Page 21 of An Alien for the Future

Which is why my heart shouldn’t be fluttering over an alien’s touch like I’m some lovestruck teenager. I should know better. After all the disappointments, all the times I’d picked myself up and carried on alone, I should be immune to something as simple as a mere touch.

“A pretty face is just a distraction, honey.” Because heispretty, this Tovan. Well, notprettyper se, far too rugged to be simply called ‘pretty’. He’s handsome. Tall, bulky, and attractive in the exact sort of way that would have me fanning myself and appreciating what God gave him if I let myself. But I won’t let myself. “I’m Donna Johnson, damn it, and I built my own damncastle. I don’t need no knight in shining armor, especially not one with scales.”

“A castle?”

I almost jump out of my skin. The rake I’d just grabbed off the wall goes clattering to the ground as I jerk at the voicerightbehind me. The shock makes me almost stumble, but a strong arm snakes around my waist with such ease it’s like he’s done this a million times.

For a moment, I’m suspended, my eyes wide as I look up into the stranger’s face.

Just how long had he been standing there? And why didn’t I hear him approach? Was I so much in my head that I didn’t hear this giant of a male hobble across my barn floor to stand right behind me?

“Goodness,” I breathe, my hand coming up to clutch my throat. “Good heavens.”

“I startled you, didn’t I.” A statement, not a question, and I can almost see the regret in those yellow pits.

“You didn’t.” I swallow hard, because everything I was thinking is coming right back and with it is another heavy dose of shame. Because it’s not gone yet. That rattle in some central part of me. I know it isn’t gone, because the sensation of this male’s arm around me is being seared into my very consciousness.

He holds me so effortlessly; I feel…I feel like a woman again. “I mean, you—youdid, but it’s fine.” I clear my throat. “You shouldn’t be walking around. We don’t want you to start bleeding again.”

MaybeI’mbleeding. Internally. In my brain.

“I heard you talking. Thought you were speaking to me.” His intense gaze moves over my face so slowly I’m immediately brought back to reality. To the fact I’m still in his arms, my body pressed against his solid form. Regaining my balance forces himto let me go. But now there’s the wall behind me and an alien in front. I’m trapped.

“You heard me talking?” I can already feel my cheeks heating. Just how much did he hear? Living on my own for so long, I suppose I’ve gotten used to speaking my thoughts out loud—to the animals, the flowers in my garden, to even the flies on the wall. But now, this alien just heard my private musings. Without realizing, I’ve shown him a part of me I keep hidden, tucked away behind the Donna I show the world; the one everyone else knows.

“About building castles.” The way he says it, his bass a soft rumble that makes the word almost…intimate, makes a tingle go down my spine.

My gaze snaps up to his, searching for a hint of mockery, of judgment, but all I find is…curiosity. Genuine, unadulterated curiosity. It’s disarming. His unassuming interest catches me off guard.

I don’t know how to answer him. How do I explain without explaining that I was talking about a heart patched up over years of disappointment. That the past has been a great teacher, telling me not to hope too much for the future and that those castles? Those grand, impossible dreams, were more about finding a place to hide than a place to call home?

The realization is all so sudden, so raw, that I can’t say a thing. Instead, I do what I do best: I deflect.

“It’s nothing,” I say, forcing a lightness I don’t feel. “Just…foolish rambling, that’s all.”

“Do you need help with the buildings you have here?” The alien’s gaze snaps to the barn itself, skipping across the beams holding up the roof. “Your lodge, perhaps?”

The sudden change in direction has me blinking to catch up. I release a relieved breath, silently thanking God for his mercies.“I had some Raki workmen come out and fix it all up. I think they did a good job. Don’t you?”

He hums a sound in his throat. One I can’t decide indicates the affirmative or not before he turns slightly, continuing his survey of the building.

“I’m not planning on building anything else. I think I can manage with all the things I have out here for now.”

“If you change your mind,” he says, leaning on the staff with both hands, “I can assist you with that.” His gaze shifts to mine and I go still, every muscle in my body locking into place. Like a startled rabbit, frozen in the sight of a hawk, I don’t dare breathe.

It’s different this time, his eyes. Different from all the other times he’s looked at me. Right now, his gaze is a tangible thing, a silken thread wrapping around me, pulling me taut. It’s the kind of look that strips away pretense, that sees right through you, and for a fleeting, terrifying moment, I forget that he’s an alien and I’m not supposed to find those slitted eyes the least bit appealing.

The air crackles, the silence stretching between us thick and heavy. It’s the kind of silence that hums with unspoken things, with awareness that stretches beyond the boundaries of polite conversation. And I realize I’ve made a grave mistake. I let my guard down, forgot I’m alone in the boonies with a stranger. And right now, those piercing yellow eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that makes me very aware that we are alone.

He’s blocking my escape, too. His massive frame between me and the rest of the barn.

“You’ve got a wounded foot. You’re not helping anyone. What you need to do is helpyourselfand get some rest.” I smile, but my attempt at humor doesn’t reach my soul. Instead of genuine mirth, the smile feels stiff on my lips.

“I’d endure the pain if it meant I could help you in return.”

I’m about to open my mouth and tell him I’ve got everything I want when he continues.

“Is there anything you need…Donna?”

---