Page 97 of Alien Haven

“Ha! Find us a nice room in a decent inn, or forget it.” She grinned and kissed his lush lips, making it a hearty smack. At least she could get away with that amount of noise. Ilid’s parentscontinued to audibly chatter their low opinions of the kitchen staff on the other side of the too-thin wall.

“Consider the earliest reservation at a local inn done.” Ilid sighed his regret as he closed her blouse, hiding her heavy breasts from his view.

* * * *

“In spite of the acoustics, I wish the trip had been longer. I enjoyed getting to know you,” Jennifer whispered to Ilid.

He darted a glance at his parent clan, who followed them a few feet behind in the aisle toward the exit hatch of the shuttle. The vessel had landed a couple minutes before. “Me too. I will see you?”

Jennifer grinned, delighted at the prospect of encountering his familiar and classically handsome face again. And of discovering far more of him from head to toe. It was all she had to look forward to on the planet she’d never aspired to visit, much less spend an extended stay on. Three days of flight had barely scratched the surface of what promised to be an exciting fling where Ilid was concerned. She hadn’t come close to getting her fill of the compelling man.

“Remember, Clan Amgar’s farm is where I’ve been sentenced. Iwillbe insulted if you don’t visit in a day or two,” she warned.

There was no trace of the reserve that sometimes gripped Ilid. He smiled broadly. “I’d never insult a woman such as you,” he swore, his Kalquorian accent slightly slurring the English he spoke for her benefit.

Perhaps his parent clan overheard them despite their quiet conversation. Kalquorian hearing was insanely sensitive. Maybe they’d have heard her and Ilid getting friendly even if the walls had been thicker. Over Ilid’s shoulder, she saw Matara Diju and her trio of male clanmates exchange smirks.

Far from the protective type for whom no woman would be good enough for her son, Diju had acted determined to play matchmaker between the young people. Every chance she’d gotten during the flight to Haven, a mixed Earther-Kalquorian community in Kalquorian Empire space, Diju had pointed out Ilid’s best traits to Jennifer.

She might have been delighted to hear them having sex. Jennifer somehow kept her nose from wrinkling at the thought.

She had no designs on any long-term relationships, though Ilid was a compelling temptation to give her daydreams to the contrary. Twenty-three years old, he was perfect for fun, especially when his pronounced serious streak disappeared.

Shewouldsee him again, she vowed. Though his problems were his own, she was determined to loosen him up. His laugh brightened their surroundings when it came, which was far too rare. He was a genuinely good guy.

Had she been in the market for a serious relationship, she admitted she would have judged Ilid a better than acceptable prospect. The Dramok breed of Kalquorian men had a habit of being bossy in her opinion. In defiance of his categorization, Ilid possessed an aura of vulnerability under the surface. She found it alluring. His parents were absolute darlings from what she could tell from their short acquaintance. That assessment included the watchful and brooding Nobek Gruthep, the protector of the clan. He and his clanmates doted on Ilid while obviously trying not to smother him.

In short, Ilid was wonderful, as was his family. Jennifer almost regretted her determination to play the field, but she’d eschewed dating Kalquorians until recently. She had a lot of catching up to do when it came to the species her elder sister Hope had committed to, in love and career. Fortunately…or unfortunately, depending on how things went…Ilid would possibly return to Kalquor in a month anyway.

An attendant who’d kept the sole five civilian passengers of the spacious shuttle comfortable during the trip, wearing the armored uniform of a Kalquorian fleet member, offered a slight bow as Jennifer and Ilid neared the hatch. “Welcome to Haven.”

“Ee-i-ee-i-o,” Jennifer muttered in sing-song.

“Matara?”

“An old Earther tune regarding the glamorous life on a farm. I can’t wait to be among the cows and pigs.”

Ilid chuckled. He’d heard her complaints when it came to being stuck on Haven, a mostly agricultural community. He’d been appropriately sympathetic while finding humor in her concerns about backwoods hayseeds and watching where she stepped when she went outdoors.

She was relieved not to be knocked backward by the smell of animal manure when she exited the hatch. Indeed, Haven’s largest spaceport bore a remarkably respectable resemblance to such facilities she’d been to throughout the galaxy. It appeared as technologically modern as busier ports, if less hectic and noisy.

Despite the welcome absence of fertilizer aroma, Jennifer noted an appalling amount of flannel shirts, stained dungarees, and tall boots among the obvious fulltime residents who hurried past groups of uniformed ships’ crews. Even the Kalquorians who apparently called Haven home had adopted clothing reflecting an Earther influence. Yeehaw, she thought, her mood dipping. Two flavors of hayseeds.

She slowly descended the ramp to the ridged flooring, which offered stable, nonslip footing. Feeling Ilid close behind, she said, “It’s quieter than most spaceports. Fewer ships.”

“Anti-virus protocols have shut out a lot of commerce, I’d guess,” he ventured, also gazing at their surroundings. His expression had taken on the nervously watchful cast she’d caught glimpses of during the trip.

Nobek Gruthep, a scarred but likable member of Kalquor’s warrior caste sporting an ass-long graying braid, placed a hand on Ilid’s shoulder. “Their security watches carefully for Darks, too. There have been no instances of suspicion our enemy has gained a presence on Haven.”

Ilid visibly drew a deep breath. Another nervous glance at his surroundings, and he relaxed enough to smile at Jennifer. “Where is this Clan Amgar supposedly responsible for rehabilitating you, Miss Behavior?”

Jennifer blew a raspberry at him but laughed. As far as Ilid and anyone who asked knew, she’d run a bit wild in the now Dark-overrun Galactic Council, where she’d attended university until a few weeks prior. According to her cover story, she hadn’t gotten in the sort of trouble to land her in a detention facility…thanks to her father’s high-ranking position in the government…but it had been decided she should cool her heels on Haven while she learned to stay out of mischief.

In response to this tale, Ilid had given her the pun nickname of “Miss Behavior.” His mother had been quick to defend Jennifer. She vigorously protested a young person’s right to make mistakes, especially in the current climate of war and viral pandemics. Jennifer had merely laughed at Ilid’s gentle teasing. She could take a joke, and he was as non-malicious as a person could be.

In response to his question about her guardians, Jennifer glanced at the few people rushing past. “I have no idea what they look like. Their Matara is an Earther and…oh, that might be them.”

An attractive blond woman, flanked by two Kalquorian men, was hurrying along the walkway in the middle of the docked vessels. The blonde waved at Jennifer, smiling a welcome.

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