Page 3 of Holiday with the Aliens

The second he caught sight of her, he froze, his eyes taking in everything he could see. Spiky blonde hair sat atop a pale face with pink cheeks and the most captivating eyes he’d ever seen. At first he thought they were green, then brown, then green again, but a moment of staring showed him that she had one green and one brown eye, something he couldn’t remember seeing in a human before. Her suit clung to her every curve, and Dash wanted to step forward and feel if she was as soft as she looked, but the sharp look on her face was enough to keep him back.

And the fact that he didn’t know her name. He’d learned that people usually liked an introductionbeforeyou got to the groping. Maybe even dinner. He could do dinner that evening. And then he wanted to eather.

The sudden attraction was enough to mentally knock him back a few paces. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this way. No, he was sure he’d never felt this much so soon. It was almost like the high of a massive dose of good cheer, and yet completely different.

“Hello,” he finally managed, his voice coming out a little rough. He towered over the woman by more than a head, and he forced himself to keep his distance. He was no predator, but reilendeer… and men… could be plenty dangerous with no need for fangs or claws. And he didn’t want this woman scared of him.

Though hedefinitelywanted to make her scream.

“Are you Dashiel Blitz?” She spoke with a clipped Earth accent and glared at him like it was his fault she’d been waiting for however long for him to show up.

Dash shouldn’t have been amused. But there was something about this woman. “I am, though everyone calls me Dash. And you are?”

She blinked twice, those multi-colored eyes looking at him as if he’d grown horns… or antlers. But the comforting weight of his antlers only came when he was in his shifted form, so he wasn’t even tempted to reach up and see if the growths were there. “I’m Rowan Lambert. I was told you could get me to Earth quickly.”

“Who told you that?” Excitement trilled through him at the thought of being alone with this woman for several days, but he had a very specific set of clients he worked with, and sensual human women who made his cock twitch didn’t normally take rides from him. Not on his ship, anyway.

Rowan shrugged. “Didn’t catch the name. But there are no commercial flights off the planet and I need to be back on Earth by the end of the week. I’m willing to pay you. Handsomely.”

He didn’t need the money, but all of his instincts were screaming at him that he needed more time with this woman. It was almost like she might be… no, that was impossible. “I’m traveling for Earth’s moon tomorrow, already have a passenger booked. It wouldn’t be much trouble to swing by Earth afterward.” He was trying to sound cool. He had no idea if it was working. He just wanted to grin and step close to Rowan. But he didn’t think she’d like that yet.

“I’ll double whatever your passenger is paying if you take me to Earth first.” She stood straight and looked ready to pull out a wad of credits if he hinted he’d take the deal.

And Dash’s mood soured. She might have been the most alluring woman he’d ever seen, but did she really expect him to disrespect one of his passengers like that? “I can’t change theflight plan.” His voice had taken on an Arctic tinge, and from the way she tensed, she knew she’d misstepped. “Kiki is going to see her parents after months of medical treatment.”

“A kid?” Rowan looked skeptical, as if he were talking about transporting a bomb rather than an adolescent. “A sick kid?”

“A healing kid. She’s great. I’m sure you’ll like her. But we’re dropping her off first.” It never occurred to him to send the human on her way. She was clearly in need of holiday cheer, and help, and he could provide it. And he’d do his best to rid her of whatever negativity was driving her. It was the least he could do.

“I’m not a babysitter. Can we make that clear?” She must have been desperate if she hated kids as much as she seemed.

“It’s clear. Meet us at Dock 47 tomorrow at noon. I’ll have you on Earth by the end of the week.” And if her mood could be improved, he’d have her in even more places than that.

Chapter Two

Ro had to run away from Dash.Fuckthe man was hot. He’d towered over her like a giant, but somehow hadn’t seemed in the least bit threatening. It was impossible when contrasted with his rippling muscles and thick, braided brown hair, but his face had been all bright smiles and invitation. She’d wanted to run her fingers over all that warm brown skin and see if he was just as hard as he looked.

Damn, she needed to get laid.

Of course, her romantic life was just about as functional as her family life. Her last boyfriend had taken off when she’d had to reschedule a vacation because of work. It hadn’t even been last minute! But the boyfriend had claimed that she’d cared more about her job than him, and when she realized that was true she hadn’t exactly fought to win him back. That had been almost two years ago, she shuddered to realize, and though there’d been a few dates and weekend-long flings since then, no one had made her want to stay any longer.

Dash would be a great fling.Her libido whispered it and the rest of her body agreed. She could just imagine what it would feel like to have him pushing into her, claiming her with those bighands and bigger… well, she hoped he was proportional. She’d always been up for a challenge.

It irked her that she had to wait for the passenger he’d already booked, but she wasn’t going to deny a sick kid time with her family. She wasn’t amonster.But the new flight plan did mean she had to let her sister know what was going on. She checked the time and saw it was just past dinner on Earth. Ro was tempted to just write out a message and send it; she didn’t need whatever guilt May, orMapleif she wanted to start a fight, would send her way. But that would just be more drama when she got home. So a call it was.

The connection between Mars and Earth was one of the best planet-to-planet calling systems in the solar system, with barely a delay between screens. She made the call and was ready to celebrate when her sister didn’t pick up after forty-five seconds, but after a minute the call connected and Ro had to paste a happy smile on her face.

May didn’t look happy. They both took after their mother with their plump figures and blonde hair. May kept hers in long waves, and unlike Ro, her eyes were normal and brown, not the freaky dual tone Ro had going. “You’re not coming,” May said by way of greeting.

Ro gritted her teeth.Thiswas why it was better to send a message. No need to deal with sisterly disappointment she hadn’t earned. “I’m coming,” Ro countered.

“Aren’t you supposed to be halfway here by now? I know what your calling station looks like.” May crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, challenging her sister to contradict her.

Ro knew she should have made the call on a mobile comm, but the fixed station had a better connection. “That’s what I’m calling about.” She did her best to sound even. She didn’t want to fight, especially when she’d be seeing her family in a few days. She wasn’t going to ruin the trip before it began. “I had toreschedule my flight. I’ll be on a private shuttle tomorrow and I don’t know what the comm situation will be like. The pilot is named Dashiel Blitz, if you need to look up anything and I’m out of contact. He’ll have me to Earth by the end of the week.”

“A private shuttle? You can’t afford a private flight. This is some freighter who’s earning some extra credits hauling passengers, isn’t it? So now I need to worry about you being killed by some scruffy space hauler. How wonderful.” Something had crawled up May’s ass and died. She wasn’t normally so cheerful.

Ro wanted to tell her sister that she was wrong, but she realized she actually knew nothing about Dash’s ship.Hecertainly wasn’t scruffy, but she didn’t know if she could keep the lust out of her voice if she tried to describe him. Best not to risk it. “I just wanted you to know I’m still coming. Can I give Oakley the good news myself?”

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