The Alien Who Fell to Earth

by Fiona Roarke

  “We share it,” Holden added. “The two of us together.” He pointed at Victoria and then at himself. He wanted this Bubba person to understand Victoria was off-limits.

  Bubba didn’t seem to care about limits.

  “Good for you.” He pointed to the trees he’d just emerged from and said, “My vehicle is parked on the next block just past that small stand of trees.”

  “Excellent.” Victoria grabbed Holden’s arm and the three of them headed away from the fountain and the earthlings decorating the sidewalk.

  Victoria made Holden lie down in the back seat while she and Bubba rode up front. He didn’t like it one bit, but the moment he was sideways on the seat he fell asleep, waking when they parked.

  They helped him into Victoria’s room. Holden gratefully dropped to the surface of the bed, but remained in a sitting position. Once he flattened out, he’d be asleep again, and he didn’t want to leave Victoria alone with Bubba.

  “How do you plan to find the stowaway?” Victoria asked.

  “I have a file on her, so I know what she looks like. I also have a prototype device Cam invented to possibly help me. I’ll discover if it works tomorrow. Basically, my plan is to simply ask around town and pretend that I’m a—” He snapped his fingers as if trying to remember something. Holden watched, wondering if the other man would brace for the pain of any attempted recall, but he didn’t. Bubba was apparently perfect. Very annoying.

  “What’s it called here? It means a secret sleuth?”

  “Private investigator?” Victoria guessed.

  Bubba smiled. “Yes. That’s it. I’m to tell the earthlings that I’m a private investigator sent by her family to find out what happened to her.”

  “Do you have her picture with you? I can take a look. If I’ve seen her, I’d love to point you in the right direction.”

  Bubba reached into the pocket on one shoulder of his tactical jacket and retrieved a small square. “This is Astrid Harper.”

  Victoria studied the photo for several seconds. “Sorry. I haven’t seen her. I wish I could help you search for her, but I need to get Holden back to Alienn and the healers there.”

  “Understandable.” Bubba glanced at Holden, lifting one side of his mouth in a half smile as if he had private knowledge of something.

  Holden was barely holding on to consciousness. The skirmish at the fountain and his rescue of Victoria in the hospital had drained him of every single bit of energy and strength. He didn’t even understand how he was still awake.

  Jealousy was a powerful motivator. Holden couldn’t believe it. He was actually jealous of a guy named Bubba.

  It was ridiculous. Neither of them had done anything for him to be jealous of, but if nothing else, he was jealous that Bubba had all his big, tall, manly strength and energy, while Holden could barely stay conscious. It wasn’t fair.

  “I’ll leave the two of you,” Bubba said.

  Holden perked up. That was the first good news he’d heard all night.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Victoria said. “I have some supplies you might make use of while you’re here tucked into the storage area of my SUV.”

  Bubba looked at Holden. “Are you going to be okay in here if we step out?”

  Holden stared at them, wanting to go along with them, wanting to make sure Bubba knew Victoria was his love. His rescuer. His beautiful wife. His.

  “As long as my lovely wife hurries back to tuck me in.” And Holden’s grasp of consciousness ended abruptly.

  Chapter Nine

  <^> <^> <^>

  “You two are married?” Bubba asked Victoria in a shocked tone. She didn’t answer, instead racing to Holden’s side to keep him from slumping from the bed to the floor.

  “No. We’re not really married.” Victoria kept him from launching onto the cheap carpet, but only barely until Bubba strode over and helped her. They got Holden flat on the bed in a more comfortable position. Bubba even helped strip him to his boxers and put him under the sheets.

  “Why did he call you his wife?”

  Victoria moved away and gestured for Bubba to join her in the corner farthest from the bed. She lowered her voice and explained in a near whisper, “I had to tell the human hospital staff that we were married in order to gain regular access to his hospital room. He’s just been joking about it since he woke up. That’s all.” And the kisses have been awesome. And I wish I was truly married to Holden because I’ve totally fallen in love with him. Stop it.

