Lobo: Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides (Book 7)

by Tasha Black

  He slid a bit closer to Trinity.

  Trinity looked away from him, an embarrassed smile pulling up the corners of her mouth.

  Interesting.

  The candidates from the training program seemed to be having fun as well. It was going to be a good picnic.

  “Ahem,” Brooke said, nodding her head in the direction of the training area.

  Veronica turned to see Captain Henderson approaching.

  “Oh, wow,” she whispered.

  “He’d better be coming to apologize to you,” Brooke hissed.

  “Nunez,” Henderson said. “I hear the training session went well. Thanks for your efforts.”

  “It was my pleasure—” Veronica began.

  “I’m here for you though, Singleton,” Henderson continued.

  “Me?” Brooke asked.

  “I’m told your gym is popular with the cadets and off-duty officers,” Henderson said.

  Brooke grinned and nodded.

  “Unfortunately, you’re an independent contractor for the academy,” Henderson said. “The academy’s legal department called today. You can’t utilize your government contacts for private business. It’s a conflict of interest.”

  Brooke’s face went ashen.

  Veronica felt a wave of fear and sadness flowing from her friend.

  “Sir, none of these officers or cadets have ever been incentivized to work out at the gym,” Brooke said, her calm voice belying the anguish Veronica knew she felt. “And the ones who do don’t receive any special treatment in the classroom.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Henderson said. “The whole thing is compounded by the fact that you’re leasing government space to run it. You’re shut down as of today. And legal says we shouldn’t be renting to you at all, so consider this your thirty days’ notice on the lease. The old building is going up for sale. We can’t afford the appearance of impropriety in times like these.”

  “But…” Brooke trailed off.

  Veronica knew what her friend was thinking. Where were they all supposed to live? The area around the academy was getting more and more popular. The only way the three of them could actually afford to live in town was because they were sub-letting from Brooke.

  “Unless you want to terminate your contract with the academy and buy the building yourself.” Henderson offered with a gentle smile.

  Veronica’s stomach turned. They all knew the gym wasn’t doing well enough to support Brooke, certainly not well enough for her to buy the property.

  “I didn’t think so,” Henderson continued. “The gym is shut down as of now. And you ladies have thirty days to vacate. Enjoy your picnic.”

  Brooke’s jaw tensed and Conan was furious, Veronica could taste his wrath in the air around them. He looked as if he might be about to say something to Henderson.

  Veronica couldn’t allow him to get himself into trouble.

  “Sir,” Veronica ventured. “Maybe there’s a solution we haven’t thought of. Would you like to have lunch with us so we can talk about options?”

  “There’s no point in talking,” Henderson said, shaking his head. “And I’m headed to a meeting with the mayor. But I will take one of those burgers - they look delicious. Thanks much.”

  He snagged a burger from the table and took a big bite.

  “Mm-mm,” he said appreciatively, and headed back toward the street.

  “What are we going to do?” Brooke murmured, looking after him.

  “We’ll do whatever we have to do,” Lobo said.

  “What’s going on?” Trinity asked, heading over from the blanket with Hawkeye in tow. “Everything okay?”

  “It will be,” Veronica said firmly.

  Brooke met her eyes.

  Hope…

  Veronica smiled at her friend.

  She was right to feel hopeful.

  Veronica gazed at Brooke and Trinity, the two women she trusted with her life.

  “As Lobo said, we will help you,” Conan announced.

  “Whatever you need,” Hawkeye added.

  Trinity grinned and Brooke’s pained expression relaxed a little.

  As three they had been unstoppable. And now that they seemed to be six…

  Well, Veronica felt sorry for anyone who tried to keep them down.

  For the first time in a long time, Veronica knew to her bones that everything was going to be just fine.

  * * *

  ***

  Thanks for reading Lobo!

  Keep reading for a sample of the next Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides book: Conan.

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  Conan (Sample)

  1

  Brooke

  Brooke Singleton felt the night air on her bare shoulders.

  “You can open your eyes now,” the man said - a sexy voice, dark and gravelly, full of unspoken promises.

  Brooke did as he said.

  Above, the stars winked as if they were conspirators in some cosmic prank.

  And for all she knew, they were. Something was off.

  The unmistakable sounds of the city rode the breeze to her ear, a steady roar of traffic with intermittent shouts and honks. Yet she was standing in a lush garden, surrounded by life.

  Leaves shimmered on an ivy-covered wall, dancing in the breeze. Flowering tree branches swayed majestically, laden with heavy blossoms.

  The ball gown Brooke wore shimmered in the starlight.

  She had never worn a ball gown before, not even to her senior prom, which she and her best friend had crashed wearing jeans and t-shirts, much to her mother’s chagrin.

  She couldn’t understand why she wore one now. But she also couldn’t argue with its beauty.

  The dress had a beaded corset which pushed her breasts up and out. Whisper-thin gossamer flowed down from the tapered waist to skim her toes.

  “Brooke.”

  She spun to see who had spoken. His voice was masculine, gentle, and somehow familiar.

  Why couldn’t she remember who he was or how she had gotten here?

  The gown swirled with her, caressing her thighs as it slid back into place.

  She spotted him - devastatingly handsome, and dressed like a British spy in a movie. Wide shoulders, narrow hips, the collar of his white shirt practically glowing in contrast with his tan skin. His clean shaven jawline and slicked back hair only accentuated the effect of the suit.

  But it was his eyes that captured her. In spite of his regal bearing, those expressive hazel eyes told her that she wasn’t his prisoner after all. Maybe he was hers.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  His voice sent tremors of desire through her and she felt suddenly naked under his gaze.

