by Tasha Black
Magnum
Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides (Book 3)
Tasha Black
13th Story Press
Contents
Tasha Black Starter Library
1. Rima
2. Rima
3. Magnum
4. Rima
5. Rima
6. Rima
7. Magnum
8. Rima
9. Magnum
10. Rima
11. Rima
12. Rima
13. Rima
14. Magnum
15. Rima
16. Magnum
17. Rima
18. Magnum
19. Rima
20. Magnum
21. Rima
22. Rima
23. Rima
24. Rima
25. Magnum
26. Rima
27. Magnum
28. Rima
29. Reconstructed Chapter Prologue (Sample)
30. Reconstructed Chapter 1 (Sample)
31. Reconstructed Chapter 2 (Sample)
32. Reconstructed Chapter 3 (Sample)
Tasha Black Starter Library
Intergalactic Dating Agency
About the Author
One Percent Club
Copyright © 2016 by 13th Story Press All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Tasha Black Starter Library
Packed with steamy shifters, mischievous magic, billionaire superheroes, and plenty of HEAT, the Tasha Black Starter Library is the perfect way to dive into Tasha's unique brand of Romance with Bite!
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1
Rima
Rima Bhimani ran through the trees. Her heart pounded and her body sang with adrenaline.
Normally, she wasn’t the most sure-footed runner under the best of circumstances, but tonight the ground seemed to sail beneath her feet almost effortlessly.
The velvety stillness of the clear November night was interrupted only by the plumes of Rima’s heated breath and the sound of whatever was crashing after her through the woods.
It was something big - big enough to kick up the scent of the pine needles and make the earth tremble beneath its strides.
A glow appeared ahead, turning the trees in front of her into skeletal silhouettes.
She broke through into a clearing and was relieved to find herself in the campground, although she wasn’t exactly sure why.
Rima flung herself forward with a burst of speed she hadn’t known she had left. The area was empty, but for the cold fire pit and the small wooden cabins that surrounded it.
She hadn’t wanted to find help though, only shelter.
What was she running from? And why wasn’t she tired from her exertions?
She couldn’t remember…
It was all very strange.
What was she even doing out in the middle of the night?
Rima slipped into the closest cabin, hoping she could hide and figure it out.
But before she could collect her thoughts, the door burst open again.
A man filled the threshold, his shoulders almost too wide to allow him entry.
Magnum.
Relief flooded her veins at the appearance of the man she longed to make her own.
Rima held herself perfectly still, refusing to cower before his strength, refusing to beg for the love she needed.
Oh, how patient she had been, waiting for his touch. She had watched both her friends join with their intended mates. All the while the enormous, silent presence of Magnum was by her side, watching, waiting.
She could feel the heat of his desire for her pressing at the space between them. But the big man never acknowledged it. Only at the oddest times would he come to find her and suddenly embrace her, burying his face in her hair, clutching her close to him as if they were the last two creatures in the world. And then just as quickly, he would let her go, disappearing back into himself, and leaving her confused and wanting.
But it was better than nothing.
Rima tried to control her ragged breathing.
Magnum took two steps forward and swept her into his strong embrace.
His body was so big, so warm.
Rima rested her cheek against his chest, praying he would hold onto her for more than a moment this time. She dared not wish for more than to be allowed to listen to his heartbeat.
He took her cheek in his hand and lifted her chin until she was looking into his eyes.
He gazed back at her, his expression heated.
His eyes were hazel. She had always thought they were brown. But he hardly ever made eye contact.
After months of scrutinizing his downturned lashes, Rima searched his eyes hungrily. If they were truly the windows to his soul, she wanted to climb inside. She was tired of waiting for him to open a door.
“Rima,” he whispered.
And then his other hand was sliding down her back, roving over her posterior, pulling her against him.
Rima heard herself moan lightly.
Magnum closed his beautiful eyes, leaned in, and kissed her until she saw stars.
He lifted her effortlessly, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the cot in the corner.
He laid her down gently.
She had only an instant to wonder why the wool blanket was clean and soft instead of dusty and scratchy.
Then Magnum was on top of her, caging her body with his, ravaging her mouth with savage kisses as he pressed himself, hard and hot, against her. She forgot everything, even her own name in the heady rush of desire.
Suddenly, she had too many nerve endings, and they were all crying out with sensation - the cold air, the heated kiss, the ache in her breasts, the melt between her legs, the scent of Magnum, like leather and musk as he moved lower and the shadow of stubble on his jaw abraded her cheeks, her neck, the hollow of her throat.
He nuzzled between her breasts, nipping at her through the thin cotton fabric of her dress.
Rima whimpered and sank her fingers into his biceps.
He dragged hot kisses down her bodice, slowly moving lower.
