Disclaimer: Fluffy Cat does not own or have any right to these characters or names or places, or anything else in her stories. Fluffy Cat just enjoys the characters Mel and Cole and likes to get them out in the world and play with them a bit. Fluffy Cat does not profit in any way from doing this, other than the pleasure of batting them around for a while.
Timeline: This story takes place during the episode of "Love, Cirronian Style." It has a few missing scenes and a different ending. Fluffy Cat wondered what might have happened if Mel and Cole had stayed the night.
Spoilers: "Love Cirronian Style" obviously, as well as some minor spoilers for the pilot episode, "Roswell," "The Plague," and "To Catch a Desserian." That's all I can remember at least.
Love, Cirronian Style Revisited
By Fluffy Cat
"Where have you been, Cole? I've been so worried." Mel ran to the Cirronian and threw her arms around his neck as soon as he stepped back into their suite.
Cole accepted her hug, silently welcoming it. "I was out looking for Cedra and Vedra, Mel." Cole gave Mel a half smile meant to offer both assurance and apology. "You worry too much, Mel." He chastised her gently, his right hand reaching out to stroke her throat.
She breathed a sigh of relief over his safety before smiling sweetly up at him. "I know." She admitted softly.
Cole's fingers slowed in their rhythm across her skin but Mel sensed that they transmitted more heat.
She closed her eyes and practically purred under his touch.
The Tracker grinned at her immediate reaction to his caresses. He liked touching Mel. And when Mel closed her eyes like she just had, her expression turning so soft; Cole was certain that Mel liked for him to touch her.
After a moment, her eyelashes fluttered open. "I'm glad you are back safe, Cole."
His smile was quick in response. "Yes, Mel."
Breaking off his caress reluctantly, Mel took a deep breath and walked back into the center of the suite. "As hard as this is to believe after we have already attended the infamous 'show some affection!' seminar, I just received a call notifying us that we are expected to attend a different session in about an hour." Rolling her eyes at the thought, her strawberry-blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders, Mel spun back around to face Cole and grimaced. "One shudders to imagine what this one will be like, after enduring the 'head' display."
"I liked the head demonstration, Mel." Cole replied truthfully.
She smirked back at him. "You would. You were the star."
Cole grinned back at her. "Kissing the head was not difficult, Mel. You should have tried it."
Smothering a laugh, Mel shook her curls at him. "I don't think so, Cole. But I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Cole watched her with an amused expression.
Mel smiled back at him. "So, we have an hour to brace ourselves before we head back into the lion's den. After that, we are given a break for dinner before the dance this evening."
Cole frowned; considering what she said. "I like to dance with you, Mel. But why are we going into a lion's den?"
She laughed. "Just an expression, Cole, I just meant we are going to have to face whatever else they have planned for us. And since the first session wasn't exactly to my liking, I have my doubts about this one."
"No more head?" Cole asked innocently, spurring a quick laugh out of Mel.
"Umm…probably not, these seminars aren't known for repeating themselves."
"Okay, Mel." Cole replied with a slight look of disappointment on his face.
Mel bit her bottom lip and plopped down on the couch. "Have a seat, Cole." She patted the cushion next to her. "Maybe we should talk about what we are going to say and do at this next session?" She suggested sweetly.
"Yes, Mel." Cole sat down beside her and waited expectantly for her to continue.
"I have no idea what it will be about, but I'm sure relationship and sex will come up as topics." She grumbled, shaking her head, still a bit disbelieving that she and Cole were in this mess at all. The things she did to capture alien fugitives!
"Which one do you want to discuss Mel?" Cole inquired sweetly.
"I don't know." Mel muttered, shooting Cole an irritated look. "I have no idea what they will throw at us. While you were out looking for the sisters from hell, I was sitting through what they lovingly refer to as the wives' session; my own little personal hell to be exact." She added in a huff of frustration.
Cole smiled. He couldn't help it. Mel was getting flustered again. The Cirronian thought she looked very cute when she was flustered. "I'm sure you did fine, Mel." He assured her, his eyes betraying more mischief than could be heard in his voice.
"I'm not a wife, Cole. I didn't do fine at all." She argued, her expressive eyes rolling at the memory. "They were asking questions about us and sex, and it was in front of a group, Cole! I told you I don't do well in front of a group! It's the group thing I have trouble with!"
"Yes, Mel." Cole replied softly, successfully keeping the grin off of his face.
Mel looked over at him and noticed that he was enjoying this little talk entirely too much, and at her expense. "Okay, Cole…you're really having fun with this, aren't you?"
"No, Mel." Cole denied, shaking his head and maintaining an innocent expression.
His amused eyes gave him away.
"You're lying to me, Cole! I thought Cirronians never lie." Mel shouted, shocked at this revelation.
Cole touched her throat softly and began transmitting soothing energy. "We do not usually tell lies, Mel. It is difficult for us," then added with a quick laugh, "but not impossible."
"You ARE enjoying this!" She accused again.
His grin broke free. "Yes, Mel."
Even more stunned that he openly admitted it, Mel sat there with her mouth hanging open. Eventually after a full minute, she shut it. "Would you at least give me the courtesy of telling me why you find this so humorous?"
His dark eyes softened as his touch continued, wiping away most of her irritation. "It is you, Mel. You worry too much about things that aren't important. I have tried to stop you, but you resist. It doesn't matter what you say in that group, Mel, or what happens there. It doesn't affect us."
Either because of his special touch or his sensible words, Mel wasn't sure which one; she began to see the truth in what he was saying. "You're right. They don't know us; they don't know anything about us, do they? They don't know that you are Cirronian and tracking fugitives and that I'm not really your wife."
"Yes, Mel." Cole nodded, leaning closer to her as she sat back against the sofa, relaxing into his caresses.
