Phi’s lips went to my neck, the man pressing kisses to the flesh. “As my body continues to adapt to yours, the discomfort will recede. Soon you will enjoy it.”
What the fuck had he just done to me? My hands went to cover my swollen breasts, my eyes darting between our bodies to confirm that it was a smear of blood I saw on his cock. I wasn’t sure if it was mine... or his. Did they bleed red?
The way he took my jaw and made me meet his eyes, I felt like he was speaking to me. Saying I did not do this the first time we fucked because I needed you to know how much pleasure I might offer. It won’t always hurt. This is what I am. This is what you are.
Then he kissed me and it was soft and promising, the brush of his mouth careful.
The ship no longer felt warm on my back. The sun had gone, the two of us having humped like stray dogs for God only knew how long. The second I shivered, he warmed his hands up and down my arms. He called me pretty.
And I, I felt as if I’d been tricked.
Chapter Four
Holding hands with a creature that had only three extremely long fingers wasn’t as awkward as you might imagine. Trying to keep busted pants from falling down during said walk was. My apron hid the damage to my trousers, but either I’d lost weight or the darn things were torn worse than I thought—with every step, they had to be hiked up.
It was far more distracting than the feel of alien skin against my palm.
“Have you eaten today?”
“Yeah.” I lied, trying to hook my thumb under my belt loop to pin my damn trousers in place. “I ate at work.”
“Why not tell me the truth?”
Because now that I was unemployed, I didn’t have any money for food. Missing a meal or two wouldn’t kill me.
And it was none of Phi’s business.
More important, my thoughts on the matter were not spoken aloud, because I was glaring at him, my feet refusing to budge another step. “Reading my mind?”
A soft smile came to his mouth. “When you lie, you squint.”
“Can you read minds?” It was rude, the way I accused in that one question.
He did not react to my suspicions, my subtle hostility, or my attempt to unlace our fingers. He held on and spoke plainly. “I can read your every expression, the cadence of your heart, the way you smell, your tone.”
I had a very unsettling feeling there was so much more to it. The heart he’d just mentioned began to race, my breath grew shallow, and I muttered, “That does not make me feel very safe.”
“It should. Just think of how well I’ll be able to take care of you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I have seen your living conditions. They are subpar, cramped, and dirty. I will do a better job providing what you need.”
It was almost funny how simply he spoke of managing my life... as if he had a right to do it. “I’m not a pet, Phi. You can’t just take me off the street and keep me.”
He turned his black shutter eyes full upon me, and said, “But you want to come to my home, don’t you? You want to know more about me?”
The markings on his face were darker than I remembered, distracting. Even his jaw seemed more masculine, more human. Had he always had full lips?
Suddenly cloudy, my attention was totally lost on where we were or what we’d been talking about. “What?”
He smiled at me, stroked his fingers across my cheek. “You claimed you were hungry. I was asking where you’d like to eat.”
I did have a favorite food. “Have you ever had Chinese food? There’s a great place near my apartment.” Mentioning my apartment drew my brows low. There was something about it; something that I’d forgotten. “I think I left my keys at work.”
Going back in there with my clothes mussed and my pants hanging down was not an option. I’d never live it down.
“Emily, why don’t you stay the night with me? We can order Chinese food from anywhere you desire.” Fingertips trailing down my neck, Phi added, “Don’t you want to get to know me better?”
I didn’t even know what he did for a living. Considering I’d had sex with him twice, that I was holding his hand in public, it did seem a bit neglectful on my part. “I don’t know.”
“You will be perfectly safe with me.”
The dampness in my underwear distracted me. It was slimy and I had a feeling that had my pants not been black that they would have had a small red stain. “It hurt.”
Soft and commanding, he reminded me, “But it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Exhausted, I yawned despite the poor timing, and shook my head. Aliens didn’t sleep. He would not have a bed, or fluffy pillows, or warm blankets. “I need to go home. We’ll save the date for another time.”
“But you don’t have your keys, remember?”
* * *
I had to be dreaming.
So comfortable I almost fought my body’s mandatory wake-up stretch, my eyes held a view over the city that definitely did not come from my apartment window. My window overlooked a brick building about three feet away. This window displayed the majesty of downtown. I could even see sky.
My sheets were not this soft; my second-hand mattress was not this comfortable. I wasn’t even waking up hungry.
Because I’d had a big dinner and grown so sleepy that strong arms had carried me from a polished table as black and shiny as an alien ship and put me down in paradise.
A strong hand squeezed my hip, the feeling of a lithe body at my back moving in unison with my stretching. “Did you dream?”
I always dreamed. I was still dreaming because I didn’t feel awake at all. “The lake...”
“What were we doing at the lake?”
I smiled, turning into arms that were open to hold me. “Laughing in the sun.”
Snuggled to a broad chest, I blinked. Silvery-green, stripes.
This was Phi’s apartment, his bed. Why did he even have a bed? Pressing back to take in my surroundings, I sat up. Surrounded in a down duvet, more pillows at my back than even I possessed in my sad attempts to make my apartment hospitable, I was cocooned but utterly naked.
