by Tasha Black
“Have I said something offensive?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
“No, not at all,” Kate said. “I was just thinking.”
“Ah,” he said. “The bubbles are in the middle.”
“Slide the spatula under it and flip it over,” Kate said. “It’s time.”
Kirk slid the spatula under the pancake smoothly. He flicked his wrist enthusiastically.
The pancake flew two feet into the air and landed miraculously back on the pan with a slap.
Drips of batter splattered out onto Kate.
She squealed.
“Oh no,” Kirk said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, wiping batter from her cheek. “You’ve got a strong flipping hand.”
Kirk smiled and leaned in to help her clean up. He wiped his thumb across her forehead, then her other cheek.
Kate felt her body melt at his nearness.
“Oh, there’s some on your lip,” he murmured.
But instead of thumbing it away, he leaned down and licked her lower lip.
Kate held her breath.
He licked her lip again, slowly, before pressing his mouth to hers.
Kate forgot the mess, the pancakes, the whole world around her. There was nothing but Kirk’s arms around her, the taste of his lips, the pulse of her need for him.
He pressed her against the counter, his kisses a demand.
Kate moaned and slid her hands up his bare chest.
“I think something’s burning in here,” Cecily’s voice said from the hallway. “Oh.”
Kate managed to pull away from Kirk’s kiss.
Both her roommates and his brothers peeked in the doorway to the kitchen, various expressions of amusement and surprise on their faces.
“I am learning to make pancakes,” Kirk told them, his arms still around Kate.
“I don’t think that’s how you do it,” Beatrix quipped.
Cecily gave her a gentle shove in the ribs.
“Beatrix is right,” Solo said from the doorway. “You don’t even have a snow shovel.”
16
Kirk
Kirk smiled at his brothers, who were observing him with envy.
“Were you guys out all night?” Kate asked.
She had pulled away from his kiss, but he noticed that she hadn’t let go of his hand. She was embarrassed to have been kissing him, but she wasn’t ashamed of the bond they had formed.
This was very promising.
“I think that’s burning,” Cecily said, pointing at the pancake.
Kate let go of his hand to pull the pan off the stove.
“We were at a party,” Buck said happily.
“What party?” Kate asked.
“A graphic novelist from the UK,” Beatrix said. “The party was wild, He hung his hotel room with sheets of butcher paper and by the time we left the whole place was covered in drawings.”
Kirk looked to Buck, who shook his head slightly.
Kirk was glad his brother hadn’t displayed his gift. Each of the men seemed to have an enhancement of some kind, an echo of their strengths back on Aerie.
But Dr. Bhimani had cautioned them not to use their gifts in public.
Buck had followed that advice. Kirk only wished he could say the same. It was risky for him to use his power on Spencer, but Kate was in danger. If he had another chance, he would do it again.
“So now what?” Cecily asked.
“I think these pancakes are a lost cause,” Kate said. “Sorry, Kirk. Do you guys want to go to the diner around the corner?”
Kirk wasn’t disappointed. As long as she wanted to spend her time with him, he was happy.
He noticed how Beatrix stole a glance at Buck before nodding her head.
Kirk hoped that they were bonding too. It seemed almost too perfect that they had met these three amazing women. If only they were receptive and compatible, he and his brothers could spend their Earth lives together with these three who were almost like sisters.
Though he wanted to immerse himself in his new planet’s culture, Kirk found it easier to do so when he had his brothers around to help him figure it out.
And secretly he worried about Solo, whose stern personality hadn’t softened even after months on this lush and welcoming planet. Solo would need Kirk and Buck to help him adjust.
“The diner sounds great,” Cecily said.
“Agreed,” Solo assented.
“Let me get my stuff,” Kate said.
She disappeared down the hallway.
“We should change too,” Cecily said to Beatrix.
Beatrix nodded and the two headed down the hallway.
Kirk began to clean up the kitchen. It was harder than he had expected.
“Let me help you, brother,” Buck said.
He grabbed a towel and began sweeping the dry ingredients from the counter into his hand and then dumping it into the trashcan.
Solo leaned against the wall, apparently deep in thought.
“You mated, didn’t you?” Buck asked quietly.
“No,” Kirk said, shaking his head. “But we will. I can feel it.”
“That is good,” Buck said, clapping Kirk so hard on the back that he nearly stumbled.
“How are things with Beatrix?” Kirk asked.
“I’m not sure,” Buck said thoughtfully.
“She seems to like you a lot,” Kirk said.
“I thought so,” Buck said. “But she has declared that she will not take a mate. She is mated to her career.”
“How is this possible?” Kirk was stupefied.
“I think it’s a figure of speech,” Solo said from his post in the doorway. “It means that the time she would devote to a family is now devoted to her work.”
“Ah,” Kirk said. That made sense. Though it was terrible news for Buck.