Her eyes closed again on a deep sigh. "You are so amazing."
"Thank you, Mel." He replied simply, his eyes eagerly drinking in the beauty of her face, so close to his.
"I still looked like an idiot up there though." She added, making a face that amused the Tracker.
"No, Mel, never." He argued softly, his fingers washing away the last traces of worry and irritation that resided in her.
"You weren't there. You don't know. They asked me if you were a good lover." She groaned without opening her eyes.
Dark bushy eyebrows arched at hearing that. The Tracker grinned at her. "What did you say, Mel?"
"Who knows!" Her eyes popped open and laughed into his. "It slipped out before I thought about how it might sound, so I changed my answer to ...well…anyway, I changed my answer."
Cole cocked his head at her. "Do you think I am a good lover, Mel?"
She swallowed the uneasy lump in her throat and stared back at him, whispering her answer. "I don't know. We're not lovers."
Cole glanced down at how his hands were gently caressing her throat, soothing her into a relaxed state, before returning to her lovely face. "Aren't we, Mel?"
Unnerved by both the look he had given her and his question, Mel cleared her throat. "Well, I mean we're close." She stated.
"Yes, Mel. We are."
"And you are very good to comfort me if you sense I'm upset." She admitted with a slight stutter as she started to comprehend just where he was going with this discussion.
"I like to comfort you, Mel. You frequently need my touch." His eyes gazed tenderly at her.
"And you've got great hands." The words were out of her mouth before she realized how intensely she had said them. She caught the quick grin that flashed across his face.
"Thank you." The Cirronian's eyes sparkled.
She cleared her throat again and sat up straighter on the sofa. "But friends comfort each other all the time." She argued.
Cole smiled but said nothing at first. He just continued to stroke the rapid pulse at the base of her throat.
"Do friends comfort like this, Mel?" Cole glanced down at how his hands were stroking the silky skin of her throat and collarbone. Those dark eyes of his penetrated the questioning depths of hers.
"I don't know. Friends offer hugs and touches to comfort." Mel nervously answered, her eyes still glued to his tender stare. "I always assumed that when you touched me like this that it was a Cirronian way of offering comfort to a friend."
His lips curved and Cole nodded. "It is Cirronian."
Mel offered him an uneasy smile in return. "I figured."
"It is not a gesture seen among friends, Mel." He added softly, carefully watching her for a reaction.
Her tentative smile vanished. "It's not." A wary curiosity took over.
The Tracker shook his head and reached out with his other hand to brush away a strawberry-blonde curl that had dropped into her face, covering the beautiful blue-green of her eyes. His gentle strokes never stopped as his lips curved upward again. "No, Mel. It is a gesture of intimacy between a male and a female, commonly experienced before a mating union."
Shocked blue-green eyes stared back at him.
The Tracker smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Mel."
Mel sputtered for a few seconds, tried to speak once, found that she couldn't, and so returned to just staring back at him. Determined to say something, Mel opened her mouth a second time, but the words still wouldn't form, so she promptly closed it and began to fidget instead.
Cole increased the flow of soothing energy he was transferring to her. "Don't start to worry, Mel." A grin appeared on his handsome face and he chuckled at her with his newly discovered sense of human humor. "I'll tell you if we progress to a Cirronian mating union."
"That's not funny, Cole!" Mel finally found her voice. And it was a loud one. Cole had a moment to consider himself grateful he was not an Enixian with sensitive hearing before she started shouting again. "You've been touching me with Cirronian foreplay for weeks now and you didn't even bother to tell me! I thought all Cirronians greeted their friends like this, or their children!"
"No, Mel." Cole told her wearing a huge grin. "Did you ever see me touch Nestov like this?" He chuckled.
Mel closed her eyes and counted to ten. That should help. That and the fact he was still touching her. Why was she sitting there letting him continue to touch her like this when she now knew what it meant? Mel asked herself in an equally loud internal voice.
Because you love it; the silent answer rang in her thoughts. And then realization really set in.
Cole was making love to her! Or at least beginning to make love to her, she clarified to herself. And he had been doing it for weeks! All over the place! The bar, the apartment, the car, anywhere she happened to be when she started to worry or freak; those fantastic hands of his would shoot up toward her throat and began soothing her….no… that wasn't right either…she just thought the gesture had been soothing her…the truth was it was something else entirely, Mel acknowledged. He was readying her; Cirronian style.
Heaven help her, she loved it too!
Damn! He was good, she told herself. What a way to make someone forget their worries? Stimulate them sexually and while the heat was turned up, everything else just kind of took a position on the back burner.
Mel opened her eyes and found herself chuckling at the absurdity of the whole situation. She had been on the receiving end of his Cirronian lovemaking techniques for weeks and in her own ignorance only considered it Cole's little way of saying 'don't worry, Mel. Everything will be all right.' She shook her curls and began to laugh louder, a bit hysterically. "Cole…I can't begin to…"
He interrupted her. "Mel, I can tell you are becoming upset again. You shouldn't worry about this. I told you this so you would not feel so inadequate at answering their questions about us." He explained simply.
She placed both of her hands over his, putting a sudden halt to his caresses.
She missed them immediately and thought she detected hurt in his eyes for just a moment. "It's okay, Cole. I'm not really upset with you. I just need a minute to understand everything." Looking down at where she held his wonderful hands in-between hers, she added. "And I'm not stopping your caresses because I don't enjoy them; I do, very much. I just need a moment to think without all the other sensations clouding my judgment."
The Tracker gave her a relieved smile. "That's good, Mel, because I don't wish to stop touching you." He confessed softly. "And you need it, Mel. Many times, you need it." He told her honestly.
She fumbled for the right words to say, still somewhat stunned at this turn of events. "You're telling me you think I need to be prepared for a Cirronian mating union anytime I start to get upset? I'm not Cirronian, Cole. And we aren't mating." She pointed out.
