by Tasha Black
“No, we don’t tend to it,” Drago said. “It’s carnivorous and quite dangerous, in spite of its beauty.”
“Wow,” Arden said. “I guess this is quite different then.”
“It’s incredible,” he replied simply.
They pulled into the little town. Faded paintings of constellations on the mailboxes and outer space themed names on all the businesses welcomed them to Stargazer.
Arden pulled into one of the spaces near the little grocery store.
“This is a city?” Drago asked, looking around with great interest.
“Well, it’s a town,” Arden told him. “A very small one, maybe more of a village.”
“A village,” Drago said reverently.
“Remember, we promised Sage you would stay in the car,” Arden said.
“Of course,” Drago agreed. “I will watch over you from the car, but if there is trouble of any kind my promise to Sage is no longer of any consequence to me.”
“There won’t be any trouble,” Arden said. “I’m only going to the store. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Gathering supplies can be dangerous,” Drago said.
“Not here,” Arden told him. “The people in this town are friendly. And I have money to pay for the supplies. This is easy, believe me.”
Drago nodded, but he didn’t look entirely convinced.
Arden hopped out of the car, determined to make her purchases quickly before he could misinterpret anything.
She entered the store. Before her eyes could adjust to the dimness, she nearly collided with someone.
“Sorry,” the woman gushed. “I need to look where I’m going.”
She was tall and slender, wearing a tight red sundress that showed off her pert breasts. Her platinum hair was feathered and fluffed around her head like a halo. She looked like she belonged on the hood of a car in an ‘80s music video.
“No problem,” Arden replied.
The woman went back to browsing the display of gum near the checkout.
Arden felt a familiar pang. It wasn’t quite jealousy but it was maybe regret.
Arden had always been more interested in science than in hairstyles, fashion, fitness regimes or the seemingly infinite spectrum of lip-gloss colors in the world. She was happy with her choices and enjoyed her interesting life, and she didn’t judge anyone else for what they enjoyed.
But after sharing that steamy kiss with Drago, a tiny part of her wished she could keep him.
Keep him? He’s not a kitten you found on the side of the road, her inner critic spat.
But he was a sweet, hardworking, interesting man. He was the kind of man Arden could love. And maybe she already did, just a little.
Even if she abandoned Dr. Bhimani’s experiment though, Arden figured he would be more likely to wind up with a woman like the one she had just bumped into. Men who looked like Drago always did.
And plain women with long brown ponytails wound up with geeky guys or an apartment full of cats. It was the way of the world.
Focus, Arden, get some groceries before he thinks they’ve kidnapped you and comes in here to start an interstellar incident.
She pulled the shopping list out of her pocket, grabbed a cart and began grabbing items and throwing them in.
The small store was unfamiliar, but pretty well laid out. She found nearly everything on her list in the first few minutes and was able to find the rest without too much trouble.
At last she stood in line and paid for her purchases.
Laden with bags, she ambled outside and headed for the truck.
Only then did she realize Drago wasn’t alone anymore.
The lithe woman with golden hair and the scarlet dress leaned against the frame of the pick-up truck, talking with Drago through the open window.
Damn.
He hadn’t even had to get out of the car to hook up with that woman. The universe had delivered her to his doorstep.
Arden took a deep breath and kept walking. She had seen this kind of thing coming in the future, but wasn’t looking forward to actually witnessing it personally.
Rip off the Band-Aid.
“I’d just never seen you around here before,” the woman said twining a few strands of her cotton candy hair around her finger.
“The farm needs help and I needed a job,” Drago replied politely. “It’s a good place to work and the blueberries are delicious.”
The woman giggled awkwardly.
Arden was surprised to see that Drago didn’t seem to be checking out her amply displayed body. He spoke to her in a casual way, as if he hadn’t even noticed she was a woman at all.
“Arden,” he said, his voice going deep and sexy.
“Hey,” she replied, furious to feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.
“Let me help you with those,” he said, opening his door. “Nice to meet you,” he added to the blonde woman in a tone that made it clear their conversation was over.
“Sure,” she said, glancing at Arden with a look of confusion. “Bye.”
Drago approached Arden, hands out to take the groceries from her.
She let him, enjoying the whisper of electricity when his hands brushed hers.
He swung the groceries into the back of the truck and wrapped a tarp around them carefully to hold them in place.
Arden watched his muscles moving under his t-shirt. He was so strong.
When he turned around to face her she forgot to stop looking.
“I missed you,” he told her with a smile.
She grinned back at him.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
They rode back through the little town and into the countryside in friendly silence.
But in Arden’s mind a cacophony of thoughts swirled.
9
Drago
Drago sat comfortably on the farmhouse floor between his brothers. His body ached with the day’s labor but his belly was full and his heart was light.
Arden sat on the sofa with Tansy, chatting about the farm, while Sage filled the teakettle out in the kitchen.
“They normally bloom early, which means early peaches,” Tansy was saying.
