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“Are you well?” he asked.

Kendra narrowed her gaze and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m surprised you care enough to ask.”

“I do. That’s why I’m here.”

Her gaze traveled down his body. “What are you wearing?”

“I’m here for you. To continue our courtship. I made a mistake.”

“Did your Tolong mate reject you, so you’ve come back to your only option? I’m no one’s second choice.”

“No! Donik accepted me, but I turned her down. I got things wrong. I thought I was doing the right thing by remaining loyal to my family. I don’t want to be loyal to them. I want to be loyal to you.” He dropped to his knees and tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away.

“Faron, you make things too complicated.” Kendra’s voice shook. “I asked you to choose. You didn’t choose me.”

Faron lifted his head and saw uncertainty in her eyes. He spoke from his heart. “Kendra, you’re my world. I didn’t know what love could feel like until I met you. You’re a dangerous comet. You’ve hurtled me out of control.”

Her brow furrowed. “You think I’m dangerous?”

“No, I think I am. When I’m around you, my heart beats too fast. I always feel excited.” He dipped his head. “I’m changing because of you. I’m terrified of that. I never thought this would happen to me.”

“Do you want it to happen?” she said quietly.

“I... I don’t think I can stop it.”

Kendra tutted. “You sound like you’re fighting the possibility of us being together. You still have doubts. I need time to think.”

“You need to think about us?”

“About all of this. About my place here, our relationship, what I want to do with the rest of my life. It never involved falling for an alien and getting my heart broken.”

“Let me mend it. I’m great at fixing things.” He finally grabbed her hand, and she didn’t pull away.

Kendra sighed. “You’re great at mending broken pipes. It’s not the same thing.”

“It takes time and patience. I might not get it right the first time, but if you let me try, I’ll do it.” He pressed his lips to the back of her hand. “I am sorry I hurt you. I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, you are,” she whispered.

“But I am here for you. I’m here to dance for you.”

She yanked her hand away. “That’s all you care about, your courtship rituals?”

He blinked up at her in confusion. “It shows you my intentions. My plan for us to join.”

“What it shows me is that you are a single-minded idiot.” Kendra pressed a button, and the door slid shut in Faron’s face.

Faron sat back on his heels, staring at the shut door. What had he done wrong?

Chapter 23

Faron was a cheeky bastard. Kendra leaned against the door as her heart pounded, and a mixture of anger and surprise ran through her. How dare he come here practically naked and gorgeous looking and expect everything to be fine.

Screw that. He wasn’t going to turn her head because he displayed everything he had. A fine set of muscles and some garbled nonsense about her being a comet would not make her relent so easily.

After her conversation with Ivy, Kendra had been confused. She cared about Faron, but it wasn’t as simple as that. She wasn’t sure they’d ever find enough common ground to make a go of things.

“You’re the idiot,” she muttered under her breath as she thumped her forehead against her palm. Faron had come here for her, and she’d shut the door in his face.