The E.T. Guy (Office Aliens Book 1)

by V. C. Lancaster

  “It’s true!”

  He shook his head. “Humans are strange,” he said.

  “Alright then, what do women do on Teiss? How do female Volin spend their time?” Lois asked.

  Zir shrugged. “The same as the males. Defending territory. Gathering food.”

  “And when they have a mate? If he’s handling the food and the fighting, what’s she doing?”

  “She protects the young.”

  “Right. So what am I supposed to do?”

  Zir looked at her, then looked away and shrugged. He didn’t answer and Lois knew he was evading the question.

  “Zir…” she pressed, moving closer to him and getting in his space, making it difficult for him to ignore her.

  He sighed, giving her an annoyed look, but she knew he didn’t mean it. She just had to keep reminding him that he couldn’t get away with shutting her out. “You should sit and allow me to provide for you. If my offerings please you, then if you were Volin, we would mate. But you are human so it is much, much more complicated,” he grumbled.

  Lois smirked and took a seat at the dining table. “I can sit,” she said. “But I’m more used to doing things. I’m going to get bored unless you let me help.”

  There was a pause as he ignored her, and she reached out her toe to give his foot a nudge. He sighed dramatically.

  “Tell me what you have been studying in your Volin class,” he said in Volin, and she perked up immediately. His voice was different in Volin, smoother and richer. She knew him to speak with deliberation, but his Volin flowed effortlessly. Lois sat up straighter, thinking now as it was her turn to choose her words carefully.

  “Oooh,” she said. “Very clever,” she praised his distraction and he nodded. She thought back to the topics they had been covering and filled him in.

  It was more work for her than it was for him, so he was able to get on with the cooking while keeping her entertained. His replies were easy but brief, and she quickly adapted to hearing him speak his native language. She couldn’t decide what language she preferred him in. She supposed the best thing would be if they both spoke their mother tongue, since they could each understand both, but that would probably get confusing quickly as they would have to find direct translations for everything rather than sharing a vocabulary.

  “How am I doing?” she asked him.

  He glanced at her. “It is strange hearing you speak Volin. It does not come as easily to you as it does to me. But it is nice,” he admitted, and she glowed with pride.

  Zir put the food in front of them soon after that. Again, it seemed to be an approximation of a human dish using Volin ingredients, and Lois made a mental note to figure out some meals she could make for him soon. It was skewered meat, accompanied by something like green beans the length of noodles. Lois had her reservations when she first looked at it, but the meat was tender and the stir-fry-like flavouring carried her past the strangeness of the bean noodles.

  “I like it,” she said, and he watched her for a moment, his eyes fixed on her face. Abruptly she remembered what he had told her earlier, that a Volin female would take him as her mate if he pleased her, and blushed. It wasn’t off the table yet, she thought, not for her anyway.

  “Good. I am glad,” was his simple reply.

  They talked about work, about people they both knew and recent political developments that affected DETI. Lois asked about Taz, and Zir told her that he seemed to be doing better, but it was clear that leaving Taz in the orphanage still didn’t sit well with Zir. Lois didn’t know what to say, how he proceeded was his decision, and she felt guilty for putting him in that position in the first place.

  As they finished eating and Zir cleared the plates away, Lois thought about what she wanted to do next. It could just be a date. She could linger for some more conversation, maybe a kiss or two, and then go home. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted more than that from him, but she wasn’t sure how he would react. There was one way to find out, she told herself.

  “Shall we have drinks?” she suggested, turning to Zir and putting her arm over the back of her dining chair, folding one leg under the other one.

  Zir looked at her and nodded. “Would you like coffee?” he said.

  “You have coffee?”

  “I bought some this week.”

  “In that case, sure, I could go for a coffee.” She wanted to be up all night anyway. “Let’s have it on the couch.”

  Zir brought their mugs over and Lois kicked off her shoes, tucking her feet under her as she twisted to face him. He sat next to her, a mug of choba in his hand.