  “Are you sure he doesn’t truly think you’re married? Because he’s obviously very jealous of me.”

  Victoria wrinkled her nose. “What? No. He’s not jealous of you.”

  Bubba laughed. “Oh, yes, he is.”

  “Why would he be?”

  He shrugged. “Not sure, but trust me. I know what a jealous Alpha man looks and acts like.”

  Victoria stared down at a finally peaceful Holden. “No,” she said. “That can’t be true.” But he kisses you like you are, doesn’t he? “Can it?” she asked more to herself than Bubba.

  “Maybe he thinks you are really married,” Bubba said. “You told him you were when he woke up. If he doesn’t have his memories, he could think you’re his wife because that’s what he’s been led to believe.”

  Victoria shook her head. “No. He’s just clever. He remembered our ruse from before he fell into the coma. He can’t think we are really married.”

  “Maybe. But him being clever and also having no memory are not mutually exclusive, you know. He did have a head injury, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. He did.” Doubt crept into her mind. He still had horrible pain. “Actually, I’m worried that he keeps passing out. And for some strange reason it seems to give him a bad headache when he tries to remember anything from Alpha-Prime. That’s odd, isn’t it?”

  Bubba moved back to Holden’s bedside and looked him over, doing a few basic medical checks that likely all RM Guards could perform. He especially studied his head and scalp as if looking for the wound.

  “What do you think might be wrong?”

  “Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, but there is a knot on his temple right near his hairline.”

  “So.”

  “So that’s where Alphas’ long-term memory center is and if he had a bad enough concussion that he was in a coma for weeks, it’s possible he truly doesn’t remember.”

  “Permanently?”

  “Still not a doctor,” Bubba said.

  Victoria pushed out a long, loud sigh. “What else do you know?”

  “The thing you said about his head hurting when he tries to remember his past made me think of something. I have a friend who had a very similar injury. He had that same problem. He couldn’t remember his past and it gave him a headache when he tried.”

  “Did he recover?”

  “Yes. It took some time.”

  “Time? To do what?”

  “All of his friends and family told him stuff about his life. But they told him stories like it was new information so he didn’t have to try to recall his past.”

  “Did he have extreme pain when he tried to remember? Did it make him pass out or lose consciousness?”

  “I don’t think it was that extreme. He didn’t faint that I know of, but he did have bad headaches.”

  “What happened? How did he get better?”

  “His friends kept telling him stories and the doctors saw improvement and eventually after several months he remembered without pain. The wound on his head healed up. It took longer than an injury anywhere else. Alphas heal fast, but something about the memory center takes longer, for some reason.”

  “Well, I sent his CT scans to Alienn before wiping them from the hospital’s system. Maybe they will see something that can help.”

  “In the meantime, you might want to start telling him stories if you know anything about his life.” Victoria didn’t want to admit she’d compiled quite a file on Holden over the past month and knew from memory most of the de
tails of his public life.

  “I know a few things. I can start telling him all about his life and who he is.”

  “Good. The only other thing I remember was that my friend wasn’t allowed to move for quite a long time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He wasn’t able to be transported for a month or so. Something about his equilibrium, I can’t really remember. Just that he was in the same bed for a couple months.”

  If Holden couldn’t be moved, the trip back to Alienn might have to be postponed for a couple of days until he felt better. She’d hate to take him on a journey several hours away when he was barely conscious most of the time, especially if it would be bad for his permanent memories.

  “I’ll call Alienn in the morning and see what the doctor recommends.”

  “Good idea,” Bubba said. “One other thing—I don’t think you should tell him you aren’t married.”

  “Why not? I hate to keep lying to him about it.”

  “It might make things worse. My friend remembered a treasured pet canine from his childhood. They told him his pet had died and the shock was profound. He slept for a week after hearing about it. Just let him remember you’re not married all on his own. It’s not going to hurt anything, is it?”

