Alien Dragon's Bride (Aliens of Renjer Book 4)

by J. S. Wilder

  “Call me, Sam. Near the coast?” Sam took a sip of the water. “You born on a boat or plane?”

  His birthplace was near the Promexl Sea. “Yes. On a small boat in the ocean.” Partial truth, he was hatched as his mother sailed over the water.

  Sam coughed and his breathing became labored. When he’s color returned and his coughing subsided, he nodded for the cup of water again. “Thanks.”

  “Any time.” Megan’s father’s condition was more serious than he’d thought. The sickness of his disease tainted the air underneath the pungent smell of alcohol and cleaners. No wonder she’d done everything she could to pay for his care—including considering becoming a surrogate—Levx almost wanted to tell her to forget the contract. Except he was certain she’d return all the money he’d paid her already. He admired her moral fiber and he wasn’t going to be the one to crush her dream of seeing her father taken care of and possibly healed. The thought of her hurt made a funny pain hit his chest.

  After her father drank the water, he sat back, catching his breath. Then he glowered. “We are not men to hide the truth. What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”

  “Excuse me?” Levx kept his face neutral. His promise to Megan pressed forward that he would not be the one to reveal to her father her true, potential employment with Renjer Associates.

  “I may be old and sick but I’m not a fool. I saw the way you two looked at each other.” He set his water down on the nightstand beside the bed. His IV drip beeped filling the silence.

  “Sir, I assure you that I only have your daughter’s health and wellbeing at heart.” Wasn’t like he was going to marry her. Once she had his offspring, he’d whisk the baby away to one of his cousins to raise while he returned to Renjer to destroy their enemies. Megan and her father would have enough funds from his account to keep them both happy for the rest of their lives.

  Her father sighed. “Fine, I guess I can’t expect you to tell me the truth when you’re lying to yourself as well. What type of business did you say this company of yours does?”

  “Business contracts.” Safe enough.

  “Good. My daughter seems happier than I’ve seen her in a long time. Keep that up and you and I’ve got no problems.” He coughed for a few moments but his glare never left Levx. “Hurt her in any way and I will find a way to rip your spine out and feed your organs to wild boars.”

  Levx grinned. “And I would give you the blade to do so.”

  A knock sounded on the door and Megan peeked her head in. “Is it safe for me to come back in? I left my phone in here.”

  Her father waved her in. “I was just getting to know your new boss here.”

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? Feels more like a pissing contest in here with all the inflated egos and tension in the air.”

  “Your father is merely concerned with your welfare, something I cannot begrudge him for.” He winked at her and she fumbled along the along the blankets for her cell. “In fact, I may take your father up on his suggestion to take you out tonight. After all, he’s explained to me about how much you’ve been working and haven’t had a day off in ages. What do you say about taking in a show and dinner?”

  Both Megan and her father stared at him with open mouths like he’d grown scales. For a brief moment, he ran his fingertips across the side of his face to ensure he hadn’t.

  “Visiting hours will be over in five minutes. Please exit through the main lobby,” a recorded voice sounded over the intercom.

  Her father recovered first, clearing his throat. “Yes, I-I told Levx here that you could use a bit of time before you start with his company.” He took her hand in his. “You work too hard and long, Megan. I don’t want you to end up in a bed here beside me, okay? Please take care of yourself.”

  “I’m fine, Dad.” She brushed away a tear. “Get better so we can go to the beach again and ride roller coasters until we puke.”

  Levx turned toward the door as Megan and her father finished saying their goodbyes. His heart aching with envy and longing of the relationship she and her father had. He’d give up everything for his own father to feel and treat him that way.

  Chapter 13

  Megan

  “You really don’t have to take me anywhere, you know.” Megan adjusted her seatbelt as they sped down the highway back toward her hometown. “Thank you though, for going along with what my dad said while we were in the hospital.”

  “I wasn’t pretending.” Levx changed lanes. “I meant what I said and I do think you’ve been working too hard.”

  “Maybe.” All she’d done was because she had to. Bills didn’t stop just because her mom got cancer and her dad got sick too and lost his job.

  “I take it you’ve never played hooky before?”

  She straightened her shoulders. “No. People counted on me to do a job.”

  “Another indication that proves my point that you work too hard.” He passed up the exit into the city and gave her a wink that made her heart flutter. “But I made your father a promise.”

  “Oh?” She bit her lip. Would he take her out dancing? Or drinking? She hadn’t gotten drunk since…how long had it been? A date! Thrills tumbled in her stomach. Well, not a date per se but an evening out where she didn’t have to worry about anything for a few hours. What could it hurt?

  “Relax, I will have you home before midnight.”

  “And if I said no?” she teased.

  “Then I would take you back now but you do need to at least eat dinner? No?”

  “Sounds like fun.” She beamed, her foot tapping like she had an invisible gas pedal on her side of the car. A night without having to worry about anything and enjoy a handsome guy’s company? Yes please.

  “And as long as you are enjoying yourself, then I won’t escort you to your home until you ask.” His crooked smile made her libido rise a few notches. “Which gives me an incentive to help you to have such an amazing time that you won’t want the evening to end.”

