Hazel and the Alien Biker (Intergalactic Brides 5)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  John arrived a few minutes later and began the tour of the grand home. It was much larger than Reyvor’s home on his world, and from what he’d seen of the homes they’d passed along the way it was much larger than a human’s average home. But the thought of those seven bedrooms was alluring. Even with four taken, that left three more to fill. Would Hazel be open to more children? She was such a good mother he could easily see her with a few more.

  Hazel’s eyes were wide, along with her girls’, as they toured the home. Each little girl picked a room they wanted for their own, and Reyvor found himself grasping Hazel’s hand and leading her to the master bedroom. A room he very much wanted to share with her. He knew by human standards things were moving too fast, just as Hazel had said, but once a Terran found a woman he wanted as his mate, he moved quickly. When Reyvor had mated before, he’d courted his female for all of two days before they’d asked the council to approve a mating between them. Granted, it hadn’t been quite two days since he’d met Hazel, but the circumstances were different. They needed him, just as he needed them.

  She paused by the large windows and Reyvor came up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He felt her tense and then she melted against him. He wondered if she was thinking about their kiss. It had been replaying in his mind since it had happened.

  “What do you think of the house?” he asked softly against her ear.

  “It’s big. Maybe too big. Whatever would you do with all this space?”

  “I was hoping you might help me with that.”

  She nodded. “I can easily help you pick out furniture.”

  Reyvor chuckled. “That wasn’t what I meant, Hazel. I meant I had hoped the girls and you would live here with me. Nikki wasn’t wrong, you know. We could become a family, live here together.”

  “Reyvor… we need to slow down.”

  He sighed. “The guest house is too small for four people, Hazel, and I won’t have you living on the streets. Am I that repulsive that you can’t stand the thought of being with me?”

  She turned in his arms and placed a hand on his cheek. “Don’t ever think that. I thought it was obvious I’m attracted to you, and anyone can see you’re a kind, honorable man. But I’m damaged, Reyvor, and I come with three little girls. You shouldn’t have to deal with an instant family.”

  “Maybe I want an instant family… if that family consists of Nikki, Winnie, Abby, and you. Did you know I married my mate within two days of knowing her? I never strayed and I gave her the best life I could offer at the time. If you’re worried about me becoming bored with you and having a wandering eye, you needn’t be. Hazel, you’re beautiful, inside and out.”

  “Just… give me a little time? You won’t be able to move into this house right away. It takes time to set up a closing. Give me until then to make a decision.”

  “That sounds fair enough.”

  Reyvor went in search of John and informed him they wanted the house. John wrote up the offer and promised to fax it over the moment he returned to his office. Dragging the girls out of the house was a little harder than Reyvor had anticipated, but he promised them a surprise if they came willingly.

  When they reached the motel again, Reyvor went straight to the front desk and told them he was checking out. The woman behind the counter seemed flustered, but told him she’d be happy to assist him. Within an hour, their things were packed and loaded into the limo and Hazel and three girls were looking at him with curiosity.

  “Where will we sleep tonight?” Winnie asked.

  “Well, it seems we’re going to be in a hotel for a bit longer than I had planned, so I thought you girls might like to have your own room.”

  Their eyes lit up and Hazel glowered at him.

  “Which you’ll share with your mother,” he added hastily.

  “How are we going to do that?” Abby asked.

  “There’s a hotel I heard about from my friend Xonos, who happens to be a doctor. They have larger suites than the place I was staying. There are a few Terrans who stay at the hotel so you may see more people like me wandering around. Will that frighten you? Most of the Terrans I know are at this motel, but you aren’t exactly free to leave the room because of the manager.”

  The girls shook their heads.

  “When we get there, I want you to stay close so we don’t get separated. Then we’ll get settled into a room and discuss what we want for dinner. Since I’ve put an offer on the house we looked at this afternoon, I think we should go somewhere to celebrate.”

  “Can we wear our new clothes?” Abby asked.

