Merry & Seduced (4 page)

“I don’t hear…” Max peered out the window. “You’re right. It’s our neighbor, Marcus Polo. He moved in not long after you left.”

“Pretend we’re not home,” Ellen said. “We can’t introduce them to these people.”

Camryn growled low in her throat, and Ellen squeaked. She backed up rapidly and gaped at Camryn, her hands wrapped around her bulging middle.

“We don’t intend to harm anyone,” Ry said. “We’re here for a holiday and to give Camryn a chance to make her peace with you. That is all. We do not want an interstellar incident.”

“Max,” Ellen said.

“Don’t be silly, Ellen. It will be all right,” Max said. “Camryn is my sister.” He left the room to answer the knock on the door.

The low rumble of masculine voices drifted down the passage.

“Amme, you need to change your color,” Camryn warned.

“Oops.” Amme glanced at Ellen and changed her skin to the same golden skin tone.

“Nice,” Camryn said. “I should turn that color after a few visits to the beach.”

“If you hurt Max.” Ellen clenched and unclenched her hands even as her lips trembled. “If you hurt him or our son or me, I’ll…I’ll report you to the authorities.”

“They won’t believe you,” Ry said. “They’ll call you crazy.”

The color fled Ellen’s cheeks, leaving her pallid. Amme took a step toward her, concerned for the other woman, but halted at her wide-eyed terror.

“Not that we intend to hurt you,” Camryn said. “We’re here for a visit. We want to spend Christmas and New Year here then we’re leaving for Viros.”

“W-where is your spaceship?” Ellen stammered.

“It’s hidden,” Ry said. “We don’t want trouble or any attention from the authorities. I promised Camryn we’d bring her home for a visit. She was worried about her brother, about all of you.”

And she’d wanted to make things right, Amme knew. She wanted to apologize to her twin and show him she’d changed for the better. Ellen might make this visit difficult though. She was scared and she disapproved of Camryn. Her silent enmity worried Amme, because it was in her nature to fix relationships.

Max reappeared with a tall man with brown hair. No, not brown Amme thought when he walked in front of a window. There were strands of red and gold mixed in with the brown. Several tuffs stood up on end, as if he’d dragged his hand through his hair repeatedly, and Amme ached to smooth the locks down. Her lips quirked a fraction. Well, to touch the girth of his shoulders really. The Earthman was a magnificent male specimen.

“This man,” Amme whispered to Camryn. “I pick him. Who is he?”

“I don’t know. He has a child with him. He might be married.”

Amme blinked. The man had commanded her full attention. She hadn’t noticed the child holding his hand. Disappointment seared through her, followed quickly by her normal practicality. Early days yet. She had several Earth weeks to find a suitable male.

The child was a female—tiny with delicate features and the same coloring as the man. There was an air about her—one of loss that fired Amme’s empathy.

“Marcus,” Ellen said.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus said, his husky voice pulling a visceral response from Amme. “You have visitors. I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll go and leave you—”

“No!” Ellen said quickly.

“Stay,” Max agreed. “This is my twin sister, Camryn.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Camryn said, extending her hand. “This is my husband Ry Coppersmith and my best friend Amme Vanak.”

“Camryn,” Marcus said.

“Good afternoon,” Ry said, and he grinned at Camryn’s imperceptible nod and followed suit by shaking hands.

Amme offered her hand next. Such a quaint Earth custom, even if it did pass on germs and bacteria. “Pleased to meet you.”

Camryn winked at her too, so Amme knew she’d managed her English well.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Ellen asked.

“Why don’t I make it?” Camryn said. “Amme can help me. You have a seat and relax.”

Ellen cast a quick glance at Ry and retreated to a seat on the other side of the room.

Amme followed Camryn from the room, fascinated by the human kitchen. “Show me how these things work,” she said. “This is so much fun.”

“Hopefully my cottage is vacant so some of us can move in there,” Camryn said. “Then I can teach you more stuff. We can get a Christmas tree.”

Amme grinned. “Yes. You told me how to make tea. Let me see if I remember.”

By the time they returned to the lounge room, Amme was proud of her accomplishments.

Unseen by his mother, Luke walked up to Ry and tugged on his hand. “Where is the kitty?”

“He went outside,” Ry said, his words careful and perfect English. It was better to practice the local language rather than rely on the translators.