"No, Mel. Not yet." Cole agreed confidently.
Not yet? Those beautiful eyes of hers grew wide again.
The Tracker chuckled at her expression, giving her a gentle smile of sympathy. Mel really did need to understand him better, he thought to himself. The gentle Cirronian took the time to try and explain. "The effect is different with a human, Mel. It is a Cirronian gesture but with your human physiology it only calms and centers the emotions. That is why I used it on you with Tev. You needed comfort and soothing, reassurance, and it was the only way I knew to transmit that to you." Cole explained as he gently broke free from her grasp and reached for the smooth skin of her throat, his long masculine fingers once again stroking the feminine softness located there.
She started to melt.
"It won't have the same effect on a human as it does with a Cirronian female, Mel. Properly executed on a female from Cirron, the sensation is much more sexual, although calming is part of it."
Her mouth was left hanging open again. "Cole?" She swallowed nervously and tried to focus on his words. It was difficult. The sexual sensations she shouldn't be feeling were getting in the way of her concentration. "I think you might need to brush up on your study of human physiology." She suggested, swallowing the soft little moan she almost made.
Cole gave her a puzzled look. "I am very familiar with it, Mel. It isn't difficult. You are a primitive species." He smiled at where his fingers slowly stroked down her sensitive throat, stopping a few inches below her collarbone. "This is a soothing gesture, Mel. Nothing more; for a human, that is."
"Oh." Mel nodded, her eyes drifting shut as she once again relaxed against him and the back of the sofa. "If you say so, Cole." She mumbled.
The Cirronian watched her with an expression that was both faintly amused and extremely tender. "I will admit that it has a soothing effect on you that is far greater than I predicted for one of your species, Mel."
"Is that so?" Mel sighed, nestling into his shoulder as he continued to stroke her. She was becoming a little breathless. And hot. In fact, she was close to shucking her sweater off and considering doing the same to his.
"Yes, it is so." Cole repeated. "You are really quite responsive to it, Mel."
"Uh huh." She purred, sinking further into the sofa and his shoulder.
Cole wrapped his arm around Mel's shoulders and continued to stroke her throat affectionately. "You should be very relaxed by the time the session starts, Mel."
"Hmm." Her right hand went to his broad chest where she rested it there against the soft fabric of his sweater.
"We have to leave in a few minutes, Cole." She mumbled the reminder.
"Yes, Mel. Do you want to get ready now, or calm yourself a little longer?"
"Oh, I don't think I'm ready to move just yet, Cole. You should keep calming me." Clutching his sweater, Mel whispered urgently. "Calm a little faster, please."
"Okay, Mel. We'll wait a few more minutes." Cole agreed easily, his fingers softly caressing her pale skin.
Mel went limp in his arms and sighed, doing her very best not to pant with each stroke of his fingers.
An interested and eager Tracker and a much more relaxed Mel entered the conference room for their next session. Mel winced when she read the sign on the outside of the door. "The Newlywed Game? Otherwise known as 'How well do you know your spouse?'" Mel read it out loud to Cole.
Turning back to him she rolled her eyes and groaned. "Maybe you should just collect MY lifeforce and call it a night."
Cole laughed and escorted her to a couple of empty seats. "Come on, Mrs. Hauser, we don't want to keep them waiting."
"I don't mind keeping them waiting, Cole." Mel argued in a soft whisper as he tugged on her hand to get her in the seat next to him.
"Remember Mel, it doesn't matter." He reminded her in a softly spoken whisper that elicited shivers down her spine.
How did he do that! Too much time 'relaxing' with him earlier, Mel supposed.
The Drs. Sullivan gathered at the front of the room and shuffling through some cards began the next session. "Okay, everybody, all ready for another fun-filled learning experience guaranteed to stir all those delicious romantic juices that will lead to a hot night with the one you love?"
Cole smiled and nodded with the rest of the group.
Mel grimaced. She could feel all of Cole's hard work from a few minutes ago draining out of her system as fast as he drained a fugitive's lifeforce from its stolen body and into his collector.
Cole turned to her and gave her an encouraging smile.
Mel tried to smile back at him. It was a pitiful attempt he didn't seem to notice.
"Okay, everyone! Let's see whose cards we draw first, hmm?" Janet Sullivan teased the crowd and Mel could hear shouts of different names from the audience as she prayed silently. "Please, please, not Hauser, not Hauser, not Hauser." She chanted to herself.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hauser! Congratulations! You're our first couple." The doctor exclaimed, her body language practically shouting how fascinated she was with them.
Cole jumped up enthusiastically and dragged a defeated Mel to the front of the room.
Mel slowly pivoted and faced the group. She swallowed nervously, once again thinking to herself that she just didn't do well with the whole 'group thing.'
Curious puppy-dog eyes smiled encouragingly down at her. An eager Cirronian was a hard thing to discourage or mistreat.
Mel gave him a weak smile in return, electing not to scratch him behind the ears.
"Please, Mr. and Mrs. Hauser, Cole and Mel… have a seat on that cozy loveseat."
Cole sat first and Mel slid in next to him. Their hips touched. Cole wasn't a small guy and the chair wasn't very big.
Mel nodded to herself that this just fell into the way the rest of her day had been going. Why would she expect anything else? She asked herself, trying to ignore the sea of voyeur faces looking at her from 'the group' as well as the tingle of sexual awareness she always felt when any part of her came in contact with Cole.
"Now, let's get started, shall we? These questions are designed to bring back all those little things, those first things that you might have forgotten or just started taking for granted. Many couples forget just why they fell in love with their special spouse."
Mel tightly shut her eyes and drew a deep breath.
"We can start with questions for Mel first? Or you, Mr. Hauser, can go before your pretty wife, if she would prefer?"
