Chapter 3

Alexa sighed as she opened the front door to the office that she shared with her brother, Andrew. Joseph, her chosen had been gone for a week on business, and she sure missed his warm comforting arms at night, when she got home from a long days work. It didn't help that her brother's chosen, Grace worked with both of them and she got to see them moon over each other every day. It wasn't much different, she supposed than she and Joseph were together. She was not surprised to see that Andrew had already arrived. He was always the first one in and usually the last one to leave at night. She was surprised however that she didn't see Grace any where in the office. Placing her purse and coat in the coat closet, she wandered back into Andrew's lab. She found him hunched over his desk with his head braced between his hands.

"Andrew, is everything okay?" She asked as she walked over to his desk and leaned against it.

"I don't know what to do, Alexa. Grace has left."

"What?" Alexa asked in disbelief. It was unheard of for chosen ones to leave each other. They needed the constant presence of their mate to function.

"Yes, she left me." Andrew growled as he raised his head and looked up at her. Alexa gasped when she saw the huge bags under his silver eyes and patchiness of his normally smooth skin.

"When?"

"Over the weekend." He growled. "She said something about needing some space."

"Doesn't she realize that isn't how it works between us?" Alexa asked hotly.

"I tried explaining it to her, sis. But she comes from a race that doesn't normally bond together mentally as well as physically." He said softly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Andrew. Did she say when she would be back?"

"No. She went home to her apartment and I don't even know if she is coming to work today." He said, rising out of his chair to start pacing the length of his office. In the outer office her phone began to ring.

"I'll be right back, Andrew. I have to answer that."

"You're hoping to talk to Joseph. Sorry sis, I can't imagine going with out Grace for week. Even one night is hard. Go answer the phone, I'll be alright." Andrew said with a sigh as he moved over to the window.

Grace stood next to the phone unit in her kitchen and waited for someone in the office to pick up. She had spent a couple of lonely nights in her apartment. Where the sheets had the lingering smell of Drew. Probably left behind the last time that he had spent the night with her. She didn't understand how one minute she felt like she was being smothered in his presence, then when he let her have the space she wanted, she felt like the world was going to end because he wasn't there with her. She drummed her finger on the wall and listen to the phone ring for a fifth time. Surely Alexa would be in by now. She had waited til now to call because she didn't want to give into her overwhelming need for Drew. Finally Alexa's breathless voice came on. It sounded as if she had ran from the lab to get to the phone in time.

"Hello, Consolatory Labs. Alexa speaking. How may I help you?" Alexa answered.

"Hey, Alexa. It's Grace." She said softly, expecting her sister-in-law to hang up on her.

Alexa glanced over her shoulder, quickly before covering her mouth so Andrew couldn't hear her.

"Call me back on my walkie." She said referring to the cell-phone like device that they used on this planet.

"Alright." Grace said disconnecting the phone.

"Andrew, I'll be back in a minute." Alexa said from the doorway of the lab.

"Okay." Drew said still pacing around his lab almost mindlessly. Rushing towards the break room, she waited for her walkie to ring. When it did she answered it quickly.

"What's going on, Grace? Andrew is a basket case and you aren't here." Alexa asked immediately.

"I don't know." Grace said with a sigh. "I needed some space from Drew."

"Do you love him?" Alexa asked.

"Yes, of course I love him. That's not the problem. I don't know how to deal with this. This is nothing like what I would go through if I was on Earth. I'm at a loss here." Grace responded sadly. "I feel like I've been thrown into the deep end and have to keep my head above water with out any swimming lessons. I don't know what to do or say."

"Oh sweetheart." Alexa whispered. "I'm so sorry that you feel that way. But you're going to have to deal with it. I know you didn't understand what all was entailed with bonding with Andrew but you can't be apart."

"Drew, said something about that. I don't understand. How do your couples function while they're separated?"

"It's very difficult. Joseph and I have been bonded for over five years, Grace. It still isn't comfortable when we are apart but we're both secure enough to handle it."

"Secure enough?" Grace asked rubbing her forehead. She had the start of a headache.

"Yes. Joseph and I know that other will always return. So it makes our separation more comfortable than it would be if that knowledge wasn't there." She told her friend. "But this isn't Joseph and I that we're talking about. This is about you and Andrew. Andrew doesn't know if he's even going to see you again. Unfortunately this isn't like your earthling marriage. The bonding that you agreed to combined your spirits along with your physical bodies."

"So what are you saying." Grace asked concerned.

"Do you feel lost without him, Grace?" Alexa asked.

