His lips pull at the corners as my eyes linger on his rock hard abs. There are ten of them. “Yours.”
“Mine?”
“Yes, Mu Xitall. I am yours.”
Oh, hell. I do not have the mental capacity for this. One massive life-changing event at a time.
“Okay, but what are you?”
“I am a Revari male. One of the strongest. I have traveled galaxies to find you, and I desire nothing more than to touch—”
He reaches out, but I flinch and he withdraws.
Damn it. Come back! I think?
I don’t know what’s crazier. That the creature who just saved my life is trying to caress my face, or that I want to let him. Nearly dying is really messing with my head.
Is this what shock is like?
“And you found me at the bottom of the ocean.” I draw out the words, hoping if I say them slower they’ll make sense, but they don’t. It’s still freaking insane and impossible and yet here we are.
“We found each other. If not for you, it is possible I would have remained buried in my travel pod forever.”
Oh, perfect. Because, why not?
In a single day, I’ve managed to make history, nearly get myself killed, and lose all proof of my accomplishments and life’s work. Oh, and there’s the whole sinking a twenty-million dollar craft and getting fired, so why not add waking up a mysterious man-creature who’s been sleeping under the ocean for God knows how long?
I take in his face once again, still engrossed by how insanely unique his features are.
A broad nose with little slits on either side of his nostrils, brilliant gold eyes, high cheekbones and lips so thick I can practically taste them.
Wait, where did that come from? And why do I all of a sudden want to be near him? Something about him feels, I don’t know, familiar? And now that I can really see him, I can’t stop seeing him. My eyes won’t cooperate and look away. He’s just so wonderfully…alien.
Get a grip, Leigh. Normal people don’t act like this. You just ruined your life. Focus on that, then on the hot mystery guy standing over you.
Before, outside in the dark, I was less stabby than I should have been. Granted I do have a head wound, but still. Even on the island, I never walk alone by myself at night, never open my door, but waking up to him confused and disoriented? It took me a whole thirty seconds to believe his outrageous story. Why was that? Why do I feel like I can trust him and we only just met?
Because you’re lonely, horny, and out of a job.
Suddenly realizing I’ve been having this entire inner monologue while blatantly staring at him, I look away and try like hell not to blush. I lift my eyes to gauge his response and am met with enough heat to set my boring cotton panties on fire.
Damn it. Stop looking, Leigh! Or, say something, at least.
The satellite phone on the table near my bed rings and shocks me out of my trance. Worst timing ever. Or maybe, the best? Wait, who would be calling me at this hour?
I try to reach it, but I can’t without moving, and Saxon doesn’t seem in a hurry to get away from me. “I have to answer this.”
Saxon’s nostrils flare and the muscle in his jaw ticks. “You are under the control of another? Where is it? I shall liberate you. With me, you will answer to no one.”
Wait, did he just grow out his claws?
“No, nothing like that. It’s a work phone. It could be my boss. I have to figure out a way to explain why I’m here and why his money is all down there,” I say, pointing toward Henrietta’s watery tomb.
Rather than moving, Saxon reaches over with one exceptionally sculpted arm, grabs my phone, and hands it to me. Good gracious, he’s built like a brick shit house.
“You answer to no one, Mu—"
“Shh,” I say, pressing a finger to his lips. Saxon cocks a brow but holds his tongue. By the time I pick it up, whoever tried to call has given up. A minute or so later, a beep signals a new voicemail. Actually, there are six of them.
What the heck?
Still unable to keep my eyes off him, I press play on the most recent and watch Saxon as he stares down at my hand, then swallow a gasp. Smooth and wet, his tongue slips out between his parted lips and wraps around my finger—tasting it. Warmth cascades down my body in waves, and my mouth goes dry. How am I supposed to concentrate? And more importantly, why the hell haven’t I pulled my hand away?
“Hello, Dr. Lennox. This is Walter Hardeman, head of accounting for Daxx Corp. I’m sorry to bother you this late, but after my assistants looked into an anonymous tip we received early this morning, I was notified of several inconsistencies from your Nautilus Five project. Please contact me immediately so we can correct the issue.”
