by Melody Dawn
Ralen gave his wrist computer Leeta’s contact information, and within seconds, he was speaking with her.
After relaying his clothing needs, he asked, “Should I meet you or can we do this virtually?”
“It would be best if you come to my studio. Here is the address.”
Not ready to brave the New York City subway system, Ralen climbed to the roof and quickly built a small pod, complete with a cloaking device, with his fabricator.
Hardly any time later, he landed on Leeta’s roof. After using the fabricator to unbuild it, he made his way to the space she called her studio.
Finding her alone, they greeted each other in the Krinar fashion.
“Hello, Ralen. I’m delighted to meet you. So, tell me what kind of clothing do you need?”
He thought for a moment. What did he need? He was so used to wearing his uniform or Krinar clothing, he had no idea.
Realizing he was clueless about clothes, Leeta peppered him questions. “Tell me what you’re here for. What people will you be meeting?”
Unaware if Leeta was privy to Korum’s plans, Ralen answered in generalizations.
“I’m here for a protective detail, and I’ll be mingling among humans, so I need to blend in with everyone, especially college students.”
Leeta circled him, muttering to herself, “Upscale, but not uptight. Ok, stand back where I can get your sizes.”
Waving a scanner over him and tapping information into her tablet, Ralen wondered what else he would have to do. Surely, he wasn’t going to have to go shopping with her or try on clothes. Torture sounded better than either of those activities.
He was thrilled when she announced, “I think I’ve got everything. I will have everything delivered to you this afternoon.”
His happiness dissipated when she added, “I’m sure you’ll want to meet her right away.”
Ralen’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Meet her?”
Leeta smiled as she answered, “Though I’ve been with my mate for a long time, I remember what it’s like to want to get his attention.”
Not wanting to let her know she was correct, he replied icily, “I’m not here to meet anyone. I’m here for protection.”
His words caused Leeta to smile bigger. “Of course, Ralen.”
What was going on with everyone? Did he have “I want Jessie Lin” tattooed on his forehead?
“Why don’t I give you something to wear now in case you run into someone important?”
“Thank you, Leeta.”
Rather than give him a hard time, Leeta only grinned and walked about the room, pulling out various pieces of clothes.
“Here you are, Ralen. Why don’t you try these on and we’ll see what works best on you?”
His answering groan had Leeta laughing out loud.
A knock sounded on Ralen’s apartment door not long after he got back from his meeting with Leeta. He answered it to find a man holding bags bearing the name “Nordstrom.” Ralen’s appearance caused the personal shopper’s eyes to grow big, a reaction that was starting to annoy him considerably.
Grabbing the bags from the intimidated man, he gave him an imperious look and motioned toward the door. The shopper left immediately leaving Ralen to explore what Leeta had sent him. From what he could tell, everything would fit him, and hopefully, Jessie would appreciate them as well.
Although the apartment had been cleaned while he was gone, he hated washing himself in the still disgusting bathroom. Ralen had always been a clean freak, and he knew he would have to hire a cleaning service before he would feel comfortable.
Not wanting to spend too much time in the undesirable space, he hurriedly took a shower, missing the efficient Krinar cleaning rooms where he stood still while the system cleansed his entire body including his teeth.
Having completed the process manually, he pulled the clothes out of their bags and began dressing. Ralen grimaced as he pulled on the boxer briefs supplied by Leeta. On Krina and in the K Centers on Earth, he never wore underwear, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience having to do so now. He might have considered going without except he was opposed to a zipper covering his bare cock. What if it got in the way when he zipped up? Maybe the underwear wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
Thankfully, Leeta had marked what items were to be worn with each other. Her sense of humor shone through when he realized the dark jeans bore the label, Citizens of Humanity.
Next, was a white button-down shirt, and Ralen laughed when he saw the tag: Naked and Famous.
The jeans, shirt, and belt were a perfect fit. Apparently, Leeta and her scanner were a pro at figuring out sizes.
Finally, he put on socks and the brown Dr. Martens boots she provided. Ralen wondered who this doctor was. As the boots were extremely comfortable, he figured he must be one of the best.
Standing to his feet, Ralen was shocked to realize he was as comfortable in these clothes as he was in his uniform. Leeta had great taste, and as he glanced in the mirror, he felt a surge of pride. He looked as good as any human male, even better, in his opinion.
Leeta had also sent something she called cologne, although he chose to forego it.
Wait, what if Jessie likes it.
The thought had him spraying a small amount on his skin. The action made Ralen feel like a lovestruck fool, and he was thankful for the vast number of miles between New York and Florida. Should Tarek find out, he would never let him hear the end of it.
With nothing else to do, he made sure his wrist computer was in place, picked up the keys to his apartment and walked out with only one thing on his mind: it was time for he and Jessie Lin to meet.
Jessie
A knock sounded on Jessie’s door, startling her out of the book trance she found herself in. She was reading “No Light” by Hettie Ivers and her favorite werelock, Alcaeus, was being his hilarious dirty self. Now, another repairman was going to want to come in to fix something or other. God knows, there were a billion things to fix, something she had been telling Mr. Castellano since she moved in. Not that he could understand her when his eyes never moved from her boobs.