“If she means this, why does she seem to like you?” Kirk asked.
“Cecily took pity on him and explained it,” Solo said. “What Beatrix is doing is playing at liking Buck. It’s called flirting. Beatrix is very skilled at it.”
She certainly was. So skilled that Kirk wasn’t sure this could be the case. No one could be so precise at feigning attraction, could they?
He remembered that Kate’s job was a form of pretending for entertainment. Could she be pretending with him?
He thought of their time together last night. If she was pretending, she was truly gifted at it.
“This place is very confusing,” Buck said sadly.
Buck was usually the most optimistic of the brothers. Seeing him in pain stung Kirk.
“She will come around, brother,” he told Buck. “I think this flirting may only be practicing for something more.”
Buck’s expression lightened at this.
“Here they come,” Solo breathed.
Kirk heard movement in the hallway. Beatrix appeared first, followed by Cecily.
At last Kate joined them. She was wearing her wig and sunglasses again.
“I don’t want to be recognized while we’re out,” she explained.
She looked very beautiful no matter what she wore, but Kirk found her especially interesting to look at with the purple wig on. She looked like herself and not like herself at the same time.
They headed out of the apartment to the elevator, everyone chatting at once.
It was hard to remember his formal duties while in the midst of this friendly group. But he managed to check the elevator before they got on.
It was hardly big enough to hold all six of them. Kate wound up pressed against him in a very pleasant way. He watched sadly as the digital floor display counted down, not knowing when he would feel this closeness with her again.
He tried very hard not to think about getting in bed with her again, though the flashes of last night invaded his consciousness every few seconds - the scent of her, the sound of her moans, the movement of her hair as she thrashed out her pleasure.
Easy, Kirk, easy.
&n
bsp; When they reached the bottom floor he scanned the lobby before stepping aside to let everyone off.
He took Kate’s hand as they headed for the lobby door and she squeezed his back.
Sunlight bounced off the water in the lobby fountain and the rich scent of coffee drifted in the air. Everyone coming and going looked as cheerful as he felt.
Kirk wondered if his own happiness had somehow expanded to embrace them all, infusing them with the delicate joy of the beginning of his bonding with Kate.
17
Kate
Kate relished the feeling of the sun on her cheeks and the heat of Kirk’s hand around hers.
The sidewalks of Philadelphia were filled with young and old and everyone seemed to be smiling, as if they could feel her happiness.
Kirk was focused on the world around them, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of danger, even as he stroked her knuckle with his thumb.
She wondered if he realized how good he was at his job. He’d held it for less than twenty-four hours, yet he was one of the best bodyguards she’d ever had.
Beatrix and Buck were leading the way, chatting about someone they had met at the party the night before. Bea looked happy, her rare smile lighting up her face again and again.
“What are you thinking about?” Cecily asked.
“Just thinking it’s nice to see Bea in such a good mood before noon,” Kate said.
“Why?” Solo asked.
“Beatrix is not a morning person,” Kate explained. “She doesn’t like to wake up.”
“She didn’t wake up,” Solo pointed out.
He had a point.
Cecily laughed. “Solo, you’re hilarious,” she said, patting him on the arm and turning back to Kate.
Solo blinked in a pleased way and glanced down at the place Cecily had patted.
Buck opened the door to the diner and Beatrix swept in, the others following. The host seated them in a large booth and wandered away to find a waitress. Kirk picked up a menu and paged through it with an expression of wonder.
“All of these foods are made in this place?” he asked.
Kate nodded.
“That is impossible,” he said.
“The part of the restaurant that we can see is less than half the size of the place,” she explained. “Below us there’s a basement full of freezers and refrigerators with ingredients. In the room behind this one there are rows of ovens and cook tops as big as this table. And there are dozens of people working back there too.”
“This is very clever,” Kirk said. “The restaurant gives the appearance of leisure, yet hard work is being done just out of sight.”
“I never thought of it that way, but yes, I guess that’s true,” Kate allowed.
“Hi there,” a waitress chirped. “What can I bring you all to drink? Oh wow.”
That last was in response to the three hot guys at the table.
Kate realized belatedly that they had gotten careless and brought the boys out in public together. Hopefully the crowd at the diner wasn’t as alien-crazy as the one at Comic Con.
Cecily took over ordering for the table as the waitress managed to stop ogling the boys long enough to write everything down. At last she tottered away.
“She was checking you out,” Beatrix said to Buck.
“You are jealous,” Solo observed, looking from Beatrix to his brother and back.
“No, I’m not,” Beatrix retorted.
“She is,” Solo told Cecily.
“Yeah, but it’s bad manners to notice,” Cecily told him.
“My apologies,” Solo said very politely to Beatrix.
Bea looked like steam might come out her ears.