  He smiled. “Of course. You may wear anything you want. Maybe all my girls would dress up in pretty dresses for the night?”

  Their faces beamed at being called his girls, and he earned a sour look from Hazel. But if he wasn’t mistaken, her eyes said she wasn’t exactly upset, more… cautious. And he could understand that. She wanted to protect her girls and he commended her for it.

  The limo pulled to a stop in front of a grand hotel that was top to bottom glass. The girls looked at it in wide-eyed wonder. Even Hazel’s jaw dropped a little. Abby and Winnie slipped their hands into his and Reyvor led them inside and up to the front desk. The man behind the counter looked at him and his small entourage and his eyes widened.

  “May I help you?”

  “I need a two-bedroom suite. I’m not certain how long I’ll require the use of it. Possibly a week, and possibly a month. I’m between homes as it were, and need lodgings until I can close on a new home.”

  The man was nodding eagerly. “Of course. We’ll be delighted to have you stay with us. Will the Terran council be paying for your stay?”

  “No.” Reyvor pulled out a bank card, something he still wasn’t quite used to, and set it down on the counter. “I’ll be paying for my own accommodations.”

  It took a bit of tapping on a keyboard, two phone calls, and one swipe of his card before they were led to their new quarters. The little girls squealed with excitement when they saw how large the suite was, and they rushed into the bedroom on the right. Hazel looked around while the limo driver and hotel staff brought their belongings up. They were on the tenth floor and had a wonderful view out the living room windows.

  “You don’t talk about your friends,” Hazel said. “If we’re to be married, do you think I could meet them sometime?”

  “Does that mean you’re seriously thinking about mating with me?”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I told you I need some time, but meeting your friends will help. I’d like to see the kind of people you hang out with.”

  “You’ll get to meet one of them soon.” Reyvor pulled out his phone and sent a text to Zanar, asking him to deliver his Harley to the new hotel. If he hadn’t had four females with him, he’d have ridden it over, but he hadn’t wanted to leave them alone in the limo. They still seemed a bit uncertain and he wanted to ease their concern.

  “What would you normally be doing right now?” Hazel asked.

  “You mean before meeting you?”

  She nodded.

  “Honestly, I was at a low point in my life. I haven’t been myself since losing my mate. I told you I was kicked off my world and why. But when I got to Earth, I discovered the bar down the street from the Terran station. One of my kind runs it and it allowed me to see a familiar face without going to the station, where I’m not exactly the most favored person. Alcohol doesn’t affect Terrans quite the same way as it does humans, but I still get a bit of a buzz. It allowed me to numb all of those overwhelming feelings.”

  “So you’re saying you’d be drinking right now?” she asked, arms folded.

  “Yes. And then I’d spend the rest of the night riding around town on my bike, until I finally got tired enough to sleep without dreaming about her.”

  “You really miss her, don’t you?”

  “I’m not sure how to answer that. I wasn’t there for her as much as I should have been. I said yes any time I was asked to fly a shuttl
e to Earth, when I should have been saying no and spending time with her. We never grew as close as we should have and I can only blame myself for that.”

  “Your job was important. I’m sure she understood.”

  “She never complained. Even when she was so sick she couldn’t walk, she never uttered one word of complaint. I was there for her at the end, but it didn’t make up for everything else I’d missed. I did her a disservice the day I took her as my mate, and I’ll always live with regrets.”

  “What’s changed? Why do you think you’d be a good mate now compared to then?”

  “I’d like to think I’ve learned my lesson. For one, I don’t have a job anymore, so I’ll have time to devote to a mate and children. I have a meeting in the morning to speak to someone about investing some of my money, so it won’t run out. I’m also transferring the rest of my money to my Earth account. So if you’re worried about whether or not I’m financially secure…”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t been around you long enough to determine if you have a temper. I left my boyfriend because he was abusive.”

  “Hazel, I would never harm the girls or you. I’d rather cut off my hand than ever cause any of you pain.”

  “But you were a drinker, and drunk men hurt people.”