  Just my personal hopes and dreams. “I guess not. So no big shocks?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Common sense, right?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Okay, then. My work here is done. I’ll stay out of your love life if you’ll stay out of my stowaway hunt.”

  “Deal. But I owe you one for taking out the hooligans who stole my Defender earlier.”

  Bubba nodded. “You’re welcome. Text if you need me, but I hope you don’t. Holden wants you all to himself and he might try to hurt me if I intrude again. He doesn’t need the stress.”

  Victoria smiled and left the room with him. She grabbed a bag out of the SUV and handed it to Bubba. “A few supplies and some tools that might come in handy.”

  “Thanks.” Bubba lifted his hand for one last high-five and moved toward his room.

  Victoria went back inside her lucky number seven room, locked the door for the night and got ready for bed. She stripped down, donned her pajamas and climbed into bed next to Holden.

  If we were truly married, I’d kiss him good night and tell him I loved him.

  Victoria carefully turned, lifted up, leaned over Holden and pressed her lips to his. He didn’t reciprocate, but he also didn’t wipe his mouth and spit either. He remained asleep and at least he looked serene.

  “I love you, Holden,” she whispered, her heart speeding to double time as she said the words that, while true, she shouldn’t repeat when he was awake. Just sleeping in this bed alongside him pretending to be his wife was a thrill. And if he heard her heartfelt admission, he ignored her.

  Sleep was a long time coming. Deep down she secretly relished the idea of having to pretend to be Holden’s wife for a little while longer. It wasn’t exactly a chore. She loved him. She’d read about him and spent time with him and everything she’d learned made her even more certain he was the only man for her.

  Having him believe they were already married and kissing her to distraction every chance he got also didn’t dissuade her. It only made her more certain about the possibility of a future with him as her real husband. But even if he eventually felt the same about her—and that was a big if—would he want to live on Alpha-Prime? Would he ever consider living on the Earth colony?

  Victoria had been born on Earth. Her family lived and worked in Alienn. Her preference was to stay, but not if the love of her life wanted to move to another galaxy. She would fly away from everything she knew in a heartbeat if it meant spending the rest of her life with Holden.

  She pushed out a sigh and thought about spending the next few days with Holden in this cheap motel room, telling him all the stories she knew about his life. She looked forward to it. Maybe she wasn’t ready to go back to Alienn. Maybe she wasn’t ready to make the most important decision of her life, if that choice was even offered. The thought of Holden’s justifiable anger when he found out they weren’t really married sobered her. She already owed him a huge apology for the lies to date. A glance at his handsome face calmed her. She rolled to face away.

  Just as she was about to doze off, Holden shifted. She came wide awake. He cleared his throat, turned to his side and spooned up behind her. His arm moved, draping over her middle and hugged her body closer. She didn’t breathe.

  “Love you, too,” he whispered on a sigh.

  <^> <^> <^>

  Holden woke up resting on his back with Victoria snuggled up against him in bed. For the first time in what seemed like a long while, his head didn’t hurt. Amazed and grateful, he took a deep breath, getting a whiff of Victoria’s soft perfume.

  He’d been dreaming and remembering his recent dream didn’t hurt, so he pondered it for a minute. He and Victoria had been smiling at each other. She told him she loved him and kissed his lips. Holden hugged her tight and told her he loved her, too.

  And he did love her. She was his wife. It was perfectly natural to love her. And yet, something nagged at him. Something didn’t seem quite right, but the moment he tried to recall his past before the accident or waking in the hospital, the pounding in his head started up, so he stopped and changed the course of his thoughts. Thinking about anything since waking from the coma didn’t seem to be a problem.

  Holden took in his immediate surroundings, locking in the simple details of the motel room as he noted them. It was still dark outside, but that didn’t tell him what time it was. He could have slept for an hour or a day.

