by Sue Mercury
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she fixed him with an angry glare. “Six years! You’ve been gone for six years, and for most of those years I’ve been alone. You couldn’t have sent me some kind of message? You couldn’t have at least let me know not every last person I loved was dead?” She sniffled and wiped at the tears that had rolled down her cheeks.
“Personal communications between Earth-raised Reestrians and loved ones on Earth are forbidden until the Earth governments make their announcements about Reestria. I ached to hold you, babygirl. I longed to return to you, but my family kept me on Reestria until my final growth cycle completed, and they made sure I didn’t incur the Reestrian Emperor’s wrath by sending an illegal communication to Earth. My family even wanted me to stay on Reestria and mate with a female there, but I refused until I received permission from the High Council to claim a mate on Earth. So here I am, Kira. I came as soon as I could, and now that I have you in my arms after all these years I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go.” He wouldn’t force her to mate with him or to leave Earth. But fuck it would be hard not to when every cell in his body screamed for him to take her on the floor in front of the crackling fire, then whisk her away to his home planet.
When she remained silent and stared at his chest, he would’ve given all of his family’s fortune to know what she was thinking. Of course he’d given her much to think about tonight. Perhaps she needed to sleep on it.
She pinched her arm and grimaced, then met his gaze with the tiniest of smiles. “That’s about the fifth time I’ve pinched myself this evening, and I’m still not waking up. Guess this really isn’t a dream. Oh my God, Alex. It’s really you.” She cupped his face and stared at him intently, as if she were memorizing all his features. “You’ve changed so much. If it wasn’t for your familiar voice and familiar dark brown eyes, I don’t think I’d recognize you.”
“Are you happy to see me, Kira? Do you believe all I’ve told you?”
Her smile faded and she nodded. “Yes and yes. I mean, the proof is in your size.” She gnawed on her bottom lip and her expression grew thoughtful. “I used to be so ashamed by how much I loved you. I used to worry what would happen if Mom and Dad or anyone else found out, so I kept quiet. I always thought it strange that you never seemed to date, even though girls swarmed around you and constantly hit on you. And the first and last guy I kissed was in high school, that time you threw the guy—I can’t even remember his name—out of his car and dragged me home kicking and screaming.” She laughed. “I was so mad at you.”
He grinned, remembering that day. What she didn’t know is that he’d almost killed the boy who’d kissed her. He’d never felt rage so strong or been so close to beating a man to death before. For Kira’s sake, he had refrained from committing murder and instead drove her home. “If I’m recalling correctly, that was one of our few fights. You were sure pissed at me that night.”
She giggled. “Well, it was my first kiss, and girls fantasize about their first kisses for years. At least I did. Truth is, I used to think about kissing you, then I’d feel scared because I thought it was wrong. Not to mention pointless. I mean, alien or not, you are my stepbrother, Alex.”
“The first time I kiss you, babygirl, I’m going to make sure I erase all memory of that other guy’s kiss.” He stroked her hair behind her ears, letting his fingers linger on the silkiness of her neck. “It doesn’t matter that I’m your stepbrother, or that I’m Reestrian, Kira. All that matters, all that should matter, is that I love you with my whole heart. I promise to take care of you always. If you accept me as a mate, we have to leave for Reestria very soon, but if you miss Earth we can come back and live in one of the settlements if you wish. I’ve seen the designs for them and they will be quite beautiful, just as beautiful and modern as any Reestrian city.”
“Alex, I…”
He put a finger to her lips, stilling her speech. “Let me finish. If you decide you don’t accept me as a mate, I’m afraid I will have to return to Reestria soon. But you will still be taken care of. You’ll receive monthly checks for twenty thousand dollars for the rest of your life, and I can increase that amount if you ever need more for some reason.”
She drew back from him, another angry glare stealing over her face. “I don’t want your money, Alex! Even if I don’t choose you, I cannot accept your money.” She ran a hand through her hair, looking flustered. “This is all so sudden. A lot can happen in six years, you know.”