  “Sounds like a lot of pressure,” she said in a teasing tone. Where would he take her? She’d had dates before of simple meals but she was in a BMW with a blond, golden-eyed gorgeous man. Most of her dates could only afford a nice restaurant where could a guy like Levx take her?

  He pulled into a parking lot outside a Greek restaurant. “Is this okay or would you rather have something else?”

  “No, I love Greek food. Actually, working in a diner for years, I love all food.”

  “Have you ever been here before?” he asked holding out his arm so she could grasp it. When she did so, a pleasure zipped through her.

  “I usually stick to the diner or the hospital food or take out, so this is going to be awesome.” A few people milled about out from waiting for seating. They were all dressed in fancy gowns and suits. Megan glanced down at her own jeans and T-shirt. “Um…maybe we should go somewhere else, I’m underdressed for this place.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He winked.

  “Easy for you to say, you’re wearing a suit and tie.”

  “Hang on a second.” He raced back to the car, took off his jacket and tie, then untucked his shirt. As he walked back to her he unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt. His golden skin almost seemed to glow against the stark white of his shirt and her breath hitched. God, he was handsome. “Better?”

  She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Much.” Really, he could probably wear overalls and would look just as good.

  “May I help you?” the hostess said in a forced polite tone but when she looked up at Levx, her eyes widened. “Do you have a reservation?”

  “I’m afraid not, but my family and I frequently eat here and was hoping you could find a small table for us.” He took Megan’s hand in his.

  “Let me check.” She frowned down at her notes. “Would seating near the kitchen be okay?”

  “Fabulous.” He flashed the receptionist a wide grin.

  They entered a posh restaurant with bronze torches lined along the wal
ls, white columns, and a few life-size Greek goddess statues sprinkled throughout. Soft lilting music filled the air.

  Levx held out a chair for her at a small round table.

  “Thank you,” Megan said. How much was this place? It was fancier than anything she’d ever been to before. A few people glanced their way, the women and a few of the men having lingering stares at Levx.

  He nodded and took the seat across from her. “Everything they serve here is amazing.”

  The waitress brought their menus and Megan frowned. Never a good sign if no prices were listed. Small soup and salad shouldn’t break her budget too much. She’d get water as well to offset the costs. Grilled lamb, sautéed vegetables, and seared fish made her mouth water.

  “Care for a wine?” he asked Megan.

  “Sure.” She set her menu aside and her hands fiddled with the cloth napkin in her lap. Her nerves making her stomach cramp. “Whatever you like.”

  He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she squeaked out.

  “Are you uncomfortable with this place because we can go anywhere else if you like.”

  “No, it’s fine.” She took a breath forcing aside her feeling of inadequacy and hoped her voice sounded lighter than she felt. “Go ahead and pick the wine…surprise me.” Not that she knew anything about these fancy wines. Hers was always on the discount aisles.

  After he ordered waters and a bottle of wine she couldn’t pronounce, the waitress returned.

  “What will you be having tonight?” the waitress asked staring only at Levx.

  Megan squirmed in her chair. Even though she knew what it was like serving people she didn’t appreciate being ignored either. “I’ll have the small dinner salad and the soup of the day, please.”

  “I’ll have the same but let’s add the hummus and flatbread, and a double order of the stuffed lamb.” Levx’s gaze never left Megan’s as their waitress took up their menus then turned away with a huff.

  How many times had Megan watched men at her tables flirt with her in front of their wives? It always made her want to dump ice water in their laps. One, when his wife was busy with their two kids, put his hand up to his ear in a pretend phone and mouthed, ‘call me.’ Not on her life. If a guy was willing to do that much in front of his wife and kids then he was no one she wanted. Megan wanted a man who loved her and was faithful…loyal. Like her dad had been with her mom even though she’d been sick.

  The fact that Levx, only a potential business arrangement, made Megan the focus of dinner rather than a flirtatious big-breasted waitress, made her opinion of him raise several notches.

  Their salads came first, then their soup. Megan was still starving but she couldn’t depend on Levx’s covering the bill when he had not said he would nor gave any indication that this was a date.

  When the stuffed lamb with grilled veggies came to the table, Megan wiped at the edges of her mouth with her napkin. God, it smelled divine.

  “Miss?” Levx called out after the waitress, “Another plate, please.”

  “Oh, I’m fine.” Megan couldn’t take her eyes off the cooked lamb.

  The waitress returned and set the plate down in front of Megan with a slight clunk.

  “I was hoping you could help me with this.” Levx pouted. “Way too much food for me to eat alone and it’s not the same reheated.”

  “In that case,” Megan fingered the edge of her wine glass, “I suppose I could help you with a few bites of the lamb just so that it doesn’t go to waste.”

  Levx cut off a huge portion of the main meal and pushed half of the sautéed veggies onto her plate as well but she was too excited to try the food to protest.

  The first bite wasn’t enough and she finished the food before Levx had eaten a quarter of his.

  “You’re not hungry?” she asked.

  “I usually order rare but figured you’d prefer the food a bit more cooked and allowed the chef to prepare the lamb as he wanted for maximum flavor.”