  Victoria was on her side, facing away from him, but the entire length of her warm, soft body was pressed against him. In his opinion, she was the perfect size. Her breathing sounded rhythmic, so she was likely sound asleep. He slowly turned and spooned up behind her. He kissed her shoulder. He kissed her hair. He kissed the soft space beneath her ear. She sighed in her sleep, so he did it a second time. She startled and cleared her throat.

  Holden froze in place, not wanting her to wake just yet. She settled down again. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was that other man being in the room. What kind of a name was Bubba anyway?

  While Bubba didn’t overtly look at Victoria, or act like he wanted her attention, Holden didn’t want anyone else to come between them. It was an unreasonable fear, and an even more irrational jealousy, but he felt it. He’d yet to identify the male voice on the other end of the phone, or even get the nerve to ask Victoria about it again. She said it was her boss, Cam. He didn’t want to come across as a possessive brute. He wasn’t one, was he? Pain spiked hard inside his skull. Stupid head injury.

  He calmed his thoughts and shifted mental gears to another subject. Their future together. That was an okay topic. Victoria wanted to go back to a place called Alienn. The name seemed familiar. A small ache revived in his head, so he closed his eyes and focused on listening to Victoria breathe.

  She moved in her sleep, pressing her hips backward into his and making his thoughts go in a completely different direction. He tried to calm down. Then again, they were married. They loved each other, didn’t they? In his recent dreams they certainly did. Their kisses lit his world on fire each time their lips came into contact.

  Was it foolish to long for intimacy with his wife?

  Their love life hadn’t even been hinted at with the exception of the few phenomenal kisses they’d shared. Did they enjoy a passionate romantic love life? He hoped so.

  The nagging something-isn’t-right feeling slipped inside his mind to remind him he should take any intimacy between them very slowly. So he changed his thoughts to Alienn, wondering what sort of place it was. Did it have big trees? Fountains of precious water sprinkled about?

  Victoria pressed her body backward into his again, her butt pushing against him hard, leaving no space. Just the depth of her thin pajamas fabric and
his shorts smashed together.

  He inhaled deeply and inched away from her slowly and returned to his back.

  Victoria promptly rolled to her side in his direction. One of her arms flopped over his chest and one of her knees bent, her leg coming over the top of his. Bare skin to bare skin contact was awesome. Holden settled against the sheets and catalogued all the places their skin touched, starting with her face buried into his neck. So good.

  Her arm was draped across his bare chest. Her knee was on his thigh, her calf pressed to his leg. She smelled great. She felt great. He slipped an arm behind her back to hug her body tighter and she snuggled closer. Holden wanted this moment to last forever. He was uncertain of what to do next. He knew what he desired, but this was their first intimate time together that he could remember.

  He didn’t want to rush it. He didn’t want her to be asleep. He didn’t want her to wake up and say that because he’d been ill it wasn’t a good idea. So he stayed frozen in place, weighing his options. Should he wake her and suggest something very intimate? Or not. He wanted to. But maybe he shouldn’t. He didn’t want to get turned down. Maybe he should just go back to sleep.

  Victoria sighed. The air from her lips tickled the hair on his chest, sending a wicked rush of pleasure spiraling down his spine.

  That’s it.

  Holden turned to his side to face Victoria. She blinked a couple of times.

  “My lovely wife, Victoria.” Her eyes opened, glanced quickly down to gauge their close proximity. Her gaze shot to his eyes and he could see hunger in her expression.

  “I love you,” he said. “You are the best wife.”

  She blinked again, her eyes not opening fully the second time. Was she asleep, being shy or maybe sultry? He voted for sultry.

  “I love you, too, Holden,” she whispered, as clear as if high noon had come already and they’d been awake for hours.

  Holden kissed her hard on the lips. She kissed him back like it was her new job and she wanted to make a favorable impression. A job she’d clearly missed while he was sleeping in the hospital.