He tensed, a dark cloud blanketing him. “What does that mean, Kira? Is there someone else? I checked your records and found you weren’t married, else I wouldn’t be here.” He clenched his teeth and fought to maintain some level of composure. He had worried she might have a boyfriend before he left Reestria, but he’d decided to risk it. Now all those worries came back, hitting him with a force hard enough to make him short of breath. Unintentionally, his grip on her tightened. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Hey, be gentle!” she said in a scolding tone, twisting in his hold. “I’m human, remember?”
He released her, but to his relief she didn’t leave his lap. To keep himself from restraining her again, he curled his hands into fists at his sides and concentrated on her purple kitten adorned pajama pants. “Do you have a boyfriend, Kira?” he asked in a voice somewhat calmer than before. He glanced up and she narrowed her eyes at him.
“No, Alex, I don’t have a boyfriend. Thanks to you, that is.”
“Thanks to me?”
“Even though I believed you were dead, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop wishing you’d appear on my doorstep one day. No man could compare to you, Alex. Not ever. And God, I was always looking for you everywhere I went. Sometimes I’d think I saw you standing in a crowd, and then I would blink and you’d disappear, and then I’d go home and cry myself to sleep. Pathetic, huh?”
“Babygirl, I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through. I hated my family at times for keeping me from you, but I know they did it for my own good.”
She stared into his eyes and her hands fell to his chest. “You mean they held you hostage so you could develop all these awesome muscles?” A spark of mischief lit in her gaze, and she toyed with the buttons on his shirt. She unfastened the top one, but he was quick to secure her hands before she managed to touch the next button.
“Are you trying to lure the full force of my mating urge out, Kira?” He felt perspiration gathering on his forehead, and his blood felt heated. Worry spread through him. There was no way he’d make the return trip to Reestria before his mating urge struck him. Being in Kira’s presence had accelerated it, as his mentor had warned it might.
“I just wondered, um, what your muscles looked like underneath your shirt.”
“Tell me where we stand, Kira. Don’t tease me.” He smiled. “At least not yet. Call me your mate and you can tease me all you want, babygirl. Although,” he said, lowering his voice, “I will probably do plenty of teasing myself.”
She slipped off his lap and stood with her back to him, her gaze on the fire. Minutes passed and still she did not turn around, and Alex feared all was lost. He’d let The Madness claim him before he mated with another. He couldn’t let the memory of Kira burn away while he touched another woman, couldn’t lose her forever. Perhaps if The Madness took him, he might retain a small memory of his sweet Kira.
He tensed and tried to keep breathing, but while Kira deliberated her answer time became frozen, and he couldn’t seem to take in enough air. His chest ached and he began to feel even more feverish.
His babygirl was all grown up. She was a little taller than he remembered and much curvier. Fuck, he had to have her. He had to make her say yes. He would promise her anything if only she agreed. Some males on his planet didn’t ask before they claimed a mate. They just took, and the force of the bond eventually made the female willing. Maybe it was his human side, but that didn’t feel right to him.
“Wait for me, babygirl,” Kira wh
ispered, turning to face him. Her expression didn’t give away her answer. “That’s what you said to me in the airport while you were hugging me good-bye. Wait for me, babygirl. What did you mean by that, Alex?”
Too agitated to remain still anymore, he stood up and began pacing in front of the couch. It was agony not to be touching her right now, torture not to be kissing her and stroking her hair. His cock was so engorged he couldn’t walk straight. Finally he paused and met her gaze. “I wanted you back then, Kira. You weren’t even out of high school yet and it would’ve been so damn wrong, but I wanted you then despite our age difference. I enlisted in the Army because I didn’t know how much longer I could go without acting on my feelings. You weren’t eighteen and you were my stepsister for Christ’s sake. I had to get away, so I did. But the thought of another man taking the place I wanted to stand in but couldn’t, well let’s just say I hoped one day there would be some circumstance where we might be together. I love you, Kira, and I promise I will be a good mate to you. I will love you and cherish you and protect you until my last breath, babygirl.”
