by V. Vaughn
“Hamburgers and French fries. Are they as good as I’ve heard?”
I smile as I recall my favorite diner a block away. “I think so. I’ll even buy you a beer to go with them.”
“Beer.” Caiden flashes his sparkling white teeth as he smiles back. “That’s another thing I want to try.”
After Caiden gets dressed we make our way down to the street where warm air blows around us along with the odor of exhaust as cars whiz by. I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear to keep it from getting in my eyes. “I’m taking you to my favorite diner. Diners are restaurants that make simple food most of us grew up eating.”
Caiden is glancing around at the people and the buildings. I keep a firm grip on his arm to steer him forward so he doesn’t break the flow of foot traffic. “It’s so noisy.”
A few strangers stare at him, and it’s most likely the green tint to his skin. Since I don’t want to answer questions about how I have an alien already I rush us along. “Do you come from the country?” I’m not sure he knows what that means. “An area with lots of land between homes?”
“No. But we travel underground most of the time. It’s very hot on my planet.”
A siren blares as an ambulance races by us as if to prove Caiden’s point about the noise. I say, “That explains why you don’t like clothes.” He waggles his eyebrows at me, and I can’t help but smile back.
The door of the diner is heavy as I tug, and Caiden reaches above my head to pull it open easily. The tantalizing aroma of fried food makes my stomach growl as the waitress leads us to a booth. My bottom slides easily across a red vinyl bench, and I order two draft beers before the hostess walks away. A plastic menu is slick in my hand when I give it to Caiden. “They have a lot of choices.”
As Caiden peruses the options he frowns, “I don’t know what half these things are. Order me the best one.”
When the waitress returns, two frosty mugs thump on the table and I order us cheeseburgers. Frost flutters as Caiden scrapes his glass with a fingernail, and I explain, “They chill the mugs so your beer will stay cold longer.”
He nods and lifts the drink to his lips, then holds the liquid in his mouth for a moment. After he swallows, he lets out a sigh of appreciation. “This is good.”
“Yeah? Wait until you have it with the food.”
Caiden takes another drink and manages to empty half the glass before he smacks his lips. “I’m going to need more of this.”
I chuckle. “When our food comes we’ll order more.”
Caiden studies me for a moment. “You’re beautiful.” The skin of my face tingles and a rush of desire runs through me at the sensation of Caiden’s hands holding my cheeks. The pressure of what I think is the pad of Caiden’s thumb brushes over my lower lip. “Such a luscious mouth you have, Mandy.”
“You’re doing it again. How?”
He shrugs. “I think about it, and it happens.”
“Can you touch--” I stop myself as my thoughts turn to the places I’d like Caiden to go.
“More?” Firm pressure is applied to the sides of my torso as he slides invisible hands down the edges coming dangerously close to my breasts, and he stops at my waist. I let out a shaky breath as he says, “Yes.”
“My god.” His touch disappears, and Caiden gulps down the rest of his beer. He turns to look around, and I think he wants the waitress for another. “She’ll be here in a minute.”
Caiden nods as he tugs at his shirt and undoes a button. “I like this place. It makes me happy.” He leans forward and reaches for my hands, which I place in his huge palms. “I like Earth. Please don’t send me back.”
I look into his mesmerizing eyes. The anger I felt before is long gone, and I squeeze his fingers. “I won’t. Let’s learn about each other and take this one day at a time.”
When the waitress approaches the table, we release our hands to make room for the plates. I order another beer for Caiden, and then I show him how to add condiments to his burger. Ketchup squirts onto the side of my plate. “You want to dip your fries in this. It makes them taste better.”
I watch with amusement as he takes his first bite, and grin at the moan he makes. “They were right,” he says. “The food on Earth is much better than ours.” When the server arrives with his beer Caiden flashes her a sexy smile. “Thank you. You should bring me another because this one isn’t going to last long.”
The waitress blinks a bit as if she’s stunned by him, and she asks, “Are you from Eroscia?”