  She nodded slowly.

  Music began to play somewhere faraway, a slow waltz, all sighing violins and tinkling bells.

  The man smiled down at her and for the second time Brooke felt that she knew him.

  “Dance with me,” he said, offering her his arm.

  She took it, inwardly thinking how pleased her mother would be that the forced dance lessons were finally paying off.

  The familiar stranger pulled her into his arms and she forgot everything but the warmth of his large hand spanning her waist and his steady hazel gaze.

  Brooke closed her eyes again, trying to remember who he was.

  “Look at me,” he commanded.

  She opened her eyes once more and nearly swooned at his expression of restrained longing.

  He spun her as if were light as air, then dipped her low so that her hair skimmed the ground.

  The lush scent of the flowers around them was intoxicating.

  He bent to brush her lips with his but paused an inch away, waiting until she closed the distance before teasing her with the featherlight kiss. A rainbow of emotion swept over her in its wake.

  She waited for another kiss, lips parted.

  But instead, he
lifted her by the waist like a doll and she looked down at him, supporting herself with her hands resting on his shoulders.

  Her body was singing more fervently than the violins. She wanted those big hands all over her, that sensual mouth on her breasts. He was right there, holding her, so close. If she just relaxed and enjoyed, the magic of the music and the moonlight would surely lead them where she yearned to go.

  But something wasn’t right.

  Something wasn’t right at all.

  He smiled up at her, spinning her gently.

  She squeezed his shoulders with the effort to force herself to figure out what was happening, instead of allowing herself to be hypnotized by his beauty.

  It was when she saw her own knuckles go white against his dark jacket that she realized what was wrong. She was resting weight on her bad shoulder.

  Pain shot through her right arm like a bullet.

  She heard a horrible, animal moan and nearly turned her head to locate its source before she realized it was her own muffled shriek.

  “You’re okay,” the man told her soothingly. “I’ve got you, you’re fine.”

  But the sweet music had fallen into jangling discord and she smelled hot pavement.

  Somewhere beyond the trees, tires screeched.

  “Brooke,” the man called to her.

  But she had finally put it together.

  This was a dream. That was why her injury hadn’t stopped their dance.

  And of course the guy was Conan.

  Who else would it be?

  Brooke scrunched her eyes shut and begged herself inwardly to wake up.

  Please wake up, please, please, please…

  “Brooke,” Trinity’s low voice cut through the fog of the dream.

  Brooke opened her eyes into the real world.

  There was no lush garden, only her plain room. The charm of the high ceilings and Victorian woodwork was minimized by the thick coat of stark white paint. Brooke had never bothered to hang a picture or otherwise adorn the place.

  She was renting the building from the police academy, who had taken up new residence in the old monastery in the field beyond. One day she hoped to buy their building and restore its grace. But for now, she and her two roommates were just glad to have an affordable place to live in the quickly booming suburb. For now.

  She sat up, rubbed her eyes.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Trinity asked.

  To her credit, Brooke’s friend always asked this after her nightmares, though the answer was always the same.

  “I’m good,” Brooke said, grateful that she’d never taken her up on the offer before. She’d much prefer to let Trinity believe it was another flashback she’d moaned about, not a fantasy about a tasty, off-limits guy.

  “Ice cream?” Trinity offered with a grin.

  “Yes, please,” Brooke agreed.

  The world was coming into focus again.

  She checked her bedside clock. It was already 4 AM and she had to be up at 5:30 anyway, not bad.

  “Please tell me you’re not thinking that you’ll just stay up,” Trinity said.

  “I’ve got to open the gym,” Brooke said, getting out of bed.

  “You and Veronica are nuts,” Trinity shook her head.

  Their third roommate, Veronica, trained police dogs and was up at the crack of dawn for that. Only Trinity, the IT specialist, could keep reasonable hours. Not that she did. But she could. And that was comforting somehow.

  “You ever think you’re the one with the strange schedule?” Brooke teased.

  “No,” Trinity said. “Definitely not.”

  They reached the landing outside the women’s suite. Trinity tiptoed past the men’s suite door and down the stairs.

  Brooke gazed at the door a moment and tried very hard not to picture Conan, the star of her dream, sleeping in there. Maybe he was shirtless, leaning back, those giant arms clasped behind his head, the sheet allowing a gorgeous view of his tight abs and a teasing glimpse at the line of hips angling toward…

  “Earth to Brooke,” Trinity whispered from the foyer below.

  “Coming,” Brooke whispered back, and headed down the stairs.

  She passed the old parlor which was now used for kids’ karate classes and her own very impressive office. It had used to be the commanding officer’s study when this was the main academy building.

  The real training gym was down in the basement. Some forward thinking person had dug a full basement down there even though the place was built in the ‘20s. Most likely there had been some plan for the academy to use that space. Now Brooke had it set up to teach MMA fighting to the public, and any off-duty officers or cadets who were interested.

  She tried not to think about the fact that it was all set up for no reason now that Captain Henderson was forcing her to shut it down.

  “Are you guys having ice cream sandwiches without me?” Veronica’s voice floated down the stairwell. That girl had ears as good as one of her dogs. And she never missed the sound of ice cream.

  “Well not anymore we’re not,” Trinity said.

  “So much for our top secret middle of the night meeting,” Brooke teased, shaking her head.

  Veronica jogged down the stairs and they all headed back to the kitchen together.

  A lot was going wrong in her life, but Brooke still had her two best friends and a freezer full of premium ice cream sandwiches.

  That had to count for something.

  * * *

  ***

  Thanks for reading this sample of Conan!

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  Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.

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