by Zoey Draven
The nerve of this male!
“You—you,” Lainey started, her heartbeat stuttering. “No way.”
Smooth, Lainey, real smooth.
She scowled.
Then she froze, her lips parting when he suddenly reached forward through the window to cup her cheek. His fingers were rough, cold, but they felt good on her skin.
He frowned suddenly, his thumb brushing over a sensitive spot on the bridge of her nose that made her wince.
“What is this?” he whispered, his eyes suddenly intent on her. “Did something happen? Did someone harm you?”
Lainey’s brow furrowed at the alarmed concern in his gaze, which quickly morphed to anger at the prospect that she’d been harmed.
Stunned, she said, “No. No, no one hurt me.”
Kirov relaxed, but only slightly. His fingers shifted to her cheekbone. “What is this then? It looks like you have been marked.”
“It’s sunburn,” she said, still not sure why she was letting him stroke her cheek. Any moment now she would pull away. Any moment now she would tell him to leave.
“Sunburn?” he repeated slowly.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m fair-skinned. I burn easily in the sun and you guys kinda have two suns here, unless you haven’t noticed.”
Kirov’s brow bone lowered. “You burn from sunlight?”
“That just makes me sound like a vampire,” she tried to joke. Why did she sound so nervous? When he didn’t even blink in comprehension, she sighed and said, “Usually I cover up with a hat, to keep the sun off my face.”
“I will find you this hat,” he declared softly.
Lainey almost smiled because her guard had lowered without her realizing it. She wondered if he even knew what a hat was, but something told her that he would figure it out.
“Does it hurt you, luxiva?” he asked, his other hand also coming up to cup her other cheek, until her face was cradled in his palms. “Is there a way to heal it?”
How did this even happen?
And more importantly, why was she letting it happen?
Because it feels good, she thought silently, as she looked at him.
For once, it felt good to just talk with someone, someone who intrigued her, who kept her on her toes. It felt good to whisper with someone in secret, at nighttime, through an open window.
And it felt good that Kirov was watching her with concern, touching her as though he thought a mere sunburn was the worse possible wound she could endure.
It felt nice to be cared for.
Which was pathetic. But Lainey ate it up like candy on Halloween.
“I hardly noticed it,” she lied. For some reason, she didn’t want him to worry. Kirov frowned, his cool fingers brushing over the burns. And she didn’t know why, but she whispered, “That feels good.”
His fingers stilled. Their eyes connected and held.
Then, he began to press his fingers over her warm skin again, smoothing over it, learning the dip of her nose, the fullness of her cheeks, the slope of her forehead.
It was surprisingly intimate and Lainey felt…too many things at once.
There’s no harm in this, she tried to tell herself, closing her eyes for a brief moment and she was tempted to smile when she felt him brush her eyelashes, learning those too.
There was no harm in letting him touch her. There was no harm in dropping her guard, if only for that moment.
It didn’t matter that her heart was stuttering in her chest, or that her nipples were tight with desire, or that she wondered if Kirov would explore other places of her body with equal reverence and patience.
No, it was only for that night. Because she was bored and lonely…and he made her feel decidedly not bored and not lonely.
That was what she told herself, at least.
Chapter Nine
Lainey woke up late the next morning, judging by the bright light filtering in her room and the way she was already sweating in her tunic. She’d kicked off the furs in her slumber and she simply lay there for a moment, the previous night coming back to her in a rush.
“You’re a fool, Lainey,” she whispered to herself, still able to feel Kirov’s touch.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Why had she let him touch her? Lainey was a sucker for touch, but she didn’t mean to let him know that. Not that she verbalized it. She didn’t need to. She’d practically begged for it with body language alone.
She blew out a breath.
Lainey didn’t remember how long they’d stood there, in silence, as he’d touched her through the window, but all too soon, he’d told her he needed to leave.
She hadn’t trusted her voice, so she’d simply nodded. And with one last, lingering look, he’d disappeared the way he’d come, his footsteps so silent as he retreated that Lainey knew Vixron wouldn’t suspect a single thing.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Lainey couldn’t help but glance over at the window and her breath hitched when she saw something placed on the sill.
Had he come back?
Hurriedly, she pushed off the bed and rushed to the window. The glass was still open, which explained why it was so hot in the room that morning. Lainey realized she’d forgotten to close it, so dazed and confused from her encounter with Kirov as she’d stumbled back to bed.
There were two objects sitting on the sill and both had her cocking her head to the side in puzzlement. The first one was a vial of a clear liquid. Curious, she uncapped it slowly, lifting it up to her nose to smell it.
The scent was pleasant, but had an astringent quality. Hesitantly, she dabbed a bit onto her finger and she gasped because it felt cool, like peppermint oil. And suddenly, she knew what it was for and why he’d brought it to her.
She dabbed it over the burns on her face and immediately sighed, feeling relief as the liquid absorbed into her skin. Way better than any aloe vera gel she’d ever felt. Carefully, she replaced the cap, not wanting to waste a single drop because she had a feeling she’d need it.
The second object was far more perplexing, but if Kirov didn’t leave instructions than he must think that she’d be able to figure it out on her own.