Her eyes gleamed with tears, but the smile she suddenly gave him lit up the whole mountain. “Oh Alex,” she said. “I wish you would’ve never left, but I guess the Reestrians would’ve taken you away anyway, no matter where you were.” She stepped toward him. “Don’t you think we should, um, try dating first or something? I mean, this whole Reestrian mating thing is for life.”
“Date? You want to go on a fucking date?” He curled his hands into fists, his vision blurring for a moment. A wave of heat surged over him, and he felt as if he were suffocating in his jeans and flannel shirt. But at her crestfallen look, he felt like a total ass. “I’m sorry I said that, Kira. I didn’t mean to curse at you. I’m not feeling myself and I want you so badly that I can’t think straight. I was fine driving up the mountain, but now that I’m around you…” He stopped himself, not wanting to frighten her by announcing that his mating urge was coming on full force.
“Alex?” She rushed forward and stood on the coffee table in order to place the back of her hand on his forehead. “Holy shit, Alex, you’re burning up! We’ve got to get you to a doctor!”
He pushed her hand from his face and gathered her close, his quick movement startling a gasp from her. When he spoke, his voice sounded deep and guttural and very alien to his own ears. “It’s not a doctor I need, Kira.”
Chapter Three
Kira sucked in a rapid breath. Alex’s nearness was doing a number on her senses. Her entire body buzzed with awareness and heat quickened between her thighs.
“Not a doctor? So you mean your mating urge is making you burn up?” She supposed this was why he’d reacted so harshly to her idea of dating. There wasn’t time for that.
“Yes, Kira. When Reestrian males are near a woman they desire, it accelerates the onset of their mating urge. I was warned this might happen.”
“What happens if you don’t, um, claim a mate soon?”
He gulped and she felt his muscles tensing. He seemed larger all of a sudden, larger and more imposing. A trickle of fear skated down her spine, but somehow the emotion collided with her growing need to experience Alex’s touch.
He started to speak, but he then clamped his lips shut and fell silent. She sensed he was keeping something important from her, and she suspected it wouldn’t be good for his health if he didn’t answer his mating urge. Would he go crazy? Would he become ill?
“Will something bad happen to you if you don’t mate soon, Alex? Answer me!”
His nostrils flared and his eyes glimmered a dangerous shade of black. Where had the familiar brown eyes she loved gone? “I won’t answer that question, Kira.”
His hold on her tightened, and she gasped when his huge erection pressed against her. Even while she stood on the coffee table, he towered over her by almost a foot. Her nipples tightened in her shirt, the fabric feeling more abrasive with each quick breath she took. She looked into Alex’s dark eyes, feeling vulnerable even though deep down she didn’t think he’d hurt her. At least not on purpose. Sweat glistened on his forehead and heat rippled off him in sharp waves, making her ever aware of their predicament.
She had to decide. She had to give him an answer.
His expression twisted into one of raw sexual need, but also one of pain. He was anxious to hear her answer, anxious over whether or not she would accept him. If he’d showed up to tell her he was an alien and then suggested they start dating, maybe even suggested they take a trip to Reestria together, she would’ve said yes in a heartbeat. But holy shit the idea of mating for life was a lot to take in.
She almost laughed. A few hours ago she had been ruminating over how miserable and lonely her life had become, and now the stepbrother she had secretly loved had come back from the dead and asked her to be his mate for life. Not his wife or his girlfriend, but his mate.
Once again, his ability to sense her thoughts scared the fuck out of her.
“Say yes, babygirl, and we’ll get married first thing in the morning. Despite being a Reestrian, I did grow up human, and I have very human notions about the importance of marriage.”
His breath mingled with hers as he spoke, and his cock seemed to thicken and harden further against her. Her awareness of his devastating masculinity sent jolts of pleasure through her. His lips looked so inviting. All she’d have to do was lean forward two inches and then…
She reared back, trying to put space between them, but he didn’t loosen his hold on her. Dammit, thinking rationally while he was all hot and pressed against her was difficult.
