No, it’s you and those abs, and your beautiful eyes and legs and damn, even your calves are sexy. I’ve got to calm down and think about something else. Blue cheese. Old, wrinkly balls. Eh, that did it.
“Yep. It’s the music.” I switch off the song, slightly embarrassed I asked. I’m so off kilter and out of my element, I don’t know what to do or how to act. Any sane person would have jumped off the boat and likely died from exhaustion half-way to Saipan trying to get away from him just because of how different he looks, but I didn’t.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m tipping over the edge of crazy, still in shock about Henrietta and my own impending doom, or because whoever or whatever he is, he really is meant for me. I shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea but I can’t help it.
With clammy hands, I smooth my hair and head toward the kitchen but I don’t make it two steps. A perfect replica of Clair De Lune floats through the air, twisting and wrapping itself around me. It’s eerie and beautiful and shocking the way he’s projecting a melody so close to my heart.
I feel every note in the depths of my soul. Chills spread across my skin, instilling a sense of wonder one only feels when hearing something truly moving for the first time. This symphonic poem has been a staple in my life since I was young, but I’ve never heard it sound like this. The music carries me closer, and by the time he’s finished with the final note, I’m but a breath away.
“That was beautiful,” I say, close enough to see the tiny slits on either side of his nose. I hadn’t noticed them before. I’m guessing that’s part of the anatomy that allowed him to swim me to safety.
Saxon’s pupils dilate, and his shoulders curl in slightly as he cups the side of my face and runs his thumb along my jaw.
“I…” The word slips out in a rough whisper. He’s staring at me with his sunflower eyes and he smells so good, but before I can finish my thought and say or do something stupid, the weather station starts to blare in Chamorro, then English.
Heavy thunderstorms headed due east. Cloud to ground lightning expected as well as high winds. Take cover.
Wait, if I’m hearing this, then so is the captain of that fancy ass yacht. The rest of the crew is going to come back ahead of schedule. A hollow sense of dread wipes out the few moments of serenity Saxon’s voice gave me and gives me a swift kick in the ass.
I can’t avoid this any longer. If I was expendable to Elgin before I sank Henrietta, there’s no telling what’s going to happen now. There are so many news companies planning to live stream the dive. At least four magazines scheduled interviews, and the entire scientific community is waiting for Henrietta to make history.
Elgin’s going to go apeshit when he finds out, and I can’t be here when he does.
Binky jumps up on the windowsill and starts pawing at the blinds—something she only does when the storms coming in are particularly rough.
“We need to come—go, I mean go.” I cringe and clear my throat. “We need to get back to the shore before the storm hits and everyone finds out what’s happened.”
Saxon tilts his head, gaze locked on my red cheeks. “I can smell your fear. If this vessel cannot sustain us, I can. My body is hard enough to protect you, no matter the circumstance.”
Hard? Why, yes. Yes, it is.
“That’s not it. I’m not worried about the storm. I’m worried about people seeing you. And my boss figuring out I ruined the launch. I screwed up, Saxon. Really bad. And I don’t want to be here when everyone else finds out.”
Saxon straightens to his full height, giving my face one last caress before dropping his hand. His eyes narrow as Binky hops down from the window and starts dancing around his legs—wrapping her saucy little tail around his ankles. I don’t know what she’s saying to him, but he doesn’t seem amused.
“Then we will leave. I will protect you no matter the circumstance.”
“I actually have zero doubts you can, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to avoid any conflict and just head back now to be safe.”
“I am with you, Mu Xitall. Anywhere and always.”
Before I drag Saxon outside to the little dinghy stored on the port side of the boat, I grab the radio and try to reach Anya. She gets a little crazy when the weather’s bad. Okay, so she’s always a paranoid, conspiracy theory-believing hot mess, but it’s worse when a storm blows through. Probably because she’s convinced the government controls the weather.