"Mel?" Cole turned to her and asked softly.
"You go, Cole. You're better at this than I am." Mel jumped at the chance to avoid her interrogation as long as possible.
It wasn't until she thought about it another second or two that she realized having Cole answer questions might not be the safest course for them.
She was definitely not relaxed anymore.
"Fine." The doctor took the golden opportunity and ran with it. "Now, Mr. Hauser, Cole..." she gave him a smile, "can you remember the first time you thought to yourself that Mel was different from the women you usually met?"
The Cirronian grinned broadly. "Yes."
"Elaborate please, tell the group when it was, how long you had known her, what it was about her that clued you in to the fact this girl is different."
Mel turned to look at him, an uneasy expression on her face.
Cole continued to grin at both the doctors and at Mel. "I knew Mel was very different the first time I saw her."
There was a romantic "Ah!" throughout the room.
Mel's lips began to twitch. Her eyes were laughing.
"She wasn't like any female I had ever known." Cole confessed easily. "She looked different, acted differently; everything about her was unusual and interested me."
Dr. Sullivan nodded. "Excellent. You felt a connection from the very beginning. Did you ask her out that first time you saw her?"
Mel's curls started shaking, her lips curved upward.
"No, I didn't ask her out. I did indicate to her that I needed a ride though, and she graciously gave me one. She is a compassionate person."
"Okay, so Mr. Hauser, now we know how you felt when you first met Mrs. Hauser. Now let's try something a bit more personal, okay? Many times a couple believes they know when the other one first felt that…you know… spark… that first touch that said 'uh oh, I may be in trouble here. This one just might have to stay in my life!'" Dr. Janet Sullivan laughed along with the audience before continuing. "But seriously, many times a couple thinks they know when that moment was for them, but research and interviews has proven time and again that often they are wrong. Yes! Many times it is discovered that the moment happened much sooner than a spouse ever thought. So, here's the question for you, Mr. Hauser; think back and share with us and with your lovely wife, Mel, when you first felt a spark of something that told you this hot little lady needed to be with you, in your bed all the time!"
Mel nearly choked where she sat and it would have been a lot less embarrassing for her if she had actually been eating or drinking something at the time.
Cole slapped his hot little lady on the back once before giving Dr. Sullivan a look that spoke of deep thought.
"Do you remember, Mr. Hauser? Come on, share with us. That's what these seminars are all about, you know? Where were you two?"
"In the bathtub." Cole answered honestly.
Mel threw Cole a panicked look. "Cole!"
"Well, I was in the bathtub. Mel was outside of the tub; she was shaving me and soaping my chest. It was the way she rubbed my chest that did it. It felt good."
The collective "Ah" reappeared, along with one masculine shout of "I bet."
Mel squeezed her eyes shut and started counting again. She would have given anything for a little Cirronian foreplay just then. Cole was right; sometimes she really did need it.
"Does that surprise you, Mrs. Hauser? Was that when you realized Mr. Hauser might want more from you than just a casual relationship?" The good doctor's question dragged Mel away from her quick prayers for a false fire alarm, or a 2.6 earthquake, not a big one, just enough to shake the chandeliers, not enough to really damage anything.
Realizing the earthquake wasn't very likely; Mel was forced to answer the question. "Oh…I'm not sure. I mean I guess I realized Cole was somewhat interested when I was soaping his chest." Mel mumbled softly.
"Mr. Hauser, you remember this as a pivotal moment in your relationship, but Mrs. Hauser isn't sure she remembers it that way at all; why do you think that is?"
Cole looked bemused. "Well, Mel was very worried about the washcloth staying where it was; so she might not have noticed the effect her soaping my chest had on me." Cole grinned over at Mel.
"Cole!" Mel glared at him.
The group erupted into laughter.
Mel dropped her head and allowed all those wild curls to finally serve some useful purpose; covering the blush that was working its way up her neck and all over her face.
"I see, well I'm certainly getting the feeling that the two of you have shared more than one adventure together, haven't you? Can you tell us Mr. Hauser, what is your favorite romantic memory of your courtship with Mrs. Hauser?"
Mel's head popped back up and she looked over at Cole with a worried expression. He chased aliens, for crying out loud, did he even know what a romantic moment was?
Cole nodded and looking into Mel's worried eyes, answered easily. "The night Mel taught me to slow dance."
Mel's worry faded and she gave Cole a sweet look, her smile tremulous.
"Mel looked more beautiful that night than usual and when we were alone, she taught me how to hold her while we danced. It was a special moment."
This time it was the doctor who sighed. "Yes, nothing like a romantic slow dance to really bring a couple closer, in more ways than one." She added with a short laugh. "So, very good, Mr. Hauser. You have been so open and willing to share. This is wonderful and even though I suspect Mrs. Hauser is one of those people who finds it more difficult to open up like this, it is very promising for you as a couple that you can."
Dr. Sullivan stood up and addressed the audience. "Let's have a nice round of applause for Mr. Hauser and his willingness to share with us. Come on."
Cole grinned at the applause while Mel cringed. She felt as if she should be wearing a dunce cap and sitting in the corner of the class.
When the applause died down, Dr. Rayne Sullivan stood and began speaking. "Okay, Mel, it's your turn. I think after speaking to you in the wives' session, I have a better feel for your concerns. I think now is the time to address these with Mr. Hauser. Don't you?"
"Not really. I'll talk to Cole about them later, thanks." Mel hurriedly replied, ignoring the partial grin Cole wore at her response.
Laughing at her reluctance, the doctor didn't give up. "Come on, Mel. You know talking about it is the right thing to do. It will help. I promise." He reached out and patted Mel on her wringing hands.
"Now, Mel, you said something in the wives' meeting that I imagine Mr. Hauser would be quite shocked to hear. I'm betting he had no idea you felt this way. The only way to resolve it is to talk about it and face it."