Well, if that isn’t a big helping of karma, I don’t know what is. My funding has disappeared over the past several months, and I know it’s Elgin’s doing. It has to be. No one else is allowed to sign off on expenditures. There’s an entire committee that’s supposed to pass the budget and approve things, but I have a sneaking suspicion Elgin hasn’t even brought half the things I’ve asked for to them. And if he has, he hasn’t given me the funds they allotted.
Daxx Corp just let Elgin fire me in not so many words, stole my chance at making history, and now they want my help? Ha. Screw that. I hope they investigate and catch him red-handed. Especially considering I have copies of all my requests he denied and screenshots of our conversations.
Elgin can go screw himself. Daxx Corp, too.
The most wonderful warmth blooms in my chest as Saxon wraps his arms around me and tucks me under his chin. I tense, already alight with adrenaline and ready to push him away, but can’t muster the energy to refuse his magnetic touch.
This is ridiculous. He’s a stranger—an alien, no less. He shouldn’t feel this good, but as the heartbeat thumping in his neck syncs with mine, the anxiety jackhammering my insides eases, and for the first time since he pulled me from the sea, I feel like I can breathe.
Words dance on the tip of my tongue as I try to fill the awkward silence, but my mind’s so overloaded I can’t even begin to find something coherent to say. “I should…”
Get away from here. Pack my shit and run. Find a giant flat rock somewhere to hide under and die…
I’ve spent my whole life trying to prove I’m not the same piece of crap alcoholic my father is. He squandered his genius and other people’s investment money and ruined himself and our family in the process.
It took me years of hard work for anyone to take me seriously. Hell, even my mother begged me to enter beauty pageants and talent shows rather than sit in my room and study science journals. But I’m just not that girl. I never will be.
This is the only thing I’ve ever wanted and still, I managed to screw it up. Again. It’s starting to look like I can’t outrun our family curse, after all.
My lip trembles, and I fight to reel in my tears. They won’t solve anything. Henrietta won’t magically appear because I stand here bawling like a big fat baby, but I’ve reached my max out of pocket for shitty life events. It’s either this or explode into a billion pieces.
Saxon curls around me, strengthening our embrace. “There is no need for explanation, Mu Xitall. Our souls speak without words. Be still, allow them to soothe each other.”
Yeah, but can we talk about what you just did with your tongue?
The longer we stand here wrapped around each other, the drowsier I get. The tiny chime on my clock dings and just like a back-up alarm, Binky starts to wail for her snack. I swear this cat eats more than I do.
Saxon tenses and shoves me behind him. “This tiny beast dares to demand your attention? I can dispose of it if you wish.”
Hard rock-like ridges rise across his shoulders, and black cascades across his gray skin.
What is that? Some kind of armor? He can’t seriously be trying to fight my cat.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I yell, ducking under his arm and throwing myself between them. “You put those angry
looking shoulder pads away right now and simmer down.”
Saxon stops, still glaring at my overweight foot warmer, and lets out an eerily similar growl. “I do not care for her tone or the way in which she demands to be served. It is unacceptable.”
My mouth drops open in shock when he makes the sound again and Binky runs underneath my bed. She hates it under there because she’s so overweight it’s impossible for her to get out alone. “Did you just talk to my cat?”
“I warned her this type of insolence will not be tolerated in my presence and that she would be punished accordingly if she chooses to disobey my command.”
I snort, amused at the idea of my grumpy fur ball getting told off in her own language. She’s been strutting around like a little dictator since I rescued her from the beach as a kitten.
“How did you…? Wait, did she say anything back?”
Saxon’s narrow brow furls. “The words are too filthy to repeat, Mu Xitall. I have never heard a creature that speaks with such contempt.”
This must be his first encounter with a cat.
“For some reason, that doesn’t surprise me. Some people think her kind are tiny little overloads who came to Earth to mess with us for their own amusement,” I say, yanking up the bed enough for her to get out and then shuffling back to the kitchen to toss some food in her bowl.