He smiles. “Yes, I am.”
“Wow. You look so--” She blushes bright red. “Normal.”
I bite my cheek to squash down my annoyance at the girl’s obvious crush and say, “I don’t think another drink is a good idea, Caiden.”
Caiden squints his eyes at me as he says in a firm voice. “Make it three.”
The girl seems to be under an alien-induced spell, because she acts as if there’s nothing wrong with ordering three beers and says, “Sure.”
When the server walks away I ask, “Did you just touch her or something?” I’m ashamed to admit I have a twinge of jealousy along with my anger that he may have used mind control.
“No. I will only touch you lovingly. Eroscians are true to one mate.”
Caiden flashes a toothy smile as if that should placate me, but I’m not so easily swayed. As he gulps down more beer I begin to wonder if he’s aware of what he’s drinking. “You should slow down on that, unless you’re a lot more tolerant of alcohol than we are.”
“Alcohol?” Caiden covers his mouth and tries to stifle a burp. “The stuff that makes people do crazy things? We don’t have that on my planet.” He leans back and undoes one more button. “Is it hot in here?”
I shake my head at him. “No. You’re getting drunk.”
He sits up taller. “I am not. Why--” Caiden grabs his mug and downs the other half. “I’m just enjoying a good brew.”
“What?” I can’t help but chuckle at a popular slogan used in a beer advertisement. “Did you learn all about Earth from bad television shows or something?”
“Maybe.” He lets out another belch without much effort to keep it quiet before he lifts his burger. “Is it not really like that here?”
“No. Most shows are an exaggeration, or the extreme. Regular life isn’t so entertaining.”
Ketchup splatters onto the table as Caiden waves a fry in the air as he speaks. “You are uptight, aren’t you?”
The waitress sets down Caiden’s new beers with a thud, and I pull two of them toward my side of the table and tell the girl, “Please don’t bring any more, no matter what he says.” I cross my arms over my chest and glare at Caiden. My friends tease me about being a control freak and it’s made me a bit touchy about it, but this is different. “I am not. You’ll thank me tomorrow for this.”
Caiden starts to laugh and leans forward smearing the stray ketchup on his arm. “I’ll fix that.”
His words are a bit slurred. “You are most definitely drunk, Caiden. I don’t think aliens can hold their liquor.” The table is cool on my forearms as I lean forward to speak quietly. “But since we’re on the subject, how exactly do you plan to fix me?”
I gasp when Caiden touches me in his alien way, although at this point I should be getting used to it. He traces his finger down the side of my breast and just underneath it without breaking the kissing only rule as he gazes intently in my eyes. My insides melt with the heat, and I’m afraid I might slide down into a puddle as he says, “I’m going to do things to your body no human can do.” Caiden stops abruptly and grabs his mug again. “Aliens can definitely hold their liquor.” He lifts his glass and drains the contents. “I love this stuff.”
I blink to crash back down to earth just in time to grab the mug Caiden reaches for and hold it out of reach. “Seriously, you need to stop drinking.”
“You need to stop ordering me around.” He yanks the beer out of my hand and downs that one too.
H
e’s not going to be a happy camper tomorrow, but I decide he’s probably one of those guys who needs to learn things the hard way. “You know what? Go ahead.” The final draft scrapes across the table as I push it toward Caiden.
“Finally, you’re lish--liss--listening to reason.”
“Right. That’s it. Let’s see how you feel about this tomorrow.”
Caiden turns to the table directly behind him and says, “I love thish girl.” The young guys give him an amused smile before he turns back around and begins to play with the jelly packets. “Little building blocks.” He closes one eye to focus on stacking the rectangular packages. “I really like Earth.”
The containers clatter on the table when his tower crashes, and I sigh as I wonder how I’m going to get him home. When I catch the server’s eye I ask for the check. My drunk alien is about to learn a lesson about control, and maybe next time he’ll be the one to listen to reason.