A strong arm followed, settling around my waist while my host looked up at me.
It was too weird for words. “Are you cuddling with me?”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to.”
Why waste the time? “But you don’t sleep.”
And now that I was awake, I knew it hadn’t been him in my dream; it had been my brother who’d been laughing with me at the lake. It had to be. I’d never once heard Phi laugh. His species might not even be able to produce such a sound.
“Why are you concerned with what I do and do not do? Why not imagine that I remained at your side because I enjoy being near you. It gave me pleasure. It gave you deep, relaxing slumber. Does no one in your life ever do anything for you just because they want to?”
What did that matter? “No.”
“So you consider your neglect customary? I’ll change that.”
“I’m not neglected.” There was no one in my life, so no one could neglect me.
“When I offer you things it makes you nervous. When I give you pleasure you grow wary. Yes, you are archetypal for the neglected human.”
Growing insulted, I thinned my lips. “And what are you?”
“Smitten with a pretty, neglected human.” Quick and smooth, he leaned up only to push me back against the pillows and hover over me. He even looked smug.
It was a strange expression on an appealing alien face.
“While you slept, I considered what is to be done. How would I convince you to enjoy this room I decorated for you? What negotiations must be offered to get you to eat the foods gathered and waiting in my fridge? Would you fight such a beneficial arrangement on the grounds of female independence? You do seem to enjoy being belligerent.”
Belligerent? “Excuse me.”
He kissed me, lips lingering on my forehead. “Yest
erday you called yourself a pet. Do you see yourself as unworthy of positive attention? Maybe I do want to keep you. Maybe you’ll have no choice in the matter.”
He was teasing, I could tell—as if he’d just learned the nuance of this type of human interaction and could not wait to apply it. “Phi, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Can it wait?” He took a handful of my breast, and began to knead it while simultaneously toying with my nipple. “You were so tired last night and needed rest. Now that you have slept, you need something else.”
Breath leaving my body on a sigh, I leaned my head back against the pillows and closed my eyes. He took it as an invitation to add his mouth to the mix.
Taking his time, he learned the ins and outs of my breasts—what made me gasp, the exact kind of friction that increased my arousal.
My thighs were already parting of their own accord, but my mind was caught on one final thought. “What do you get out of this?”
His form shifting lower, his mouth to my belly, he muttered, “You,” before dipping lower.
The modern male did not generally perform this act. They got straight to business, or demanded it be done to them. Sure, I’d sucked a few cocks over the years, but no one had ever kissed me there before, and my toes were curling before I could stop myself.
God, it felt amazing. Little licks of an abrasive tongue, the sweet sweep of a finger over a slippery entrance. When Phi sucked my clit between his lips, when he speared me with that long digit, I arched off the bed and made a grab for him.
Gibberish. I knew I was speaking gibberish.
My hand to his smooth skull, I watched him devour me. Those alien eyes followed all I did, watched me writhe and yowl. It was too much.
Coming hard, I ground against that torturous mouth, grunting like a rooting pig.
And it was glorious.
No one in all my life had ever made me feel so good.
As he crept forward, his alien cock already in the shape he intended to use on me, I didn’t, couldn’t resist.
Pliant, I let him slip that flapping organ inside. I even peeked down to find the little tentacles manipulating my labia and clit. Bracing his arms so his body remained elevated, Phi made it so I could watch.
The whole thing in my view, familiar now with what that beastly organ could do inside me, I grew excited again. Sometimes it would swell. Moments later it would curve, undulate, or wriggle. It was never like the ordinary tubular shape of a human dick.
Human dick would never compare, and that thought struck me as equally exciting and awful. Nothing would ever be better than this. I’d been ruined for my own species.
As he pumped, as he used me, I think I even began to weep.
Orgasm twisted up, coiled my spine and brain into a mush of feeling. Nails to his back, I left a mark. It was only fair; he was marking me even if the tattoo was invisible. It would never wash off. It would never heal.
My aggression drew out his pleasure. Even while my pussy still clenched and spasmed, he unleashed those things that would bring pain.
Like he’d promised the day before, I found that despite the cramp, I liked it. Invasion, needle-like barbs slithered through me deeper than before.
Pop.
The man cried out, low, guttural, and dangerous.
We were both panting when it was done, each looking at the other.
I didn’t wince until he began a careful retreat, and it was then I registered how much it actually hurt.
Whimpering, I lay still as if that might help. “What did you do to me?”
“You’re glorious, Emily. Absolutely perfect.”
I wanted to press my hand between my legs and curl up, but his form was in the way.
Cooing over my body, he insisted, “Be still and let it happen.”
But he was done, right? What was happening? Why be still?
“Shhhhhhh.” One large hand began to rub my belly. “There is no need to be frightened.”
I asked again, suddenly too tired to keep my eyes open, “What did you do?”
“I gave you a gift.”
* * *
The next time I woke it was with a start. And that time I really did need to pee. Phi was not in the room to stop me from darting out of bed. The en-suite bathroom was very fancy, but I was too distracted with a need to urinate and escape to take much notice of it.
