by Rosette Lex
“What...what are you talking about?” He ran a hand back through his hair to try and tame it a bit, blinking rapidly. “Did you get the hacker?” Wait. “Ramirez--!”
“In custody.” Coulter’s smile took on an edge. “Ramirez was their hacker. He went over a month ago, when they first started really putting down roots. He’s been feeding them intel this entire time. That’s how they knew, that’s how they created the setup. Alan.” He looked deadly serious now.
“Ramirez fed them the locations of all our shared safe houses. If you hadn’t taken that girl to your private one, you would have had to fight your way out by now.”
“...Dear God.” He wiped his face, a small nervous gesture. “Look. I’ve got you intel from her, but it’s not what we expected.”
Coulter’s eyebrows went up and he smirked. “Well considering that the girl you’ve got isn’t Marina Dragovic, that’s not really a surprise.”
“What--?”
Coulter was talking, describing how they had found Marina Dragovic in a shoe store in Hollywood while tailing a known lackey of her boyfriend to the location...who had come to bring her left-behind purse. I
t had been a one in a million shot, apparently, and he spoke on it excitedly. Meanwhile, though, Alan’s heart pounded in his ears, and he turned his head slowly to look at the bedroom door. Emily. She was telling the truth all along. And if I had just trusted her…
He tried to focus, and looked back as his second went on. “--switched the girl with Dragovic and then just went hunting once we popped our heads up. They laid the trap and just let Ramirez and the intel lead us to it.” Coulter paused and tilted his head slightly. “You all right, boss?”
“I...yes. It merely puts many of the things I’ve heard in the last few days into perspective. Listen. I have a witness to Ramirez meeting Bogdanovic at the party. I got some other tidbits out of her as well.”
“Even though she was the wrong girl….?”
“She was Marina’s neighbor and classmate. She paid attention. I don’t doubt she’ll help us fry Ramirez’s ass if they decide to have this go to trial. It’s treason, after all.”
“I could do with seeing that bastard go down for treason. Oh by the way, Quan’s out of intensive care. They say the vest saved him, but just barely.”
Alan let out a little sigh. “That’s good to hear.”
“So...debriefing, this afternoon, 3pm?”
“Sounds good. The usual place?”
“Yep. Get some sleep, you look like hell.” Coulter signed off.
Alan closed the laptop and swallowed dryness from his mouth. His whole body shook as the slow awareness of what was truly happening here struck him.
Emily...the only woman in this world he could bond with, thrown in his life through sheer misadventure, and trapped with him for days, forcing him to confront himself and his feelings. It felt like fate. And that...was very dangerous. He couldn’t afford to place his faith in fate. He couldn’t.
I want to. Because she does. And she’s been honest and true and right about everything so far. I want to put my faith...in her.
But he didn’t know if he dared.
Whatever else was true, she was a free woman now, and it was time to wake her up, make his apologies and see her safely home. He had no doubt that she would keep his secret as far as his job was concerned. She was just that kind of person.
Wait a second.
He swallowed again, and walked in quietly, looking down at her. She was curled on her side in a tangle of sheets, a black tank top pushed up to expose half her back and her arms around a pillow she hugged to her chest for comfort. Her dark braid lay across her cheek. She looked guileless and vulnerable and absolutely beautiful, and he stared at her longingly for several moments.
No. Let her go. The best thing to do is to just part company before I do something that could ruin both our lives.
“Emily?”
She blinked her eyes open slowly. For a moment her brows drew together as she saw him standing over her. Then she stretched, drawing a slow breath through her nose, and rolled over, sitting up sleepily. “What is it?”
“I...owe you an apology.” He tried on a smile, but it felt weak on his lips.
“For what?” She stifled a yawn. It couldn’t even be seven yet. Not a good hour for either of them, apparently.
“I just finished talking with my contact.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, finally figuring that looked a little better than standing awkwardly.
“He verified everything you have told me. I’m sorry that I had to wait until I got verification before I could even pretend to believe you. I wish it wasn’t the case, but in my line of work the truth is elusive, and I had to have it.” He spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture.
“Then you believe me?” Her face lit up.
“Yes, yes I do. Every word.”
“Oh God, I’m so glad!” She lunged forward, and suddenly he felt her soft, curving body pressed against him again, her breasts sliding gorgeously against his bare chest through the thin fabric of the tank top. And his arms were around her, and he felt that delicious warmth and joy rising inside of him again. She tucked her head under his chin, and he pulled her onto his lap without even thinking about it.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. But his attempts at a comforting hug suddenly went somewhere else entirely as he felt her start to kiss his neck.
He groaned and pulled away a little. “No, don’t...I...we can’t.”
She lifted her head to look up at him. “Then tell me why. No bullshit, no telling me I can’t handle it. Let me decide what I can handle or not.”
He looked down at her, his eyes wide and his heart beating fast. I think I have to tell her.
“As you wish,” he said softly. “I’ll tell you. You’re sworn to secrecy, just as with my work, but...I’ll tell you.”
At least this way, if she rejects me, I won’t be tied to her. I’ll be heartbroken, but I won’t be dead.
