Blossom and the Alien Actor

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, frowning as he wondered if they should limit their intimacy. He didn’t like the idea of her being in pain, or any sort of discomfort because of him.

  “It’s normal for my body to be a bit tender today,” she said. “I promise. You didn’t do any lasting harm or anything like that. I just need to adjust to your size, and I can’t do that if we aren’t intimate.”

  He studied her face and saw the sincerity in her eyes. The thought he might have hurt her had nearly gutted him, but he knew little of intimacy, especially with a human. He’d have to trust that she was being honest and would let him know if he ever did hurt her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was cause his mate any sort of pain. She was the sweetest woman he’d ever met, and deserved so much more than she’d been given. He vowed to be a good mate to her, to protect her and the children, and shower them with affection. A day wouldn’t go by that they didn’t know someone cared about them.

  “Use this shower, and take as long as you want,” he said. “I’ll just grab a few things and use the hall bathroom.”

  “I’m not kicking you out of your bathroom,” she said.

  “You’re not.” He smiled. “I’m volunteering to use another one. I’ll bring my things back in here after my shower.”

  “You’re too good to me,” she murmured, then cupped his cheek. “I don’t know how someone didn’t snag your attention before now, but I’m grateful that you’re mine and that I’m yours.”

  “No one will ever separate us, Blossom.”

  He kissed her once more, then gathered his things from the shower, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the bathroom attached to the room he’d originally given her. Her things had been put away, but they would need to be moved to their bedroom now that she was his mate. If Blossom didn’t get a chance to do it herself, he’d ask Mrs. Connors if she would mind helping. As happy as the woman seemed to be over his claiming of Blossom, she would possibly take care of the matter before he even had a chance to ask.

  Brexton quickly washed his hair, then put in the conditioner his stylist had insisted that he use. He had never cared much about hair products and would hate the stuff if it didn’t smell like mint. He had to admit it made his hair soft, which he’d been assured females would like, but it had never been a concern before. He also had special stuff he’d been instructed to use on his beard since he refused to shave it off. By the time he’d dried off, pulled on his boxer briefs and a pair of black pants, Blossom was out of the shower and rummaging through her things.

  He leaned against the bathroom doorway and just smiled as he watched her. She hadn’t noticed his presence yet, and when her towel dropped, his cock stood at attention. He had one sexy mate, that was for certain. When she leaned over to get something out of the bottom drawer, he couldn’t stifle his groan. Perfect! She was perfect in every way imaginable.

  She glanced at him over her shoulder, eyebrow arched and a smirk on her lips. “Like what you see?”

  “Definitely.”

  She shook her head, then stood up and pulled on a pair of panties. When she put on her bra, he was amazed at how dexterous she was. If he’d attempted those moves, he’d have turned into that human food called a pretzel. He couldn’t look away as she got dressed.

  “I’m glad you’re mine,” he said. “If that intern at the studio hadn’t told me you needed help, we may have never met, and I’d have missed out on having you and the children in my life.”

  “Remind me to thank her,” Blossom said. “I think we owe her a spa package or something.”

  “I’ll see to it,” he said.

  “Are you going to the studio like that? Because while I enjoy the view, you may cause a few accidents if you drive to work without a shirt.”

  He glanced down then shrugged. “I’ll put one on, but I’ll have to change when I get there. We’re re-filming a scene the director isn’t quite happy with just yet. You can tag along while wardrobe and makeup do their thing, then you can have my seat on set while I’m working.”

  “I get to sit in the mighty Brexton’s seat? Whatever will people think?”

  He smiled. “They’ll think I’m happily mated.”

  “I’m heading downstairs to see if Mrs. Connors needs to be rescued. If she’s going to have the children to herself later, she’ll need a break now. They can be exhausting.”

  “We’ll need to leave before lunch,” he said. “There’s food at the studio. You can help yourself to whatever you want while we’re there, then later tonight we’ll go out to dinner as a family.”

  “Is that wise?” she asked, worrying at her lower lip. “What about Mike? He’s still out there, lurking somewhere, just waiting for his opportunity. I mean, I was worried before, but after learning who he really is?”

  Brexton moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his body. “No one will hurt you or the children. I’ll spare no expense to ensure your safety. All three of you.”

  “We’re so lucky to have you.”

  “Go see the children while I finish dressing. After breakfast, we can watch cartoons with the kids or bring them back up here to play.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about running up and down the stairs all the time while the kids were so small. “There’s a room downstairs I’ve never really used. I think we should turn it into a playroom.”

  “You can show me the room after we eat. It would be nice to have the kids downstairs during the day, and yet let them have their own space.”

  He kissed her cheek then released her. Blossom went downstairs while Brexton finished dressing. By the time he reached the kitchen, the table was full of food. Far more than he’d ever seen Mrs. Connors fix for one morning. She’d said she would prepare a feast, and it seemed she’d kept her word.

  RaeLynn must have been finished already because she had a few toys on her tray. Drew was making a mess, bits of egg and biscuit all over him and the table, but it made Brexton smile. He didn’t care if the kids were messy, he was just grateful they were here and that he could claim them as his. He now had everything he’d ever wanted. A family.