Amme set the tray down and let Camryn do the honors. She was looking forward to tasting tea. She’d already sneaked a piece of shortbread and found the buttery biscuit exquisite. There was shortbread with chocolate chips too. She’d try a piece of that next.

“She delivered her by courier?” The disbelief in Ellen’s voice grabbed Amme’s attention.

“Yes,” Marcus said. “I’m not sure what to do next.”

“You’re keeping her.” Max glanced at the child and lowered his voice. “Are you sure she’s yours?”

“I’ll have a DNA test done, but I’m fairly certain,” Marcus said in his husky voice.

Amme continued to listen to the huddled conversation while Ry entertained the two children. Luke was brave and confident and full of childish swagger. The little girl looked as if she’d been crying, and Amme went to her, drawn by her diffident manner and the core of sorrow she wasn’t old enough to hide.

She crouched beside the child. “Hello.”

The girl looked at her with her big brown eyes, reticent in her response.

Amme didn’t mind. Over the years she’d tended many children. She knew about patience. She smiled. “Would you like a biscuit?”

“Yes, please.” She glanced at her father and leaned closer to whisper. “You talk funny.”

Amme burst out laughing. “I’m not from around here.”

“Me neither.”

“What is your name?” Amme spoke carefully to make sure she used the correct words and gave them the right weight.

“Autumn Polo,” the child said.

“I am Amme.” Amme held out her hand and Autumn wrapped her fingers around hers. Luke took her other hand, and Amme escorted them over to Camryn who handed them a piece of chocolate chip shortbread each.

“Over here, Luke,” Ellen said, her tone sharp and holding a trace of uneasiness.

Oh dear. “I’m sorry,” Amme said. “I should ask first.”

Max frowned at his wife. “It’s fine.”

“Ellen makes the best shortbread,” Camryn said. “She’s a first-class cook.”

“What do you think, Autumn? Does it taste good?” Amme asked.

The little girl nodded.

“You’re good with her,” Marcus said, coming to stand beside her. “She hasn’t said much to me at all. Are you used to children?”

“Yes, I’ve looked after several children. Childcare is my job.” His voice did things to her—strummed her nerve endings and her tronic receptors, transmitted messages at ultra-speed through her hidden enhancements. She dragged in a quick breath and his scent filled her senses. He smelled enticing.

“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in helping out with Autumn? Children are a mystery to me, and I could do with some help. I’d pay you well.”

“She’s not a suitable—” Ellen said.

Amme cut her off. “I’d love too, but I’m only here for the holiday period.”

“This isn’t a good idea.” Ellen raised her chin in defiance.

“Camryn,” Max said. “What do you think?”

“Amme has lots of experience with children, but this is up to her. She’s here on holiday. We were going to the beach and shopping,” Camryn said.

“I’ll pay extra,” Marcus said quickly. “I’m desperate, and I live at the next door property, so Amme won’t be far away.”

“I’ll do it,” Amme said and winked at Camryn.

“But you should check on references,” Ellen said.

“Ellen.” Max’s voice held a warning.

“I’m desperate,” Marcus said, and his charming grin and beseeching gaze continued to work their magic on Amme. “I need help.”

This man was fling material. “I’ll help,” Amme said, her English coming more easily. “No problem.”

M
arcus liked the tall woman’s confidence. He liked her easy smile and her manner with Autumn. Used to thinking on his feet and making decisive decisions, he had a good feeling about Amme Vanak. Of course, it didn’t hurt she was a pretty woman with long black hair and eyes the color of his favorite Scottish whisky. An attractive package, yet she wasn’t flirting with him or trading on her looks. That made him decide to employ her despite Ellen’s caution.

“Can you come with me now?” he asked.

Amme glanced at Camryn and Ry then turned back to him with a nod. “Yes.”

“Thank you.” Talk about lucking out.

“We’ll deliver your bag for you,” Camryn said.

Marcus smiled at Amme. “We can take it now.”

“It’s still at our hotel,” Camryn said. “We’ll drop it by later tonight.” She turned to Max. “I was hoping my cottage was empty. Ry and I wouldn’t mind crashing there, maybe with some of our friends.”

“How many are there?” Marcus asked, wondering where Amme came from. She had a bit of an accent, one he couldn’t place, despite having traveled the world.

“We have five other friends traveling with us,” Camryn said.

“I have a guest cottage,” Marcus said. “If your friends don’t mind sharing bedrooms there will be plenty of room for all of them.”