Mel scowled at him. "You sure we can't just ignore it and hope it goes away?"
Both of the doctors laughed and shook their heads.
Mel had a feeling that would be their answer. Why did people always think ignoring problems was the wrong answer? Sometimes if ignored long enough, they did go away. Mel consoled herself with that unappreciated opinion.
"Mr. Hauser, Cole, I want to tell you something your lovely wife said this afternoon and get your response to it, but more importantly, I think Mel needs to hear your response to it."
Cole looked curiously at Mel and nodded. "Okay."
Dr. Sullivan pulled out a couple of index cards. "Sometimes I just feel like this will never work, we are just so different, worlds apart."
Cole turned to look at a very uncomfortable Mel who could barely lift her eyes long enough to look back at him. In a soft sexy baritone that sent shivers down her spine once again, she heard Cole answer. "I'm in her world now."
The edges of a smile began to make their way across her lips and strawberry-blonde curls started to bob around her shoulders.
Dr. Sullivan looked at Mel. "Did you hear that, Mel? Truer words were never spoken. A man can't express his deepest feelings any better than that. 'I'm in her world now.'" He repeated slowly.
The audience broke out in applause.
Mel's curls continued to bounce around her shoulders. Cole gave her a half-smile and a wink. His expression displayed amusement at a shared joke, but his eyes reflected serious tenderness, enough of it that Mel grew more flustered.
Dr. Sullivan, a therapist who obviously knew when he had a patient about to bolt off the couch, patted Mel on the shoulder, effectively keeping her in her seat. "Now, let's cover one last thing, shall we, Mel? You know what it is, don't you? The other statement you made that Mr. Hauser really should know?"
Cole looked intrigued but Mel shook her curls violently. "I don't really think Cole needs to hear anything else I said." She hedged then struck by inspiration quickly added. "I already told him." Mel jumped at that and tried to run with it. "Yes, that's it, I told him in our hotel room, only a few minutes ago, I told him some of the things we discussed in the wives' session, didn't I, honey?" Mel looked back at Cole with an encouraging look.
"Not really, Mel." Cole answered honestly, earning him a sharp kick to the backside of his leg. Looking down at where Mel had just attacked him, Cole brought his eyes back to Mel's and gave her a confused look.
"He's joking, aren't you, honey? Remember, I told you we discussed several things. Remember?" She shot him a quelling glance.
"You said the group talked about sex and relationships. No specifics, Mel." Cole once again gave into his Cirronian tendency toward complete honesty.
It earned him a second swift kick, same leg, a bit higher this time.
Mel shifted the manner in which she had her legs crossed to cover up the fact Cole was staring at where she had kicked him. "Honey, I told you that they asked what kind of lover you were, remember?" Mel turned back to Dr. Sullivan. "I told him what we talked about." She assured him in a very firm voice.
"Yes." Cole replied hesitantly. "Mel did tell me that you asked her that." He admitted, rubbing the back side of his leg.
The doctor watched them closely. "Yes, I did, but I was referring to what she said about your work and her fears concerning your relationship. Mel mentioned something that truly concerns me and I think as her husband, you should know she feels this way so you can assure her, Mr. Hauser, that what she fears just isn't true."
Concerned, Cole leaned forward. "What did Mel say?" He asked curiously, adroitly shifting his leg before a third kick could be landed. Mel would have tumbled off the loveseat if Cole's firm grip hadn't reached out and caught her. He slowly steadied her back on the cushion while continuing to listen to the therapist.
"Well, Mel, do you want to tell him? Or should I? It really needs to be brought out into the open." The doctor suggested gently.
Tucking her stray curls back behind her left ear and straightening her sweater, Mel resettled herself back on the sofa beside Cole, stalling for time. "I don't remember exactly what I said, really."
"I do." Dr. Sullivan patted her folded hands. "You said that sometimes you look at Cole and you think 'he doesn't really need me.' Isn't that what you said, Mel? Isn't that your greatest fear? That your husband, Cole, doesn't need you?"
Mel bit her bottom lip.
"Mel?" Cole asked, his voice full of concern and disbelief. "Is that true?"
She closed her eyes and nodded in the affirmative. "Yes." The soft admission shook Cole so much he was at a loss as to what to say.
One gentle hand came up to cradle her face while the other one began to caress the base of her throat, his fingers working fast and furious to send her as much reassurance and comfort as he could. "Mel." He said her name simply and with so much emotion that everybody in the room waited to draw their next breath until they witnessed Mel's reaction.
Her lashes fluttered open and Mel stared into the mesmerizing dark eyes of the man she was dreadfully afraid she had fallen in love with. "Cole." She whispered his name with a tremulous smile and quivering lips.
"Mel." Cole whispered in the manner of a prayer rather than a spouse's name. "I need you, Mel. I couldn't go on without you. I need you all the time, Mel." He sincerely assured her.
A brilliant smile answered his words. Mel's face beamed with happiness as Cole continued to caress her, watching her with gentle eyes full of tenderness and devotion.
Seeing such obvious love between the Hausers, Dr. Sullivan reached over and held the hand of his own spouse. The two of them watched the newlywed couple with deep satisfaction at a job well done.
He had kissed her!
Mel paced the length of their room; her curls flying behind her as she swiftly changed direction and headed back to the center of the room.
Cole had actually kissed her!
She stopped in the center of the room and stared at some of the equipment Cole had left sitting out, her heart racing at not only the memory of his kiss but at the corresponding worry over just where her kissable Cirronian was now. Or a better question; where were the deadly sisters he was after?
His kiss was incredible. It was everything a kiss should be. It was a kiss like no other she had ever received.
It was Cole's kiss.
Mel sighed and did what she frequently did when working with Cole as he tracked fugitives. She sat down and waited.