I have to give her a heads up. She’ll flip her lid if she hears it from the news first and assume I’m dead or that Elgin’s made me disappear. She’s always been worried that he’d steal my designs and take all the credit, and now I’m wondering if maybe, she was right.
She doesn’t have a phone and refuses to keep anything around her with a GPS signal. She’ll only talk to me on our secret radio channel, and I need to reassure her I’m safe. If not, she’ll come looking for me, and lord knows that’s the last thing we need now that Saxon’s barged into my life.
Since I first stumbled across her on the beach and chopped the head off a snake lurking behind her, she’s been my shadow—taking me under her wing to “protect.” Scanning my apartment for bugs, altering my radio to keep our channel safe, insisting I don’t go certain places at night.
She’s always mumbling about how the government’s out to get her. Hell, I don’t even think Anya’s her real name. It’s a risk to take the time to call her, but she’s important to me.
“Green Goose, this is Henrietta six-nine. Do you copy?”
Saxon’s brow furrows at the incoming static and likely, the ridiculous call signs we’ve assigned ourselves. I fought with her for weeks, but she insisted I come up with a pseudonym, and I eventually gave in.
My sub’s government name might have been the Nautilus Five, but the moment the idea came out of my mouth, Henrietta was born. A tear wells in the corner of my eye, and I swipe it away before it can fall.
You can be sad later, but right now you’ve got to find a way to get yourself out of this mess. Talk to Anya. Make sure she’s cool, then figure out what to do about Elgin and Saxon.
“Copy that, Henrietta six-nine, I’m here. The birds are flying and the sun has yet to set.”
My lips still as I try to remember the meaning behind the code.
Ugh, I don’t have time for this.
Birds are drones, and what does the sun mean again? One of these days, I’m going to find a normal friend…
Oh, who am I kidding? No, I won’t.
“Good, good. Are the kids listening?” I ask, knowing that she won’t talk for long if she thinks whatever flew over her house earlier has tapped into her communication system.
“They’re taking a nap. What color is the sun?” No one’s listening. Are you safe and alone?
“Blue,” I say, unable to hide the edge of exhaustion in my voice. It takes so much effort to talk to her. Sometimes, a little too much. “It’s blue, like always. Listen, Green Goose, I’m tired. I took Henrietta out last night and something went really wrong. I can’t say much now. But I’ll fill you in later. I’m about to head back home. Make sure you get inside. The weather’s supposed to be—”
The boat whines as a heavy gust of wind presses down on us from the east. Caught off guard by the sudden sway, my finger slips off the radio, and I’m thrown to the side. But instead of smashing into the wall, I’m flush against the hard ridges of Saxon’s abs.
“Henrietta six-nine, are you there?” The sound of Anya’s voice blares through the static in the line, but I can barely hear it over the thump of my heartbeat in my ears.
Warmth pools in my belly, then spreads out like wildfire across my skin. I’m trembling—not from the air conditioner on the boat, but from the intensity of whatever’s passing between us. Like icy air sweeping through a heated room, it steals my breath and has me floundering.
“Leigh? Talk to me. What’s happening?” Anya calls out, but I can’t answer. Saxon is all I can see and smell and hear.
> With one hand, Saxon steadies a glass on my desk and holds me with the other. Unable to resist, I lean in, pressing myself closer against him. He’s just so warm, so safe, so…everything.
What is happening to me?
The horizontal slits in his eyes widen, and his jaw strains. “Mu Xitall…”
“Saxon,” I manage. The radio hits the floor with a thud and, before I can blink, my back is up against the wall and both his hands are in my hair. His lips hover just above mine, but he doesn’t kiss me.
With nostrils flared, he licks his lips. “You smell of the most delicious fruit. I only desire to taste you. I have waited so long…” he mumbles, pressing his lips to the side of my neck. A burst of tingles blooms with every light touch, and as he kisses his way down to my collarbone, the sensations combine and slide right between my thighs.
He feels so good and all logic goes right out the window.