Rima squeezed her eyes shut, feeling shy, but praying he wouldn’t stop.
Suddenly his warm mouth was gone.
Rima opened her eyes.
Magnum had pulled back. He was gazing down at her belly, his handsome face marred by a horrified expression.
She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but for some reason she couldn’t speak.
Then she saw the blood on his chest and tried to scream.
No sound came out.
The idea of being unable to make a sound terrified her, and she thrashed under him, moaning, trying to scream.
“Rima,” he said.
But she couldn’t reply.
“Rima,” he repeated, his voice seeming to come from somewhere far away.
“Rima…”
Rima awoke in her reading nook, tangled in the big afghan blanket.
The window was open and crisp air swirled in.
But all she saw was Magnum, crouched over her, his hazel eyes dark with concern.
“It was only a dream,” he told her.
But it had been so real, and the blood on his chest had been so frightening.
But not as fr
ightening as the look in his eyes.
Without thinking, Rima reached up and wound her arms around his neck, planting soft kisses over his rough cheeks.
He groaned in surrender and then his arms were around her. He caught her lower lip between his teeth, licking and tugging at it, as he tangled a hand in her hair, pulling her closer and closer.
It was better - better than the dream, better than anything she could have imagined. Maybe this time he would finally choose her, take her…
A loud knock sounded on the partially open door.
Magnum released Rima and sat up immediately.
Rima closed her eyes, wishing she could scream. But her manners stifled her voice just as effectively as her nightmare had.
“Sorry, Rima,” Bond said from the doorway, realizing she wasn’t alone. “Oh, wow, sorry, guys.”
“What is it?” Magnum’s deep voice filled the tiny room.
“We’ve got trouble,” Bond said.
Magnum rose.
“Stay here,” he said to Rima over his shoulder as he moved to shut the door behind him.
He was crazy if he thought she would stay put instead of checking out the situation.
She scrambled out of the blanket, smoothed down her dress and took a deep breath to calm herself before heading out the door.
2
Rima
Rima emerged from her reading nook to find her mother and the others gathered around the big dining room table, along with two people she’d never seen before.
The observatory was filled with round rooms and odd nooks and crannies, like the one Rima had just come from. She supposed that was why they spent so much time in the dining room, a traditionally rectangular space large enough to host an enormous wooden table, a wall of built-in bookshelves surrounding two window seats, a great big fireplace, and even a well loved antique sofa and a couple of arm chairs. The beamed ceiling gave the space an air of coziness in spite of its size.
At the table, her mother passed around a platter of thickly sliced pumpkin bread while Rocky filled milk glasses.
“Would you like coffee, Agent Diaz, or milk?” her mother asked the unfamiliar woman with the dark suit and long ponytail who sat at the table looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Agent Diaz?
Rima’s stomach tightened.
“No thank you,” Diaz replied with a tight smile. “I’m fine.”
“The pumpkin bread is a little dry, you’ll want something to wash it down,” Dr. Bhimani advised. “I’m still honing my recipe before Thanksgiving.”
“I don’t need anything to eat, Dr. Bhimani, really,” the woman assured her. “We just have some questions for you.”
“Well I’ll have some of that pumpkin bread, and milk sounds great,” the man next to her said.
Where Diaz was young and solemn, her colleague was older and appeared to be quite relaxed. His blue eyes twinkled and he winked at Rima’s mother as she placed the bread on his plate.
Rima slipped into the room and took a seat next to Magnum. Though he had asked her to stay put, he did nothing to indicate that he was unhappy to see her.
“So what’s all this about?” Dr. Bhimani asked, settling herself into her own seat.
“It’s protocol, Dr. Bhimani,” the blue-eyed man explained. “Simple as that.”
“Oh, call me Maya,” she smiled.
He inclined his head to acknowledge the familiarity and continued.
“Well Maya, whenever there’s a report of an unidentified flying object, and believe me, there are plenty, Diaz and I get called out to check on it. We don’t really need much from you. It’s just a formality.”
“Actually,” Diaz broke in, producing a clipboard and some sort of digital recorder from her briefcase. “We do have a questionnaire to complete. And if it’s alright, I’d like to record this session for posterity.”
“That would be fine,” Dr. Bhimani said.
“Great.” Diaz smiled, smoothing her already very smooth slacks over her thighs before pushing a button on the recorder. She announced the time, date and location before proceeding. “Now, question number one: when you saw the object, had you at any time in the last twelve hours been drinking alcohol, or partaking in recreational drugs, including medicinal marijuana?”
“Gracious,” Dr. Bhimani replied.
“It’s important that you be honest,” Diaz said. “This is for posterity.”
“Well, I didn’t see the object,” Dr. Bhimani said doubtfully.
“You didn’t?” Diaz echoed.
