Page 36 of An Alien for the Farm

“I should put them in water,” I whisper. He watches me in that intense way as I smell the flowers again and I swear I hear a purr in his chest.

“Yes,” he finally says. “I will help you dig holes to place them later.” He glances toward the cottage. “And stay in. Make some tea. You can sleep if you wish. It will take me much time to complete the field.”

My eyebrows rise and when I open my mouth to protest, he frowns. I slam my mouth shut.

“Alright,” I whisper instead. For the first time in a while, I feel…I feel like I don’t have to worry about a thing. I feel…good. Like a woman. The way one is supposed to feel when she’s taken care of. The sensation is so unnatural, it almost makes nervous anxiety rise in my bones.

Zynar seems pleased with my response, his shoulders pressing back, muscles rolling as he pops the bones in his neck.

I swallow hard, trying to not let my gaze slip to his crotch again before I head toward the house. I can feel his eyes on me and when I look over my shoulder, I catch him watching my ass as I go. I don’t know why I sway my hips just a little bit more.

It’s not a joke. The hot alien is attracted to me. I saw the proof with my own eyes, and with that knowledge comes a sense of power I didn’t expect.

Another thrill goes through me and I find myself smiling probably more than I should.

12

ELEANOR

He was serious about working.

Zynar works all day, never taking a break from the hot sun.

I watch him from the window. Watch as he uses the scythe to clear large patches of the grass that he then transports to the barn. By midday, half the field is done and I feel like I’m sitting still, twiddling my fingers. But even as I watch him work, a slow realization fills me. The work he’s doing? I wouldn’t be able to do even a quarter of it in the same amount of time. Probably would take me months. And the animals? They can’t wait months. Even now, my hands ache from just wielding the scythe for such a short time. For this place to come together, I need Zynar’s help.

For a moment, he disappears and I stand on my tiptoes, scanning the field outside. He must be hungry by now, but he hasn’t come inside once. He’s serious about getting the job done. When I came to the house to put the flowers in water, I saw the small pack he left by the door. It looked like an overnight bag and my heart skipped a beat. He really is serious about staying as well.

This is only a contract, I remind myself. Still doesn’t help the tachycardia.

When I see him again, Zynar’s rubbing Bob behind the ears as the tilgran eats a bunch of straw from his hand. He really seems to like the animals. Yet another difference between my ex and him. I know I shouldn’t compare. My only point of reference is a man that hurt me so badly, I felt like a husk by the time I had the guts to end it all. Five years later, and my life got turned upside down again by the Tasqals abducting me from Earth.

Both times, it was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I’m here now. On this quiet farm. Sitting in my cottage. An alien in my fields.

There’s no pretense with Zynar. He sits on tree stumps to drink tea. He doesn’t get angry when a wild animal chews on his hair. And he chased me through the grass like we were kids. I smile at the memory, my fingers playing with the skin on my chest, right where my heart beats.

Clearing my throat, I pull my gaze away from the sight as I head to the kitchen. Setting my mug down, I grab three drinks this time and another of the meat sandwiches. Heading to the bathroom, I reach for a towel and take that with me, too.

Walking across the field now that it’s mostly cleared of grass is quite different from before. For one, I realize I have many more oogas than I thought, the grass no longer hiding most of the herd. And second, I’m no longer hidden as I walk through it. The moment I step onto the field, Zynar turns to look my way. Tingles go across my skin when he looks at me. Maybe because he stops everything he’s doing just to watch me approach.

“I brought you something to eat.”

His lids become hooded as he watches me. “Thank you, Liora.”

He steps away from the tilgran who seems suddenly interested in the tray of food, dipping toward it. I have to sidestep and make a wide arch, a laugh on my lips. This is what Xarion meant when he said they weren’t dangerous, just hazardous. When I look back at Zynar, that hooded gaze is still on me.

“Do you want to eat inside?”

He tilts his head before his gaze shifts to the tray again. “I enjoy eating under the sky with you.”

I blush before lowering myself to the ground with the tray. “Here’s a few drinks. You really should come inside for refreshments every hour or so. It can’t be good for you to be in the sun this long.”

When he plops down beside me, my gaze shifts to his only to find he’s staring at my lips as I speak. “You were worried about me, Little Bird?”

I open my mouth and close it. It sounds like a dangerous question to answer. I’ve spent the entire morning watching him through the window and it wasn’t out of worry.

“I wouldn’t want you falling over and getting sunstroke.” I smile.

“You don’t want me getting hurt, then.” He leans closer, that soft rumble in his tone. “You care about me, Liora?”

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