  When Drew was finished eating, he squirmed and fussed until Mrs. Connors unbuckled him from the booster seat. He immediately went to Brexton and lifted his arms. Once his son was settled in his lap, Brexton finished his meal, but noticed Blossom kept casting glances his way. She almost looked surprised to find Drew sitting with him, but the little boy had taken to him almost instantly the moment they’d met.

  “Something wrong?” Brexton asked Blossom.

  “No, it’s just… he’s normally shy around anyone but me.”

  “Boy knows his daddy,” Mrs. Connors said. “Nothing wrong with that.”

  Brexton paused, remembering that Drew had called him Daddy earlier.

  “Mrs. Connors, did you tell the children to call me Daddy?” he asked.

  The older woman’s cheeks flushed and she blustered a moment before placing her hands on her hips and taking a stand. “Well, that’s what you are, isn’t it? You’re their daddy, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t call you that.”

  Blossom looked like she was trying not to smile as she stared at him. Probably waiting to see how he’d react, which meant he needed to say all the right things, or he’d have two angry women on his hands.

  “Yes, that’s who I am to them, but… it just took me by surprise to hear Drew call me that this morning,” Brexton said.

  “I’m not usually a busybody, but it just seemed wrong that your own children didn’t call you Daddy or some variation of it. I don’t know what kind of relationship you’ve had with them before now…”

  “Mrs. Connors, have you forgotten that…” He stopped and looked down, noticing that Drew was listening to everything he said. No, he wasn’t about to say the kids weren’t really his. What if Drew understood what he was saying and was hurt by his words? “Never mind.”

  The housekeeper nodded, and went about straight
ening the kitchen. Brexton finished his meal then led his new family down the hall to a room that was supposed to be a bedroom. He’d used it as storage for a bit, but for the moment, it was empty. It would make the perfect playroom for the kids, until they were older. Then maybe they could turn it into a media room or something suitable for kids who weren’t quite adults yet.

  It was a large area, and was currently painted a soft gray. Before the kids could move into the space, he’d need to brighten it up a little. Maybe bring in some larger toys like the small plastic slide he’d noticed at the baby store. He still didn’t know why it was called that. Yes, they had a lot of baby items, but they seemed to carry things for children Drew’s age too.

  “I can call a painter and have the room brightened up a bit before the day is over. It would probably need to air out at least overnight before the kids could be in here though. It’s nice enough outside that we could crack a window open so the fumes wouldn’t be so bad,” he said.

  “Maybe an aqua or soft teal?” she asked. “It would be appropriate for both a boy and a girl.”

  “Does it need some of those wall mural things?” he asked.

  Blossom shook her head. “No, if we leave the walls plain and just use framed prints and cute curtains to accent the room, then we can easily change it as they get older. It’s perfect!”

  Brexton pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “Find the type and color of paint you want, and I’ll arrange for it to be taken care of today.”

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?” she asked. “You want something and you make it happen.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No. It’s just not what I’m used to. In the past, if I ever needed something done, then I had to handle it.”

  “Anything you or the children want or need, I’ll get it done. Whether it’s buying something, or taking you somewhere. Never hesitate to let me know if I’m not meeting your needs, or theirs.”

  She leaned into him. “There’s only one thing missing right now.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “You mentioned we didn’t have a Christmas tree, but I haven’t seen one here either.”

  He smiled. “There’s one here. Come on.”

  Brexton led the way to the room he used for entertaining. It was nearly three times as large as the living room, and had a nine-foot Christmas tree near the windows. Because of how early he needed his decorations set up, the tree was fake, but still pretty in his estimation. White lights twinkled and made the glass ornaments gleam. Getting a decorator around the holidays wasn’t easy, and he knew some actors who booked their appointments months in advance. Maybe if he’d done the same, he could have scheduled something closer to Christmas.

  “Um.” Blossom stared and it and blinked a few times. “That’s quite a tree.”

  “I use it for my big Christmas bash. There’s usually a gift exchange so the presents can go under the tree.”

  There were already tables set up along one wall with holiday cloths covering them. Mistletoe hung in one corner of the room, and boughs of holly were carefully placed over each window. He usually hired someone to play Santa for the night as well, even though he hadn’t had many children show up to his previous events. Now that he had a family, he’d make sure everyone knew to bring their kids along.

  Blossom didn’t look impressed though. If anything, she looked worried.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s pretty. Really pretty. But… it’s not an appropriate tree for small children. What if RaeLynn or Drew pull an ornament off and break it?”

  He looked at the tree and took in the hardwood floors and realized she had a valid concern. When the area had been decorated, he hadn’t been thinking about small children. Things were different now though, and he would have to make sure that the kids had a safe place of their own.

  “What if we sectioned off that back right corner? Big enough that the kids could have a small tree of their own, with appropriate ornaments, and we could set up some tables with games and maybe a small ball pit or something?” he asked. The baby store had something like that. He remembered seeing it.

