Taydelaan by Rachel Clark Read Free Book Online Page A

had. She could still feel warm arms and gentle kisses from her lovers even as reality began to press into her subconscious. Any minute now, the alarm would go off and she’d drag herself out of bed and off to the job she’d never really enjoyed. Her boss was such a bully. Any time that woman entered the room, employees practically crawled under their desks to escape her wrath. Wonder what the old bag would do if I called in sick? Probably fire me.
    Kayla’s eyes flew open when she remembered the accusations hurled at her just yesterday. She almost leaped from the bed, panic fueling her movements, but the strong arm from her dream held her back.
    “Morning, honey.” David’s deep voice vibrated against her back as memories of the last twenty-four hours rushed into her mind. She wriggled, trying to sit up, trying to sort fact from fantasy in her mind. Another voice called her name, and it took a few more moments of squirming before she realized her own arms were wrapped around Jessica.
    “Shhh. Kayla, honey, it’s okay. It’s still early. At least an hour before the alarm goes off.”
    “It was real?” Kayla asked in a small voice. “You’re aliens from Cistern and live twice as long and you both love me and…and…”
    “Breathe, Kayla,” David laughed softly. “I think a cistern is part of a toilet, but, yes, we’re aliens on this planet and we live longer than humans and we both love you.” He pulled her tighter into his embrace and nuzzled the back of her neck with his nose. “Oh, and our home planet is called Sesturia.”
    Kayla tried to relax in his embrace as she recalled everything that happened yesterday, her breath quickening when she got to the part that led to her bedroom. Jessica rolled over so she faced Kayla.
    “Wanna play hooky?”
    “Huh?” Maybe it was too early in the morning but Kayla had no idea what the other woman meant.
    “Take the day off work. Chuck a sickie. Stay in bed.” The look Jessica gave her suggested they wouldn’t be sleeping if they stayed in bed. Sighing quietly, Kayla snuggled closer to David so she could see Jessica more clearly.
    “Sorry, but I think the old bag would fire me if I called in sick. That’s assuming, of course, that I still have a job. The way I left yesterday, it’s quite possible I’m already unemployed.”
    “Okay, how about this then? I’ll go to work, tell the bitch I want my job back, and you can ring her and tell her to shove your job where Earth’s sun don’t shine.” Kayla giggled at the expression she imagined would grace her boss’s face when Jessica delivered that news. The idea was tempting—very tempting—but she’d been taking care of herself for a long time, and the idea of sponging off her friends didn’t really sit well. She almost changed her mind when Jessica’s smile faltered, but she pulled her lover into her arms and held her close.
    “Maybe another day, but for now I think we should both go to work, make sure I still have a job, and then figure out where to go from here.”
    “I think you’re right. We shouldn’t make any rash decisions just yet. We all need time to adjust to our new relationship, and going back to our normal routine should help.”
    David laughed quietly. “Except for the small problem of fitting three people into an apartment the size of a postage stamp.”
    “That’s something we need to discuss.” Kayla hated the way her insecurities dissolved the happy tone of the conversation. She could feel David tense behind her and suspected that husband and wife were exchanging looks over the top of her. Just her luck that she’d be dealing with a couple who’d been together long enough to almost read each other’s mind. Unless…
    “Are Sesturians telepathic?”
    “Not as a rule. No.” Jessica answered just a little too quickly, and Kayla could’ve sworn she felt David tense even more behind her. Something inside her shied away from looking too closely at that answer, but she was about