“That sounds interesting,” Harry said.
“Not really,” Adam said. “But it pays well, and I suppose I can’t complain. I really have to go. It was nice to meet you, Harry.”
“Likewise,” Harry said earnestly. “Come here again!”
“I will,” Adam said before reaching out and touching the flower tucked behind Harry’s ear. “You know, on any other bloke this would look weird, but it suits you.”
Harry beamed at him. “Thanks!” He liked the way the purple flower looked in his chestnut hair. It almost made his eyes seem purple.
Harry watched a little sadly as Adam took his coffee and left.
He hoped it wasn’t the last he’d see of him.
* * *
Adam did return to the coffee shop two days later. He wasn’t alone this time.
Harry watched curiously as Adam and his companion talked, sipping their drinks. He hadn’t been the one to take their order—Samantha had while he was on a break—and now Harry was left floundering. Should he go say hi? Adam hadn’t looked his way even once yet. Maybe he didn’t remember Harry.
“What’s with that sad face, Hazza?” Samantha said.
Hazza. Human nicknames were fascinating.
Harry told her about his dilemma. “Should I go say hi?”
Samantha looked back at the pair. “Better not. Maybe they’re on a date.”
“A date?”
Samantha shrugged. “Yeah. They’re both hot, and they look pretty cozy to me.”
Bewildered, Harry returned his gaze to Adam and his male companion. They did seem rather cozy. Adam’s companion was a young dark-skinned man, who possessed a symmetrical face with symmetrical features, which was universally considered beautiful, as far as Harry knew. But Harry wasn’t sure of the man’s sexual appeal the way humans would just know. Sometimes the differences between their species were so frustrating.
“Do you think Adam’s date is attractive?” Harry said. Adam was his friend (hopefully). Harry wanted him to be happy.
Samantha shrugged again. “He’s very good-looking. Though, in my opinion, your Adam is way out of his league.”
Harry brightened. He knew what that expression meant!
“You think so?” he said, trying to look at Adam objectively. But it was so difficult. Calluvian sexuality was very different from that of humans. The closest human sexuality he could think of was demisexuality, and that wasn’t entirely accurate, either. Until Harry’s Bond was activated when he turned twenty-five in two years, his sex drive would be non-existent, and even then he would be attracted only to his bondmate. Well, there were whispers that sometimes people had sex outside of a Bond, but Harry thought it was preposterous. Everyone knew that your bondmate completed you, and that the telepathic link made sex perfect. Calluvians had been practicing marriage bonds for thousands of years, since it was scientifically proven that a Bond was superior to the way things had been done in the past. Emotions and feelings were messy, causing unnecessary grief and even wars. As a peaceful, cultural society, Calluvians prided themselves on being above such things. Therefore every Calluvian child was bonded telepathically to another to prevent any barbaric conflicts. Harry thought it was very smart.
But now it presented a problem, since Harry couldn’t really see humans the way other humans did.
Harry could see that Adam, with his tall, athletic figure, dark hair and dark eyes was aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but he couldn’t properly judge his sexual appeal. Heck, Harry didn’t know what sex was, or rather, he knew only theoretically.
“Yeah, he’s a hottie,” Samantha said with a dreamy sigh. “That chiseled jaw... that stubble...that dark smolder...mmm. Yummy!”
Harry burst out laughing. At moments like this, he was so glad he couldn’t make a fool out of himself because of things like lust. It seemed so ridiculous to him.
His laughter made Adam turn his head. Adam nodded to him with a smile. Harry waved cheerfully. Adam’s smile widened, turning amused and...something else. He said something to his companion and made his way to the counter.
“Hey, Harry,” he said, leaning forward against the counter. Harry would worry for his immaculate suit, but he knew the counter was spotlessly clean. He had cleaned it himself.
“Hi there!” Harry said with a wide smile. “How is your date going?”
Adam snorted. “Jake isn’t a date. He’s my friend and colleague. Do you think I’m such a cheap date that I’d bring my date to this coffee shop?”