Ten minutes later, Mel was back up, pacing the length of the room again, doing the other thing she frequently did when working with Cole; she worried.
Where was he, damnit! Mel cursed silently. He should be back where he belonged by now! He should be right here in this room kissing her!
Mel stopped pacing, her expression stunned and more than a bit nervous at exactly where in the deep recesses of her mind that stray thought had sprung up from.
Maybe it hadn't come from her mind at all? She reflected honestly. Maybe it sprang from somewhere else? Like her recently over-stimulated hormones, perhaps?
God knew before this seminar had ever come up, she had been having enough dreams of Cole touching her; dreams that always started out with him innocently touching her throat and before long, progressing to him touching her in not so innocent a fashion.
Mel had to be honest with herself if no one else. Only she knew how many times since Cole had come to share her apartment that she had awakened in a very aroused state. Some mornings she was so embarrassed at her remembered dreams, she could barely look at his handsome face over her oatmeal.
Some mornings, she was sorely tempted to toss the oatmeal aside and just pounce on that handsome face and his incredible body!
That thought brought a smirk to her face. Mel actually took a moment to enjoy the image of a surprised Cole dealing with the fact his gentle Mel had suddenly knocked the Quaker Oats off the table and flattened him across it while she proceeded to unbuckle his belt, shuck his pants, and rip off his white briefs…with her teeth.
It wasn't a bad image, all in all, Mel decided impishly.
The door to the suite opened about that time and Cole stepped inside.
Mel flew to the entrance and jumped into his arms. "Cole! I've been so worried! Where have you been?" She demanded, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her long legs dangling off the floor.
Cole grinned as he caught Mel and held her tightly against him, relishing the feel of her soft breasts pressed against his chest. "Mel." He greeted her in his simple manner. "Is this what you call déjà vu? Haven't we done this earlier today?" He asked with a quick grin. "I've told you that you worry too much." He repeated softly.
Mel slid down the front of his well-built body, her feet back on the floor, but she kept her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close to her as she looked up at him and spoke. "I know." She gave him a relieved smile. "But you said yourself the sisters were extremely dangerous and they have an advantage with this place being built where it is."
"They had an advantage. It didn't help them very much when it came right down to it." He quipped, taking his collector out and winking at her.
Mel's eyes grew larger. "You collected them? Both of them?"
"Yes, Mel." Cole answered easily, his eyes focusing on Mel's lips for a moment, his memory of their first sweet kiss still fresh in his mind.
The Tracker badly wanted to kiss her again.
Mel grinned back at him with teasing laughter. "I guess this really is the Huntsman suite, huh?"
Cole agreed with a nod. "I've been thinking that perhaps I might wish to hunt for something else tonight, as well, Mel."
"What?" She asked him with a soft smile.
"Exotic prey." He teased. "Another kiss." Cole answered softly before Mel found herself being pulled back against his wonderful chest.
His lips slowly laid claim to hers again. Unlike some prey being hunted, Mel had absolutely no intention of making a run for it.
She stepped into his embrace and kiss quite willingly.
She hadn't imagined it. His kiss was just as wonderful as she had remembered. It was Cole's kiss, a unique experience that carried an indefinable spark to it.
Cole tasted Mel's lips once more before slowly releasing her. "I like kissing you, Mrs. Hauser." He told Mel, smiling.
Mel chuckled briefly before her expression changed. "So I noticed. I don't suppose it's necessary for us to continue playing the Hausers now that you've captured Cedra and Vedra, is it? We should probably head back to the Watchfire, huh?"
Cole nodded his agreement. "There's no reason to stay here, Mel." He pointed out logically.
Mel looked around the room before she slid Cole a sideways glance. "Of course, it is really late and driving this late is not the best idea."
Cole looked up at her words and his expression changed. "It is very late, Mel, and you will need to sleep soon."
Mel nodded. "And the room is already paid for."
Cole smiled. "Yes, Mel, it is, with heart-shaped tubs and mirrors on the ceiling."
She laughed at that. "It's really too late to think about packing again and driving home, isn't it?"
"I think so, Mel." Cole stated softly. He placed his hands on top of her slender shoulders. "You will need to rest very soon. It has been a long day for a human."
"You have no idea." Mel agreed ruefully.
Cole ran his hands over the tops of her shoulders, sensing her lifeforce, before reaching for her throat. "You have managed to make yourself upset again, haven't you, Mel?"
"Yes, Cole. I was worried when you left so suddenly after we…kissed…and then you didn't come back to the room for so long; I worried that something had happened to you." She confessed softly.
Cole pulled her into his arms, his hands cradling her head rather than stroking her skin. His dark eyes gazed down at her tenderly. "Mel…what am I going to do with you?" He whispered more to himself than to her.
She answered him anyway with a quick nervous smile. "You could kiss me again and maybe use some of those Cirronian foreplay techniques on me? I probably need it."
It was Cole's turn to laugh. "Yes, Mel. You probably do." He answered gently, his lips covering hers.
She melted against him. The Tracker closed in on his exotic prey as skillfully as always.
Mel turned the faucets off on the heart-shaped tub and grinned at the mound of bubbles she had created in the bath. The scent of heather filled the bathroom as she slipped out of the plush white robe graciously provided by the management of the hotel. Glancing around at the soft candlelight in the romantic bathroom, Mel smiled to herself and slipped gracefully into the spacious tub, releasing a satisfied sigh as she immersed herself in the hot water.
She slid further beneath the bubbles, rested her head against the bath pillow provided and closed her eyes. If this wasn't Heaven, it was close to it!
Cole's kisses immediately popped into her mind; another form of Heaven.
Her kiss-swollen lips curved upward at the sweet memory. Mel opened her eyes and watched as a blue candle near the bathtub flickered suggestively back at her. The soft glow reminded her of a certain alien. She had just spent half an hour plastered against her favorite Cirronian; kissing him.