  He gently took her in his arms. “Hazel, not all men are abusive assholes. I never got so drunk I couldn’t ride my bike. And now that I’ve found the girls and you, I haven’t touched a drink, nor do I want to. I could have slept all day and hit the bar by three o’clock, but I didn’t.”

  “It was one day, Reyvor. When you’ve gone a week without a drink, we’ll talk some more about it. Anyone can go a day or two. Show me you aren’t an alcoholic. Show me I can trust you, rely on you, and then we’ll see where we stand.”

  “And in the meantime?” he asked.

  “The girls and I would like to spend some time with you, get to know you better. Besides, you can offer them things I can’t. And I don’t mean expensive clothes. You could take them to the zoo, a museum, a movie… I can’t do any of those things. Ever since I lost my job, they’ve had to entertain themselves at home, until we had to leave and live on the streets.”

  “And they can’t even do that now because they don’t have toys. I’m an idiot. I should have stopped at a toy store today.”

  “If you take the girls, you’ll end up spending a fortune because they’ll want one of everything. If you really want to get them something, why don’t you leave us here to settle in and get unpacked? But don’t buy out the store! They only need one or two toys each to entertain themselves.”

  He smiled, knowing he was going to do far more than that, but he would heed her warning about buying out the store. He didn’t want to get on her bad side by overindulging the girls, but he did want to spoil them a little. It was about time someone did. Reyvor had no doubt that when Hazel was working the girls had everything they needed, but how long had it been since someone had taken care of them properly?

  Chapter Six

  Hazel finished putting away all the clothes and shoes Reyvor had bought for the girls and her, and then stood staring at his bedroom. Should she put his things away too? Would he want her snooping through his bag? He’d claimed he wanted her as his mate, which meant he didn’t have anything to hide from her, right? She straightened and marched into the bedroom and opened his bag. As she put his things away, she noticed there wasn’t a single pair of underwear in the bag.

  Her cheeks flushed as she thought about him running around town commando. Now that she knew what he wasn’t wearing under his clothes, it was going to be harder to keep her hands to herself. When he’d kissed her, she’d never wanted him to stop, until reality had come crashing down on her. There were three little girls depending on her. She couldn’t just jump into a relationship without a care for the outcome. What if she jumped and everything went wrong? The longer they stayed with Reyvor, the more likely her girls would get their hearts broken. Hazel wasn’t entirely certain she still had a heart to give. The girls’ father had broken something inside of her during one of the many beatings, but she believed if anyone could bring her back it would be Reyvor.

  So far, he’d handled her girls with a soft touch. She wouldn’t think about what his touch did to her. It hadn’t been a lie, when she’d told him his kiss was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. There had been more passion in a simple kiss than she’d felt making love with the girls’ father. She’d even started to think maybe there was something wrong with her, but now she had to wonder if perhaps her ex just hadn’t known what the hell he was doing.

  Her lips tingled from the memory of that kiss. It would keep her warm tonight as she snuggled in the bed with her girls. Although it was going to be a tight fit. Maybe she’d use one of their sleeping bags and sleep on the floor. They deserved somewhere soft and warm to sleep for the night after the hell she’d put them through.

  She heard their giggles in the other room as she put the last of Reyvor’s things away. Deciding it would be best to investigate what her munchkins were up to, she stepped out of his room and pulled his door closed. She didn’t want the girls going in there and messing with his things. They’d discovered the television and were laughing as they watched a silly cartoon. Hazel knew Nikki thought she was too old for cartoons now, but she was being a good sport and indulging her little sisters. Maybe one day she’d have her own TV and would be able to watch whatever she wanted. Until then, Hazel was grateful she was keeping the peace.

  “What do you think of this place?” Hazel asked the girls.

  “It’s better than any place we’ve lived before,” Winnie said.

  “That’s because Reyvor’s rich,” Nikki sniped. “Unlike us.”

  “Nikki! That’s a horrible thing to say. He’s more than just his wallet.”