Like a marionette, I fall limp in his arms, savoring every second of the way his lips dance across my skin until a loud crack of lightning sends Binky barreling into my legs.
Nothing says get a hold of yourself, bitch like a set of kitty claws gouging your skin.
“Okay, time out,” I say, trying to gain my composure. “I need a second to think.” I try to gauge his reaction, but my insatiable need for him flares, and my brain shuts down. I’m wet as hell and more turned on than I’ve ever been, and I have no clue what I’m doing. “Gah, you’re so hot. Why are you so hot?”
Shit, did I say that out loud?
Saxon groans and tightens his grip on my hair, letting his teeth score the shell of my ear. The way he pulls at the strands burns in the most delicious way, and a tiny yelp escapes before I can reel it in. Rather than attack my lips like I really want him to, his rough hold turns soft and he tips up my face.
“Forgive me. Your scent…it calls to me, disarms my restraint.”
Saxon’s chest is heaving—the taut lines of his abdomen flexing with every deep breath, and it hurts to peel myself off of him and back away.
“You’re not the only one, but right now we’ve got to get the hell out of here. Once we’re safe...” I’m going to lick every single inch of your body. “We’ll spend some time and figure us out.”
He nods, jaw clenched tight like it’s taking everything he has not to pounce on me, and grabs the thickness of his cock through his pants. Oh, sweet mercy, it fills his hands and they’re twice the size of mine. Another loud thunderclap shakes the windows, and I flinch.
“Your planet fucking sucks,” he grunts, readjusting his length once more, then stomps through the door into the rain.
Chapter Five
Leigh
Getting Saxon into the dinghy was easier than I thought it would be. I wish I could say the same for Bink. She hates it and has been clinging to my alien since we sped off. I’ve royally screwed this up, and the closer we get to shore, the more reality starts to punch me in the face.
At first, I had hope that a tropical storm would magically manifest and I’d have more time to figure out what to do about Elgin, but the rain is set to pass by the end of the day and the crew would rat on me anyway. As much as I love them, they aren’t my friends. Not really. Elgin hired them, and they report directly to him.
I have no doubt he’s going to shame me and publicly tear me to shreds. There will be articles comparing me to my father and a whole gossip train floating through the scientific community blacklisting me from any other jobs. Henrietta is my baby. I built her from the ground up, and my research—my designs—are just that. Mine. Whether Elgin fires me are not, he doesn’t deserve to take the credit for himself.
If I could just call Sterling and explain it to him myself, I could tell him about all the shady stuff Elgin’s done with his money and maybe, he’d let me keep my job…
I shake my head, trying to banish the insane plan forming before I do something dumb and peek out at Saxon as he scans the horizon for threats.
When he’s near, I can’t think clearly. It’s like there’s an off switch in my brain and all the blood goes to my lady bits. What am I supposed to do with him? And for that matter, what do I want to do?
Well, what I’d really, really, like to do is get us all hot and heavy, but that doesn’t exactly solve our problems right now. Especially not this close to land.
Lighting strikes the water near the stern, and I increase our speed. I live less than two miles from shore, and we’re so close. If I can just beach this thing on the sand, we can make it to my place relatively unnoticed.
The boat starts rocking harder, and Saxon tightens his grip on my hand. “Mu Xitall, the wet ooze stirs beneath us, and the sky is discharging electrical ions at a higher pace.”
“Yeah, I know. We’re almost back. I’ll hop out as soon as we get close and help get us ashore.”
“I will guide us.”
“No, Saxon. Really, that’s not—” Before I can finish, he’s hopped over the side of the dinghy and into the water. “Saxon! Damn it, wait. You could get hurt!”
Or send us onto the rocks, or tip us over…
Panic tightens my chest as waves pelt against the side of the boat and rain stings my eyes. Why would he jump out so far away from shore? And how is he breathing underwater like that?
The moment the bow touches sand, I jump over the side, trudging through the water to yell at him.
“What were you thinking jumping into the water like that? Are you insane?”
