Page 15 of Alien Knight Blind Date Disaster

Gently he folded the frames and placed them in the cupholder before returning his attention to her face. “Isabella Serrano, if you think a wig and a pair of black glasses are going to hide your true beauty from the world, you are not as intelligent as I had hoped.”

He’d just called her beautiful. And stupid. And her hands were still shaking.

And he knew who she was. He knew herrealname. He’d called her Isabella when he’d told the others to watch over Jessica, and when he’d told her to start the car. He had known her namebeforehe met with her.

“Where did you hear that name?” She leaned closer, the challenge he presented too tempting to ignore. Maybe he onlythoughthe knew who she was. Maybe it was just a suspicion. She wasn’t going to confirm it for him.

He leaned in so close the heat of his lips brushed hers, his whispered words doing nothing to cool her flushed skin. “You, Isabella Serrano, are an investigator and a journalist. You have tried to sneak onto the Caldorian base no less than three times. Your work is respected, and you have sold your writings to dozens of publications all over the world. And for some unknown reason, you have become deeply involved with some very unsavory people.”

Oh shit. He did know. And his lips were closer than ever, so close hers would nearly brush against him if she answered. Which, of course, she did. “I am not a criminal. I am looking for answers.”

“Tell me your questions. Perhaps I can help.”

Well, no lie, she was tempted. That face. That body. Those eyes, eyes that looked at her like she was the only important thing on the entire planet. No man had ever looked at her with such focused intensity. Would that look, that focus, carry over into bed?

Sheesh. She was losing it. “Get a grip, Serrano.”

“Talking to yourself? Talk to me. I am right here.”

“No offence,John”—she made sure to emphasize his fake name— “but I don’t know you. I don't trust you. And your people are keeping secrets, not telling the truth.”

“And you?” Ignoring the spreading pain in his back from where he’d been shot, he reached for her hair, touched the false red strands. “You tell me what you were doing in that place. Tell me who you were planning to meet and why. Tell me why you have been so desperate to contact Commander Sevron, why you tried to sneak onto the Caldorian base.”

“No.”

“No?”

She didn’t answer because that would require moving her lips, which would make her want more contact, and she was quite sure she would be kissing him and not able to stop. Why did this guy have to be so…so…

Silence was her response until he looked at her as if he were confused. At the base of his neck, his pulse raced. His gaze remained locked on hers in an unnatural and intimate way she could not escape. Maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling on the edge of losing control. She should hate him. Should be afraid. Nothing about her reaction to him made sense. But she had a job to do, and he’d just wrecked her night and possibly cost her weeks of work setting up that meeting. Weeks. Of. Work. She’d have to start from scratch, blame the Caldorians’ interference tonight on her contact’s sloppy communications. Feign anger at her contact at the alien black market, find out how both Commander Falden and his men ended up at that bar, at that time, looking for her.

And where were the buyers she was actually supposed to meet? They were bad guys, no doubt. But they didn’t just disappear. Had Falden and his men scared them off? Captured them and taken their place?

“Who is Sevron to you?” she asked.

“He is the Caldorian base commander.”

“But they called you ‘commander.’ What are you commander of, then?”

“A small team of guards. Nothing more.”

“Umm-hmmm.” He was a terrible liar. Terrible. “You’re lying and I don’t like secrets, Falden. Especially when they place us poor little humans in danger.”

“Sometimes secrets are necessary.” His lips looked soft. Hot. “To protect you.”

“I disagree.” Her lips pressed to his with the words, and she wasn’t sure which one of them had moved. Didn’t care. The hint of contact was like a lightning rod to her body, but even then she did not fail to notice that he hadn’t includedhimselfamong the Caldorian race. Everything he said had been phrased oddly. He’d repeatedly saidthe Caldorians. Was he not a Caldorian? He looked like one. And if he wasn’t, then who—or what—kind of alien was he, exactly?

“Of course you disagree.” His smile reached his eyes before his sexy lips thinned into something resembling a grin. She knew because she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She just needed a taste. For her mission, of course. This would have nothing to do with how much her body burned right now and everything to do with her selfish need to pay her bills. Kissing him would be strategic. And if her deal with Sevron didn’t pan out, she could write an article about this moment instead.

She would call the featureKissing an Alien: The Shocking Truthor something equally click-worthy. Advertising income would skyrocket on her blog. She didn’t like this guy. Of course she didn’t. And he didn’t make all her girlie parts wake up and take notice. He was still a jerk. As much as it hurt her heart to even think it, Falden could be the traitor Sevron had been searching for. She didn’t dare trust him, and she had her reasons.

First, he was male. If life had taught her anything, it was not to trust the words of a sexy man who came on full strength from the beginning. They were either insecure assholes or hiding something. Allen Dumont had put the exclamation point on that one. And she had finally, finally learned her lesson. Add her father, with his numerous affairs, her previous boss who hit on every administrative assistant he’d ever had, and Matthew’s deadbeat dad who stole the rent money for alcohol, and she wasn’t really a fan of anyone with a penis.

Aliens had those, too, right?

She looked at Falden’s lips again and hoped he did have the right parts. This fantasy she was living right now would die a painful death if there was no danger of him throwing her over the hood of this car and having his wicked way with her.

Not that she’d let him. But it was a very nice fantasy.

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