“Heyyy,” Harry drawled with a pout.
Adam smirked. “Just kidding, babe. This is a first-rate establishment. Anyone would be honored to be brought here on a date.”
Harry nodded importantly. “Exactly.” Babe. Adam had called him a babe. It was a little odd, because he wasn’t an infant, but Harry knew by now that humans often didn’t mean things in the literal sense. Babe. He decided he rather liked being called “babe.”
Remembering that he was supposed to be working, he said, “Did you want something?”
“Not really,” Adam said, glancing back to his friend, who was watching them with raised eyebrows. “Just came over to say hi.”
Harry grinned. “Hi yourself. I’ve been just thinking about you, actually—wondering if you’d come again. I liked you very much and hoped we could be friends.”
Adam stared at him for a moment. “You haven’t a coy bone in your body, do you?” he murmured, shaking his head, but his eyes were smiling. “Okay, give me your phone, I’ll give you my number.”
Harry deflated. “I don’t have a mobile phone,” he admitted in a small voice. Even he knew how unusual and strange the lack of a phone was for a human.
Adam blinked. “Really?”
Harry nodded. He supposed he could lie and tell Adam that he’d lost his phone, but he hated lying and wasn’t very good at it. “I don’t really know many people in this country, so I never got around to buying one.” Harry shrugged with an embarrassed smile. “I don’t really have spare money for one, anyway.”
Adam’s brows drew together. “Are you an orphan?”
“No!” Harry said quickly, the mere thought of his parents’ death upsetting him greatly. “My parents are back home. They’re normally very supportive, it’s just...” He chewed on his lip. “I did something bad and they got angry with me. They said I should learn how to be a responsible adult, so they kind of cut me off. Don’t look at me that way. It’s just temporary. They’ll get over it. They love me. I’m their youngest—the baby of the family.”
Smiling, Adam pinched his cheek. “That I can believe.”
Unthinkingly, Harry touched his hand—
You’re the most endearing thing I’ve ever met.
Oh, no.
Harry really didn’t mean to. He didn’t! He’d just forgotten that humans, as non-telepathic species, were completely unprotected against touch-telepathy—the simplest form of telepathy that could be blocked by a basic mental shield that even kids mastered easily back home. But he wasn’t home. He was among unprotected, defenseless sentient beings and he had no right to violate their privacy by eavesdropping on their thoughts. His parents would be so mad at him if they found out.
“Sorry,” Harry said, withdrawing his fingers and balling them behind his back. However, he couldn’t help but feel pleased that Adam thought he was endearing. It meant they were friends, right? “Anyway!” he said, ignoring the odd look Adam was giving him. He smiled a little maniacally. “If you aren’t dating Jake, where’s your second half?”
Adam said, “Nowhere. I’m married to my job I’m afraid.”
“That’s too bad,” Harry said, sad on Adam’s behalf. He knew humans were social beings. “Everyone needs a strong emotional bond.”
Adam gave him an amused look. “You sound like my old grandma. And how many emotional bonds have you had, oh wise one?”
“You’re mocking me.” Harry pouted. “I’ll have you know I already know the person I’m going to be with for
the rest of my life.”
Adam’s amused smile slipped off. “That’s a very serious statement coming from an eighteen-year-old,” he said after a moment. “And who’s the lucky girl?”
“Her name is...” Harry hesitated for a moment. He hated lying, but there was no way he could give Adam his bondmate’s real name for the same reason he couldn’t give his. So he chose one that sounded close enough in a human language. “Her name is Leyla. We’ve known each other practically all our lives.”
“Wow,” Adam said, a wrinkle appearing on his forehead. “And you love her so much you’re sure you’ll be with her all your life?”
Harry chewed on his lip. It was very hard to explain how a Bond worked to a human.