The resulting grin on her face said it all. She was an extremely pleased female who had been well-kissed and more than a little aroused.
Cole had been the one who had finally called a stop to their love-making by telling her it was late and she needed her sleep. Cole always worried about whether or not she slept enough; Mel mused. At times she wondered if the gentle Cirronian viewed her human body's need for sleep as a disability of some kind. Mel rather thought he did.
Cole had ended their last kiss, somewhat reluctantly, cupped her face in his strong callused palms and instructed her that she should retire for the night. He had sweetly informed her it had been many hours since she had last slept.
Mel was very certain it had not been an easy task for him. Her lips possessed a definite curve to them when she recalled that Cole had been fully aroused at the time. There were significant advantages to plastering one's self up against a sexy Cirronian lacking experience in human mating rituals. He was so easy to read.
Mel knew Cole had wanted her very badly, even if he didn't, she decided with a wry grin.
Quite content to relax in the fragrant water, Mel closed her eyes and sank deeper into the warmth of the bubbles and the fresh memory of kissing Cole.
"Mel?"
Her eyes popped open when she heard Cole's voice coming from above her head. Startled, Mel yelped, "Cole!" and dived beneath the mound of bubbles.
Observing her reaction to his unexpected presence, Cole's mouth quirked upward slightly, accompanied by a bushy left eyebrow doing the same; but other than those subtle movements, the Tracker seemed content to remain standing beside the bathtub as he handed a glass of champagne to Mel. "Here, Mel. The bellboy just brought us a bottle, compliments of the Sullivans."
Checking to make sure the bubbles were concealing as much of her as she had hoped, Mel swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and took the fluted glass. "Thanks."
Cole smiled gently at her. "You're welcome, Mel. I thought you might like a glass while you bathe."
Nodding quickly, Mel watched him closely, rather like a trapped mouse might watch a circling hawk about to swoop down on it. "Cole, I didn't hear you come in. Did you use hyperspeed to get in here?"
Puzzled at her question, Cole gave a negative shake to his handsome head. "No, Mel. I just opened the door. You were resting with your eyes closed."
"Oh. You're quiet." Mel mumbled.
"I'm a Tracker." Cole replied.
"Uh huh." Mel nodded, taking a fortifying sip of her champagne.
Cole watched her with amused dark eyes. "You're very beautiful in the bathtub, Mel."
With a rueful shake of her curls, Mel asked herself what it was she had she been thinking a few minutes before? That Cole wanted her badly whether he knew it or not? Mel almost chuckled out loud at the irony. One of these days she'd learn. She was always underestimating Cole.
The way the Cirronian was watching her clearly indicated he understood exactly what he wanted.
He wanted her.
Mel wet her lips, catching a drop of champagne on her tongue before raising her eyes back up to his.
Cole was watching her with a tolerant and somewhat amused expression. "Does it make you nervous, Mel, to hear me say that I find you beautiful like this?"
She shook her head. "No, Cole. Nervous isn't exactly the right word."
He considered that for a second, then nodded back at her. "What is then?"
Mel's lips curved into a reluctant smile. "Tempted, I would think just about covers it."
His eyes shined their approval. "Good." Setting his own glass of champagne down on a small shelf near the tub, Cole dropped to the floor beside her and began to caress her throat. He smiled when his fingers had to fight a few bubbles before they reached their target. "I don't want you nervous, Mel. You are nervous too often as it is." His touch flooded her with warmth that far surpassed what the luxuriating bath had given her.
She acknowledged his words with a tremulous smile. "I know."
His hand continued to stroke the base of her throat.
Mel waited for that glorious hand to move elsewhere; lower perhaps?
It didn't.
She began to wish it would.
Cole accurately read the desire on her face and his firm lips brushed against hers. "Your skin is so soft, Mel, even softer when wet."
She smiled at him, finding that despite the sexual tension in the room, she couldn't resist teasing him just a little bit. "I thought you were going to find a movie to watch while I bathed and went to bed?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders and used a masculine thumb to brush away a strand of hair that the steam had trapped against her freckled cheek. "I was watching one that was very interesting and informative, but it didn't last long."
"Oh?" Inspired to return his touch, Mel reached up and caressed his strong jaw line with delicate feminine fingertips. "What was it?"
Small talk. Mel was amazed that their relationship could exist like this. They were making small talk while she sat in this huge bathtub completely naked, only inches away from him. When would it end?
How would it end?
And what would they do when it did end?
"I didn't catch the name of it, Mel, but it had an alien in it." Cole chuckled. "He came to this planet where all the men were sterile and the women decided he could help them repopulate their planet."
Mel frowned, a suspicion beginning to form. "This was on the regular channels?"
Cole ran a long sensuous fingertip down one smooth and silky bare arm, eliciting a delicate shiver out of Mel that was most definitely of a sexual nature. "No. It was on one of those channels the hotel provides. It cost $10.95."
Mel closed her eyes and swallowed a nervous laugh. "I see." Her lips curved. "You said interesting and informative?"
"It wasn't like any of the movies we have watched together, Mel." Cole admitted, that same finger making a tantalizing trip back up her arm, provoking a second shiver very much like the first. "It featured many scenes of human sexuality."
"Uh huh." Mel gave him a weak smile. "Informative, you say?"
"Very." Cole whispered, capturing her lips for another soft kiss. "I like kissing you, Mel. I'm glad we came here to collect Cedra and Vedra."
Mel shook her curls, unable to keep the responding grin off of her face. He was just too adorable. "I'm glad you like kissing me." She couldn't resist adding. "Do you plan on seducing me, Cole?"
The Cirronian grinned, quite pleased she had asked. "No, Mel. I thought it would probably work better if you seduced me. I just wanted to let you know I'm not opposed to it."