Ignoring my question, he lifts me up. "The wet ooze threatened you once, Mu Xitall. It does not deserve the honor of caressing your skin."
Oh, sweet mercy. This is some romance novel shit. Clutched in his granite arms, he carries me a few feet, sets me down on dry sand, and goes back for Binky who's only too happy to curl against him. Never mind he's soaking wet and she hates water, the little tart’s purring like she's in heat.
Saxon hands her to me, then wraps me up in his arms. "You are chilled, and I can feel your exhaustion. I will carry you, Mu Xitall. Show me where you call home."
You. You’re home. The words are on the tip of my tongue but I swallow them knowing how crazy they’d sound.
Even with blurry eyes, I don't miss the look of reverence on his face when he stares at me, inspecting me for any subtle need. How is it a being I just met can look at me like this and make me feel it all the way in my bones? He makes me want to feel that way for him, and in some ways, I already do.
Warmth slides down my spine, hitting me right between the thighs and I swear if he keeps looking at me like this, I’m going to launch myself at him.
I have no clue what I’m going to do about Elgin and my job. The only thing I know is that I can’t leave Saxon. Whatever I do, wherever I go, he’s coming with me.
I mean how hard can it be to hide a big gray alien?
It might sound crazy, but something inside me stirred awake the second I saw Saxon’s eyes and it’s been yelling at me ever since. Sometimes when the universe speaks, you need to shut the hell up and listen. Even if she sounds like a raving lunatic.
“Leigh? Is that you?” I hear yelled from the other side of the sand. Shit. Despite the wind and the noise from the crashing waves, I recognize the voice instantly. Joseph, one of the local public safety officers tasked with guarding the island against drug traffickers and illegal smuggling. He’s never this far down the beach. Of course, he’d decide to actually do his job the one day my life nearly comes to an end.
A deep growl vibrates Saxon’s chest, and he stiffens. “A male approaches and he is armed.”
“I know. Hurry. Put this on.”
Binky protests when I wiggle out of Saxon’s arms but shuts right the hell up when I toss her to him. Any other time, I’d be cracking up at the way he catches her like she has some kind of infectious disease, but right now we don’t have time for humor. Joseph is almost close enough to see how very different my alien is.
My alien, huh?
I shove my raincoat at him. “C
over yourself. I have to make this guy go away before he sees you. Stay here and don’t move.”
“If he touches you, I am not sure I can control myself.”
His hand feels impossibly warm when I give it a squeeze, trying to give him some quick reassurance. “He won’t. I’ll be right back.”
Mud and sand stick to my soles, making my short journey toward Joseph take twice as long. You’d think after spending nearly a decade here I’d be used to the feel of wet sand but it still makes me cringe every time.
Blinking through the rain, I do my best to smile and seem remotely normal. “Hey, what in the hell are you doing all the way out here in this shit weather? Shouldn’t you be at Kiko’s sucking it up at darts?”
Kiko’s is a local bar and the only place I’ve actually seen Joseph. I knew he patrolled the shore because he never shuts up about it, but I haven’t ever seen him in action. He spent the first six months I was here bugging me from across the room and jabbering non-stop until I eventually let him sit with me. It was a huge mistake.
He’s like a lost puppy who’s desperate for attention.
Now, if I want to grab a drink and have some peace and quiet I have to go in right after lunch. Not that I’ve been able to for the last six months since I was pushing hard to get ready for Henrietta’s launch.
Damn, I really miss my girl.
“Me?” he asks. “What about—damn it, hold on...” The hood of Joseph’s raincoat flaps back and forth so hard it’s sticking to his eyes and covering up half his face. Watching him fight with it so he can respond is actually pretty amusing. “Fucking cheap uniforms. What are you doing out here, Leigh? You getting something last minute for the launch?”
Ugh, does everyone know about the dive? Of course, they do. This island is tiny and half of it is basically overgrown forest.
Saxon (Shared Survival Book 1) Page 4