He wanted to take her as his mate for life. He wanted to take her to Reestria with him. If she agreed to his terms, she might never see Earth again. Her future would change in the blink of an eye.
She inhaled a few deep breaths and met his eyes, having reached her decision.
“Alex, I love you too,” she began. “I’ve always loved you. My answer is yes. Yes, I want to be your wife. Your mate.”
Some of the brown came back into his eyes, and he looked more like himself. A wide smile brightened his intimidating features. “You just made me the happiest man alive.”
She giggled. “You mean the happiest Reestrian?”
He cupped her face and peered down at her, his demeanor growing serious again. A shudder coursed through him, and she swore the intensity of the heatwaves rippling off him increased tenfold. “I hope to make you just as happy, Kira. We’ll live anywhere in my clan’s vast lands that you desire, and I promise you’ll never want for anything.”
She knew he was referring to his wealth when he promised she’d never want for anything, and she couldn’t resist rolling her eyes at that. “Alex, I don’t care about your wealth, you big oaf. I don’t want money or jewels or whatever it is your people value. Just you.” She ran her hands over his back, soaking up his heat and feeling even more drawn to him. “I just want you.”
“I had hoped we could have regular sex our first time together, before my mating urge came on.” He gazed at her with an apologetic expression. “I can’t promise I’m not going to be rough with you our first few times, Kira. It’s taking all my control not to rip your clothes off and bend you over the side of the couch right now.”
Despite his huge size and his warning, she wasn’t scared. His honesty resonated in her soul, and she trusted that even though he might be rough with her, he wouldn’t harm her. She wasn’t sure what came over her, but she stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to whisper into his ear. “Bent over the couch sounds nice and all, but I was hoping you’d go all caveman on me, toss me over your shoulder, carry me upstairs, and throw me on the bed before proceeding to have your wicked way with me.”
He emitted an inhuman growl and one of his hands moved to her hair. He fisted her locks and gave her head a gentle tug back, forcing her gaze to lock with his once again. He leaned down until his lips almost touched hers. She shuddered and opened her mouth slightly, ready to accept his kiss, but the
walls of the cabin suddenly rattled and the floor shook.
White light streamed in through the windows and somehow also filtered down from the ceiling. The brightness blinded her, and she clutched onto Alex. Oh God. What was happening? Her heart raced with fear, and when he swooped her up in his arms she buried her face into his chest, trying to escape the intense light.
Over all the noise of the shaking cabin, she heard Alex’s steady, reassuring voice. “It’s okay, Kira! Just hold onto me. I’ve got you, babygirl.”
A tingle zipped through her body, and just like that the shaking and the noise ceased. The only sound she heard was the beating of Alex’s heart. She remained in his arms, wondering if it was safe to come out of her hiding. Had something destroyed the cabin? A freak storm?
Confusion and fear combined and she thanked God for Alex. If he hadn’t been with her during this strange event, she would’ve been out of her mind with terror.
“Son of a bitch,” Alex muttered. Then he spoke in a language she didn’t recognize. Another voice answered, speaking the same foreign tongue.
No, not foreign.
Alien.
Reestrian.
She lifted her head from Alex’s chest and gasped at the view. She spotted Earth from a large window. Holy shit! They were in space. On a Reestrian spaceship, she presumed. A glance to her right showed two tall men. Except she knew they weren’t men. They were Reestrian, just like Alex.
Great, just great. She’d been beamed to an alien spaceship in her purple kitten pajamas.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, peering up at the man she’d been ready to kiss before the bright lights spoiled their moment.
“The American president has just broadcast an announcement about Reestria, months before we agreed it would happen.” He nodded at some screens on a wall she hadn’t noticed. The screens showed different views of what she supposed were events happening on Earth. People in the streets, some celebrating, others looting. Police marched toward many of the crowds wearing riot gear. It was like a scene from the movies.
