Ella and the Alien Gamer (Intergalactic Brides 10)
Jessica Coulter Smith
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Copyright ©2017 Jessica Coulter Smith
BIN: 08024-02590
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Changeling Press LLC
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Editor: Crystal Esau
Cover Artist: Karen Fox
Adult Sexual Content
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Table of Contents
Ella and the Alien Gamer (Intergalactic Brides 10)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Jessica Coulter Smith
Ella and the Alien Gamer (Intergalactic Brides 10)
Jessica Coulter Smith
Ella has had a hard life as a single mom who barely makes ends meet. But she’s never once asked for help, and she never would. When Valero barrels into her life asking for things she’s not ready to give, she holds herself back. Mostly. The thought of taking the sexy alien to bed is more than a little tempting… except he’s playing hard to get.
Valero has wanted a mate ever since he was old enough to think of having a family of his own. He’s never thought of claiming a female with a child in tow, but Connor’s amazing gaming skills intrigue the video game designer. Asking the small family to move in with him seems reasonable enough since he plans to claim them as his, but Ella’s commitment issues prove to be a problem.
What’s a geeky gamer to do when the Cinderella of his dreams wants sex, but nothing else?
Dedication: For Jason. Thank you for pushing me to keep writing, even when the going gets tough. Without your love and support, none of these stories would be possible.
Chapter One
Small hands tugged on the hem of her sweater. “Mama, I’m hungry.”
Ella briefly closed her eyes and said a prayer before smiling down at her young son. At the age of five, he was always hungry, and it broke her heart every time she’d had to tell him no or had to send him to bed with an empty belly. She was doing the best she could, but most days it just wasn’t enough, no matter how hard she worked.
“Honey, we just had breakfast a little while ago.” She smoothed his hair back from his face. “How about some peanut butter crackers? I think there’s still some in the drawer by the fridge.”
Connor scrunched his tiny face. “I ate the last one yesterday.”
Her heart sank at his words. How had she not noticed the snack drawer needed to be refilled? She always kept crackers and a package of chocolate chip cookies in there. Even if it meant eating cheaper dinners, she tried her best to give Connor everything he needed, even if she couldn’t give him everything he wanted.
“What about some peanut butter toast?” Ella asked.
He glanced across the kitchen and she followed his gaze to the empty bread container. Right. They’d finished the bread this morning. Her heart was heavy and her eyes were damp as she swallowed the knot in her throat. She’d failed her small boy in so many ways, and continued to fail him every day. There were times she wondered if he’d have been better off if she’d put him up for adoption, and then she’d mentally slap herself. Yes, he might have led a more privileged life, but no one would ever love Connor as much as she did. And love was far more important than material things.
“It’s okay, Mama. I can wait until lunch.”
“I’m sorry, baby. Just let Mama look through the paper a little longer and then we’ll go to the store. Maybe we’ll stop at the burger place you like so much and you can get a cheeseburger for lunch.” Somehow. Even if she had to tear the couch apart for change. She had money in her account, but it was supposed to go toward rent, even if it wasn’t enough. She was still short two hundred dollars, and that wasn’t including the money she needed to spend on groceries to get them by a little longer.
The small hands tugged on her until she bent down. Connor kissed her cheek and she hugged him tight. He wiggled to be set free and ran off to his room, probably to play a game on the Xbox 360 she’d found for a steal in a pawn shop several months ago. It had just been the two of them since she’d found out she was pregnant. Ella would do anything for Connor, but even she couldn’t create a miracle.
Connor peeked out of his room. “Mama, do you think I could have one of those birthday cakes from the bakery this year? Like the one I saw last week with dinosaurs on it? I promise to be extra good.”
“Maybe, sweet boy. I’ll see what I can do, okay?” Ella wasn’t sure her bank account could handle the expense. As it was, she didn’t know how she was buying the fire truck he’d asked for the last time they’d gone walking at the mall, or how she was keeping a roof over his head. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had to live in her craptastic car, but she’d vowed the last time it wouldn’t happen again. Their apartment might have cracked walls, water stains on the ceiling, and a strange smell that would never go away, but it was dry and far better than living on the streets.
“I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too, baby boy. You and me against the world, right?”
He smiled and nodded.
Ella kissed his brow then sent him back to his game before she went back to the kitchen. She braced her hands on the counter and bowed her head. It felt as if the weight of the world had settled on her young shoulders. She started every morning optimistic that something wonderful would happen, and went to bed every night feeling defeated.