  “Thanks for dinner,” she said.

  “You are welcome,” he replied.

  “You’ll have to come to mine next, so I can cook for you,” Lois said. He opened his mouth as if to object, but Lois cut him off. “It’s only fair. I want to practice my Volin cooking.”

  “I will provide for you,” he said stubbornly.

  “Well, I want to provide for you too,” she replied.

  He didn’t look happy, grumbling into his mug as he took a sip.

  “You should be pleased,” she said, poking his thigh with her toe. “I don’t do it for everyone.”

  He caught her leg, wrapping his hand around her ankle, the warmth of it making her breath catch as he slowly lowered his claws to her skin, careful not to hurt her. He turned to look at her, yellow eyes totally focused.

  “Good,” he said. “Then I am pleased.”

  For a moment Lois just held eye contact. Then she sat up and put her mug on the small coffee table. “Why don’t we just skip the coffee?” she said.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Come here,” she said, reaching for him. He obligingly leant forward, also leaving his mug on the table. Lois used his shirt to pull herself to him, and his hand on her leg loosened, letting her shift her weight. He couldn’t be confused about what she intended in this position, but she still paused, giving him a moment to object, before gently laying her mouth against his.

  His scales still felt stiff against her lips, but he kissed her back, moving against her. She shifted more of her weight onto her knees, deepening the kiss. She tugged her skirt up around her thighs so she could get one leg over his lap and he leaned back against the sofa as she straddled him.

  She slanted her mouth against his more firmly, cupping his jaw and using her hold to gently guide his mouth open. She licked against his lips to gage his reaction, flicking her tongue against the dental ridges behind them. When he didn’t protest or try to shut her out, she dipped her tongue in deeper, finding his and teasing it to join hers. His tongue felt different than a human’s, shorter and narrower, but thicker, with a more pointed tip. She licked over it and they tangled together.

  She shifted closer to her, canting her hips towards his as she used her legs against his thighs to pull herself up Zir’s body. She let her fingers trace down his neck and under his collar, feeling the hard muscles of his shoulders and sweeping his collarbone with her thumb.

  His arms went around her waist, pulling her to him, bowing her spine as her breasts flattened against his chest. He growled softly, his lips breaking away from hers in a faint snarl. She opened her eyes to look at his face as she panted for breath, smiling at what she saw. His crest was up and he looked angry, though she knew he wasn’t. He probably just didn’t understand her human shenanigans.

  “What are you doing, Lois?” he growled, his voice deeper than usual.

  She smiled again, and wiggled her hips against his under the pretence of resettling her weight. His arms still caged her like iron bars, and it was difficult to hold her face far enough from his to focus.

  His hold on her flexed minutely, as if he meant to jostle her to get her attention, but he well and truly had it. “Have you chosen me?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Do I have to make that decision now?” Lois replied, running her fingertip along his sharp jawbone until it caught on the barb under his chin
.

  Zir took a deep breath in through his nose, then exhaled slowly, while Lois waited on tenterhooks to hear his response. He could say he wouldn’t do a thing with her unless they were mates.

  “Zir?” she prompted, worried.

  “No,” he stated. Before she could react, he surged to his feet, one arm shifting under her butt to support her.

  She quickly latched onto him. “Damn, you’re strong,” she exclaimed. He had to be for a move like that, going from reclined on a couch to standing carrying her weight without a single hitch or lurch.

  “Yes,” he agreed, striding out of the living room and down the hall while she clung to him like a koala. He was fast too, when he wanted to be.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. Her arms were around his neck, but she didn’t feel like he was going to drop her. There was no give in his hold at all.

  “To my nest. You wish to test me as a mate. That is fair. I will prove myself,” he stated matter-of-factly, kicking open the door to what she realised must be his bedroom, though she couldn’t see it as she was facing over his shoulder.

  The world tilted as he deposited her on something soft, pulling back out of her arms. She looked around quickly, it looked like a large square hammock holding a big red cushion.

