by Tana Stone
Chapter Twenty-Two
Katie ran her hands through her hair and felt the curls still damp at the nape of her neck. She’d crept out of bed and dressed in black yoga pants and a pink T-shirt, moving quietly so as not to wake Zayn as he slept soundly, his long limbs sprawled across the bed.
Tiptoeing to the balcony, she spotted the sun cresting the trees in the distance. Slats of warm light bathed the grassy savannah and reached the wood railing. A group of zebra grazed only feet away, so Katie lowered herself into a lounge chair as silently as possible. A bird squawked as it flew low, but the zebras ignored it.
It amazed her that the artificial environment smelled like morning, with the fresh scent of dew hanging in the air. A fine mist even covered the arms of her chair. She wiped it away, thinking what an impressive job the Drexians had done creating holographic worlds that even felt and smelled right. They’d even improved upon it, since they hadn’t recreated bugs. She didn’t have to worry about being nipped at by gnats or feasted on by mosquitos.
With a final look back at Zayn, Katie took out a notepad and pen she’d found in the nightstand. Despite how amazing last night had been, she wasn’t ready to give up her chance to get back to Earth. Staying with a hot alien had seemed like a good idea when she was rolling around in bed with him, but that wasn’t real life. Her practical side wouldn’t let her believe in her feelings over what made sense. And getting back to Earth made logical sense. No matter what her heart told her.
She tapped the pen on the paper and tried to think back to the night before and what Zayn had told her. Memories flooded her mind, but not of their conversation. Her face warmed as she thought of their bodies locked together, of the water splashing out of the tub, and of their mingled screams of pleasure. She glanced at the empty paper. She was definitely not writing any of that down.
She needed to take notes about what she’d learned so far, since she didn’t trust herself to remember all of it later. There was too much. Details, she thought. She should start with details. She thought of all the incredible things about the space station and alien technology.
No bugs, she wrote. Levitating bar stools. Floating food carts. Bathtubs with instant bubbles.
She crossed out what she’d written and frowned. All those things were cool but they didn’t strike her as things that would make her story believable.
Implants to translate alien languages, she wrote. Now that was something that couldn’t be explained away. Ships that travel at the speed of light. Can fly to Saturn in under two hours.
She bit the end of her pen. Nodes.
She twisted around to look at Zayn again, her heart thumping as she thought about his nodes hardening under her touch. She let out a breath as she saw he was still sleeping. Her stomach tightened as her focus returned to her notes.
What was she going to do about Zayn? Getting off the station and getting back to Earth so she could write her story meant that she’d never see him again. It wasn’t like she could take him with her, even if he agreed to come, which she knew he wouldn’t and couldn’t do.
A Drexian warrior as big as him would not blend in on Earth. Even if he convinced people he was a bodybuilder, what would he do down there? There wasn’t much call for galactic warriors in LA. At least, not real ones. And he would never abandon his people, especially not if there was the threat of invasion. Katie would never ask him to do that, which left her right back where she started. Escaping the station meant leaving him forever.
She swallowed hard. What was the big deal? She’d only known him for a few days. Besides, leaving people was her specialty. She didn’t get attached. You had to trust to get attached, and her father had taught her never to trust anyone.
So why did she trust a big alien she’d just met? Maybe because he was the first person in a long time, maybe ever, who’d worried about her more than himself. Knowing that Zayn wanted to protect her made her trust him. She knew in her gut he would never hurt her or leave her or do any of the other things people in her past had done that had made her doubt herself.
“Get it together, Katie,” she whispered to herself, hearing her father’s voice echo in her head.
Even if she did trust him, care about him, even, that didn’t mean she could change all her plans. One thing she’d learned long ago was not to rearrange her life around a man. And abandoning her story and her plan to escape from the space station would mean that she was changing everything for him. She pressed her lips together. Some part of herself deep inside couldn’t let her do that, even though her heart ached at the thought of leaving.
Katie began writing an introduction to her article, the lines flowing as she wrote. After about half a page, she paused and reread what she’d written. Not a bad start, but she needed more about the Kronock. She didn’t know much about them yet. She’d have to try to learn more about where they came from, and how the war between the Kronock and the Drexians started. Zayn would be able to tell her.
She’d tried to push the thought of Zayn from her mind and take him out of the equation, but he kept creeping back in. He would be crushed if she left. She knew from the way he looked at her and the way he touched her that he was already in deep. Her pulse fluttered. Hell, maybe she was, too.
What was the alternative? Stay with him? Marry him? Live her life with an alien on a space station no one on Earth knew about and never set foot on her home planet again? She allowed herself to imagine life with Zayn and couldn’t help smiling.
The sun had risen above the trees, and the golden rays warmed her bare feet. She let her head lean back as she breathed in the faint scent of gardenia. It sure beat the one-bedroom in the Valley she’d been living in, the one she couldn’t even afford. And she knew she’d never find a man in LA, maybe in all of California, who would look at her the way he did. Not to mention the way he made her feel.