And that thought set her to determined work because Lainey was always up for a challenge—and she didn’t want Kirov to think she was unintelligent, especially since he was a quote unquote technology advisor, whatever the hell that meant.
The object was a small metal sphere, but despite the material, it felt impossibly light. It was iron in color and she turned the sphere over in her hands, looking for some sort of switch or button.
Finally, she found a tiny circle outlined into the metal and she poked it with the side of her nail, dropping the ball in surprise when it suddenly unfurled in her hands, like a blossoming metal flower, until it resembled a small…well, a small UFO, if she was being honest. It was raised slightly in the center, the sides flaring out.
She gasped when a strange series of beeps emitted from the object and it hovered just in front of her. She studied it warily but when it simply hovered, she relaxed. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand, waving it underneath and around its sides, but the object was still. It was silent, though a stream of some kind of energy flowed from the bottom, which was what Lainey assumed powered it.
Eyeing the mini-UFO, she tried to make out what it could be, or why Kirov had given it to her.
She reached out a hand slowly, placing her hand on the metal, wanting to turn it to see if there was another hidden button. But before it could, another series of beeps sounded and her hand felt slightly hot as the metal reacted to her touch.
Lainey jerked her hand away and then the UFO flew over her head, hovering about four inches directly above her skull.
What in the world?
She walked towards the bed, trying to get out from underneath it, but it followed her, zipping quickly to keep up with her.
She darted back to the window, but again, the UFO stayed close.
Was this some sort of joke? She wonde
red, staring up at the UFO in bewilderment.
But then it hit her.
She knew what it was and as realization dawned, she couldn’t help but laugh. And when she was done laughing, a small grin remained on her face as she closed the window to her room and walked out to the living room, wondering if she would see him there.
Disappointment made her smile drop a little when she saw Vixron standing near the door. He straightened when he saw her, frowning when he saw her UFO friend.
“About time, sleepy head,” Crystal remarked, though her voice was distracted and she didn’t look up at her. As Lainey drew closer to the fire pit, where Crystal was sitting among the cushions, she saw something that resembled a tablet in her lap.
Like an…iPad.
Lainey’s chest warmed, her stomach fluttering in a way that made her press a hand to it. Kirov had remembered what she’d said, about Crystal liking to draw. He’d been true to his word and Lainey liked that he kept his promises.
The blonde was drawing away. Using a black, slim pencil-like device, she drew on a back-lit tablet in her lap. Then, she clicked on a button and the tablet beamed up shafts of colored light and to Lainey’s amazement she saw the image that Crystal had been drawing—an intricate and detailed sketch of the Santa Monica pier—become a 3-D image. Crystal manipulated and twirled the drawing, spinning it to see it from every angle.
“It’s so cool, isn’t it?” Crystal gushed and Lainey heard the smile in her voice. Finally, the blonde looked up, still beaming, but her smile faltered when she saw the UFO. “Um, what the hell is floating over your head?”
Lainey snickered and dropped down onto the cushions next to Crystal, wanting to see more of her drawing. Her UFO buddy followed her.
Smiling, Lainey answered, “It’s my hat.” Crystal looked at her like she’d grown two heads…which was kind of true. “Looks like Christmas came early this year.”
All thanks to a certain alien Ambassador.
Later that afternoon, Lainey was sitting on the balcony of the terrace. The railing ledge was wide enough for her to feel safe, considering that the drop was considerable. Vixron had protested when he’d first seen her perched there, but Lainey was stubborn, something he should know by then.
Despite the heat, she had a fur blanket draped over her legs and a similar one wrapped around her shoulders to protect her exposed skin from the sun.
Tilting her head back, she eyed her mini-UFO, which kept her face shaded from the sun perfectly. It even seemed to sense where the sun was and adjusted accordingly to keep her in the optimal amount of shade.
It was a cool little gadget and it made Lainey wish she had one back on Earth. It would’ve saved her from a lot of painful sunburns.
Her ears perked up, her back straightening when she heard a hovercraft approaching. And sure enough, a moment later, a speck in the distance grew larger and larger as it made a beeline for the terrace.
Lainey’s heart pitter-pattered in her chest and she took a sip of water from her pitcher, which she’d brought outside with her for her afternoon of relaxation. All she needed was a lounge chair with a big umbrella and margaritas and she would be set.
Kirov came into view, but his face was unreadable. It surprised her when he landed his hovercraft directly in front of their house, not in front of his.
Lainey didn’t even have time to think about that before he was hurtling off the hovercraft, his muscular body surprisingly lithe.
“Come down from there, female,” he rasped, rushing towards her. “Vrax, that is dangerous!”
“Well, hello to you too,” she muttered and immediately went on the defensive. She’d never liked people telling her what to do. “I’ve been sitting up here all afternoon. Chill out.”
“Lani,” he bit out, his tone clipped. “Come down now!”
Ohhhh, no he didn’t, she thought, narrowing her eyes.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she hissed, like a child. Even Lainey recognized she could be a brat sometimes, but there were some things that she really didn’t like.