“We share a special bond,” Harry said tentatively. They did. He and his bondmate had been bonded since they were two years old. “She’s always in my thoughts and I’m in hers.” Harry smiled, pleased that he hadn’t lied once so far. They did have a telepathic connection, though he couldn’t feel it on Earth because of the physical distance between them. “We’re engaged and...will be married in two years,” he added, proud that he’d found human equivalents to the state of his Bond.
Adam smiled faintly. “That’s very young to marry.”
Harry shrugged. “Not really. That’s the age people marry back home.”
“And where would that home be?” Adam said. “You haven’t told me where you are from.”
Harry froze for a moment before remembering the advice his best friend had given him: “If they ask, just tell Terrans you’re an alien. They’d never believe you and would just think you’re being funny.”
Harry said conversationally, “I’m actually an alien from the star system in the Sagittarius constellation.”
“Ah,” Adam said with a smile. “That explains your creepy alien eyes.”
“What! What’s wrong with my eyes?”
Adam gave him a strange look. “They’re dark violet color, Harry. Surely you realize that’s pretty unusual?”
Harry’s lips turned down. Why had no one told him his eyes weren’t very human? He could have worn colored contact lenses. He’d seen an advertisement on the television.
“Hey,” Adam said, tipping Harry’s face up with his thumb. He was frowning. “Are you upset? Don’t be silly. Your eyes are very beautiful—unusual but beautiful.”
Blushing, Harry smiled at him. “You’re so nice to me,” he said. “Would you like to be my best friend on Earth? I’d love to have you as my best friend.”
Adam chuckled. “How are you even real?” he murmured, brushing his thumb over Harry’s cheek. “Yes, I would love to be your friend, love.”
Harry beamed at him, warmth and happiness filling his chest as he looked into Adam’s smiling dark eyes. He missed this—having a connection to another person. It may not be telepathic, as he was used to, but it felt good. For the first time since his arrival on Earth, Harry admitted to himself that he had been a little lonely here. Just a little.
But not anymore.
Copyright © 2016 Alessandra Hazard
About the Series
Currently the Straight Guys series includes the following books:
#0.5 - Straight Boy: A Short Story (Sage and Xavier)
Young, blond and handsome, Sage attracts unwanted attention in prison. When his cellmate offers him protection, Sage accepts the offer, even though he doesn’t trust the guy. Little does he know how much it will change his life.
When he’s released from prison, Sage finds himself needing and wanting things he shouldn’t want. Sage is straight. He is. He has a girlfriend. What happened in prison stayed in prison—or so Sage tells himself.
Until he meets his former cellmate again. Xavier. The guy he hates and craves.
#1 - Just a Bit Twisted (Shawn and Derek)
Professor Derek Rutledge is hated and feared by all of his students. Strict, reserved and ruthless, he doesn’t tolerate mistakes and has little patience for his students.
Shawn Wyatt is a twenty-year-old struggling to provide for his younger sisters after the death of their parents. On the verge of losing his scholarship, Shawn becomes desperate enough to go to Professor Rutledge.
Everyone says Rutledge doesn’t have a heart. Everyone says he’s a ruthless bastard. Shawn finds out that everyone is right.
He strikes a deal with Rutledge, but unexpectedly, the deal turns into something so much more.
Something all-consuming and addictive.
Something neither of them wants.
#2 - Just a Bit Obsessed (Alexander and Christian)
Alexander Sheldon likes order and control in his life. He isn’t happy when his girlfriend invites another guy for a threesome. Alexander believes in monogamy, and he’s never been good at sharing his things. It doesn’t help that Christian rubs him the wrong way from the beginning.
But what starts as animosity turns into something else. Something unexpected and very wrong.
He was never supposed to touch Christian. He was never supposed to feel possessive of the guy. And he most definitely wasn’t supposed to want Christian more than he wants his girlfriend.
It’s a recipe for disaster.
#3 - Just a Bit Unhealthy (Gabriel and Jared)
When the line between "need" and "want" gets blurred…
Gabriel DuVal, rising soccer star.
Jared Sheldon, team physician.