She huffed out her breath, impatient with herself. She needed to focus. If she couldn’t concentrate on writing, she could brainstorm places she wanted to pitch her story when she returned to Earth. At the bottom of the page, she made a to-do list of things to do upon her return under the heading “Back on Earth” along with the top publications and tabloid TV shows she knew would want her exposé. As much as the publication made her cringe, she felt sure The National Enquirer would pay top dollar.
Zayn rolled over in bed, making a small grunting sound. Katie turned to see the sheet slip off and expose his perfect ass. Nope. She was sure she’d never land one of those back on Earth.
As she watched him sleep she thought back to the first night they’d been in bed, of his nightmares, of the torture he’d withstood, of the pains in his head. Then she thought of him telling her his worries about the pains. He’d trusted her.
Katie looked at her “Back on Earth” checklist and shame washed over her. She ripped the page off the notepad and folded it in half. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave him. Not yet, at least. Not when he was so vulnerable.
Katie padded across the suite and slipped the folded paper, notepad, and pen into the nightstand drawer on her side, sliding them to the back. Zayn groaned and opened one eye, looking at her and closing it again.
“Why are you awake?” he asked.
“It’s morning. I was enjoying the sunrise on the balcony.” She sat on the edge of the bed and touched his stubbly cheek. “Did you know the sun rises and sets in the same place here?”
“Really?” He didn’t sound impressed by this.
“Think about it, if they designed it like a regular sunrise and sunset, we’d miss one of them because our balcony faces one direction. But you Drexians are so clever.” She ran a hand through his hair. “Since it’s a hologram, you make it so that we get perfect sunrises and perfect sunsets.”
“I guess that’s why they’re called fantasy suites,” Zayn mumbled.
Katie giggled. “Am I just finding out that you’re not a morning person?”
“It’s not that I’m not a morning person,” Zayn said, a
s he rolled onto his back, taking the sheet with him, and opened his eyes. “But I don’t remember us sleeping much during the night.”
“That’s a fair point.” She leaned down and kissed him, her lips lingering on his.
“Now I remember why I didn’t get any sleep,” he said, pulling her back. “And why I didn’t care.”
Katie saw the bulge under the sheet growing. She leaned into his kiss, feeling his need, and moaning as his tongue parted her lips. She sat up and stepped out of his reach. “Sorry, buddy. You snooze, you lose.”
He furrowed his brow. “I do not understand this game.”
She tapped her wrist even though she wore no watch. “I ordered breakfast, which should be here soon.”
“How soon?” Zayn glanced down at the tented sheet.
She crossed her arms. “Probably before Serge and Reina get here.”
That made him sit up. “They’re coming here? Now?” He slid out of bed, not bothering to cover himself as he scooped up his boxer briefs and drawstring pants from the floor and tugged them on.
“I think you have time to put on clean clothes,” she said, walking to the dresser and opening a drawer at the bottom. “Look. More pants.” She pawed through the pile. “I bet you’d look good in these cargo pants.”
“Better than I look in these?” he asked.
She twisted around to appraise the soft pants that left little to imagination, and her eyes lingered on the huge bulge that had not deflated. “Maybe not, but you should probably wear them anyway.”
Katie tossed the black cargo pants to him along with a fresh pair of dark-gray boxer briefs. She watched him change, even though a part of her felt she should look away. She almost laughed, considering how much of each other they’d seen the night before.
She swallowed hard as he stood before her shirtless with the cargo pants dipping below his waist. “I should be back soon. I think today I’m picking out flowers, or maybe it’s music. I forget.”
He crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I will be here when you return.”
Her body warmed in response to his touch and the brush of his lips across hers. “I’m counting on it.”
A rap on the door made her sigh.
“I’ll get it.” He reached the door in a few long strides, holding it open for the Gatazoid who bustled in with the floating food cart.
Katie could smell the blend of savory and sweet smells even before he lifted the silver domes from the plates. Her nose twitched at one particular scent. “Do I smell coffee?”
The small alien nodded. “I was told you required the stimulant.”
“You were told right,” Katie murmured, gratefully taking the cup he offered her and inhaling the aroma with her eyes closed.
“I believe I am jealous,” Zayn said, as he watched her.
She smiled at him as she took a sip. “You should be. This tastes almost like a Starbucks mocha.”
His eyes went to the plates and his own lips curled into a smile. “More sugary rings.”
Katie picked up a doughnut and held it out to him to bite. “I figured this was why you tasted so sweet when you kissed me yesterday.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “When I kissed you?”
“Or when I kissed you,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “Whatever.”
He swallowed the bite of doughnut and swept her up into a kiss, his tongue tangling with hers before he released her. “Like that?”
She felt dazed as she touched a finger to her lips. “Just like that.”
“Looks like we’re right on time,” Serge said, as he clomped into the room, a thick binder tucked under his arm.
Katie snatched up a doughnut and took a bite. Knowing Serge, they’d be so busy with wedding planning she wouldn’t get another bite to eat. “Want one?” she asked Reina, who’d walked in behind Serge.