Chapter 6
Caiden’s groan makes me glance over at him to see he’s lost his green tint. He says, “Your voice hurts my head. What earth illness do I have?”
“It’s called a hangover,” A spoon rattles as I portion out loose leaf tea into my steeper. He’s on my couch where I managed to get him to lie down last night after he gave me a stumbling version of a dance he’d seen in a movie about male strippers. “You get it from drinking too much alcohol.”
He tugs the blanket over his head and groans. “This is your fault.”
The fridge light spills out as I tug the door open. “I tried to warn you, but you said you were enjoying a good brew.” Water gurgles as I pour Caiden a glass from a chilled pitcher, and the cabinet clicks as I open it in search of headache medicine. “And when I tried to keep you from drinking too many, you wouldn’t listen.”
“I don’t like Earth any longer. You can send me home now.”
“No can do. We’re stuck with each other, but I think I can help you if you promise to remember to back off ordering me around.”
“Fine. But could you stop talking so loud?”
The couch sinks under my bottom as I sit on the edge next to him. “I’ll have you feeling better in less than an hour.” He pulls the covers down to look at me, and I frown at his bloodshot eyes and pale skin. The green tint is almost gone, and I guess that can’t be good. “Take this.” I hand him the pills and glass of water. “I don’t think you should drink beer again. How’s your stomach?”
Caiden gulps down the medication. “It’s not happy.”
“You need some food. I’ll make breakfast.” I slide my hand along the side of his face with a light touch, and the stubble of his day-old beard is rough on my fingers. “Close your eyes for a few minutes while you wait for the headache to subside.”
“That feels good.” Caiden leans into my palm. “Stay and keep doing it.”
I offer him a smile. “You need some protein to feel better, and I need to cook it.” I get up before he can protest.
A metal saucepan clatters on the stove as I begin the process of making bacon and eggs. When the aroma of sizzling pork fills the air Caiden sits up. “What is that amazing smell?”
“Another delicious earth food. You may reconsider staying after you eat it.” I plate up his meal and walk over to him. I empathize with his pain, and even though he’s a cocky alien, I’m already used to him in my life. I realize I do want him to stay on Earth. “How’s your head?”
“It’s not as bad.” Caiden grabs a strip of bacon off the pile I made for him and shoves it into his mouth. As he chews his eyes widen. Once he swallows it he says, “I’ll stay.”
“I thought you’d like that. Now be a good alien and eat everything on your plate.” He scowls and I say, “Human girls are pushy when we know we’re right. Trust me. Like you should have last night.”
Caiden squints at me, but another mouthful of bacon seems to convince him to let it go. As he devours his meal I notice color return to his face, and when he’s done Caiden sighs. “I feel much better now. Is bacon a magic elixir?”
“It kind of is.” I perch myself on the edge of the couch next to him. “You really do need to let me tell you things about Earth and stop being such a control freak.”
“I am not a control freak. But you sure are.”
I grin at him. “Well that sure explains your hangover.”
He opens his mouth to speak, but I think he realizes I’m right when he shuts it again, and I decide to change the subject. “I don’t have to work today, so we should do something fun together.”
“We’ll go on a date.”
His voice is firm like an order, and I frown at him before I decide his ego is bruised enough. “Yes.”
“It will be a picnic with fried chicken, cookies and lemonade.” Caiden catches himself and adds with a sexy grin. “Please?” He nudges me with his shoulder.
I chuckle as I wonder what television show he got that idea from. “Sure. I can probably find all of those things for us at the deli.” I also wonder what else he thinks a picnic is. “Would you like to take a walk in the park by the river?”
Now his eyes twinkle with mischief as he leans in close and says, “If there are trees to kiss under.”
I place a hand on his firm chest and notice how warm his skin is against mine. Caiden brushes his lips over mine and pulls back leaving me wanting more. I whisper, “There are trees.”
