She worried her bottom lip as she stared at herself in the mirror, double-checking her makeup and hair. Her black eyeliner and mascara paired with the neutral tones of her eyeshadow to really make her green eyes pop. She hadn’t worn makeup for over a week, so it was strange to see herself in it again, much less feel it on her skin. Her hair was pulled back into a loose, flowing ponytail with long strands framing her face.
Tabitha released a long, slow breath from her mouth.
Now to figure out what I’m going to wear.
With her towel securely wrapped around her body, she stepped out of the bathroom and into Zevris’s bedroom. Her steps slowed when she saw what awaited her.
Lying across the foot of the bed was a long, red chiffon spaghetti strap dress and a pair of black heels.
“Zevris,” she whispered.
She neared the bed and ran her fingers over the dress’s soft fabric. She never would have purchased a dress like this, never would’ve even considered wearing something like this. It was so…bold and sexy. It was made for a woman who was confident in her body—which Tabitha had never been.
Just try it on, Tabitha. What can it hurt?
With a grin, she moved to the dresser, selected a pair of lacy red boyshort panties and a strapless bra, and slipped them on. Picking up the dress, she stepped into it and shimmied it up her body, struggling briefly with the back zipper.
It fit perfectly.
The dress was cinched at the waist, and its plunging neckline showed off plenty of cleavage. There was a slit in the skirt on one side from the thigh down, baring her leg with each step, and her shoulders and arms were completely uncovered. It made her feel…exposed.
She frowned as she hugged herself, running her palms over her arms. She’d always been self-conscious about her arms. For a moment, she considered putting on a cover-up, and for an even briefer moment, considered changing entirely into something more comfortable and less revealing.
No. Zevris had left this for her as a gift. She’d wear it tonight, for him, and hope he liked what he saw.
After pulling on the heels and running back to the bathroom to put on some matching red lipstick, Tabitha took a deep breath, stepped out of the room, and headed downstairs. She heard the light scrape of a chair moving over the kitchen floor as she reached the bottom of the steps.
When she turned into the hallway, Zevris was approaching her, his strides long and leisurely. The instant his gaze fell upon her, his gait faltered. He came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, his eyes wide and covetous as they trailed over her body from head to toe and back again. Though his holographic disguise was already in place, making him appear human, she swore there was a hint of blue light in his eyes.
He wore a charcoal gray suit jacket over a white button-down shirt and matching slacks. The clothing was tailored perfectly to him, accentuating his wide shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. His usual scruff had been shaven clean; she’d known he wasn’t one of those guys who needed a beard to look masculine, and this only hammered that fact home.
You could cut diamonds on that jawline.
Tabitha pinched the sides of her skirt and lifted it outward, smiling at him a bit awkwardly. “Thank you for the dress and shoes. Do you…like it?”
He closed the remaining distance between them, angling his face down to keep his eyes locked on her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He smoothed his palms down her arms slowly, causing a shiver to run through her. An appreciative growl rumbled in his chest. “Maybe we should stay in tonight…”
Tabitha laughed and shook her head, trying to ignore the pulse his growl produced in her clit. “Heck no. We are going out.”
Zevris caught his lower lip between his teeth and drew in a soft, hissing breath, eyes smoldering. “I don’t know if I’ll last until we make it back.”
The way he looked at her—as though the mere sight of her was enough to make him climax—made an ache bloom in her core. She was sure her panties were wet already.
Tabitha pressed a finger to his chest and trailed it down his abdomen toward his groin. “Behave and you won’t have to wait until we get back.” She grinned playfully. “I’ve…never fooled around in a car before.”
His eyebrows shot up briefly, and as they sank, his lips stretched into a wide smile. He moved one of his hands to her hip. “I’ll be sure to save room for dessert.”
She blushed. It didn’t matter how many times they’d been intimate; it was still so strange to hear a man—especially this man—flirt with her like this, and for her to flirt right back.
“Are we ready to go?” she asked, thrumming with excitement.
“No. Not yet.” He stepped back, withdrawing his hands from her, and reached inside his jacket. “Turn around.”
Tabitha arched a brow but did as he commanded.
He stepped up behind her; she didn’t hear his movement, but she felt it, and tantalizing heat radiated along her back. His hands brushed over her shoulders, and something small and solid fell against her collarbone. As his hands swept back, she realized what he was doing.
Zevris gently shifted her hair aside, and his fingers tickled her neck as he fiddled with what must’ve been a latch. When he was done, he placed his palms over her shoulders, and a delicate chain settled into place around her neck.
Looking down, Tabitha raised her hand to touch the pendent hanging between her breasts. It was a heart-shaped emerald on a white gold chain. Simple, elegant, lovely.
She knew Zevris had the funds to purchase her all these gifts but…he didn’t have to. He could have taken her out anywhere and she could have worn what she already owned. But he wanted this night, this date, to be something special. He wanted her to feel special.
Her eyes burned with tears. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything, Tabitha.” He let her hair fall back into place, the pads of his fingers brushing the back of her neck as he did so. Stepping in front of her, he caught he chin and lifted her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It reminded me of your eyes.”
