Layla and Her Alien

by Andrea Allen

  After several weeks of nonstop, mind-blowing sex with her, it had stopped. She also seemed to be avoiding me. In my heart, I worried that my brother had finally won her over, circumvented the contract we had and just took her to be only his. I knew in the back of my mind the moment she told us she couldn’t choose that her mind might eventually change. If she ever decided she wanted marriage and a family, my brother was the obvious pick. While I wanted to keep her in my arms and in my bed forever, I wasn't necessarily on that family track.

  I had just been happy to have her in some capacity for the time being, so I hadn’t push. However, I was beginning to wonder if that was the wrong move.

  I was on Aria duty this morning, allowing Richard to go into work. We had taken shifts with her like that until the private investigator we hired could give us better details about Chad's whereabouts and what he was up to. He could just be a crazy guy wanting to make her miserable, but he could also be a psychopath waiting to pounce. It wasn't something we were going to risk with Aria. Neither of us could lose her.

  Aria padded down the stairs, looking incredibly tired. I got the feeling she wasn't sleeping much by the circles I always saw under her eyes now. I had to know what was going on.

  "Aria," I said gently, setting her breakfast in front of her as she sat down. I had made her some eggs and bacon when I made my own breakfast. I was a great cook, and I knew it would be a nice gesture, especially if I was going to ask her to divulge something. "I've been trying to give you time, but I need to know what’s going on. You seem so distant, and I just want to know the truth. I can handle it."

  Aria sighed and reached in the pocket of her robe to pull out something that made a million emotions run through me at once. It was a gorgeous ring that she put on a finger that meant she was engaged to someone. It was a dazzling diamond surrounded by sapphires, just the kind of ring my brother would give to a woman he loved.

  "It's not what you think," she told me, obviously seeing the panic plain on my face. "I mean, it is an engagement ring from Richard, but it doesn’t have to mean what you think it does. We were supposed to tell you about everything together, but then all this stuff with Chad has me so scared and stressed. It’s been so hard."

  I softened a little, ready to at least hear her out. I couldn’t imagine being in the position she was in, being under attack from someone I had once cared about and maybe even loved.

  "Just tell me," I begged, reaching out for her hand, "if things are over for me and you."

  "It's not like that," she tried to explain. "I'm..." She trailed off as the doorbell rang. I held up a finger telling her to hold that thought as I went to see who it was. I had ordered some protein powder online but didn’t expect it until the next day. Maybe it had come early.

  But when I opened the door, I immediately got a blow to the face. The man at the door reached down and placed something against my skin, and I screamed in pain as volts of electricity ran through my body. Chad had come for Aria, and I had just let him in my house.

  I tried to get up and move as he left the door wide open and went searching through the house for Aria, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was paralyzed. "Run!" I called out to her, and hopefully it was just in time.

  I began to pull myself across the floor in a crawl, and I saw her running up the stairs, trying to get away from the man. But he yanked at her robe, revealing her body and making her tumble backwards.

  "Please!" she screamed and cried as the man grabbed a chunk of hair and began to drag her haphazardly down the stairs. I tried once again to pull myself up on the bottom step, but Chad kicked out, getting my arm and my face. "Please, I'm pregnant. Don’t hurt me!" Tears were streaming down her face, and she looked to be in utter fear. In that moment of shock, my eyes went to her belly, and I could see the beginning of a small bump. She was telling the truth. That was what she was trying to tell me and why Richard would have proposed marriage. She was having either his baby or mine.

  "No!" I cried out, knowing more than one life was at stake now. In more pain than I had ever felt in my life, I finally pulled myself up as he slammed her down onto the marble floor. There was blood behind her head, and she looked groggy as I approached from behind.

  "You will have no other man’s baby. You are mine. I am your dom. You are my sub. You will do as I say." His voice was deep and evil. I reached for a clay pot that sat in the foyer and threw it at his back with as much force as I had. It gave him pause, but then he turned on me and came after me, pulling a knife out of his pocket. What was wrong with this insane man?

  My life flashed before my eyes, and I hoped Aria would take this chance to run, but just as she was hitting the door, he brought her back again, yanking at her hair until she fell and hit her head, falling unconscious.

  Just as the knife was about to dig deep into my abdomen, a shot rang out. Chad collapsed, and I saw my brother standing in the doorway, holding the gun that just shot the man that was trying to harm the woman we loved. Richard immediately dropped to the ground where Aria lay in tears, his hands quickly covered in her blood.

  I reached for the phone to dial 9-1-1, but then I heard the ambulance already approaching. Which one of us had won her didn’t matter anymore; I just needed her and that baby to live. If not for me, then for my brother. He would never recover from that, and I knew it. Were they going to be able to save them both?

  I watched as they loaded her into the ambulance, covering her naked body up. Richard instantly told them about the baby, and I told him to be the one who rode with her; I would catch him there. Busted arm and all, I was going to drive there so my brother could be with that child that was growing inside her because something inside me was telling me it had to be his.

