by Lisa Lace
As I saw her depart, I felt a strange sense of loss that was incomprehensible to me. Couldn’t I just go down and pick up the next woman on my list? What was so special about this human female? I didn’t know, but I got the feeling that the woman was trouble, and I should keep away from her.
She was gone now, and apparently she didn’t want my attention. I needed to get back to drinking, and finding another woman to fuck on my last night as a free man. Maybe I could find the first woman again.
With a shock, I realized that I didn’t feel like sleeping with her or any other woman. All I wanted right now was the brunette in the sexy black jumpsuit. I felt like I could stare into her eyes all night.
I stood there for another few minutes, sensing her energy moving farther away. She would be easy for me to track. I could feel her. It was like I was swimming and her movements hit me as she moved away. All I had to do was follow her trail.
She had made her desires clear. She didn’t want to spend the night with me. But couldn’t I give things one more chance? Trying again was being persistent, not being a stalker. Right? She probably just needed to know she could trust me. Maybe she was testing me to see if I would ask her one more time. What was it about people needing to be asked to buy something seven times before they would say yes?
Maybe this woman only needed to be asked one more time before she would buy me.
I sighed. Part of me thought I was making a mistake, but I was going to try. I set my drink down on the table beside hers and broke my number one rule when it came to women.
I went after her.
Chapter Four
BETH
I left the nightclub far behind me as I weaved in and out of side streets, heading in the general direction of my hotel. There was a feeling of intense disappointment in my heart.
Everything was supposed to happen tomorrow. The marriage was tomorrow. My spaceship from Earth was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, too. But the pilot thought he was a hotshot and took a shortcut that shaved nearly a day off the trip. I had arrived on the planet too early.
Since I had nothing to do, I thought I would go out and find some action and adventure. All I had managed to do was get picked up by a Dorshan who wanted to take me back home and fuck me. It was the same scenario I’d lived through a hundred times at home, and apparently, it wasn’t different out among the stars.
I guess one thing was different. The guy was hot, and I was attracted to him. I wouldn’t have minded too much if he took me back to his place and ravished me.
He had unbelievable purple eyes that reminded me of my Paraball crush, Odin Sobota. He was from Dorsh as well. There were some strange eye colors here, but that one, in particular, had popped up twice already. I had seen few other people with those indigo eyes since I arrived here. His looked right through me like he could see me on a molecular level.
His voice had been deep, and it resonated in my body. I wanted to know what it would feel like for him to whisper in my ear or for me to rest my head on that muscular chest when he spoke. In my reverie, I almost stepped out in front of a car while I was crossing the street.
I needed to start paying attention to the world around me. I didn’t have time to fantasize about other men. I was getting married tomorrow. What I need to do was think about getting back to my boring hotel room alive and go to sleep alone.
And I was not going to give myself an orgasm, even though I was hot and bothered from the encounter in the bar. I didn’t deserve one. It kind of felt like cheating on my future husband.
But a reasonable voice in my head said, No, you’re not. You’re not married. You haven’t even met him.
Still, the guy in the bar could have been dangerous. I knew nothing about him. What if he had been targeting me? I was a timid, quiet stranger from Earth.
Something inside me said that thought was wrong. The handsome man hadn’t been dangerous. I knew it in my soul.
I suddenly had a sharp pang of regret that I hadn’t taken a chance with the purple-eyed stranger. There had been something peculiar about his face. Maybe he was disguising his appearance. Lots of people wanted to be anonymous in bars. But I wasn’t interested in his face.
What I couldn’t stop thinking about were his eyes and voice. I shivered. And he had an amazing body, too. I certainly appreciated the style for men out clubbing on Dorsh. Every male at the bar had his top off and was wearing tight pants.
It seemed like tight clothing was the fashion on this planet. Before I went out, I had asked my virtual assistant to provide me with something appropriate for a nightclub on Dorsh. She came up with a black jumpsuit that looked painted onto my body. There were no seams and nothing to do it up. It was made of a flexible material I had never seen before. I stretched it, pulled it over my head, and it tightly conformed to my curves.
When I gave myself the once-over in a full-length mirror, I had been appalled. I looked practically naked and painted black. My nipples stood out as I stared at my reflection. Instead of changing it, I had felt reckless and dashed out the door before I could change my mind.
No wonder that guy had been drooling all over me. I looked at myself again in the mirror. I would never wear something like this at home, but it had felt right for my last night as a single girl. I might even have entertained the idea of a one-night stand if the timing was right.
There was a person who used to be my boyfriend back home. He had worked in the same lab as me. Nerdy, but cute. We had slept together once a week on Sunday mornings, like clockwork. It had been okay until that bastard cheated on me out of the blue. He lied about it for weeks before he left me. Did I already say he was a son of a bitch? But I pushed him out of my mind. I wasn’t going to think about him tonight.