“Is that the name of this planet? Earth?”
“Yes, it is—whoa…” The room spins, and dark spots cloud my vision when I try to fill her water bowl.
Saxon takes it from my hands and guides me to the edge of my bed. “You need to rest. I will ensure the tiny overlord survives.”
“No offense. I know you saved my life, but I don’t know you, and sleeping with a strange guy on board probably isn’t the best idea.”
He tilts his head, almost as if he’s trying to make sure he understands. “You fear me, still?”
“I don’t fear you. That’s the problem. I should, but it feels like I’ve known you forever. I’m not sure how it works on your planet, but here? I don’t allow strange men to watch me sleep.”
Saxon stiffens as something akin to rage flashes in his golden eyes. “They have tried? These men you speak of?”
I wait for him to crack a smile, but he doesn’t. He’s seriously pissed at the idea of some guy just being near me, and damn. I kind of like it.
“Relax, I haven’t had a man in my place since…well, ever really. I work too much.”
The throbbing behind my temples eases slightly when my head hits the pillow, and Binky’s collar jingles as she finds her place at the corner of my bed. Giving in to the demand of my heavy lids for just a second, I close my eyes. I’m not going to sleep. Just rest a little until I can think straight.
A heavy weight settles beside me, and a hand wraps around mine. Warmth spreads over my skin, cementing me in place, and Binky starts to purr. “You should not fear me, Mu Xitall. It is our connection that allows you to feel my intentions. Sleep. Our connection will ease our fatigue.”
I crack an eye open, using the last of my waning energy to make sure I don’t need to get between Binky and Saxon. What? The little harlot’s curled up against Saxon, massaging his arm like he didn’t just threaten to send her to kitty heaven. I cock a brow, and Saxon smirks. “She has accepted me as her alpha and seeks my favor.”
Binky hates men and always has. In the five years I’ve had her, she’s never once allowed one to pet her, but with Saxon, she’s belly up, begging for attention.
I can’t blame her. He might look like a hot, scary alien mash-up but if I were a cat, I’d be against those abs in a heartbeat. Even now with him this close, abandoning all logic and crawling over Binky to steal her spot is sounding more and more appealing.
Well, once Elgin realizes what happened tonight, my professional and social life are going to end, so…
Saxon pulls me closer, moving Binky out of the way, and I don’t protest. I don’t have the chance because as soon as I’m flush against his naked chest, my consciousness fades, and I’m lulled to sleep by the feel of his breath on my cheek.
Chapter Four
Leigh
I jerk awake to the sound of footsteps. Binky, you little—wait. Those are way too loud to be the cat. My room is tiny and with only a thin wall separating me from the rest of my on-board quarters, I can hear everything. There shouldn’t be anyone else in here.
Heart in my throat, I grab the metal wrench I keep beside my bed for emergencies. My head spins, and I stumble—half-asleep— toward the thin wooden door that separates me from my kitchenette. Did I drink last night? My thoughts are fuzzy, yesterday’s events a jumbled haze.
The sun peeks through my window slats, and Binky’s curled up on her corner of the bed. Useless little brat. There’s a stranger lurking steps away and she didn’t even wake up. I swear, after she kicks the bucket, I’m getting a dog.
Ugh. No, I won’t. I’ll be devastated and probably get a cat just like her, but still…
A loud thud followed by a clap of thunder vibrates my door. It’s one of the crappiest parts of having the closest room to the deck.
The footsteps quicken. Shit, okay. Come on, Leigh, what was it you learned in self-defense class? Balls, throat, and nose. Or was it balls, face, and foot? I can’t remember what you’re supposed to hit to bring your opponent down. I’ll just aim for whatever’s closest.
Worse comes to worst, a good punch to the dick ought to do it. It’s never failed me before.
Sucking in a deep breath, I tiptoe out of my bedroom, tightening my grip on the wrench. Binky howls her usual good morning, and I turn back to where she’s still sprawled out, trying to shut her up before whoever’s out there realizes we’re awake.
“What are you doing, Mu Xitall?”
