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Suki looked at him as if for approval. He smiled and ruffled her hair again.
“Dad!” she said, chuckling.
It was almost like it used to be. And that was terrifying.
TEN
SARAH
Sarah went to work on plans for the picnic, which would act as a brunch for her, Suki, and Kael the next day. She found herself plunging into the details, trying to wipe the slate of her mind clean of the way Kael looked at her at dinner the night before. The apology had floored her, as had his admission that she was pretty.
It was possibly too early to tell, but she felt like he was warming to her. After the apology, they exchanged looks that could easily fall under the category of flirting. Barely visible to the child present, but it felt like a booming megaphone to Sarah. She hoped her infatuation wasn’t already causing her to see things that weren’t there. That really wouldn’t be good for her job.
Her sleep that night was highly fragmented. Sarah tossed and turned, trying to get inappropriate thoughts about Kael out of her mind. There was so much about it that struck her as wrong.
Not only was he a fucking alien, but he was also her employer. And on top of all of that, he was a widower with a daughter, both of whom were still grieving. She felt like a terrible person every time a bolt of lust hit her, imagining his hands trailing along her body …
Stop it!
She did her utmost to do just that, but the allure was a lot more like a possession than any normal level of attraction she had felt in her lifetime. It was mystifying but, at the same time, devilishly thrilling.
Sarah managed to get a few hours of shut-eye before rising from bed and seeing to the food that needed to be prepped and packed before heading out on the picnic. She obtained the softest coral-colored blanket the housekeepers could find, placed all of the containers into a makeshift basket, and waited for Suki and Kael outside on the porch. It was Kael’s job to decide where to go, as she knew nothing about the grounds. She told them she wanted to walk, much to the chagrin of Kael.
They arrived midday with Suki wearing a sweet little jumpsuit and her hair pulled back as it was the day before. Kael dressed as casually as he knew how but still sporting slacks and a military-cut top.
Sarah herself wore a sundress with a shawl, black and sleeveless, with blooming sunflowers dotted along the design in a random pattern. It was more summer wear from where she was from, but she had yet to adjust to the weather on the new planet.
Plus, there was a brazen part of her that liked the deep scoop cut along the neck. It was still acceptable to wear in front of children, but it walked a fine line.
She scolded herself for it. She should be thinking about Suki, and Suki only, not trying to hop into bed with a widower.
Nonetheless, when they strolled along the property, passing the garden and maze to walk into an open, boundless hillside, she managed to regain her focus. They laid out the blanket together, and Kael set down the basket that he had insisted on carrying the entire way.
“So this is a picnic,” Suki said, pursing her lips.
“It is,” Sarah replied, beginning to unpack the basket. “I’m sure you will give me your special review once it's over on what I can do better.”
Sarah did a finger gun and clicked her tongue at Suki while winking obnoxiously. Suki began to laugh raucously, then spun around and through the fields with her arms outreached.
“Don’t go far!” Kael called out. “And watch out for bumble flies!”
Sarah didn’t know what bumble flies were, but it didn’t matter. She settled on the blanket with her legs folded sideways rather daintily, modestly concealing her thighs. Kael sat next to her, folding his own legs into a lotus position, his eyes permanently locked on Suki in the distance.
“Does she ever leave the house?” Sarah asked as she laid out the sweet treats.
“Only with one of the guards or me. But not lately.”
Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him, noticing he was still squinting into the distance. The angle they were sitting made his golden eyes glow.
For some reason, he made her bold. He made her want to change things in a way no other employee ever had. Or man, for that matter.
“Look at me.”
He did. Her mouth went dry, but she spoke as she always tried to with shameless firmness.
“Does she ever leave the property?”
He gazed away, pursuing his lips in the same way Suki had a few seconds earlier. Sarah knew the answer without him having to speak it.