“Do you have any idea why they aren’t blooming this year?” Arden asked, leaning forward, a small line forming on her brow.
Drago loved that expression. Arden wore it when she was engaged in solving a problem, something he perceived she enjoyed doing.
“There are lots of theories,” Tansy said, shaking her head.
“Lots of theories about what?” Sage asked, placing a tea tray on the coffee table.
Drago noticed approvingly that there was a plate of small cookies in addition to the cups and teapot.
“Oh, we were just talking about the peach trees,” Tansy said.
“Could Hal be right?” Sage asked, sitting on her rocking chair.
“I don’t know.” Tansy shrugged. “He kind of has a point.”
“Who is Hal?” Arden asked.
“Help yourselves, boys,” Sage said to the men.
Drago held back but Riggs and Burton immediately got up to pour themselves tea.
“Hal Peterson. He’s on the neighboring farm to the south,” Tansy explained. “And he thinks the issue is pollution.”
“Has pollution increased in this area?” Arden asked.
Sage’s eyes flew to the men and then back to her sister.
Tansy shrugged.
“Due to the, uh, increased interest in the goings-on at the observatory, we’ve had more car traffic and foot traffic lately,” Sage said. “And then owners of the farm to the north of ours, the Wilsons, began renting out their land for the reporters to set up camp. They’ve got cars and RVs news vans with satellite uplinks and who knows what else over there.”
“Because of us?” Drago asked.
Everyone turned to look at him.
“Not you guys specifically,” Tansy said.
“But yes,” Sage added. “Because there are aliens here and e
veryone wants to know about them. Stargazer has never had so many visitors.”
“Do you think an increase in car traffic could really hurt your trees in one season?” Arden asked.
“There could also be run-off from the port-a-potty facilities,” Sage said. “The creek runs through all of the farms. Their problems become our problems.”
“Why would the Wilsons rent out their land?” Drago asked. “Don’t they need a place to grow their own crops?”
“Great question. And the answer is one of the reasons the pollution theory doesn’t add up,” Tansy said. “The Wilsons’ strawberry crop failed this year, that’s why they agreed to rent out the land in the first place. Bud Wilson says the reporters saved him.”
Arden nodded thoughtfully.
“I guess we shouldn’t be complaining,” Tansy said. “At least our blueberries made it. Hopefully we can figure out what to do about the peaches.”
“We’ll be selling this place before the fruit is ripe,” Sage said quietly into her tea.
“Not if it’s turning a profit, Sage,” Tansy said. “You promised.”
“I didn’t promise anything, except that I’m selling it off if we can’t get it back in the black by midsummer,” Sage said.
Tansy’s face went bright pink.
“I think it’s time we headed to bed,” Arden said softly. “May we sleep in your barn again?”
“Sure, sure,” Tansy said. “Do you need anything?”
“No, thanks,” Arden said. “And thank you for letting us stay another night. We’ll be on our way tomorrow.”
Tansy bit her lip and looked pointedly at her sister, but Sage merely nodded and placed her teacup down on the tray again.
“Good night, Sage,” Riggs said, his deep voice tender.
Drago wondered if Riggs were developing feelings for the more serious of the sisters.
“Sleep well,” Sage replied.
“Good night,” Burton said, grinning at Tansy.
“Good night everyone,” Drago said politely.
Arden gave a wave to Tansy and then headed to the back door.
Drago followed after her, trying not to notice the way her still-damp hair glistened in the back porch light.
The sisters had insisted that they all get hot showers tonight after their hard work. Drago was only sorry that Tansy had given Arden a T-shirt and shorts to wear instead of another lacy undergarment.
They walked across the moonlit grass and climbed up the barn stairs together.
When they reached the loft, Drago followed Arden to the tackle room.
“I can be lookout tonight,” she offered.
“No, you need your rest,” he told her. “I’ll watch the farm.”
“You already stayed up last night,” Burton said. “Why don’t I—ouch.”
Riggs had elbowed Burton in the ribs.
“Oh,” Burton said, sounding as if he had just caught on that Drago might want time alone with Arden. “Go ahead, brother.”
Arden turned on her heel and went into the room.
Drago trotted to catch up to her.
The small space already felt more like a home to him than any other space he had ever occupied. Moonlight cast shadows in the room, making the white bedspread look like a snowdrift.
Arden walked to the window and looked out over the farm.
Drago moved to stand beside her.
“It’s beautiful here,” Arden whispered. “How can they sell it?”
Drago was familiar enough with the human concept of currency to know that this was a rhetorical question. If the farm was losing money and the women didn’t have another source of income to subsidize it, they would have no choice but to sell it.
This was a very sad idea.
“I wonder if we worked hard for them, if we could change that,” he said.
“I wonder if we could save the peaches,” Arden said.
She sounded oddly confident.
Though it was Drago who ought to have felt he had a chance to save the trees.
Before he could say anything more, Arden gasped.
A figure had appeared on the lawn below.