The guy in the bar had been friendly and outgoing, though he had seemed nervous talking to me. From his muscular body, I could tell he worked out every day. He had been charismatic, charming, and sexy. Nothing like my ex-boyfriend.
I knew how sex worked. I had fucked before. I knew where all the bits and pieces fit together. But I didn’t see how it made any sense to do it with a complete stranger. It had taken my ex five months to find my clit. How could a one-night stand be satisfying? I knew it wasn’t possible. He would use me and leave me. I would go to my wedding tomorrow feeling like a piece of trash.
It was right that I hadn’t accepted his advances. He was out of my life, and everything was going to be ok. I was going to go into a deep, dreamless sleep and I was not going to dream about the hot guy from the bar. He was not part of my future.
I decided to order room service and chose several decadent desserts. The person said it would take about an hour to get my food. By a happy coincidence, that was just enough time to have a relaxing bath. I would have a chance to soak and dry myself off before the food arrived.
I was just stepping into the tub when the door alert came on. That was a fast hour.
I wrapped a towel securely around me and ran to the door, throwing it open. “I guess time runs at a different rate on this planet.”
It wasn’t room service. I found myself standing face-to-face with the big, hot guy from the bar. His eyes opened up when he saw me clad in only a towel, and he cleared his throat, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet.
He didn’t speak. He just looked at me. I didn’t want to slam the door, so I said the only thing that came to my mind.
“How did you find me?”
Of course, it was a stupid question. There were a bunch of different ways he could have tracked me. Most of them were illegal.
“I’m not following after you. I’m Dorshan,” he said, like that would explain everything. “I sensed something unusual in the quantum field, and I followed it.” He looked like he was studying me carefully.
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t help it. I was educated enough. I went to school and earned my degree. But every time I encountered someone from another planet, they always seemed to think people from Earth were morons. I wondered if he eve
n knew I was from Earth. He had figured out that I wasn’t from Dorsh. Maybe I had become overly sensitive, but there was enough condescending treatment on the spaceship over here that I was starting to expect an attitude from everyone I encountered. It was pissing me off.
“Every child knows the basics of quantum theory,” I snapped. “Of course I know what a quantum field is.”
“Fantastic. Once we talked at the bar, we became entangled.”
“I know what quantum entanglement is.”
He looked apologetic. “Right. Sorry. A Dorshan can detect the quantum entanglement, follow it, and sometimes affect it.”
I hadn’t known that Dorshans could manipulate the quantum field, but I wasn’t a walking encyclopedia on all the different aliens in the universe, either. Usually, Celestial Mates would have told me something like this, but I had specifically asked for a blind match. I knew nothing about my partner going into the marriage except for critical cultural issues that might get me thrown off-planet.
If I had been mildly interested in him before, I was completely intrigued now that I knew about his superpowers. That was when I realized I was standing in my doorway with only a towel between the hottest guy I had ever met and my body. I felt my cheeks heat up and knew there was wetness between my legs.
My brain kicked back in and I started to shut the door. He must be a stalker.
“Wait,” he said, as the door closed in his face. “Please just talk to me.”
I just let it close and leaned back against it. There was no way I was going to talk to him. My body was heated and filled with a desire I couldn’t understand, but I wasn’t listening to my stupid body. I didn’t make decisions with my libido.
He wasn’t giving up. I could hear him through the door asking me to open it. I whispered into my computer and asked for information about Dorsh. It said on the first page that one of the Dorshan adaptations was that they could detect and affect quantum phenomena. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t lying to me.
But wasn’t using his sixth sense to track me still creepy?
“I know you might think I’m stalking you. It’s not my intention to make you feel uncomfortable.” Great. Now I felt like he was reading my mind. Maybe I should read the second page about Dorsh. “I’m a good man. Er...I guess that’s what a creep might say, but it’s true. I think I resonate with your energy. It pulled me to you.”
If that was a Dorshan pick-up line, it was a good one. Much better than what he said at the nightclub.
“This isn’t our first time seeing each other, either,” he finished. “We’ve met once before.”
“I think you have mistaken me for someone else,” I said through the door. He had startled me into talking. I had not met him before - I was sure I would remember it. “I don’t think we’ve seen each other before tonight.”
“It was a brief encounter at a paraball game. It’s not my fault I’m not memorable.” His voice trailed off, and I could hardly hear his last words. “I know it would be a mistake to walk away from you.”
His phrasing sounded exactly the way I felt when I left him at the bar. I was afraid I was making a mistake. Something shifted inside me. What if he was right?
There might be a connection between us and I owed it to myself to find out if one existed. If I waited another day, it would be too late. I might kick myself forever if I let this opportunity slip through my fingers.
In my heart, I knew that he was safe and that he would take care of me. Even though I was light years away from Earth, he made me feel like I was home.
I opened the door again, and he lifted his head to meet my eyes.