To the outside world, they’re just good friends. But the truth is, Gabriel isn’t entirely sure what they are to each other.
Some call their relationship unhealthy. Some call it codependency. Gabriel calls it confusing. He knows Jared wants him – as more than a friend. He doesn’t want Jared. He’s straight, he has a girlfriend, and he loves her. But Jared is… Jared is more. Jared is his. He needs him – his touch and his strength.
But is it enough for Jared?
#4 - Just a Bit Wrong (Tristan and Zach)
Zach Hardaway is one of the best physiotherapists in Europe.
Tristan DuVal is a young soccer star with a groin injury.
They despise each other from the moment they meet.
As far as Zach is concerned, Tristan is a rich, spoiled brat who is too used to getting his own way.
As far as Tristan is concerned, Zach is a bossy, presumptuous prick. Tristan hates Zach. He does. The problem is, he also wants to shove Zach against the nearest wall and climb him like a tree.
#5 - Just a Bit Confusing (Ryan and James)
Best friends, inseparable since childhood, one in love with the other, the other straight and in love with a woman.
Stories like this don’t have a happy ending; James Grayson knows it. He puts on a smile, he laughs, he jokes, and he pretends he’s fine when Ryan kisses his girlfriend in front of him—until he can’t.
Except nothing is easy and letting go turns out to be much harder than one might think. Some bonds are too strong to be broken, even for a straight man. And sometimes love and desire can have different faces and layers.
A story of two men trying to function without each other and failing.
#6 - Just a Bit Ruthless (Roman and Luke)
Stockholm syndrome or Love?
When you want someone completely wrong for you…
Luke Whitford has always dreamed of meeting Mr. Right. A hopeless romantic at heart, he dreams of falling in love with a nice man, getting married and having a bunch of adorable babies. The problem is, Luke has the propensity for being attracted to men who are anything but nice.
Roman Demidov, a homophobic, cynical billionaire who has a grudge against Luke’s father, is certainly not Mr. Right. Cold, manipulative, and ruthless, he’s not a nice man and he doesn’t pretend to be.
Luke is fully aware that Roman is all wrong for him. His attraction to the guy is just some sort of Stockholm syndrome; it must be. If life were a fairy tale, Roman would be the main villain, not the hero.
But even villains can fall in love. Or can they?
&n
bsp; The story of a boy who dreamed of Prince Charming and ended up falling for the Beast.
#7 - Just a Bit Wicked (Vlad and Sebastian)
He’s sure he’ll never fall for a man…
When it rains, it pours. After losing his prestigious job, Vlad discovers that his girlfriend has cheated on him. Angry and hurt, he’s determined to find her lover and teach him a lesson. When he finds out that her lover is bisexual, it only makes him angrier. Raised by an extremely homophobic family, Vlad is convinced he’s straight and holds nothing but contempt for people who aren’t.
But sometimes contempt and anger can turn into obsession, and then into something else entirely—something Vlad has always considered sick and wrong.
He’s sure he’ll never fall for a homophobic bully…
Sebastian is a successful English model who has always detested bullies. When a man shows up on his doorstep accusing him of sleeping with his girlfriend, Sebastian isn’t interested in being a punching bag. However, provoking a homophobic man is probably not the best idea…or the safest. But then again, Sebastian has never been good at playing it safe.
Things get a lot more complicated when Vlad has to bodyguard Sebastian. Can they stay professional?
They can’t. They bicker and fight, and they hate everything about each other.
Now if only they could figure out how to keep their hands off each other.
From the Author
Thank you for reading. I’m currently working on Just a Bit Shameless, the next book in the Straight Guys series, and That Alien Feeling, the first book in my new M/M Romance series. If all is well, they both should be released in 2017.
To be notified when my next book becomes available, you can subscribe to my mailing list: http://www.alessandrahazard.com/subscribe/
You can always contact me at my website http://www.alessandrahazard.com or email me at [email protected].
Just a Bit Wicked (Straight Guys Book 7) Page 20