6: Alien
“I can’t be with you because I’m not human,” he said quietly, sincerely, and she knew that he meant it, and that he wasn’t lying. And that he wasn’t crazy. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was certain of all of it, right down to her bones.
“Go on,” she replied, after a moment’s hesitation.
He seemed relieved when she didn’t pull away entirely. “I was...born here, on Earth, in Seattle. My parents settled there after leaving their own planet, which is apparently in the Crab Nebula.
It was a one-way teleporter trip to the inhabited world of their choice. No chance of ever going home, so...I couldn’t tell you for certain where their planet is. I’ve never been there, and likely never will.”
She felt herself go hot, then cold, then hot again. Her heart was beating fast, and he paled as he saw her reaction. But she still didn’t pull away. Simply nodded, quietly, her eyes a little wide but still fixed on his.
“I...had to grow up concealing who I was. It was difficult at times, especially when my powers developed at puberty. But my parents did a lot to help me adjust. They had to tough it out themselves, as they were used to a very different place. Different technologies, different foods, different diseases. But when my father was exiled, it was the planet they knew the most about, so off they went.”
“I don’t understand. They were exiled?” She blinked up at him, and he blinked back, startled...then smiled sadly.
“Politics. As I understand it, the King’s heir came to power and eliminated all high ranking military leaders who had not supported his claim to the throne. My father was one of them. And so he and my mother were exiled, and me with them, technically.”
“So you can never go home.” I can’t believe that I believe him. But I do. I am still going to ask for proof, because holy hell this is crazy, but...he knows I wouldn’t just buy the alien thing without any. Who would?
“This is my home, now.” He sighed and stared out the window for a few moments. “I wa
s born in Seattle, not off-world. I went to public school. I saw every Star Wars movie. I wasn’t exactly raised human, for my parents weren’t, but I’m as closed to naturalized as is possible for a nonhuman.” He looked back at her.
“That is why I chose this line of work. It is very dangerous, you see, and I would rather shoulder that danger than watch a more vulnerable human take my place.”
She still didn’t let go. He relaxed a little, moment by moment, as this sank in for him. There was even a tiny touch of hope in his silver eyes now.
“The problem is, Emily, that our species has some strange...romantic traditions. Instincts, mechanisms...I’m not even certain there’s a proper word for it in English. We bond with our mates.
We don’t...connect...with more than one person ever in our lives, and because I am on Earth for the rest of my life, I never expected to feel that particular pull toward anyone. You’re not of my species. I don’t really understand how it can be happening.
But it is exactly how my father told me it would be, and...I don’t feel it’s right to inflict anything like this on someone who has no cultural preparation, who isn’t my species, and who has no say in the matter.”
So that’s it. He’s...imprinted on me, somehow, and he’s fighting it because he figures I should be free to choose who I want. Except that was still pretty confusing. “What...happens when you connect with someone like that?”
“We become psychically linked. Fully linked, rather. I fear it’s already started. We can communicate across distances, we can feel each other’s emotions and sensations. We can keep no secrets from each other. And should one die, the other...will as well.” He looked at her sadly.
“I can’t spring that on you or anyone. I couldn’t expect anyone to be able to handle it.”
Emily looked at him. He was beautiful and amazing, and even under the worst circumstances they had enjoyed each other’s company. And they craved each other sexually. As for the rest….
“Show me.”
He blinked. “I beg your pardon.”
“You say you’re an alien. Prove it.”
“I...well...as you wish.” He looked around, and then closed his eyes, activating his electromagnetic interference field. The lights flickered and died. The laptop light went off, and even the apartment across the street temporarily went dark.
“That’s...that’s what you did in the club. I thought you had some gadget.”
“Everyone thinks I have some gadget. In fact, I carry a dummy device that I created just to have a button to push when I do things like that.” He shrugged and smiled tentatively.
“Show me more.”
He stared at her. “You’re...taking this extraordinarily well….” He sounded uncertain. As if he had expected...but wait. Of course. He really was afraid that she would reject him for this.
“Look, my mind was already blown when I became a patsy for a crime lord’s girlfriend.” She lifted her chin. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Are you sure?
His voice in her mind again, like silk sliding through her fingers. She blinked up at him, and then thought back, Yes. Then...I did hear you that time. I heard you in my head.
Yes. I couldn’t help it. This link has started growing without my encouraging it. I am sorry about this. I had no idea that it would begin forming before we had even….
It’s done. Neither of us could help it. Any more than any two people can help falling in love in the first damn place. Alan… This was so strange.
She had trouble focusing enough to sub-vocalize in whole sentences, but after a while it didn’t seem to really matter. He seemed to get what she was driving at no matter how sloppily or carefully she thought at him. If it’s done, and since I’m not running away screaming like you expected...please stop denying me. Stop denying us.
“But….” he protested softly, aloud, his voice a little weak, the uncertainty still haunting it.
She spoke aloud, and firmly. “If that’s what it’s like to be with you, I’ve already had a taste of it, and I liked it. I’d rather spaghetti and a movie marathon with you than a five star restaurant and a show opening with someone else.