  “I guess that could work. But what about Christmas morning?”

  “We’ll get a tree for the living room. One that we can decorate together, like on those Christmas movies they play all month. Our gifts and the ones from Santa to the kids can go under it,” Brexton said.

  Drew looked up at him with wide eyes. “Santa?”

  “Yes, Drew. Santa will come visit you if you’re extra good,” Brexton said.

  He noticed that Blossom looked like she might cry and he didn’t understand why. Mrs. Connors appeared almost as if by magic and he handed the kids over to her, then led Blossom further away in the opposite direction. If something was upsetting her, he wanted to know without the kids overhearing them.

  “What’s wrong now?” he asked.

  “Santa. The kids have never…” She bit her lip. “There’s never been money. I usually get something from the dollar store for Drew to open, and RaeLynn wasn’t old enough last year, just a few weeks old. Santa has never come to see my kids.”

  “Blossom, you did the best you could. I’ll make sure the kids have an amazing Christmas, and you as well. From now on, there will be nothing but happy holiday memories.”

  She nodded and curled against him, her arms going around his waist.

  “Find the paint color you want for the playroom, then go spend time with the kids while I make some arrangements. We should probably head to the Terran station soon.”

  Blossom looked at the phone he’d handed her, and just stared.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ve never worked a phone this fancy,” she said.

  He tried not to laugh at her baffled expression as she stared at his phone. Taking it from her, he unlocked the screen then pulled up the site he used for paint samples. After she’d made her selection, he saved it. Giving her one more kiss, he admired the sway of her hips as she walked back down the hall in the direction Mrs. Connors had taken the children, and he started making calls and sending texts.

  It took him nearly an hour, but he’d arranged for a painter, placed an order with the baby store to be delivered the next morning, called in an order for two more Christmas trees and kid-friendly ornaments, and then called the Terran station to let Zlerak know they were heading there shortly.

  “There’s something else you need to do while you’re here,” Zlerak said.

  “What?”

  “Borgoz contacted me this morning. Your mating papers are officially filed, and he’s already putting pressure on the local government to have your name added to the children’s birth certificates. But there’s one step you missed.”

  “I missed a step? What step?” Brexton asked.

  “All mates must undergo an exam by one of our physicians. It’s standard procedure. Even though you’re already mated, Borgoz wants the exam on file. He said we can’t make an exception for you, or we’ll have to make one for everyone else.”

  “It’s not going to hurt her, will it?” Brexton asked.

  “Of course not.” The dumbass was implied, but Brexton got the message.

  “Fine. I’ll see if she’s ready to leave now. The sooner we get it out of the way, the better. And don’t forget the extra guard I need. If it’s a problem long-term, or until her ex is caught, then I’ll make other arrangements. Blossom suggested I hire someone from Zelthrane-3, an elite warrior.”

  “Like Ryx?” Zlerak asked. “You know he’s always up for a challenge, and he’s only been to Earth a handful of times. He might even do it for free.”

  “I don’t mind paying,” Brexton said.

  “I’ll see if I can get word to him and explain the situation. Until then, I’ll make sure your family has two guards.”

  Brexton disconnected the call and went to find Blossom. He hated to subject her to a medical exam, but if Borgoz was requiring one
, they had better get it handled immediately. No one made the Chief Councilor wait. Except perhaps for his mate and daughter. No one else would ever dare.

  Chapter Eight

  Blossom nervously eyed the medical clinic in the Terran station. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a doctor. Probably when RaeLynn was born, and since she couldn’t pay her bill, they’d shoved her out the door as fast as possible. Her babies had been to the free clinic a few times when they were sick, but Blossom wasn’t sure how good those doctors were. It seemed like they helped there just to give themselves a pat on the back or brag they were helping those less fortunate, but often they seemed cold and unfeeling.

  Brexton gave her hand a squeeze and led her inside the clinic. There wasn’t another person in sight, so Blossom took a seat and anxiously waited, hoping that maybe a doctor wasn’t available and she could put it off a little bit longer. When a Zelthranite with shoulder-length hair came in wearing a lab coat, she knew her luck had run out.

  “Brexton,” the alien said, smiling broadly. “I hear you have a new mate.”

  “Yes, this is Blossom.”

  She stood and shook the doctor’s hand.

  “I’m Doctor Yvis, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  She tried to smile, but knew it fell flat.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” Yvis assured her. “The only thing that might hurt even a little will be the blood samples I’ll need to take, but that’s just the prick of a needle. You can handle that, can’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

  His lips twitched. “Anal probing like in your humorous Earth movies?”

  Her cheeks burned. “No,” she mumbled. Well, maybe she’d worried a little.

  “Come on back. Brexton can come with you, if you’d like.”

  She nodded and Brexton squeezed her hand. They followed Yvis to an empty exam room and she climbed onto the padded table. He did all the things a human doctor would do. Listened to her heart, checked her eyes and ears, and drew far too much blood for her liking. When he had her recline on a chair across the room, her nerves came back.