin with awareness as he apparently watched every frantic thought that went through her head.
    “In what way?” she parroted inanely. “Are you kidding me?” She glanced at Ewin, noticed that he’d dragged on a loose pair of pants just to go to the bathing area in his own house, and then turned back to Dayved. “Desconian marriages are uninhibited and natural and…and…and naked…and I’m ruining that for you. I’m getting in the way.”
    “Sweetheart,” Dayved said as he guided her to sit on the sofa. He gently pushed Ewin to sit down beside her. “Kimberley, it’s not that big a deal. Many of our friends have children these days. Our friends no longer get to wander their houses naked. It’s no big deal.”
    “But I’m not a child. I’m not even your responsibility. I’m just a reject nobody wanted.” Her voice came out sounding more sulky than was probably warranted. Hell, they must think her the most ungrateful person in the universe. They’d taken her into their home when it truly hadn’t been their problem to deal with. They’d protected her, fought for her, given her a second chance to claim the life she’d come to Descon seeking.
    But, fair or not, it really annoyed her to be compared to the disruption a child brought to a happy marriage. The worst part was it reminded her that despite seven weeks of being immersed in a culture where sex and sexuality were not considered evil and the fast track to hell, that she was still a virgin. She hadn’t even experienced this thing called orgasm. In the quiet of her room, late at night, she’d even tried to recreate some of the things she’d seen on the “inspirational” videos, but she hadn’t been certain she was even doing it right.
    “Kimberley,” Ewin said, placing his arm around her shoulders the way he did when he was protecting her, “we enjoy having you here. You’re not a bother, and we don’t mind—”
    “But I mind,” she said, cutting off whatever he was going to say. “I hate that you feel the need to treat me like a child.”
    “A what?” Dayved asked. He looked genuinely confused. “Why would you think we’re treating you like a child?”
    “Because you cover up and you have sex behind closed doors, and it’s obvious that it wasn’t always that way. I mean you had three beds in your bedroom, but since I’ve been here you haven’t even had any visitors.”
    “Have too,” Dayved said with a smile on his face.
    “But not for…a…um… What do you call them?”
    “A play party,” Ewin supplied helpfully.
    “Yes a play party. And you can’t go out without me, so I know you two aren’t living your lives the way you should be, the way you did before I crash-landed into your lives. I just…I don’t…I think maybe you should…”
    “We should what, honey?”
    “Have friends over. Do what you normally do. Pretend I’m not here. I’ll go into my room. You won’t even know I’m here.”
    “What if we want you here?” Dayved asked with a raised eyebrow. Ewin laughed, the deep sound reverberating through her upper body.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well we’ve established that you’re an adult, that