She sniffled and tried really hard not to cry—it would ruin her makeup. “You really are a romantic. Did they teach you that before you came here looking for a mate?”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “I could have been taught everything my people know about humans over the span of many years, and it wouldn’t have been enough to figure out your courtship rituals. I simply want to please my mate.”
My mate.
He’d called her that since the beginning, but more and more she felt like it was the truth. That she was his.
She smiled and reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “Are we ready to go now?”
Zevris returned her smile, tightening his fingers around hers, and dipped his chin. “Now we are ready.”
Tabitha glanced at her drink again. Though the glass itself was nothing out of the ordinary, its contents had drawn her eye several times since the server had delivered it. The liquid bled from red to pink to yellow, and, nestled amongst the ice cubes, were a few pieces of strawberry and a thin slice of lemon. The glass’s rim was crusted with glittering sugar. It was the fanciest glass of strawberry lemonade she’d ever seen.
It was also the most delicious drink she’d ever tasted, and she was making it last—she was determined to relish every single drop.
The lemonade symbolized the restaurant as a whole for Tabitha. She swept her gaze around the place for the hundredth time. Her eyes were drawn in every direction, wanting to take in everything, though there was no single feature that particularly called her attention. Everything was in harmony. This was easily the nicest restaurant she’d ever been to.
The lighting was relatively dim but quite atmospheric. Soft, warm yellow and orange lights dangled from the high ceiling in short strings and tastefully minimalistic fixtures. Much of the décor, including the walls, booths, and floor, were colored dark; blacks, deep reds, and browns abound. Rather than all th
at darkness making the space seem oppressive or grim, it served to make the warm glow over each booth and table all the more welcoming and comforting. It certainly made the booth Tabitha and Zevris were sharing feel far more private and intimate despite all the other patrons seated nearby.
Conversations from the other diners created a gentle hum in the air, backed by music that was either some sort of unobtrusive jazz or light classical. She couldn’t tell which—and couldn’t really bring herself to focus on it too much, anyway.
But her favorite feature was the tall windows that spanned the entirety of one wall—the wall against which their booth was positioned. Those windows looked out over the Willamette River, which was sparkling with the reflected light from the surrounding city as though its waters were laced with molten gold. This view would’ve been lovely at any time of the day, but it was particularly magical now, when the sky was dark.
Still, she’d have to convince Zevris to bring her back to the area during the day sometime soon so they could walk along the river while all the trees were wearing their autumn colors. Dexter would love it, too.
Her smile softened. Fall hadn’t even begun, but here she was already planning ahead—already planning to be with Zevris when the trees were all gold, red, and brown.
A big, warm hand settled over hers, its touch gentle despite the roughness of its calluses. She looked at Zevris.
He smiled at her. Even in his human disguise, even under this low lighting, his eyes were such a clear, vibrant blue. “What are you thinking about, Nykasha?”
“I was…thinking about you, me, and Dexter walking along the river.”
Zevris glanced out the window. “We’ll have to plan for it. And, at some point, I think I’d like to see what Earth looks like in places that don’t have quite so many people.”
Tabitha glanced to the side to make sure no one was near when she lowered her voice. “You said the cactus reminded you of your home planet. What was it like?”
He leaned closer to her, lowering his voice as well. “I don’t remember very much, to be honest. The area in which I lived was all low, rolling hills with those cactus-like plants and a great many others you would think looked quite strange. Few things grew tall, but many grew quite wide. In the rainy season, those hills would become more like islands amidst marshes that teemed with vegetation and life. I left as soon as I reached adulthood to join the Exthurizen…to become a soldier. And I have not often thought of my homeworld in the time since.”
She turned her hand beneath his so they were palm-to-palm. “Did you always want to be soldier, or did you ever dream of doing something else?”
“I never really wanted to be a soldier,” he said, brushing his fingers across her wrist.
Even though they were invisible, she felt the tips of his claws against her sensitive flesh, and their touch sent a delightful thrill along her arm.
“But I never could imagine myself as anything else,” Zevris continued. “My people have been in decline for so long, and I simply wanted to do my part. Science, engineering, and mathematics were never my strengths, so I decided early on that I would become a soldier. More, that I would join the Exthurizen and become an althicar, that I would do my duty and face whatever danger I needed to face in order to safeguard what remained of my kind.
“And…I was good at it. The lifestyle came naturally to me, and I excelled, becoming one of the youngest althicars in recent history. For”—he blew out a breath and glanced toward the ceiling as though searching—“nearly eighteen Earth years, I have served. It has been that long since I last saw my homeworld.”
“I can’t believe I haven’t asked you this before, but how old are you?”
“Thirty-six Earth years.” With a wink, he added, “Though Logan Ellis is thirty-two.”
Tabitha smirked. “You’re ten years older than me. I always liked older men.”
His brows fell low, and he leaned closer still. There was a predatory, carnal glint in his eyes. “You don’t anymore, Nykasha. Only one male, and he is no man. He’s a faloran.”