"Yes." Came her whisper a few moments later.

"Now double what you are feeling. That's what Andrew is going through." Alexa said. "I'm not going to sugar coat this, Grace. Andrew is not good today. He's restless. He looks like hell and worse he has no desire to do anything at all. This early in your bonding, it is certain death to be separated for more than a few hours every day."

"So your saying that the longer we're together the easier it will be to be apart?"

"No. I'm not saying that. Just that it's easier to tolerate. You'll always want to be with your chosen. That's why many bonded couples work together. In fact there's a place on all of our applications that asks how long an applicant has been bonded." There was silence at the other end of the phone.

"How is he doing?" Grace asked.

"Like I said, not good."

"Then I guess, I better come into work, then. I thought about taking the day off to think."

"When did you leave him, Grace?" Alexa asked as a thought occurred to her.

"Saturday night, why?"

"Oh, hell. I'll have to close the office." Alexa said softly. "Don't come in until I have time to reschedule all of our appointments for today."

"Why?" Grace asked confused.

"Because my dear sister-in-law, for every day that you have been apart, you can expect at least 2 hours of makeup sex. So I figure that you have about four hours worth. And I'm not going to explain to customers what all the noise in the lab is."

"You're expecting Drew and I to have sex in the lab?" Grace asked with a strained laugh.

'Grace, honey, there's no expect. There's not any way to stop it from happening. When my brother finally sees you, the first thing he's gonna do is reaffirm that you are still his chosen. And the most basic way to do that is to make love. He'll have no control over it. Neither will you. So do me a favor, wait an hour and then come in. I'm gonna lock up when you come in, so you won't have an audience. Do your self a favor, Grace, don't wear anything you don't want him ripping off you." Alexa said as she hung the phone.

Alexa walked into the lab and saw her brother staring mindlessly at his computer. Walking past him she shut all the blinds until the lab was darkened. Glancing over at her, he barely noticed what she had done. Walking back over to his desk, she leaned down and gave him a hug.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off, Andrew."

"Why?"

"As a thank you from you."

"For what?" He asked confused.

" For talking your chosen into coming into work today." Alexa replied as she brushed the hair off his face.

"Alexa, you know what's gonna happen." He growled. "If you can talk her into coming into work, then talk her into letting me go to her apartment or coming to mine."

"Don't worry. I've rescheduled all our appointments. When she shows up I'll lock the doors behind me." Alexa said before she headed back out to her desk.

As requested, Grace showed up at the office an hour after she got off the phone with Alexa. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door. Walking in, she smiled at Alexa. Alexa motioned her to head back to the lab. Taking her coat off she laid it over the edge of Alexa's desk. She slowly pushed the door open, feeling the butterflies in her stomach increase. As her eyes adjusted to the darken room, she finally spotted Drew. He was sitting in his chair with his back to her.

"Drew." She whispered softly.

"Don't come near me, Grace." He growled without turning around.

"What have I done wrong?" She asked.

"I don't want to hurt you, Grace. And I need you to be ready to accept me before you get with in touching distance." Drew finished as he gripped the arms of the chair tightly. The desire to claim his chosen was riding him hard. It had been since Alexa had told him that Grace was coming in.

"Ready for you?" Grace chuckled softly. "I've been ready for you since Alexa told me about your "make-up sex." I don't claim to understand this "bonded" thing. But I'm willing to try, Drew. Just be patient with me. I'll get it eventually.' Grace said as she crept closer.

"Are you wet?" Drew asked her as he unzipped his pants. Immediately his hard manhood sprung out of the opening. Grace stopped just inches from him.

"Yes." She moaned softly. " Christ, I need you."

"Good." He said as he spun the chair around and grabbed her. Reaching up under her skirt, he groaned when he realized that she wasn't wearing any underwear. And that she was wet clear down to her thighs. Yanking her forward the same time that he surged out of his chair, he brought her up and over his rampant erection. Bracing his feet apart he slammed her down on to his hard cock. Grace screamed as he buried every inch inside her. "I love you, Grace." He panted as he started thrusting her up and down.

"Oh, Drew. I love you too." She sobbed as she got closer to climaxing. "I'm sorry. So sorry." She gasped as she went over the edge and climaxed hard around his thrusting cock.

"YES!!!" he hissed as she quaked in his arms. "I love you and you're mine." He added as he backed them towards the wall. Pinning her between the wall and his hard body he continued to hammer in and out of her. "Please don't leave me again. Not like that." he gritted as he felt the climax coming.