What was it about men and breasts? All afternoon, she had been gawked at by dudes who didn’t own a belt to keep their jeans from slipping down and showing ass cleavage while they worked.
Ok, so she was being uncharitable. They were bringing her apartment up to code as well as adding a few extra things she didn’t expect to have fixed, so she should shelve her bitchiness, but the staring and now interrupting her time with Alcaeus? Jessie was so over it all.
The knocking became more insistent, sounding as if her visitor was going to knock it down. Who was this person? The breacher for the NYC SWAT or a Navy SEAL team?
Jerking the door open, she yelled, “What is it now?!”
In all her righteous fury, she violated the cardinal rule of opening the door without looking through the peephole. Had she done so, she would have been better prepared for the guy gazing down at her as if he wanted to eat her.
He stood before her at least a head taller than she was with short black hair, something like a military haircut. In fact, he had the bearing of a high-ranking officer, which piqued her interest. She was a sucker for a man in uniform although this one was wearing a pair of high-end dark jeans. His whole outfit screamed upscale from the well-fitting button-down shirt to the recognizable Dr. Marten boots. Jessie shrugged inwardly. She loved clothes and knew quality when she saw it.
Standing with his hands behind his back, the stranger let her look her fill, never speaking a word. She couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful eyes, high cheekbones, and gorgeous full lips...lips she wanted to taste.
Jessie knew she was making a fool of herself by ogling him so blatantly. Just before she opened the door, she had been bitching about the repairmen eyeing her, and now Jessie was leering at a guy whose name she didn’t know.
Something about this man wouldn’t let her look away. She didn’t like the fact she had little
control over her intrinsic response to him nor did she like that her body was begging for him.
The longer Jessie studied him, the stronger her body reacted. Her breasts felt achy and heavy while her nipples were standing at attention, screaming “Touch me.” While she wasn’t the most experienced person in the world, she was no stranger to desire. If only that was all, she felt. She craved the man standing before her, and it scared her. What the fuck was happening to her?
Knowing she had to stop the insanity coursing through her, Jessie hungrily allowed herself to take in his perfectly sculpted body one last time before she found out who he was and what he wanted. Starting at his feet and moving upward, she looked him over as if her life depended on it, committing every detail to memory until she reached his stunning hazel eyes. They were beautiful, yet she had the feeling he was looking at her like she was his prey. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
As if he could read her thoughts, his alluring lips tipped up in a smirk, which fucking pissed her off. Using her fear as fuel, she drew herself up, folded her arms, and asked suspiciously, “Who are you?”
The smirk changed to a panty-melting smile, and he answered as if she and the rest of the world should know who he was. “I am Ralen.”
Ralen? What a unique name. Ah well, there were so many people with different sounding names especially the K’s...
Jessie’s lungs seized up, causing her breath to stall. She had seen this level of perfection before. And the raw desire? She had witnessed her usually reserved best friend practically fucking a K in the hallway of their apartment building.
Helpless to stop him, Jessie watched her best friend’s life become wholly taken over by a K called Korum, and although Mia claimed it was consensual, she had her doubts.
Now, Jessie knew why she was reacting so crazily to Ralen or whatever the hell his name was. He was a K, and it was rumored they had pheromones in their body, which made humans go crazy over them. Well, she wasn’t falling for it...no way in hell.
Stepping forward to block her doorway, she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “What do you want?”
Instead of responding, his damned smirk deepened, and he slowly looked her over the same as she had done to him. Anger overwhelmed her because if his thoughts were anything like hers, then she knew what he was thinking.
Just when she was at the point of junk punching him, he answered in a husky baritone voice. “Korum and Mia sent me. May I come in?”
Shit. He would have to include Mia’s name otherwise she would have shut the door in his face since she wasn’t a fan of Korum these days.
Rolling her eyes and sighing so he would know her objection to him being there, Jessie stepped back and allowed him to enter her domain. With Mia gone and most likely not coming back, she had begun to decorate in a way that mirrored her personality. She liked a sleek modern look, which was hard to accomplish when you lived in a place that would make the New York City Housing Authority label it as “one to avoid.”
Watching as Ralen looked around her apartment with disgust embarrassed her. She was a college student who didn’t rely on her parents, and New York City was not cheap, so this apartment was all she could afford.
Feeling vulnerable, Jessie snapped, “Excuse me for not living in Buckingham Palace. This is the best I can do if I want to live close to NYU. I didn’t invite you here so if you don’t like it, you can leave. I will not tolerate being looked down upon...”
Jessie could never have predicted what happened next. Moving with lightning fast speed depicting his race, Ralen wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body.
“But...” Dropping his head until their lips were at the point of touching effectively stopped her rant, making her forget why she was so angry.
“You misunderstand me, kitten. I’m only disturbed you are forced to live in this hovel.”
As he spoke, Ralen’s breath drifted over her lips making Jessie want to close the small gap and press her mouth to his. She wanted him to kiss her to distraction, to taste every part of her with his tongue...