I used the toilet, rushing to the sink afterward to wash my hands.
And screamed.
There was a woman in the mirror staring back at me that I had never seen before.
Her hair was longer than mine by a good six inches, and her skin was clear, not a blemish, no dark marks under the eyes or a single wrinkle. She was radiant.
Phi busted through the door.
Unsure what to be more upset about, I looked from mirror to male, back and forth, coming unglued.
“Did you dream?”
“What?” What the fuck kind of question was that? “What the hell is going on?”
“You are upset.”
I was naked, in a strange place, with a very strange creature. I needed to get out. “Where are my clothes?”
“I destroyed them. You will not require them here. The temperature will be maintained for your comfort.”
My phone, wallet, and keys had been in my apron...
Eyes going wide, I knew, knew down to the bone, that my keys had indeed been in the front pocket. Why had I thought otherwise?
“You are messing with my head. It’s what you green men do!” Screaming, panicked beyond measure, I let loose. “You invaded our world! You tricked me into coming here!”
Click, click, click went those black eyes. “It is unhealthy to allow your blood pressure to spike in this manner. Take a breath and calm yourself.”
Sucking in air, I tried to hold it even though my chest was already forcing it out.
“Sit here.”
My legs wobbled, muscles tensing in rejection of the movement even as I stepped to the toilet and sat down on the lid.
Taking a glass from the sink, Phi filled it with water then held it out to me. “Drink.”
I didn’t want to. I really didn’t want to, but cool water found my lips and before I knew it, I’d swallowed the whole thing.
Tears were running down my cheeks. Ugly crying, I asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave me a direct answer. “Because you are upset and I do not wish for you to cause harm to yourself.”
He took the glass, and I leaned forward, head between my knees like a rag doll. Curled up, my eyes on the marble tile under my toes, I cried.
Phi ran strokes down my spine as I did.
“I’m not a cat!”
His hand did not waver in its stroke. “Stop with that line of thought. My kind does not consider you pets, though we do intend to keep select females in a manner that you might equate with one. Adjustments will have to be made on both sides for assimilation to function optimally. You will be happy like you were at the lake. Remember?”
Why trick me into coming into his apartment? Why seduce? He could have just grabbed me on the street and taken me that first day and we both knew no soul would have looked for me.
Except my brother and his wife when the monthly deposit did not go through.
Muttering against my knees, I demanded, “I want something to wear.”
He gave me one of his button-down shirts.
Chapter Five
It was awkward sitting on a barstool with no panties. The button-down covering my breasts was not long enough to offer any real barrier between my ass and the buttery leather. I was sticking to it, just as Phi was sticking by my side.
A bowl of fresh strawberries, cut up for easy eating, sat before me. It was a treat I’d not indulged in for some time. Fast food was much more affordable than fresh produce.
I mean, it’s not like I never ate a salad, but fresh fruit... it was a luxury I could not afford.
Gorging
like a maniac, I hardly chewed. The berries tasted too good.
Sunshine and earthiness, nature and health, things you don’t find in the city.
“Has this made you happy?”
“Mmmhh.” That’s all he was getting from me. A grunt and a quick swallow of cool water, and I was right back digging into the bowl.
He’d wanted me to eat the foods he’d gathered for me in his fridge. I was not about to turn down free food. But, still unsure what that meant, I’d sat where he’d pointed and glared while he’d prepared the fruit and served me.
That’s right. He’d served me, the waitress.
The irony was not lost.
I wouldn’t even have to leave a tip.
Mouth full, ungrateful as could be, I demanded, “I want my clothes back.”
Alien shoulders shrugged. “They’re gone. I did not anticipate this reaction or I would have asked you first, but understand, Emily, they were torn, stained, and ruined. New clothing can be procured if it means so much to you. But, wouldn’t you rather feel the sun on your skin? It’s such beautiful skin.”
“Where is my phone?”
Phi watched me, noted that I was no longer shoveling food between my berry-stained lips, and formulated. “Who do you wish to call?”
“You can’t keep me in here...”
“Why would you not want to stay?” It was as if the man was actually confused by my irritation. “There is food, comfort, safety. Tell me what you need to be happy in my company.”
I was angry. Maybe even angrier than I should have been considering my time in his home had been pleasant. He had offered food, comfort, and safety. “I want my phone, my wallet, and my keys.”
He opened a nearby drawer and pulled my personal effects out to set before me on the counter. And then he said nothing.
Tentative fingers reached out to brush the scratched casing of my flip phone, to test that it was really there. Solid plastic met my hands. I opened it to find the battery dead. The jagged coolness of keys was palmed next.
Dragging my eyes from my things, I looked at Phi. “Why didn’t I think I had these last night?”
He was large, imposing, but standing in a way that hinted at timid. “Emily, I enjoy your company. Is it so hard to imagine you might enjoy mine as well? That subconsciously you created an excuse to be rescued after your terrible day?”
Alien Alphas: Twenty-Three Naughty Sci-Fi Romance Novellas Page 39