Mel gave into her laughter, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his strong neck while she chuckled. "You are entirely too cute, Cole." She announced with a softly placed kiss on his throat.
Mel felt his arms fold around her, those wonderful masculine hands of his embraced her bare back, his long fingers coming dangerously close to the sides of her breasts.
He pressed his forehead to hers. "Cute enough to seduce, Mel?" He whispered in a deep baritone, his eyes diverting downward to appreciate the way her bare breasts were pressed against his chest.
"Definitely." She admitted honestly. "I told you I'm tempted." She took a deep breath to clear her jumbled thoughts. "But this is pretty quick, Cole. We should probably think about this."
Cole frowned. "I did think about it, Mel. I was thinking about it most of the time I was watching that movie. It was difficult not to."
She giggled.
The Tracker smiled at her laughter and waited for her to stop. His hands began a pleasurable trek across her soft skin, his fingertips gently exploring the curve of her female signatures.
If that movie held any truth to it, he needed to spend some time stimulating those signatures. It was a task the Tracker thought he might not mind in the least. He was actually looking forward to it.
Mel liked his hands on her. She approved of his kisses as well.
The Cirronian didn't anticipate any problems making love to Mel.
"Cole?" Mel stared at him with a tender expression. "We only kissed for the first time tonight?" A cautious streak, relatively late to appear in her life, prompted her to add. "Perhaps we should move a little slower?"
"I'll go as slow as you want, Mel. All you have to do is tell me." Cole replied honestly.
Mel bit her lip. "I know."
Cole studied Mel's expression, accurately detecting that she was on the verge of suggesting they halt their lovemaking.
The Tracker suddenly realized how very much he had been anticipating their first mating union. Hoping to persuade her to continue, Cole brought her sweet form against his chest and began kissing her again. He was as gentle as always but determined. Wanting to feel every inch of her pressed against the length of him, Cole stood and brought Mel out of the water as he did, his arms embracing her sweet naked figure. Large masculine hands ran down the slender line of her spine, slipping over the wet alluring curves of her silky bottom, bringing her in contact with his hard desire for her. Bubbles more inclined to disappear than stay in place made their journey down her slick body as well, most slipping into the soft scented water or dissolving beneath the warmth of the Cirronian's hands.
Mel purred under his embrace and his electric touch.
"Cole! My Man! Where are you?"
Upon hearing Nestov's shout, Mel squeaked a shocked protest and broke away from Cole's passionate kiss. Her expression was one of horrified panic.
The Tracker's was of frustrated irritation.
"You in here, my man?" Nestov casually strolled into the bathroom, pushing the partially closed door the rest of the way open as he looked for them.
Cole was facing Nestov when the con man entered the room. "Nestov, what are you doing here?" Cole demanded in an even tone.
Mel jumped directly behind Cole, her hands on his shoulders as she peeked around him, before she noticed she was no longer standing in the bathtub completely naked with only a few bubbles to cover her nudity. Instead, she found herself standing outside of the bathtub, noticeably bubble-free, wearing the hotel's comfortable robe, its large belt tied securely around her waist.
"My Man! Is that anyway to talk to your partner who came here to save your life? I got some new information on Cedra and Vedra and what they look like in their host bodies. I thought you might need it, man. I'm here to help you." Nestov waved at Mel. "Whoa! Mel! Check it out! Cool bathroom. This is happening! I mean, look at the size of that tub." Nestov peered over the rim and then grinned at Mel. "You took a bubble bath in that small pool; didn't you?"
Mel rolled her eyes. "Yes. How did you get into our hotel room?"
Nestov frowned at the cool welcome. "I walked in. The door was open."
"It was not. You broke in." Cole stated with a disgusted expression.
"I finessed the lock so that I could access your room and by using my unique Desserian abilities possibly save both of your lives, if those sisters were giving you any trouble." Nestov grinned at them.
Cole sighed and shook his head. "Mel is getting ready for bed, Nestov; let's take this discussion to the other room."
"Sure, my Man! Mel is getting ready for bed, huh? Can I stay and watch?" He grinned, leering at the pretty redhead he had come to like and love to tease.
The pretty redhead huffed and looked away from his eager expression.
"No." Cole answered, grabbing Nestov by the back of his neck and propelling him through the bathroom door, giving him a less than polite shove out of the door before turning back to Mel and shooting her a gentle smile. "Put your nightclothes on, Mel. I'll take care of Nestov."
She nodded gratefully. "Cole?" Mel called out just as he was closing the door.
"Yes, Mel?" Cole turned back to her.
"One minute I was standing in your arms and I'm pretty certain I wasn't wearing anything; and the next, I'm completely covered up and Nestov is in the room."
"Yes, Mel." Cole agreed; his eyes softening as he watched her.
Mel swallowed the lump in her throat. "You used hyperspeed to put my robe on, didn't you?"
His answering smile was tender. "Yes, Mel. There was no time to do anything else. Nestov was coming in the room. I didn't think you would be comfortable with him seeing you without your clothes."
"There's an understatement." Mel's curls bobbed.
Cole grinned.
"Thank you, Cole. I can't imagine dealing with Nestov leering at me every time he walked into the Watchfire. You think fast on your feet." She chuckled nervously. "Not to mention how fast you move. You dressed me pretty quickly."
Cole frowned and then walked back over to her, his expression turning tender and amused. "Hyperspeed is much faster than you know, Mel. To be truthful, I took my time drying your body and dressing you."
His eyes twinkled at her shocked expression. "Nestov is waiting. I must speak with him, Mel. We can discuss this later."
As Cole made his way back over to the door, the Tracker heard Mel mutter under her breath, "Oh, you bet your cute ass we will!"
The Cirronian was grinning when he greeted Nestov in the main room of the suite.
The End