Casting her eyes toward the stained ceiling she couldn’t help but beg. “I need a little help. Just a little. I can’t do this all alone. I refuse to fail that little boy any more than I already have.”
Realizing that divine intervention wasn’t happening anytime soon, she huffed a breath and started washing the breakfast dishes. Things always worked out, one way or another. Unfortunately, the diner where she’d worked had closed and she’d had to get a job at the local coffee shop, making minimum wage with any tips earned split between everyone on shift. It didn’t help that she could only work part-time during the hours Connor was in school. She needed to catch a break, and fast.
With the dishes set on the draining rack, and her hands pruned from the water, Ella quickly cleaned the rest o
f the kitchen before collapsing on the couch. The newspaper was spread across her scarred coffee table and she picked up the classifieds. She’d searched the jobs a hundred times already today, and no matter how many times she scanned the pages, nothing new magically appeared that she was qualified to do. Ella flipped through the rest of the paper, searching out coupons to help stretch their grocery money a little further. A big colorful ad for Gamer Plus caught her eye. They were hosting a special Pokémon event today to celebrate their latest game. Connor loved all things Pokémon.
“Connor,” she called out.
She heard his little steps run from his room.
“Yes, Mama?”
“How would you like to go to Gamer Plus today? We can’t buy anything, but I thought you might like to look around, and they’re having special things all day to celebrate the new Pokémon game.”
His eyes lit up and he dashed off to put on his shoes. Ella slipped hers back on then went to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair and smooth on a little lip-gloss. When they had their jackets on and Connor’s hand was firmly clasped in hers, they set off for the game store. Her ancient Toyota still ran well, even if it wasn’t pretty to look at, and they puttered through the streets of town.
The parking lot at Gamer Plus wasn’t as packed as she’d expected and they got a spot near the door. She was barely parked before Connor was out of the car and running inside. She’d have to talk to him once more about safety and stranger danger, but for now she just shook her head and tried to keep up. There were various stations around the store set up for the event and Connor was running from one to another. As she tried to chase after him, she collided with a woman close to her size.
“I’m so sorry!”
The woman turned and her eyes widened. “Ella?”
“Rory? I haven’t seen you since…”
“High school,” Rory finished for her. “How’s your son?”
Ella motioned toward the bundle of energy that was zipping around the store. “Hyper as ever.”
Rory laughed. “It’s so good to see you. I feel terrible about losing touch after graduation. You still live here in town or are you visiting?”
“I live here, in the apartments over on Berkshire.”
Rory frowned a little and it made Ella self-conscious. She knew the apartments weren’t in the greatest part of town, but it was the best she could do with what little she had. She remembered Rory had planned to go to college, paid for by her rich politician father. Ella had been envious of Rory, of the future she would have, but not once had she ever wished Connor away.
A tall Terran at Rory’s side nudged Rory. “Introduce me.”
Rory grinned. “Ella, this is my husband, Zwyk. We just got married last month.”
“Congratulations!”
“Are you married or seeing someone?” Rory asked.
Humiliation burned through Ella. Of course she wasn’t. She was broke, single, and had been a teen mom. Could she have been more of a cliché? “No, there’s no one. Just Connor and me.” Ella turned toward the last place she’d seen her son. “Connor! Come here, please.”
Her son scampered over. “This is so awesome. Can we stay a little longer?”
“Of course, but I want you to meet someone first. Connor, this is Rory…” She stopped and looked at Rory. “I don’t know your new last name.”
Rory knelt and held her hand out to Connor. “You can just call me Miss Rory. And this is my husband Mr. Zwyk. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Connor. I went to high school with your mom.”
Connor’s eyes went wide as he looked up at Zwyk. “You’re a Terran!”
Zwyk chuckled. “Yes, I am. Have you seen one of my kind before?”
“Not up close.”
Zwyk laughed harder.
“I have a fabulous idea!” Rory said, clasping her hands together. “Why don’t you and Connor come over tomorrow for lunch? We were going to have a few friends over and have a buffet. Wings, nachos, sliders… you know, all the unhealthy stuff guys like to consume.” Rory knelt to look at Connor again. “And we happen to have an Xbox One with tons of games.”
Connor jumped up and down. “Can we, Mama? Please?”
Rory had backed her into a corner by tempting Connor with video games. How could she say no? If she did, she’d break her son’s heart and seem like an ogre. She didn’t know what she’d have in common with a college graduate and some aliens, but what would it hurt to stop by for an hour?