  “It’s not a test,” she objected, losing any further argument as she looked back at him in time to see him whip his shirt over his head. She stared at his torso, having never seen so much of him at once.

  His feathers were standing stiff and tall, glinting like polished copper where they caught the light from the hall. His yellow eyes seemed to glow. His body looked hard and trim, with faint shadows of muscle clinging to his green scales. Seeing almost all of him like this, his arms looked longer than they should be, though that might have been an effect of the long claws adding an extra inch or two.

  He was clearly an alien. He looked nothing like a human, bearing only the most basic resemblance in shape. He looked fierce and masculine, and nothing like the Zir she used to think she knew.

  Lois tightened her thighs in anticipation, lying in his ‘nest’ as he put it. She couldn’t wait. She held her arms out to him.

  Chapter 19

  Zir shook his head, the only light in the room coming from the open bedroom door.

  “Take off your clothes,” he commanded. “I will tear them.” His claws twitched at his sides as if he wanted to do just that. Lois didn’t think that sounded so bad, but she did recognise the practicality of it. She would need something to wear home.

  She gave him a crooked smile, then looked down her body, wondering where to start. She was not in a very lady-like pose, having stayed exactly where he put her. Her skirt was riding high on her thighs and her legs were bent. There was a good chance he could see her underwear from where he was.

  She decided to remove her stockings first, as they were the most fragile and stood no chance of surviving if he lost his patience. They matched the lingerie set she was wearing, but she wanted them off. He could be impressed by her intimate wardrobe later.

  She made sure to tease him, slipping her thumbs into the elasticated lace garters and pushing the nylon down her leg, flashing her thigh at what she hoped was her best angle. Zir growled low and quiet, impatient, and a flush went through her, her stomach clenching in want. Next she started unbuttoning her blouse.

  “You will show me how humans breed, I will do it, I will please you,” he said as he watched her part her blouse, exposing more skin.

  Lois grinned, leaving her blouse for the moment to unzip her skirt and push it down over her hips, twisting to get it off. She had a moment to be pleased that her shirt matched her lingerie.

  “But Zir, I’ve had sex the human way,” she pouted. “I want you to show me the Volin way.”

  He stared at her and she paused in her undressing, waiting for his response.

  “We will do both,” he said eventually.

  “I like the sound of that,” she breathed. She held out her arms. “Come here.”

  “You are still dressed,” he reminded her.

  “Barely. And so are you,” she argued. She hooked her foot behind his thigh and tried to pull him to her, but he wouldn’t shift. He seemed conflicted, so she rose up on her knees and let the shirt fall off her. “Better?” she asked.

  She reached for him again, sliding her palms over his shoulders, leaning into him. He looked down her body, then brought a hand up between them. He delicately slid his claw up under her bra between her breasts, giving it an experimental tug. She let him explore. He might not have seen underwear like hers before, and it was there to be appreciated. She wanted him to touch her more.

  He moved his hand away and repeated the act on her briefs, working a claw under the fabric over her hip and giving it a gentle tug. Her core tightened in excitement at the intimate brush, his claw hard and warm against her soft skin.

  Lois dropped her hands to his hips, running her thumbs over his scales as she pulled on the belt loops of his pants to make her point. He was wearing more than she was now.

  “I’m getting cold,” she said quietly, hoping to hurry him along.

  As she predicted, he looked at her sharply, and she wrapped her arms around him to really sell it. Now they were chest to chest and she could feel his pulse beating against her stomach. He was warm and firm and alive and she wanted him.

  “Touch me,” she said, brushing her lips against his cheek.

  His hands brushed up her arms, then settled on her back, the claws resting so that she could just feel the prick of the points between her shoulder blades. They were no sharper than a pencil, and while she knew he could definitely do her real harm if he wanted to, she didn’t think he’d draw blood by accident. He might scratch her, but that would be all.