  Chapter 10

  ***Aria***

  I looked down at the ring on my finger, somehow untainted by the blood I had lost in the fight with Chad. By now, Aaron must have realized about the baby. The nurses and doctors in the hospital had been monitoring its life as well as mine for the past twenty-four hours. By some miracle, there had been no obvious damage to the baby, though I had a severe concussion and needed a partial transfusion. The only comfort I had in this event was the fact that Chad was gone. Even if he made it through recovery, he would be locked up and never allowed to lay his hands on somebody like that again.

  Now that I was coming to, and the pain medicine was helping the ache in my skull, I knew that I had to talk to them about how we were going to handle this. My hands went to my stomach, and I rubbed the small bump that was there affectionately. One of their children was growing inside of me. We were going to be a family, whether traditional or not, and we needed to decide what that would look like. I couldn’t keep breaking hearts anymore. But I knew that I wasn't ready to give this ring back.

  The door to my room opened, and in walked both men carrying bouquets of roses; blue and yellow. They smelled wonderful. I smiled at them both and waited for the door to close before I said anything.

  "You both saved me," I told them, feeling nothing but grateful. "And you saved our baby." I looked down at my stomach happily. I could see tears in both their eyes. "I don’t want to give either of you up. I want to be a family, but that means I'm keeping this ring and marrying Richard. I need a partner to help raise this child, and I know that Richard loves me and this baby for all time." They were about to speak, but I stopped them. "I don’t want to know whose it is. I know it sounds crazy, but there are others who live this way, so just hear me out. What if Aaron was our third? We could live together and be our own little family, and if Aaron ever finds a woman he loves and wants this with, he is free to leave. Otherwise, I can still have you both, and you can both have me. I can be your wife." I looked at Richard who came to me and put his hand on my belly. "And I can be your lover." I looked at Aaron, and he nodded.

  "I can live with that," Aaron said, and Richard nodded in agreement, overwhelmed by emotion. "So, when’s the wedding? I call best man." We laughed-cried at Aaron, lovi
ng just how he always made everyone feel better.

  "I've always wanted a winter wedding," Richard admitted quietly, sitting down on the side of my hospital bed.

  "It sounds perfect," I told him as he leaned down to kiss my forehead, and Aaron leaned over and kissed my cheek. What an adventure this life was going to be.

  THE END

  Bonus 16 of 30

  Scars of Love

  Description

  When Sally sees her stepbrother, Noel, after a long absence, she realizes how much she’s changed. The two were already close, but it was obvious the second she saw him, the feelings of adoration and something much more seemed to arouse within her. But beneath the smile on his face was the trauma of his tenure as a Navy SEAL, and soon, Sally learns of the truth. However, instead of running away, she embraces it.

  As her lustful feelings for her stepbrother grow, Sally knows that she can’t hold this back. When a night of passion finally erupts between them, Sally knows she must make a choice. Will she let her feelings for her stepbrother in? Or will she continue to hold these back in favor of protecting herself and the friendship that the two of them have, and struggled to maintain for a long time? Find out in this hot, stepbrother military romance!

  Chapter 1

  Today was the day.

  A feeling of excitement loomed through my body as I thought about what today might bring. I sat in the airport terminal, watching the flight times. My stepbrother, Noel, was coming back after about three years in the military away from us, and I immediately felt excited. The two of us hadn’t really spoken a lot lately. Mostly because of how busy his time was there and because he was engaged in combat for a long time.

  Noel and I were stepsiblings. Our parents got together when I was 10 and he was 13. Even with the three-year age difference, we were always relatively close. I imagined that was probably because we were typically left to our own devices, so I rarely got to spend time with anyone but him. But I imagined my stepbrother grew up to be a fine man.

  When he left for the military at 18, I was still only 15. I didn’t really see the point in this, mostly because he was up and leaving us for a couple of years at a time. Now he was 21 and I was 18. Time did change a person for the better, and I’ve learned to really get my shit together.

  This meant that I really didn’t have time for relationships. I never thought of one, meaning that I usually spent most of my time alone. I was always studying it seemed, and it was part of the reason why I never really got in touch with Noel. Every time I did, he was busy. At one point, it was simply phone tag between the two of us, something that we didn’t really feel like doing with one another.

  But now, now everything changed. I had some free time, I was picking him up, and I had a couple of weeks off until I had to hit the ground running. I wanted to spend time with him, to see how everything changed.

  Finally, there was a sign that the flight finally got in, and when I saw the men coming out of the terminal, I immediately stepped out. I looked high and low for him, hoping that he wouldn’t take too long.

  Then, he showed up.

  For a moment, I felt like my heart stopped. Holy crap he got hot. I began to flush, realizing I shouldn’t be having these feelings for him, but here I was, ogling him like it was nothing. He then looked at me, a bit unsure of what to say.

  “Hello Sally,” he said.

  “Hey Noel,” I replied, trying to figure out where to look. His sandy blonde hair was now short, but he still had the most gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light. His larger frame was now toned instead of flabby like how it was before. In truth, he got pretty fucking gorgeous, and it was hard not to stare.