  How did he know that about her having just met her recently?

  “It’s perfect but you didn’t have to change your preference for me.” But it was super nice that he did. Any pink in her meat and she got squeamish. What made this guy tick? Did he have a string of girlfriends hanging around or was he serious about someone? She shook her head. What did that matter? This was only a business arrangement.

  “You haven’t tried the hummus, yet.” He slid the crystal bowl toward her.

  “I’m surprised a fancy restaurant like this would have hummus.” She tore off a piece of flatbread, dipping it into the creamy dip.

  “They make the best…of anything really.” He shrugged but his golden gaze watched her and her cheeks heated as the intensity she found there. His stare, his presence both unnerved and excited her. She’d been around hundreds of people, waiting on them, but Levx was different. A dangerous, powerful being who was unlike anyone she’d ever met before. Like there was more to him than what everyone saw on the outside.

  The hummus was so smooth that she moaned in delight. All the others she’d tried had been from the grocery store and were gritty. “This is really good.”

  “Told you.” He smiled and leaned back in his chair.

  She dunked another piece of flatbread into the dip. If she ate like this all the time, she’d gain thirty pounds. “Would they let me take a gallon of this home with me?”

  His laugh was a deep rumble that warmed her heart. She wanted to hear more.

  “So, how did you and your wife meet, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Levx’s face darkened to a reddish purple.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Was he still mourning her death? How long had he said she’d died? God, she was a horrible person. “Never mind, I don’t need to know and I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “No. No, it’s fine.” He blew out a breath. “Just not used to talking to anyone outside of family about it.”

  It? Did he and his wife have a problem marriage? If so, why did he want to have a surrogate with his ex-wife and him? “I’ve been told I’m a good listener if you want to talk about it.”

  “Not particularly.” He tugged at the collar of his dress shirt like it was too tight.

  She wasn’t going to force him to tell her his history. What business of it of hers was it anyway? Their waitress sauntered up to their table, a small menu in her hand which she placed in front of Levx.

  “Ready for dessert?” the waitress asked leaning too close to Levx and running her hand across the back of his chair. “We have a traditional Greek honey cake, melt-in-your-mouth baklava, rizogalo, and bougatsa.”

  “What do you care for?” Levx looked at Megan.

  “I wasn’t going to get anything.” Too much money and probably too many calories.

  Levx grinned at the waitress. “Since I can’t decide, why don’t you bring one of each to our table along with two forks.”

  The waitress nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Why did you do that?” Megan leaned forward and hissed in a whisper.

  “Because I’d like to try each one and I could tell you did as well.”

  She opened her mouth, then shut it, then said, “I said I wasn’t interested.”

  “Perhaps, but your eyes and the increase of your heartbeat said otherwise.”

  “Wait.” She leaned back. “How can you know that? There’s no way you can know my pulse got faster.”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched a few seconds before he shook his head. “There was a slight increase in the scent of your perfume and your eyes widened at her mentioning the deserts. I only followed the most logical path to conclude that your heart rate must have changed due to your desire.”

  “Still. That’s a great observation on someone you just met.”

  He gave her a slight nod. “Now tell me more about you. Do you—Did you have many males growing up.”

  “Pardon?” She frowned trying to make out what he was asking.

&nb
sp; “Sorry, my English is off sometimes.” His brow furrowed and she had the strangest feeling that she wanted to reach across the table and sooth the lines down. “Boyfriends or is it friend boys?”

  “Boyfriends.” She shrugged. “I’ve had a few. Two in middle school and three in college. One of which gave me a promise ring before his mom made him take it back saying he was too young to be serious.” She let out a laugh to ease the tension at admitting her past.

  Levx’s jaw twitched again.

  “What about you?” She couldn’t resist asking now that the topic was on the table. “Any girlfriends?”

  “Our family…business didn’t allow for companionship.”

  “But what about your wife.” Damn, why did she keep bringing her up? “I mean you dated before you got married, right?”

  “Not really. My marriage,” he said the name funny like he tested the word, “was more convince than anything else.”

  So he wasn’t in love with his wife? “What do you mean? Like an arranged marriage?” Did people still do that these days? Was he part of some religious cult or something?

  “Guess you could think of it that way.” He stared down at the table, a mix of emotions tumbling across his features. “My family had known hers for our entire lives…until her death.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She reached across the table and touched his hand.

  When he grasped her fingers in his, a shiver of pleasure rushed through her. Time to change the subject as she couldn’t stand to see him in pain and this topic seemed to make him uncomfortable.

  The waitress returned with a tray loaded with all the restaurant’s desserts and set it in front of Levx. “Here you are, sweetie.”

  “We need a second fork, please.” Levx smiled but his voice was level as if speaking to a child.

  “Right away.” She giggled softly then moved to another table.

  Levx broke off a piece of one of the deserts that looked flaky and almost cake-like. “Here, try the Baklava.”

  She took the piece from his outstretched hand and took a bite. The sweetness hit her tongue and she moaned. Why had she never tried this before? Probably because her diet consisted of hospital cafeteria, fast-food, and bowls of cereal. And the cafe never did anything this fancy. “It’s delicious.”