“There is no need for you to feel jealous of this waitress woman,” Buck remarked, grinning at her. “I will gladly tell you what I would like to eat whenever you wish.”
Beatrix started to scowl at him, but it finished as a smile. It was as if her own face had betrayed her by echoing his expression.
Bea had it bad.
Kate was glad. Bea needed to let loose and connect with people. Buck was good for her. He might get her nose out of her comic books for a change.
The waitress came back to cover the table in coffee cups. Another waitress had joined her. She was helping to carry the mugs of coffee, but Kate suspected she was there more to check out the view.
When her eyes slid down Kirk’s body, Kate felt herself stiffening in affront.
But the big alien didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did, he gave no indication as he ignored both waitresses and turned to Kate, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
All better.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slid it out to check.
* * *
1 text message
* * *
Carol:
I saw PopWire today. Your little secret is out. Or maybe I should say your “big” secret. LOL. Now I get why you didn’t want another bodyguard. You go, girl! (But next time, please inform me so we can get out in front of it and milk it for PR!)
* * *
“What the heck?” Kate muttered.
* * *
Kate:
What are you talking about?
* * *
Carol:
Oh shit, you didn’t see it. PopWire - front page, you won’t miss it.
* * *
Kate clicked the link. She didn’t even have to scroll down.
* * *
Who is the mystery man with Katie Henderson?
* * *
There were pictures of her at the Con, sitting beside Kirk, taken with a cell phone.
It wasn’t so bad. Nothing had happened between them in public She could still play him off as just a bodyguard. She scrolled through them quickly.
Then she hit the last photo.
In the picture Kate was smiling at a fan, and patting Kirk’s hand.
Kirk gazed at Kate, a slight smile tugging up the sides of his lips, his gray eyes rapturous under the long lashes.
He wasn’t looking at her as a client, or a colleague or even a friend.
No, Kirk was gazing at Kate with a naked expression of love. His feelings were as clear as if he had written her a sonnet and posted it on a billboard.
Kate’s stomach dropped to her feet.
“Is everything okay?” Cecily asked.
“Kate?” Kirk whispered, touching her hand.
She turned her phone off quickly and slipped out of the booth.
“I-I need to go,” she muttered.
“Kate,” Cecily said.
“Just look at PopWire,” she said. “And then get these guys separated. It’s only a matter of time before someone figures out who they are.”
“Wait,” Kirk called out.
She dashed out of the diner and onto the street where the sun suddenly seemed too bright and the heartless pedestrians too cheerful.
18
Kirk
Kirk leapt out of the booth and ran after Kate. He had no idea what was wrong, but he had obviously been remiss.
More than once.
As a bodyguard, he had allowed his charge to become vulnerable in the street.
And as her friend and future mate, he had failed to be the confidante she chose in her moment of distress.
He burst out of the door and onto the sidewalk. His shoulders went down in relief when he saw her small figure advancing into the crowd. He’d been afraid he might lose her out here.
“Kate,” he called to her.
She didn’t slow down.
“Pardon me,” he said as he pressed his way through the crowded sidewalk. “Excuse me.”
On Aerie, this abandonment of basic good manners would have been tantamount to social suicide, but here there was little resistance. Not that it mattered - he would have gladly lost his reputation to find and protect her.
At last he caught up to Kate. She was walking quickly, purple hair of her wig bouncing on her shoulders, her mouth set in a narrow line.
/> “Kate,” he said. “I’m sorry you are upset. Have I done something wrong?”
“You haven’t done anything,” she said. But she didn’t look at him.
“I can tell that something is wrong, how can I help you?” he asked.
She stopped, took a deep breath and then sighed it out.
“Come here,” she said, sliding her phone out of her pocket.
They walked over to the side of a building, allowing the pedestrian traffic to pass them by.
She held up her screen.
On it was a picture of Kirk looking at her. It was a lovely picture. Kate was smiling kindly at a fan. Kirk remembered her as a young woman who had been empowered by Kate’s role in the television show.
When he first put on the body he now wore, Kirk had felt it was excessive and clumsy.
But this photograph showed him its fine delicacy. He admired the way the curve of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes were the perfect mute expression of the love and longing he felt for his mate. If he had not learned her language this picture would still have shown her everything she needed to know about his feelings and his intentions.
“It’s lovely,” he told her. “Who took it?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s been published online in a gossip column.”
“Oh,” Kirk said, trying to follow.
“That means that the fans will be trying to figure out who you are,” she explained. “And you don’t have a back-story for them to find. And you’re big and gorgeous. Which means they’re going to put it together that you’re an alien. Especially if they see you with your brothers.”
“Oh,” Kirk said, his heart dropping.
“What can we do?” he asked.
“You have to go away,” she told him.
“I won’t leave you.”
“You can’t stay, Kirk,” she said. “You see what’s happening. It’s only a matter of time.”