Without thinking about it, Drago wrapped his arms around Arden and pulled her into the shadows.
The man on the lawn looked around furtively, then took a few more steps in. There was something in his hands, a weapon of some kind.
He advanced a bit more and his badge caught the moonlight for a moment.
Arden shivered in Drago’s arms and he drew her closer, wishing he could pull her inside himself, protect her from what was happening now.
He knew he needed to warn his brothers. But if there was any possibility that they could be seen from outside they had to remain perfectly still.
Another figure appeared outside. This one was smaller, female. But she wore the same dark uniform and carried a similar weapon in her hands.
“Nothing?” she asked.
Her voice was low. Drago could only hear her because of the open window.
The male shook his head.
“Alright, let’s check the farm to the south,” she said.
“But, Agent Diaz, we didn’t even search the barn,” the male said, sounding surprised.
Diaz.
Drago knew that name. He’d seen her from time to time at the lab, usually in the company of MacGyver, the leader of his Earth expedition. Had MacGyver sent her to look for them? The idea filled Drago with a momentary pang of guilt at the thought of the brothers he’d left behind when they had fled the lab.
“I’ve seen enough,” Diaz said, holstering her weapon. “They’re not here. They’ll be looking for a bigger place, somewhere they can hide for the long haul, somewhere we couldn’t hit with a well-thrown stone.”
The man took another step toward the barn.
“Agent Banks, we’re heading south, and that’s an order,” Diaz said firmly.
Banks holstered his own weapon, sighed, and turned to follow his superior.
Drago watched the two figures walk away until they disappeared into the darkness.
It was only when they were really gone that he noticed Arden was weeping against his chest.
A storm of emotions enfolded him instantly - violent fury that something had frightened her, tender compassion for her tears, and an unexpected surge of lust that nearly capsized him.
The instincts ingrained into his human body took over. He cupped her cheek in one hand and tilted her face up.
“It’s okay,” he crooned. “They’re gone, my love.”
Her eyes were bright, teardrops glistening like diamonds on her cheeks.
Then she was up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck as he bent to press his lips to hers.
Their kiss this afternoon in the car had been like a fever dream, a frenzy of lust cut short in a heartbeat.
This was something different, softer, deeper, yet no less urgent.
Arden whimpered lightly and pressed her chest to his, maddening him with the feel of her warm breasts, so full against him.
He slid his hands down to her waist, over her bottom, unable to touch enough of her at once. He had no idea how much she wanted of him, or how quickly this bright moment might be extinguished altogether.
She slid her hands over his biceps, sinking her nails in as he tasted her tongue.
Lust coiled red hot in his loins in response.
He slid his hand beneath her bottom and lifted her up.
Arden wrapped her thighs around his waist without breaking their kiss.
He carried her to the bed and deposited her on her back, crawling on top of her to gaze down at his beautiful mate.
Her eyes were luminous, lips parted as she panted slightly.
“Will you accept me as your mate?” he asked her for the second time.
She blinked up at him.
By the moons of Aerie, how can she be uncertain?
He restrained his impatience and called on his compassion instead.
She had been terribly frightened. Now she was overcome by lust. He could not ask her to stop and choose.
“Never mind,” he murmured huskily, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. “You can decide another time.”
“Drago,” she whispered.
“Hush,” he told her, and kissed the tip of her nose.
She smiled, beautiful as the dawn, and he kissed the apples of her cheeks, one and then the other.
When she giggled, he kissed her chin, her jaw line, the tender place where her neck met her collarbone.
Her giggles ceased and he pressed his lips to her neck again.
She arched her back and sighed.
Drago slid a hand beneath the hem of the t-shirt she wore. Her belly was warm and soft.
She froze beneath him and he kissed her neck tenderly again as he lifted the shirt up to reveal her breasts.
He pulled away to look at her.
She studied him bravely, though he could see what it cost her not to pull that t-shirt down again to cover herself.
Drago had seen many breasts before. They were bright round globes on the grainy videos. And they seemed almost separate from their owners.
Arden’s body seemed a perfect expression of her real self - soft and generous.
He extended his hand slowly, so as to give her time to refuse his attentions. But she did not stop him.
When he touched her nipple with a feather light caress he could see the pleasure she felt at his touch.
“Arden,” he breathed.
He lowered himself beside her to brush his lips against that sweet brown nipple.
She whimpered and he watched, breathless, as the nipple crinkled into a stiff peak at his touch.
He licked, and licked again, glorying at the sounds she made as he sucked the little bead into his mouth, tugging at the other sweet gem with his fingers until she cried out.
Arden’s hips were trembling now and he stroked her belly and thighs as if to calm her.
“Lift your hips,” he whispered to her.
She obeyed and he slid her shorts off. She wasn’t wearing any undergarments.
“Oh, Arden,” he murmured.
She was bare to him now, the t-shirt slid up over her breasts, and the rest of her perfectly exposed.
He drank in the sight of her, his mate, naked and trembling with lust beneath him.