“That’s incredibly generous,” Camryn said. “Are you sure? We’re not leaving until the beginning of the new year.”

Marcus smiled, his gaze on Amme. Still no sign of flirtation and he felt interest tugging him.
Not this woman.
She was a friend of Max’s sister and out of bounds. “It’s the least I can do since Amme has volunteered to help me with Autumn.”

“They’re already in a hotel,” Ellen began.

“Ellen,” Max said. “We should make a fresh pot of tea.” He grasped his wife’s arm and guided her from the room.

Luke shot straight to Ry and grasped his hand. “We need to find kitty. Give him some milk to drink.”

“No, sweetie,” Camryn said, devilment making an appearance. “The kitty is busy right now.”

“Is Ellen all right?” Marcus asked. “She seems a bit off today.” There was a weird tension to the atmosphere, or maybe it was him, out of step because of Autumn’s arrival.

His mind darted to his parents and his breath whistled through his teeth. His mother would shit a brick when she discovered her new grandmother status. Traditional in the seen-but-not-heard vein, she was a woman who hadn’t expected to have children. Both he and Olivia were mistakes and she hadn’t given nature an opportunity to upset her life a third time. A medical procedure had taken care of that, and carefully chosen employees had brought up her children. These days his parents traveled extensively and spent much of their time in Europe. The best solution for all concerned parties.

“Our fault,” Camryn said, some of the brightness departing her demeanor. “I’m afraid we’ve sprung ourselves on her unexpectedly. We’ll drop off our friends and Amme’s bag in a few hours. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine,” Marcus said. “They’ll need to stock the fridge. Everything else is in the cupboards—the bedding and towels.”

“No prob. Ry and I will grab some groceries.”

Amme frowned. “But—”

“I’ll take you shopping tomorrow,” Camryn promised, obviously anticipating Amme’s objection. “I presume you’ll need to stock up on stuff for Autumn. Amme and I can get a few basics tomorrow.”

Marcus gave a rueful shrug. Women and shopping. Maybe Amme wasn’t so different after all. “I hadn’t even thought that far ahead.”

“We should go,” Amme said. “Autumn looks exhausted.”

“Good call.” The kid was drooping and wavering on her feet. Marcus scooped up his daughter and glanced at Amme. “I can’t thank you enough for helping.”

“I’ll walk out with you,” Camryn said.

Max and Ellen returned with another pot of tea. Ellen bore evidence of weeping. Just as well they were leaving. Autumn’s tears were bad enough. He didn’t want to cope with a weeping pregnant woman too.

“We’re off. The kid is almost asleep,” Marcus said.

“Okay. Let me get the door,” Max said.

Camryn dragged Amme away and they did a lot of whispering. More secrets. Marcus wondered if he should search for hidden cameras. Hell of a day.

C
amryn glanced at Marcus then started whispering instructions. “Contact me via your ear com if you run into any problems or need to ask a question. I’ll get Mogens to bring more translators, just in case. It will be easy enough to put one on Autumn, but you’re going to need to get creative with Marcus. It’s possible he won’t need a translator. You’ve practiced your English. Just follow the plan and tell anyone who asks you’re from Romania. We don’t know Marcus. It’s best not to give him info that could cause trouble. I’ll come and pick you and Autumn up tomorrow. We’ll do some shopping and maybe hit the beach.”

“He said he will pay me. Will I be able to use that for shopping?” Amme asked.

Camryn had taught them a lot, so they’d manage to blend, but this wasn’t something that had come up in their varied discussions.

“You won’t get paid until you’ve worked for a week. Don’t worry. I have my credit cards and money in my account. It’s not as if I’ll need it on Viros. Don’t forget. If you require anything, com me.”

Amme climbed into the passenger seat of the Earth vehicle and remembered to click on her safety harness. She scanned the controls and the instrument panels with one comprehensive gaze, her cortex enhancement gathering and storing intel. Marcus started up the vehicle and she waved at Camryn and Ry. Some of her ennui had faded since their arrival. This was an adventure, and she couldn’t wait to experience more.

Chapter Three

“W
here do you come from, Amme?”

“A small village in Romania,” Amme said promptly.
Change the subject.
“What do you do?”

“My family is involved in travel and tourism, but I’ve branched into import and export of foodstuffs, mainly exotic spices,” Marcus said. “Recently I’ve dabbled in imports and exports for the interior decorating trade.”