“We don’t have your tolerance for sweet things,” Serge said, before Reina could answer, wrinkling his nose at the sticky doughnut.
“Speak for yourself,” Zayn said, pulling Katie into another long kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zayn finish the sugary ring, licking his fingers after he was done. He took a sip of the moi moi juice, after taking a swallow of the coffee that Katie loved so much and cringing. He thought humans loved sugar. The black, hot drink was bitter and tasted burnt, with no hint of sweetness. He took another bite of the sugar ring his mate had called a doughnut. Now these, he could get used to, especially if she liked kissing him after he’d eaten them.
Thinking of Katie and her soft kisses made his heart beat faster. He still felt like he was basking in the night before, his muscles loose and the worry that usually plagued him seemingly driven from his mind. Being with her was like nothing else he’d experienced before. He’d never been much for the females on the pleasure planets. Encounters with them were empty and hollow. Katie was different. He loved that she looked soft, yet had an inner fire and determination. Not to mention the side of her he’d seen when she’d straddled him and taken charge.
Thinking about her fiery side made his cock strain against his pants, which was painful, since the cargo pants were not as forgiving as the drawstring ones. He readjusted himself and put down the moi moi juice. That would have to wait until later, as would his thoughts of his mate. He did not want her to come back finding him stroking himself in the shower because he couldn’t stop thinking about her and how perfect she’d looked riding his cock.
Since she was off doing wedding things, Zayn had time to go to the medical bay. He reflexively raised a hand to his head. It hadn’t hurt since the day before, but the station also hadn’t experienced any malfunction. More than ever, Zayn was convinced the two were connected. He didn’t know how, but he had to find out.
Talking with Katie about the pains in his head had made him realize that he needed to figure out what was going on. Sharing his fears with her had made him feel better, as had her confidence in him. He knew from the look in her eyes that she didn’t believe he could do anything bad, and looking at her almost made him believe it, too. She’d offered to go with him, but knowing Serge, she’d be busy most of the day. As much as he liked having her close to him, he didn’t need her by his side to do this. He might be damaged, but he was still a Drexian warrior.
No, he would go to the medical bay without her and see if Mandy was there. For whatever reason he felt more comfortable around a human than he did sharing his pains with a fellow Drexian. Warriors were trained to hide their pain, not complain about it. Although Zayn was not complaining, he worried it might appear that way.
He pulled on a shirt and tucked it half into the black cargo pants. He found a familiar yet new pair of military-grade boots and slipped his feet into them, welcoming the weight and feel as he strode out of the suite and toward that inclinator. Even though he was going to do something he dreaded, he couldn’t help smiling as he stepped into the sleek compartment and swiped a hand across the panel. He could still smell Katie on him, and the sweet scent of the bath. He sniffed his arm and almost laughed as he wondered if others could smell the floral scent on him, as well. So much for his reputation as a tough guy. Even the scars wouldn’t help if he smelled like a flower.
It didn’t take him long to go the few floors down to the medical bay. He flinched at the antiseptic smell as the double doors swished open, the scent bringing him back to the time he’d spent there while his broken ribs had healed, and tests had been run. Now, he was glad the perfume of his skin could combat the chemical smell.
Zayn scanned the wide room, taking in the levitating beds and metal arms that swung down from the ceiling. Scanners beeped, and there was a low hum of hushed conversations. A few medics in white uniforms directed hovering carts of surgical tools beside them as they crossed the room. His eyes searched the staff until he spotted the human with long brown hair.
He didn’t know much about Mandy, except that she was mated with Dorn, the commander of the Inferno Force. Tha
t, and she was somehow the reason Katie was on the boat and matched with him in the first place. Even though he hadn’t understood all the details, he gathered that Mandy and Katie’s paths had crossed on Earth, somehow. Mandy’s disappearance had resulted in Katie getting in trouble, so the Drexians had solved Katie’s problem by bringing her to the Boat. At Mandy’s insistence.
He remembered Katie had not been pleased when she first met Mandy and made the connection, but from what she told him last night, Katie had decided to move on and make friends with Mandy. He didn’t know if it was forgiveness or practicality, since Mandy was one of a limited number of human women on the station. Either way, she’d sent him to confide in Mandy, so Katie must trust the woman.
As he stood in the doorway not knowing quite what to do, Mandy saw him and waved.
“Zayn! What are you doing here?” She walked quickly across the room, holding an electronic tablet with one hand.
“Katie suggested I come see you,” he said.
Her eyebrows rose. “Really? About what?”
He cleared his throat and glanced around, his confidence waning as he noticed the Drexians giving him curious looks. Mandy seemed to pick up on his discomfort.
She took him by one arm and walked him to the hovering bed at the far end of the room. “Here, this is better. Now we can talk without all those busybodies listening.”
He managed a smile as he sat on the wide of the hoverbed. He wasn’t sure what a “busybody” was, but the way she spoke reminded him of Katie, and he felt some of the tension leave his body.