  “Not like we’ll ever get to find out. I bet he doesn’t want us hanging around forever. He’ll get tired of having to buy us stuff all the time. Why would he want a woman with three kids when he could find some young, hot girl who doesn’t have extra baggage?”

  Tears filled Abby’s eyes. “But I want him to be my daddy.”

  Despite the defiant tilt of Nikki’s chin, there was a vulnerability in her eyes. Hazel knew her daughter was like her, afraid to trust, and because of that Hazel decided to let go of her judgments and enjoy her time with Reyvor. What had she been teaching her eldest daughter? Nikki was too young to be so jaded, and Hazel knew she only had herself to blame.

  “Reyvor has asked permission to get to know us better,” Hazel told them. “He would like me to consider marriage to him, but I told him things were moving too fast. At no point did he say he didn’t want the three of you. I’d think the amount of money and time he’d spent would show you he cares about each of you.” Hazel smiled. “He may even like the three of you better than he likes me. Instead of marrying me for money, maybe he’s marrying me for my kids.”

  Nikki looked almost hopeful. “Would that be so bad? He could be our dad for real. Take us to the park, drop us off at school… I bet he’d even come to parent-teacher conferences and open houses.”

  “I’m sure he would. He pointed out he doesn’t have a job so he would have plenty of time to spend with us. So, I’m going to ask the three of you something. Do you want Reyvor to be part of this family? Think about it hard. If something were to happen and he were to lose that big house and all of his money, would you still want him around? If you only want me to marry him because he’s rich, then none of us deserve him.”

  “You like him,” Nikki said.

  “He’s a nice man, Nikki. He gave us a meal when we were starving, and a safe place to sleep when anyone else would have turned us away. It would have been easy for him to drop us off at a shelter this morning, but instead he took us shopping and out to eat, then asked our opinion on a home he wanted to purchase.”

  “So if he’s so great, why did you tell him you needed more time?” Nikki asked. “Shouldn’t yo
u snatch him up before someone else does?”

  Hazel smiled. “It doesn’t work quite that way, Nikki. Marriage to Reyvor is a forever deal. He doesn’t believe in divorce, so I need to make sure this is the right path for us to take. What happens if we don’t suit? What if we find out later he’s like your dad and will beat us?”

  Abby scowled at her. “Reyvor would never beat us. He likes us.”

  “I thought your daddy was a nice man too. It would be foolish to jump into a relationship with Reyvor when we don’t know much about him.”

  “He lost his mate, Mom,” Nikki said. “Did you ever think maybe he’s lonely? He smiled at us and laughs with us, but there’s still a bit of sadness in his eyes. I think he misses her, and maybe being with us makes things better for him.”

  Her daughter was too insightful.

  “I’m sure things are better with us around, honey, but you don’t know the details of his relationship with his wife. Reyvor talked to me about her and they didn’t have a fairytale romance. I have my reasons for being cautious. He’s a nice man, but he isn’t perfect.”

  “Neither are you,” Winnie said. “He’s handsome. I think you’re pretty, Mommy, but Reyvor could probably date a model if he wanted to. But he doesn’t want to, he wants to date you. I think you should kiss him and get married.”

  All of her daughters were against her when it came to Reyvor. He’d completely charmed them, and she had to admit he’d charmed her too. She just refused to fall into another relationship completely blind. The things he’d said today about not having time for his mate, about the guilt he felt, were enough to make her reserved. What if he got tired of them? What if he woke up one day and decided he’d made a huge mistake? Like Winnie said, he was very good looking and could probably have any woman in the world, so why her? It wasn’t like he was in love with her.

  No, but he’s just the sort of man you could fall for. And it was true, he was. He’d been very considerate, overly kind, and had the patience of Job when it came to her children. But Hazel was afraid if she gave him her heart, he would break it. She’d survived the abuse from her ex, but she couldn’t survive losing Reyvor’s attention. She could feel herself blossoming under his care already. What would it be like a week from now? A month?