The sound of his voice sizzles across my consciousness. Saxon.
It’s raspy, and I swear I can feel it all the way to my toes. The tips of my fingers brush against muscular thighs and the slick smoothness of the pants stretched across them. Coming all at once, memories of yesterday’s disaster rush back to me. Losing Henrietta. Getting shafted by Elgin. Nearly losing my life, and Saxon saving me from the depths of the ocean.
I sneak a quick side glance, hoping he doesn’t notice. Yep. There’s definitely a hot alien behind me.
Heat radiates off him, seeping into the muscles of my back as he stands close behind me. “I was just, eh…I thought you were a random stranger who boarded the ship without permission.”
He chuckles, then swipes the hair off the back of my shoulders, sending goosebumps coving my skin. “No being would make it past the wet ooze surrounding us without me knowing. I have spoken at length with the creatures that dwell beneath the surface. They too, watch for danger.”
“Oh, yeah? First my cat, and now the fish?” I ask, cracking a smile. Surely, he’s joking, right? People just don’t talk to whales.
Butterflies tumble around in my belly when I turn and catch sight of his handsome face. The few rays of sun that peek through the thunder clouds rolling overhead are nothing compared to the brilliance of his eyes. With flecks of gold, they shine like yellow sapphires when the light hits them just right.
Step away from the hot alien, Leigh.
His lips turn up once my gaze connects with his, He takes my hand and presses my fingertips to a small opening at the base of his throat. “Here. All my kind are born with the distinct ability to master sound. With the assistance of the implant in our brains, we are able to analyze and repeat any spoken language. This includes those that do not use words.”
“Fascinating… You said your kind. You mean the Revari? Isn’t that what you called yourself?”
“Such an inquisitive beautiful creature…” Saxon says to himself. “Yes, I am of planet Revaris. What do you call yourselves? The Earthen?”
“Oh, no. Nothing near as cool as that. We’re called humans.”
The tiny hole at the base of his throat opens and closes when he swallows. Now th
at I know what it can do, I can’t stop staring at it. There are so many possibilities and wonderful things to learn from the creatures around us, and to have someone who can talk to them?
“That’s insane,” I whisper. The words slide out before I can contain them and Saxon furrows his brow. “Oh, no! I don’t mean that in a literal way.” I rush to explain. “It’s just that Earth has never seen beings from other planets. No one here knows they—you—exist.”
“Your kind do not explore the stars?” Saxon asks with a faraway tone. The tip of his claw gently traces my features one by one.
“They do, they just haven’t found any other life yet.”
“So, I am the first.” There’s an awkward silence and a hint of concern in his eyes that sits wrong. A strange wave of protectiveness hits me right in the chest, and it has me desperate for something to make his worry go away.
“You said you could process any sounds, right?” I ask, running over to the old digital sound player on my dresser. The buttons stick, but after mashing them unnecessarily hard, Clair De Lune starts streaming through the tiny speaker.
The music weaves its way through the cabin, warming the space, and I hum along. Saxon cocks his head and, as the notes play, he stares at me. “You enjoy these sounds,” he says, eyes locked on mine. “They stir your soul. I can feel it.”
“Yeah, I’ve always loved classical music,” I murmur, still caught up in the melody. By the time I remember he probably wants an explanation, I’ve left him waiting for nearly a minute. Rather than look annoyed, he’s just watching me. “What? Do I look funny or something?”
“No, Mu Xitall. I’m merely memorizing your face and how it appears when something pleases you. I wish to give you that face many times over.”
I swallow hard, assaulted with flashes of our naked bodies slapping together in my head. There’s something about the way he says the word pleases that makes my panties feel a little too present. Oh, hello, ovaries. Nice of you to make yourselves known.
Saxon’s nostrils flare slightly, and he cocks his head once more like he’s studying me. I both like and hate the way he seems to be breaking me down. It makes me feel vulnerable, but at the same time no one’s bothered to look so deeply at what makes me tick before. “It is this music that makes you feel this way?” he asks, and red blooms across my cheeks.
Saxon (Shared Survival Book 1) Page 3