Once again, a knowing smirk appeared, snapping her out of her daze of lust.
Asshole!
Jessie jerked herself away from Ralen’s embrace, missing it as soon as she was free.
Hating the height difference between them, she stood as tall as possible, peppering him with questions.
“Can you read minds? And why do you care about where I live? Why are you calling me kitten?”
Jessie tried to sound authoritative and in charge, but her voice only appeared breathy and full of lust.
Damn it! She had to pull herself together, and since she seemed unable to control herself in his presence, it was time for him to go.
“Ok, it’s been great, and all, but I’ve got repairmen coming in soon, so you need to leave. Thank you for stopping by and introducing yourself. Have a safe trip home.”
Jessie pointed to the door, indicating his exit.
Ralen’s face hardened, and he took on an air of command. Rather than leaving as he was instructed, he took a seat and pointed for Jessie to do the same.
Opening her mouth to ask him who the hell he thought he was, she realized he wasn’t going to leave until she obeyed. Hating like hell to concede, she took her time in sitting down across from him.
“Well, what is it?” She impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for him to respond.
“I will not be leaving. I have moved into the apartment below you, and I will be your shadow night and day until I am relieved from duty by Councilor Korum.
Aghast at this revelation and angered by his imperious tone, Jessie yelled, “Fuck Korum. You can tell him I am not Mia and he does not run my life.”
“What you want does not signify. I have been given orders to protect, and the only way I can do so is to be with you. You are Mia’s best friend, and the Resistance could try to use you to get to her or Korum. When you stop acting like a spoiled child, you will realize having me here is the best thing for you.”
Best thing for her?
Jessie decided she was going to teach this arrogant ass a lesson. Batting her eyelashes, she asked sweetly, “Will you be here when my boyfriend and I are fucking? I would hate for you to be uncomfortable. We’re very loud.”
Jessie felt the atmosphere in the room change from anger to danger. However, she wasn’t afraid. No matter what she felt about K’s, she was positive Ralen wouldn’t hurt her.
With his eyes flashing and his jaw clenched, she watched as Ralen stalked angrily to the doorway.
“I am not leaving. And your boyfriend should be quite careful. It would be in his best interest to stay away while I am here.”
Jerking the door open, he tossed over his shoulder. “You will obey my orders. If I have to restrain you, I will do so.”
After Ralen had slammed out of her apartment, Jessie sat, trembling with emotion. Her face was on fire from being scolded for her behavior. It wasn’t like her to be so bitchy. Why did she get so incensed with Ralen? Just interacting with him exposed a side of her she didn’t know existed.
Actually, he made her do a lot of things, for example: forgetting she had a boyfriend. Remember Edgar? Oh right, Edgar, the one who hadn’t come to mind until she used him to bait Ralen. The one she had forgotten when she was panting after Ralen’s body, wanting to climb him like a tree.
Shame overwhelmed her. Edgar was a great guy, and he deserved better than a girlfriend who momentarily forgotten he existed.
Sternly, she told herself there would be no more craving gorgeous stuck-up aliens.
As long as he stays away, I’m good.
Another knock sounded, and Jessie quickly yanked the door open, secretly hoping Ralen had returned.
You really are pathetic.
Unfortunately, it was another repairman, and yes, he was of the sweaty variety.
“How can I help you?”
He didn’t reply, his eyes glued to her boobs.
Je
ssie rolled her eyes in response, muttering, “Kill me now.”
For Jessie, the evening following Ralen’s visit was uneventful. Her only interruption being when Edgar called although she hadn’t spoken with him, instead sending him straight to voicemail. The guilt she felt due to her desire for Ralen made it impossible to face him even if it was only by telephone.
Jessie could understand being attracted to a gorgeous man, but the hunger he ignited created a lot of questions. If her feelings for Edgar were so strong, how could she want Ralen so badly?
She sat in the corner of her sofa, wrapped in a soft fluffy blanket with the room only lit by a dim lamp. Looking around, she realized it was utterly depressing. She should have gone out with Edgar. It would have been better to feel debilitating guilt while spending the evening with him than sitting in her apartment secretly waiting to see if Ralen would show up.
Stop thinking about him!
Hoping to rid her thoughts of Ralen’s chiseled features and hard body, she pulled out the NYU Pre-Med curriculum and studied her schedule for next semester. Her future career as a physician was her greatest ambition in life. Succeeding was the only option. A strict work ethic had been ingrained in her by her exacting parents, and it translated to her education.
The thought of her parents brought Edgar to mind once more. She had been toying with the idea of bringing him to meet her parents at their home in Upstate New York. It was a huge step. Although they had been in America since before she was born, they were still very much a part of the traditional Chinese culture, another one of the reasons she never considered having them meet any of her previous boyfriends. They wouldn’t approve of her dating life. However, this time might be different.
While she was wondering what her parents’ reaction would be to Edgar, an image of Ralen flitted through her mind, only he wasn't alone. She was on her knees before him, and he was in complete control. A shiver went down her spine at the thought. The idea of him fucking her mouth made her instantly wet. The need for him was so intense she had to physically keep herself from going to his apartment to make the vision come true.