  “Sorry for the delay. Flight was a bit late,” he said.

  “It’s fine. It happens. Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I guess,” he told her.

  It was obvious something was wrong. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it though.

  “Well I’m sure my mom and your dad will be happy to see you. I mean, I’m off for break for another couple of weeks, so I’m excited to spend some time with you,” I said.

  “Yeah,” he replied, his face staring off into the distance.

  I wanted to ask what was wrong. I’ve never seen him like this before. Typically, Noel was always at the center of the conversation, trying his hardest to pay attention and listen to everyone. Right now, it seemed that something bothered him, and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to tell me.

  “How long are you off duty?” I asked, starting the car and heading on back home.

  “Depends. I don’t really know when I’ll be going back, but I guess I’ll have to,” he said.

  Something did happen. I mean, he was always so lively, so happy, but he seemed like a completely different person.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

  “Nope,” he replied, shutting me up.

  “Well, that’s understandable. I’ve just been in school,” I said.

  “Must be nice. Having the family pay for your stuff like that,” he said, a bit of annoyance obvious in his voice. I scoffed, looking at him for a moment and then ahead.

  “Actually, I’m on scholarship, so I’m not paying for jack shit. It’s nice,” I said.

  “Great,” he said. He seemed so distant that I didn’t know what to do about this. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut a knife. I decided to just let it go. Hopefully he’d open up the second we got back.

  When we got home, he got out. He grabbed his bags, but I stepped forward.

  “I’ll grab them for you,” I said.

  “No it’s fine. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he said.

  “You don’t have to treat me like a child. I mean, I’m eighteen now,” I said.

  “Really? Wow, time has flown by fast,” he said.

  “Yeah, and you’re acting pretty distant. What’s the matter?” I asked.

  He looked at me and then sighed.

  “I honestly don’t want to talk about it yet. I mean, there are some things you shouldn’t really know just yet. I mean, maybe once I’m settled in I’ll tell you,” he replied.

  I wanted to respond, but then, he headed inside. It was obvious that he didn’t want to tell me, but I wanted to know the truth. I’ve never seen him act so aloof and it seemed like he’s become a different person. Did the military change him? Or did something else happen? I decided to wait until he came to me, and I hoped that he would tell me eventually.

  Chapter 2

  The second Noel came home, everything changed. My parents were both there and they immediately embraced him, holding him. He hugged them back, but he seemed to still be off kilter. I shrugged, wondering what it was that he was hiding, but I guess it could wait. We went out for dinner, and even the servers congratulated him and thanked him for his service. He said it was nothing. However, I didn’t think it was just a little thing. I mean, the military was a pretty huge ordeal, and the fact that he was just brushing this off was weird as all hell. I wanted to ask him further about it, but when we got back, he went to his room.

  I spent the next day or so working on some of the homework I was given. Thankfully, I was close enough to the college I could come home every single day, so I’d get to hang with Noel whenever. However, he still seemed to ignore me, holing himself up in his room. I wanted to find out what was eating him, what caused this madness in him. I couldn’t just sit there and watch him suffer.

  I went to the room, knocking at the door. At first, there was no sound, and then, I saw him open up. He looked haggard, like he hadn’t slept in the few days he’d been home. I smiled weakly, looking at him with a grin.

  “Hey Noel, you doing okay?” I asked.

  He paused, looking at me with a glance.

  “What are you doing here? Why do you ask?” he asked.

  “I’m just wondering. You don’t look so great,” I said.

  “If you’ve been through what I have, you wouldn’t
look the same way either,” he said.

  “Can we talk about it? It’s obvious whatever is eating at you is going to keep bothering you until you tell someone,” I said.

  He hesitated, looking at me for but a moment, but then, he shook his head.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” he said.

  “I want to understand Noel. Just tell me. We can talk about this. I’m your sister. Remember, we used to talk about everything. I don’t want you to think that I’m going to hate you after what you tell me,” I said. I began to flush as I looked at him. I’ve never felt so nervous around him before, but this changes people, and now that we’re both adults, with different experiences, it was obvious things would change.

  He hesitated, looking at me with a glance before shaking his head.

  “I don’t want to tell you yet,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Because I don’t want to scare you away. It’s just… I’m scared,” he said.

  “I get it. You can tell me when you’re ready,” I said to him, giving him a touching hand on his shoulder. He stiffened, and soon, I pulled away.

  “Sorry,” I said with a blush.

  “It’s fine. You wouldn’t know,” he said.

  “Well, I want to be there for you. I mean, we’ve always told each other everything. I know that the military kind of separated us from each other, but I’ll say right now, there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought of you,” I said. I know that sounded really sentimental, but it was the truth. I always thought about Noel, and I always wanted make sure he was okay, but he never seemed to call, so I never got a chance to.

  He shuddered, looking at me and then sighing.

  “It’s fine. You didn’t know. I’ll tell you when I’m ready. Just please… stop asking,” he said.

  “Okay.”