“No, I was here at home,” Dr. Bhimani replied.
Diaz laid down her pen.
“That’s great,” the other agent said warmly. “Honestly, I was hoping you weren’t one of the crazy ones.”
He took a large bite of pumpkin bread and rolled his eyes back in his head.
“So good,” he said with his mouth full.
Diaz eyed him in distaste, her gaze landing on the large crumb on his crumpled tie.
Rima hid her grin as she watched Diaz try not to brush the crumb away.
“Thank you, Agent Sykes,” Dr. Bhimani said with a smile.
“Wait a minute,” Georgia chimed in. “Why did you even come here? None of us reported a sighting.”
The older agent turned to her with a smile Rima instinctively didn’t trust.
“And what exactly is your role here Miss…”
“Taylor,” Georgia offered, indicating her friends seated around the table. “And we’re all here on a religious retreat.”
“And what sort of religion has a retreat at a science lab?” Sykes asked, plucking the crumb off his tie and popping it in his mouth. “You’re not one of those new age cults, are you?”
“We’re Mennonites,” Georgia informed him.
The idea to pass as Mennonite had been Georgia’s idea. So far, it had worked perfectly. It gave them a reason to be there, and explained away any odd behaviors. It was familiar enough to be plausible, but just obscure enough to avoid scrutiny. Everyone who asked had been too bored or confused by the explanation to bother with many follow up questions. Except the obvious one.
“Like Amish?” he asked.
There it was.
A smile lit Georgia’s face. This was the part where she dazzled him with useless religious trivia until he regretted bringing it up.
“No,” Agent Diaz cut in before Georgia had a chance to speak. “That’s a common mistake. Although both are Anabaptist denominations, the Amish and Mennonite split a long time ago.”
Everyone in the room looked at her.
“My family is Mennonite,” Diaz explained. “On my mom’s side.”
Great.
Rima watched a hint of panic flash across Georgia’s features, quickly replaced by her usual look of calm control.
“That’s great,” Georgia said, turning back to Sykes before Diaz had time to take the conversation any farther in that dangerous direction. “But we were talking about why you were here, since none of us made a report.”
“Right,” Sykes said with a shrug. “We heard you had that giant radio transmitter thingie. We have to say we’ve checked out anything like that when we file the reports.”
“Because if there was any activity in the area, you might have picked it up,” Diaz added, her eyes wide with excitement. “Do you keep recorded readings?”
Activity?
Diaz was definitely taking the whole business much more seriously than her partner. The idea made Rima nervous.
“I’m afraid the Hawkins transmitter hasn’t been functional in years,” Dr. Bhimani told her. “I lost my grant in the recession, dear. We had to cut back staff and resources to the bare minimum. After that, it became impractical to maintain.”
“That’s a shame,” Diaz said, looking crestfallen. “Is your lab assistant available?” She shuffled some papers. “Jason Newman?”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Bhimani replied. “But he went back to school when the grant money for his position r
an out.”
That was half true. Jason was gone, but it was because Rima’s mother had sent him away after things began to get too intense around the lab. She told him she couldn’t live with herself if anything happened to him.
“Okay, then. I guess we’re done here,” Sykes said, handing his plate back to Dr. Bhimani. It was completely clean, as if he had licked it while Rima wasn’t looking.
“We should still ask the proximity questions,” Diaz suggested. “After all, they were within three miles of the sighting.”
“Why don’t we come back in the morning for that?” Sykes said. “These people just want to get some rest.”
Diaz bit her lip, but it was clear that she was outranked.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, then,” she said, giving the group a professional smile, then turning to Georgia. “Waea tiedich opsteit, tjempt too waut.”
Georgia only stared.
Rima silently cursed herself for not studying more about the Mennonites. She’d honestly never thought they’d need it. But here they were, about to have their cover blown because no one had any idea what this woman was talking about.
“Of course,” Posey said cheerfully, stepping forward to put a hand on Agent Diaz’s shoulder.
Posey closed her eyes briefly and took a breath. Rima knew Posey was good with people, probably the best of them. And she had seen her talk her way out of some pretty tight situations. But there was no way…
“The early riser always succeeds,” Posey blurted merrily.
“My grandmother always used to say that.” Diaz smiled back.
Rima looked at Posey in wonder. How in the world had she known that? She felt a pang of guilt. Posey had obviously been doing more studying than she had.
“We’ll make an appointment to come back,” Sykes said to Dr. Bhimani, handing her his card. Rima could see the FBI lettering on it. “Sometime in the next few days.”
Rima’s mother took the card and shared their home number with Agent Sykes.
Rima shivered at the idea of being questioned herself. It was one thing to hide the boys and another to think of lying to a federal agent. Thankfully she wouldn’t have to, at least not tonight.