“Good.” Caiden kisses me again, and this time gives me what I crave as I taste the salty residue of bacon, and the flavor of my sexy alien. He may be used to telling women what to do, but the way his tongue gives and takes with mine makes me think he can learn to do the same with a relationship. When we break apart Caiden lets out a big sigh. “We will--can we can get married soon?”
My desire is ramped up so far I can’t think of much beyond devouring him, and I resist the urge to say ‘tonight,’ especially since he managed to ask instead of command. “I’m not sure, I’ll ask Lexi.” I stand up. “You should shower, and then we can go get the supplies.” I think about how on Sundays there are samples of food set out for customers and smile as I imagine all the new flavors Caiden can try. “I think you’ll enjoy the deli.”
An hour later, we’ve made our trip to the deli and filled a backpack with an assortment of food for a picnic. I’m curious how much Caiden will actually eat considering the amount of samples he had. As our feet tap lightly on the pavement Caiden reaches for my hand and I ask, “Why did you want to come to Earth?”
“I wanted more.” He gazes up at the sky, which is deep blue with white puffy clouds floating lazily. “On Eroscia our sky is orange all the time, and it’s too hot to be outside for long.” He glances at me, “We couldn’t go for a walk or a picnic.”
“But surely you must find other ways to enjoy yourself.”
“Yes. We do everything underground, but I like breathing your fresh air and looking out real windows.”
I think about what it would be like to never enjoy the outdoors and imagine Eroscia’s climate might be the reason food is so boring too. “Do you grow all your produce underground too?”
“Yes, we have farms, but we have little variety in what we eat.”
“No wonder you love everything you taste here.”
We’ve reached the park and Caiden stops, so I turn to him. He threads the fingers of his free hand in mine. “Even the girls taste better.”
“Do they?”
He nods and leans down to kiss me. He breaks away with a grin. “So much better.”
I notice a section of grass under the trees that looks like a nice place for lunch, and I point to it. “We’ll eat over there.”
Caiden clears his throat making me turn to look. “Oh,” I realize I just gave him an order and ask, “Please?”
He grins. “We’re getting good at this.”
I think about that for a moment, and the blanket snaps before Caiden sets it out. While the two of us are able to cooperate with little things I do wonder how this is going to work w
ith bigger decisions. But when Caiden sits on the blanket and pats it for me to join him, the warmth that rushes through me makes me willing to try.
Chapter 7
A cold breeze slices through the warm air and we glance up at the sky to notice the dark clouds approaching. I say, “A storm is coming in fast.”
Caiden licks his fingers after polishing off the last piece of chicken. “Rain?”
His face reminds me of a child at Christmas. “Do you want to experience it?”
He nods. “Can we?” His eyes twinkle. “Kissing in the rain looks fun.”
I chuckle. “Why not.” As soon as I get the words out fat drops of water begin to fall and splat on the leaves of the tree above them. We work at packing up the picnic items and by the time we finish, the storm is heavy enough it’s coming through to get us wet.
“Come on!” I have to yell to be heard over the steady beat of heavy rain falling, and I jump to my feet to jog out from under the tree to get completely soaked. When Caiden joins me I grabs his hand and tug him to the pavement where puddles have formed. I stomp in one, and water splashes on Caiden’s legs.
He laughs and returns the favor before he says, “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe. But isn’t this fun?” My hair is stuck to my face, and I yank it away as I glance down at myself. My shirt is pasted onto my body with moisture and my pink bra is visible through the white fabric. I stop moving and see Caiden has noticed too.
He steps close to me and water runs down his face in tiny rivers as he says, “I like rain.”
Caiden’s hands are warm when he takes mine. “Me too.” I tilt my head toward the trees where we sat earlier. “Race you?” Before he can answer I let go and run. He catches up to me quickly, and I let out a yelp when he grabs me around the waist to scoop me up into his arms and carry me beneath the tree cover.
When he sets me down the air is cool as it blows on my wet clothing, and I shudder from a chill while I catch my breath. But my heart doesn’t slow down as I stare at Caiden. He tugs me against his body by my hips. “You’re cold.”