Your letting me know you’re an alien basically just helps me make sense of the things I’ve been seeing and feeling.” She took his hands. “I’m willing to take the risk. Please...take it with me. Don’t leave me alone after you’ve shown me all of this. What are you protecting yourself from, Alan? In the end? If you don’t take the chance, then you have no chance.”
He stared at her, stunned, and she sighed. He was going to need some convincing. Fortunately, if he could read her mind now anyway, she wouldn’t need words. Only what was in her head...and what she planned to do next.
She turned to face him and sat up on her knees, straddling his thighs and pressing her body against his. I love you. Stop torturing yourself with worst case scenarios and deal with this. Deal with me.
Their lips met, and his attempt at a mental response broke up into a hot tide of pure lust and relief. And amazement. Her insistent acceptance of him was more than he had ever dared even fantasize about. No one would.
For safety’s sake, for the safety of his secret and his heart, he hadn’t dared. Now she demanded that he did, and he shuddered against her, absolutely stunned. She kissed him, teasing at his lips until he responded, and felt his slow tremors ease out and his grip start to tighten on her.
A feral sound came from his throat as he finally understood that it was all right: here, in this plain white room, with this human woman he had not known he could ever possibly meet or love, he had found what he needed at last.
His breath blew hot from his nostrils against her cheek as he took hold of her, lifting her up and rolling over so that he crouched over her on the bed.
She stretched luxuriantly under him as he stared down at her, his eyes almost blind-looking with arousal, his expression savage as he panted. He reached down and tore the tank top down the front, destroying the fabric to get at her breasts, which he immediately started kissing and tonguing as if starved for their taste.
She gasped and arched against his mouth, a low cry coming out of her as he feasted on her skin. He was tearing at her sweatpants, and she lifted her hips to help him as he yanked them off and threw them away. The shredded tank top got the same treatment.
She trembled under him, already gasping for air as he moved from her breasts and started trailing his mouth over every inch of flesh he could reach.
He kissed her neck, her shoulders, under her breasts, her belly; he ran his tongue and teeth over her back until she whimpered and sobbed and had to bite the pillow. He kneaded her ass, dug his fingers into her hips and turned her, parting her thighs and sliding a hand over her sex slowly and firmly.
His fingertips found just where to touch her, and then how, and she knew he was picking the information out of her mind, which was wonderful and so unfair and God now he was rubbing her the right way.
She moaned and twisted and bucked her hips, her own mind too awash in sensation to form words. He bent forward as his hand worked against her, and his mouth fastened against her neck, teeth scraping lightly and then suckling warmth to the surface. She slid her hands over his body feverishly, wrapping her legs around his thighs and pushing up against his hand as he stroked and kneaded.
Finally, growing impatient, she reached down and undid his trousers, unfastening the button and dragging the zipper down.
There’s no going back he tried to warn, and she kissed him softly in response.
I don’t want to go back.
She closed her eyes. She could feel her own body going taut with sexual need as he caressed her insistently; she could feel her hands shoving down the fine wool trousers and the shorts beneath...and she could feel something else, a pounding lust that wasn’t hers rising in her back brain. His body, shaking with desire, his heartbeat mirrored in the throbbing, painful erection she now freed and caressed with her fingers.
The feel of her hand sent electric jolts through him; he grunted and threw his head back, hips moving reflexively against her hand. She could feel his astonishment and his need, and knew with a shock that he had never done this before.
And somehow that just turned her on more.
He kicked away the trousers and fell over her, kissing and nuzzling, his body tight and shaking as she took him in hand and guided his length into her. His head lowered, and she saw his face light up in sheer amazed pleasure as he thrust into her for the first time.
Yes
She almost came right then, and so did he, caught in that first moment of connection as their pleasure fueled each other’s. He held still, panting for air, struggling to hang on as she gasped and trembled under him. He calmed, body drawing away from crisis, and then gently started moving against her.
His body pushed hers into the mattress, the whole delicious bulk of it pinning her down as she hung on for dear life and moaned in his ear. She could feel him sinking into her inch by inch, not only from her own fevered nerves but from him, and their gasps started to synchronize as slow waves of pleasure rolled through them.
Their moans became a chorus; every slow move of his hips set off fireworks in their nerve endings as he struggled as hard as he could not to climax yet. She writhed under him, fingertips dug into his shoulders as she met his thrusts with her own.
The room swam in her vision. Sometimes she saw his face, eyes wide at times, closed in others, his expression full of pleasure and yet strained more and more as he struggled to keep them on that delicious edge as long as he could.
Finally, her voice rose in a desperate squeal as she felt her contractions flood her body with wave after wave of ecstasy. She went up on her toes against him, and he sped up, pounding away at her, shouting into her neck with each movement of his hips, his mind radiating astonishment and lust and a little bit of fear--
--and then he came inside of her, shuddering violently over her as they writhed and twisted and slammed their hips together with desperate fury. She felt his ecstasy and his amazement, and heard his groan like a roar as he buried his face in her neck. And then...his slow collapse, limp and trembling, back down into her arms.