Tabitha pressed her thighs together beneath the table at the pure possessiveness in his voice. “I still have three weeks to decide,” she teased.
Now it was Zevris’s turn to smirk. “You act as though you haven’t chosen already.”
She chuckled. “Still so sure of yourself, I see.” Her smile faded into something softer as she looked at their hands and lightly brushed her fingers along his calloused palm. “Do you miss it? Your homeworld?”
He also dropped his gaze. For what felt like a long while, he was silent, his face more unreadable than ever before. “I miss the idea of it. I miss what it should’ve been to me…what it should be. But I have been away for so long…it has not felt like home in my heart for a long, long while.”
His eyes flicked aside, looking beyond Tabitha, and his expression changed to something far more neutral—a friendly but guarded look. He sat back, withdrawing his hand from hers. Tabitha glanced to the side to see their server.
“Your food is ready,” the man declared, flashing them a wide smile as he lowered his arm and set the dish in front of Tabitha. “Baked salmon and saffron rice for the lady”—he turned toward Zevris and placed the other plate down in front of him—“and the rib-eye steak, medium rare, for the gentleman. Is there anything else I can get you?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” Tabitha said with a smile.
“No, thank you,” said Zevris.
“Then enjoy!” The waiter gave them a slight bow and walked away.
The lemon-and-spice scent of Tabitha’s salmon wafted up to her, making her mouth water. As she unwrapped her silverware from the cloth napkin, she glanced at Zevris. “Do you still have family there?”
“I’m sure I’ve some blood relations somewhere on my homeworld, but no immediate family.”
Tabitha placed her napkin on her lap and frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I accepted long ago that I was likely to never see that world again, and I’ve made peace with it. Especially now. Earth is more a home to me than anywhere else I’ve ever been.” Zevris took up his knife and fork and cut into his steak. “Speaking of Earth…I’ve seen so little of it. You mentioned vacations with your Nan. Where did she take you? What places have you seen?”
Thoughts of Nan were always bittersweet. Tabitha missed her sorely. The woman had been her mother, had been there for Tabitha’s entire life, and then was simply…gone. But the memories… It was in those memories that her grandmother would always be alive, and Tabitha would cherish them forever.
She smiled. “We never left the states, but we visited so many places. We took a lot of road trips during the summers. I remember one when I was maybe twelve, Nan said we were going to the Grand Canyon. I was really excited until I realized how long a drive it actually was. And it wasn’t even so much the drive itself, but how bland the scenery was. There’s a lot of dry, desert landscape once you go far enough east to get out of the forests, and it was boring as heck for a twelve-year-old.
“But Nan kept me pretty entertained. She had this digital music player hooked up through the cassette player in the car. I think there were only twenty songs on it, but we sang our hearts out to every one of them, over and over, and it just got funnier every time. Our voices were hoarse by the time we got into Nevada.
“I was in awe when we got to Las Vegas. I mean, it was nighttime, and there was nothing, just dark, barren land, and then bam! It was like a sea of light in the distance. It was like…Christmas.”
Zevris tilted his head. “Like Christmas? Isn’t Christmas a holiday?”
Tabitha reached for her strawberry lemonade. She felt the grains of sugar against her lips as she took a drink. “It is. And during Christmas, people usually decorate their trees and homes with lights. In some neighborhoods, there are so many lights it’s as bright as day.”
“Ah, yes. I saw lights like that on some of the houses in our neighborhood las
t winter.”
“Vegas was like that, just lights everywhere the eye could see, but it wasn’t decorated for any holiday. That’s just what Las Vegas is. It’s flashy and bright. It’s also known as Sin City.”
She speared a flaky piece of salmon on her fork, bringing it to her mouth for a bite.
He slipped a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Unless sin has a meaning of which I’m not aware, it doesn’t sound like Sin City is any place for a child.”
She chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand until she’d swallowed her food. “That’s at least partially right. I…saw a few things that made Nan hurry and cover my eyes. But there are plenty of things for kids, too. She took me to see Cirque de Soleil and The Phantom of the Opera. I’m still irked that Christine never chose the Phantom.”
Zevris chuckled too, and his eyes gleamed with not only their usual hunger, but joy. “You’ll have to show me what those things are at some point. If there is one thing humanity excels at, it’s creating entertainment. I came into your culture thirty-five years behind my peers.”
Tabitha grinned, but it softened as she ran her eyes over him. Zevris was gorgeous. His eyes were bright and alive, his dark hair was swept back with a couple rogue strands curling over his forehead, and the warm light overhead created contrasting shadows that made his cheekbones sharper—that made them look more like his natural face. And she was the only one on Earth who’d seen behind his mask, the only one who knew his true appearance, who knew of those now-familiar attributes that made him impossibly more appealing.
She’d never dreamed she would be sitting in such a fancy restaurant on a date with a man like Zevris. She absently reached up with her free hand and touched her emerald pendant.
“Have I told you how handsome you look?” she asked.
His grin was that rakish, lopsided one she loved so much. “So, my female approves of her mate?”
Taken By The Alien Next Door Page 23