“All right. What’s the address?” Ella asked.
Rory pulled some paper and a pen from her purse and wrote down the address along with her phone number. Ella waved goodbye as Connor dragged her over to one of the gaming stations to talk her ear off about things she didn’t understand. She always listened when he talked about his games, but she never understood a word he said. Gaming had never been a big draw for Ella, not even in school. She’d always preferred books and movies.
She somehow let Connor talk her into a ten dollar used game and then they were on their way to Big Bart’s. She didn’t let Connor eat fast food very often, but he loved the cheeseburgers at Bart’s and they only cost a dollar. She ordered one for each of them and a medium drink for them to share. They sat at a table outside in the play area and after Connor had inhaled his cheeseburger, he ran off to slide and climb through the tunnels. With some luck, he’d wear himself out and take a nap when they got home.
Ella let him play for a half hour then called him back to the table. “We need to stop by the grocery store if we want to eat dinner tonight. We’ll come back another day, okay?”
Connor pouted, but he took Ella’s hand and walked to the car with her. At the store, he was especially good and didn’t ask for a lot of extra things. She did throw a box of animal crackers in the basket as a treat for another day, restocked the peanut butter crackers, and bought a package of chocolate chip cookies. She restocked their dinner options with a variety of Hamburger Helper, two types of pasta, and some fresh fish that was on sale. Connor loved seafood, but they were seldom able to get any.
She winced a little at the total when they checked out, but swiped her bank card, then gathered the sacks and carried them to the car. Once the trunk was loaded, she buckled Connor into his booster seat and drove back to the apartment. By the time she’d put the groceries away and figured out what she was making for dinner, Connor was passed out in his bed.
Ella smiled as she entered the room and gently removed his shoes. She pulled the blanket over him and kissed his brow. No matter what the future held, she would always have Connor, and that was what mattered most. Everything else was just material, and could be replaced. With a sigh, she went back to stare at the classifieds one more time, in hopes they looked a little better than they had that morning. The problem was that she couldn’t work full-time without having to pay for childcare, and that would eat up any extra she’d have in her paycheck.
Being a single mother was hard as hell, even if it was worth it. Every tear she dried, every boo-boo she kissed, reminded her that even while they struggled she was far more blessed than most people. Connor was the bright spot in her world and she would do anything for him.
Well, almost anything. The one thing she wouldn’t do was call her parents. They’d thrown her out after graduation and told her to never darken their door again, and she hadn’t. In five years, she’d never once spoken to them or tried to see them. They didn’t deserve to have Connor in their lives, and she knew that any help they provided -- if they provided any -- would come at a steep price.
No, she’d figure things out on her own, just like she always did. There would be another paper tomorrow with different ads. Just because the right job hadn’t presented itself today didn’t mean tomorrow was a lost cause too. As long as she believed that things would work out, as long as she held out hope for a brighter future for Connor and her, then tomorrow would always be another day, another opportunity.
Tomorrow. She chewed her bottom lip as she
thought about going to Rory’s. Her friend seemed to be doing well for herself. Maybe she’d know of someplace hiring, somewhere that hadn’t placed an ad in the paper. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. The worst that could happen was Rory would say no… and Ella wouldn’t be any worse off than she was right now.
Yes. Tomorrow would be another day. A brighter day. Even if she still didn’t have a better job lined up, at least they were going to enjoy a good meal for lunch and Connor would get to play some games. Maybe she would even make some new friends. Those had been in short supply these last five years. Ella would go to Rory’s tomorrow open to the possibility of something more, and she’d enjoy herself even if she had to step out of her comfort zone to do it.
* * *
Valero growled as he jabbed at the buttons on the controller. Rory and her damned dragons! When she’d said she couldn’t beat this level, he’d thought it would be a piece of cake. How hard could a game be that centered around an adolescent purple dragon? Harder than fuck, that’s how hard.
“Bust the gem, turn the wheel,” he muttered as he went through the steps. Little green things attacked him. “Argh. Die, you little bastards!”
“My mama will wash your mouth out with soap,” said a small voice.
He glanced to his right and nearly dropped the controller when he saw a small human child. Where the hell had he come from?
“You’re doing that wrong,” the boy said.
No shit. That was why he’d been trying to put out the fires for the last half hour without success. What the hell did the small child know about it though? He held out the controller.
“Since you seem to know what you’re doing, want to show me how it’s done?” Valero asked.
The boy grinned from ear to ear, snatched the controller, and started playing with the finesse of an advanced gamer.
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