Kirov was standing only a couple feet away now and when he made to reach for her, she swayed away, planting a hand on the ledge to steady herself.
She swore his face paled as he rasped, “Vrax! Stop.”
Lainey was scowling, but she studied him. Slowly, she began to realize that what she was reading on his face wasn’t aggression, but fear. Worry.
Behind him, Lainey spotted Vixron and Crystal hovering in the doorway, come to see what the commotion was. Again, Vixron was watching Kirov with an expression he often used with her: suspicion. But the guard didn’t move towards them.
Kirov ran a hand over one of the black horns protruding from his skull. His blue eyes were drawn and she saw his nostrils flare. “Lani, please.”
She sighed.
Figuring she could just return to her position when he left, she swung her legs around and pushed off the balcony, hopping down. She let the blankets covering her skin slide off her body, pooling on the stone terrace. But her UFO still followed, shading her face.
“There. Happy?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Kirov’s jaw ticked at her sass, but the relief on his face was evident. His shoulders sagged and he exhaled a sharp, whistling breath.
He stepped towards her, but stopped, looking over his shoulder. He saw Vixron and Crystal.
Kirov bit out something in Luxirian and Vixron jerked his head in a nod, leading Crystal back inside, the door shutting behind them.
“You’re very bossy, you know that?” she couldn’t help but note, still irritated.
Once he was sure Vixron was out of sight, Kirov moved again, stalking towards her in a way that made her breath hitch. Suddenly, he reached out, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, tugging her closer.
Even though her eyes narrowed, her body thought that was kind of…sexy. Damn him.
“Do not needlessly endanger yourself again, luxiva. Do you understand me?”
Lainey ignored her sudden arousal and hissed, “I’m not a child, Kirov. I was fine.”
Kirov glared at her and then he said something in Luxirian that sounded like an expletive, his frustration obvious.
Then that smoldering, intense gaze of his was back full forth and for a moment, Lainey’s mind went a bit fuzzy.
“Female,” he growled, “I know you refuse to acknowledge it, but as my mate, if you die,” he seemed to force the word out, “I die too. It is simple.”
His words sent Lainey reeling, but she pushed at his shoulders to try to make him release her. She might as well have tried to push a boulder.
“So, this is just about you, huh?” she seethed, the heat and his overbearing alpha male performance making her cranky. “And your precious life?”
“Vrax, must you fight me about everything?”
“Yes!” she yelled.
“Why?” he growled back, still glaring at her. His hand was tight around the back of her neck, but not tight enough to hurt. Just tight enough to let her know he was there and that he wouldn’t let her retreat.
It made her feel trapped.
“Because,” she said, her eyes darting, trying to see past him. For an escape. “Because I need to!”
“Why? Why do you need to? Tell me.”
To her horror, her throat tightened with sudden emotion and she felt a familiar pricking as her eyes filled with tears.
“Because…nothing is in my control anymore!” she finally burst out, her shoulders sagging slightly afterwards.
Get it together, she screamed mentally. God, this was embarrassing. Why did she always find herself in embarrassing situations around him?
Lainey cleared her throat, pushing down the emotion that threatened to burst. Before she’d been abducted by aliens, before Nadine had died from breast cancer, she’d been doing well. More than well.
Away from the toxic relationship she’d had with her parents, Lainey had thrived. Her music had flourished. She’
d loved to play piano again and rediscovered what had made her fall in love in the first place. It hadn’t felt like a chore, just to make her mother happy, just so her mother could brag about her to her fake socialite friends.
She’d grown up. Finally. She’d felt strong, independent.
But ever since Nadine, ever since her abduction, she’d reverted into the woman she’d once been. Bitter, lashing out at anyone she could, fighting because it felt better than being silent.
Her whole life, decisions had been made for her, forced on her. It was why she hated when anyone told her what to do, or criticized her. It felt like an attack and Lainey attacked back.
And it was all coming out, right at that moment, and it was hard to hide it from Kirov, who was forcing her to face him, to look at him, who wouldn’t let her turn away to lick her wounds in private.
“I…I just wanted to sit there,” she said, breathing in through her nose, dropping her gaze to look at Kirov’s chest, so she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes. “So I did.”
She was mortified when her voice came out so small. She was a wreck. An emotional wreck. One minute, she was angry, the next aroused, and now she was on the verge of having a meltdown.
You’re owed one, a little voice whispered. She hadn’t shed a single tear since Nadine had died. Not even since she’d been abducted. One small meltdown might even be healthy for her, at that point.
She didn’t want Kirov to see. She didn’t want him to think she was weak, though she’d told herself that she didn’t care what he thought, that he didn’t matter.
Lainey felt his warm hand squeeze the back of her neck. It made her bottom lip tremble.
Kirov didn’t say anything when he stepped into her. And just that once, Lainey allowed herself to press her forehead into his chest, her mini-UFO sliding away to accommodate Kirov, as if even it knew she needed this.
His arms came around her, strong and sure, and their bodies pressed together, until she could feel his entire front against her.
When she inhaled, she discovered that his scent pleased her immensely. It wasn’t anything she could place. It was just…him.