  He kissed her and she met him gladly. His hands ran down her back, cupping her ass briefly, and one hand continued to her thigh, pulling it around his. He lowered her back to the nest, breaking away from her mouth to rasp “Is this right?”

  “Almost,” she said with a cheeky smile, reaching for his fly and working it open.

  He grabbed her hand, stopping her, and when she looked at him for a reason he looked almost shifty.

  “I do not look like your males,” he explained.

  Er. She decided to skip the flip response that he was green so the cat was out of the bag on that one. “You mean your…?”

  “It is best if you do not see,” he insisted. “Not at first.”

  “I want to see,” she argued back. “If it’s going inside me.” Wait. “That is how you do it, right?” What if she’d been wrong to assume they were compatible? Maybe that was why nobody who did it talked about Volin-human relations: mortification.

  Zir rumbled a noise that was presumably meant to soothe or reassure her, but also managed to sound offended. “Volin males fit any female,” he said, which she found a bit more ominous than comforting.

  She hesitated. “I don’t know if I really want to be surprised when it comes to this,” she said.

  “It will work. We can breed together,” he told her with certainty.

  “You should let me see,” she maintained.

  He gave a brief huff of frustration. “You may touch me before I enter you. Does that satisfy you?”

  That wouldn’t satisfy her, but it would calm her fears about what he might be packing down there, and allow her to say yes or no. If he wanted to satisfy her, he would have to work a bit harder than that, she thought.

  “Fine,” she agreed, pulling her hands back up and resting them on his waist instead.

  “I do not want you to find me strange and reject me before I can show you we will work together,” he explained.

  “I don’t think that,” she told him. “I like the way you look.”

  “Then I can continue?” he asked, running his nose along her cheek.

  Lois nodded in reply. “I’ll trust you on this one,” she allowed.

  She felt him hook his claws into the le
gs of her briefs to pull them down. Now it was her turn to stop him, cupping her sex to hold the lace to her and keeping herself covered.

  “This first,” she said, nodding down to her bra. Call her old-fashioned, but it just felt weird to do it the other way. She pushed him back to give herself enough room to roll onto her front and tossed her hair out of the way. “It unhooks,” she instructed him. Maybe he was worried about shredding her clothes, but the Volin were well-known for their dextrous and delicate use of their claws, and he needed to learn. She wasn’t going to undress herself every time.

  She felt him pick at the clasp for a moment before one hook, then the other popped free. She smiled and shrugged out of the bra, dropping it over the nearest edge of the hammock. She looked over her shoulder to give him a flirty look and see what he was doing before she rolled back over.

  He was staring at her back, then he delicately ran the tip of one claw down her spine, tickling her and making her shiver, her centre heating up at the simple erotic touch. He lowered his face to her shoulder and inhaled deeply, smelling her, his eyes closed. His hands gripped her hips, claw points just teasing the soft hollows of her abdomen while the velvet on his thumbs swept back and forth just above her ass. Lois decided doggy-style would be in their future, but right then she wanted those hands elsewhere.

  She turned in his arms, rolling slowly onto her back, letting him look at her. His eyes flicked over her as if he didn’t know where to start. She didn’t think anyone had looked at her quite that way before. It made her smile, and reach for him again, closing the gap between them and pulling him down for another kiss.

  Her nipples hit his hard, rough chest and she dug her heels into the cushion she was on. This felt right, feeling his chest move and his heart beat as their breaths mingled together with nothing between them.

  She broke the kiss and pulled herself further up into the nest, temporarily slipping out of his arms, and he watched her go like a cat watches a mouse.

  “Come on,” she said, tempting him to join her. She wanted him in bed with her.

  He didn’t argue, kneeling on the hammock, his weight making it dip. He followed after her, his body tense and every move carefully controlled. She lay down to wait for him, watching him come to her, pulling on his arms as soon as he was in reach to lead him over her. The hammock rocked slightly as he settled his weight and they kissed again, and she split her legs to either side of his hips, frustrated by the pants he still wore.