“I don’t remember your face, but there is something familiar about you. You’re wrong about one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Memorable is exactly the word I would use for someone like you. And I know I’m going to remember tonight.” I was going to have to cancel room service, the bath, and maybe my plans for a lonely bed, too. “Want to come in while I get dressed?”
Chapter Five
ODIN
I stared at the woman, wondering what had made her have a sudden change of heart. “Are you sure? You don’t even know me.”
She laughed. “Weren’t you asking permission to come in a moment ago?”
“I wanted you to open the door. I didn’t expect you to invite me in when you’re practically nude. Do you usually invite strange men into your hotel room wearing nothing but a towel?”
She blushed but didn’t seem embarrassed at all.
“No, I’ve never done such a thing before. But I think your reluctance to enter shows integrity.”
I stepped through the door, and it closed behind me. “You should know something, first.” She pulled up her towel a little higher. “I’m getting married tomorrow.”
Why did that disappoint me so much? “Is that why you came here? To get married?”
“That’s right.” She watched my reaction. “I’m thinking you’re going to be my last fling.”
“I’m up for anything.” Her statement was shocking to me, but I didn’t know why. Wasn’t I doing the same thing? How could I judge her for her actions?
There were probably hundreds of people getting married tomorrow. We just happened to be two of them who were getting cold feet and trying to give our minds a break in someone else’s arms.
It sounded like an entirely unconvincing euphemism.
“If I like you, that is.” She tilted her head and gave me a teasing look. I felt my cock harden.
“I know you’ll like me.”
“And what makes you say that?” A smile played around her lips, and I fought against the urge to take her in my arms and kiss her.
“I can get you some tickets to the bubbles.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why didn’t you say that back at the club?” She headed for the bedroom. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”
I placed a quiet call to Loki, and he arranged the tickets in a heartbeat. In spite of his intimidating attitude, he cared about his clients and would do anything for me.
When the woman emerged from her room, her appearance was striking enough to take my breath away. I don’t know what grabbed my attention. She was dressed simply enough. She had a minimum amount of make-up, and she had done her hair in a braid. A long blue skirt draped to the floor, brushing her toes with a matching halter top that hugged her round breasts and left her delectable stomach bare.
Did she know what looking like that could do to a man? I’m sure she knew. I closed my mouth and tried to think of something to say while all the blood in my brain rushed downstairs.
“You look fantastic.”
“So do you. I guess if we’re going to be friends, it will help if I knew your name. What should I call you?”
I don’t know where my mind was. I was partially distracted by her appearance. I wasn’t thinking clearly. The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Odin.”
“Odin?” Her eyebrows pulled closely together. “Like the famous paraball player?”
“Yes.” My voice sounded faint. “The same as him.”
“What a coincidence.”
I struggled to find a plausible explanation. “It was a popular name the year I was born. I went to school with three other Odins.” These statements also happened to be true.
“That’s so strange. You don’t know this about me, but I’m a big paraball fan.”
“Are you? I am too. What’s your name?”
“Beth.”
She didn’t say her last name, and I didn’t feel any pressure to tell her mine.
“Nice to meet you. We should go. I have the bubble booked.”
“How were you able to get one?” She tried to sound casual, but I knew she was interested from her tone of voice. “When I tried to get one, they said it was a three-day wait.”
“I know someone.” I was starting to feel uncomfortable as we headed out the door
. I hoped she wouldn’t ask too many more questions.
We were a few hundred feet above the ground in a rented bubble big enough for two, floating around the city. We had seen the famous Baldur Bridge and floated through the Cave of Gefjun. Beth had taken my hand when we went through the dark cave. The gesture had made me happier than I wanted to admit.
In fact, since I had met her, I felt better than I had for a long time. It seemed odd to feel comfortable with someone I barely knew, but I wasn’t about to look at things too closely. I was going to enjoy the evening. I was pretty sure it was going to be memorable.
We went for a late dinner at my favorite restaurant. Beth loved the food, especially the dessert, which she said was divine. The conversation involved everything important except about who we were and anything about our future. Details about our lives were off-limits. Without saying anything, we both understood that tonight was a gift. Knowing too much would spoil it.
After dinner, we floated up the mountain to look at the stars. But when I saw Beth yawn for the third time, I knew it was time for the evening to end.
“I’ll take you back to your hotel room now. If you want.”
Her eyes held mine in the starlight. They didn’t look sleepy at all.
“Doesn’t the tour include your residence? You live here, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“But what?”
Her idea violated some of my stipulations. I went to them. They didn’t come to me. I wanted to get the hell out and avoid any awkwardness the morning after.
Still, the thought of having her in my bed was arousing. I had never fucked a woman there. It was always at their place or a hotel. Anywhere but my home. But maybe it would be ok to bring Beth.
My mouth started talking before I had fully thought through everything. “But nothing. Sure. I can show you my place,” I heard myself say. I would have to put away a few pictures of my family and my team, and anything else that might reveal my identity. That was another reason for staying away from my place.