Page 3 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

Half laughing and half groaning, Ashlyn looked back at the warriors and said, “Now I know it’s going to be dangerous.”

The warriors in question stared back at her through a thick glass wall, including one mouthwatering, very dangerous looking male who hadn’t taken his eyes off her since her arrival twenty minutes ago. He had dark hair, the broadest shoulders she’d ever seen, and a masculine, chiseled jaw with a five o’clockshadow–just enough facial hair to make her drool. Long, dark lashes framed intense golden eyes that appeared molten, the rich gold color swirling around the irises like thick, warm honey. They held her prisoner, smoldering with a sexual heat that made her stomach drop.

She’d known better than to make eye contact, had already been warned they would interpret it as sexual interest, yet she hadn’t been able to resist, and once she did, she couldn’t look away, completely mesmerized. Eyes like that could make a girl forget her own name.

The other four warriors were equally desirable in their own way. All Caldorians were bigger, stronger and faster than humans. These warriors were no exception. The first male had dark blond hair and lavender eyes. The second was dark all over with piercing green eyes and a wicked, sexy smile. The third had intense, dark chocolate, bedroom eyes and reddish-brown hair. The fourth in the line-up was her golden-eyed sex god. The last male had salt and pepper hair and bright, blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

They each wore the black, self-regulating nanotech uniform she’d come to expect; form fitting on the top with a crossbody tactical sling across the chest, over military style pants and boots.

Their uniforms were identical except for the golden eyed warrior she’d been ogling. His underlying uniform looked the same, but that’s where the similarities ended.

Caldorian tech was highly advanced. Ashlyn had spent enough time surrounded by warriors on the Caldorian base, visiting her sister and her sister’s mate, Cam, to recognize one armed and ready for true battle. Their weapons were normally camouflaged; easily mistaken for part of their uniform. To the untrained eye, a literal arsenal could be disguised as small, black, geometric shapes no bigger than a human thumb. Thosesmall devices expanded into all kinds of trouble once activated. Four of the males were armed with the standard set of weapons she saw every time she came to the base.

Not this guy, though, he’s dressed more like a marine ready to infiltrate an enemy camp. He’s packingenough weaponry for a small army. And it looks like they’ve been used. A lot.And is that a freaking sword strapped to his back? Damn.Whoisthis guy?Unease crept up her spine.

Five minutes passed. Ten. No matter how many times she tried to focus on her sister, her eyes kept straying back to the same warrior. She’d been telling Rachel for months that she wasn’t interested in dating a Caldorian. Hadn’t she sworn off dating aliens, she internally chastised, after watching both her sister and her best friend nearly die because of their association with said aliens?And that one has ‘bad boy’ written all over him, so stop drooling over someone you’re never going to have. Just look. Even his own kind are giving him extra room. They know he’s dangerous. Maybe even savage. Focus on the conversation at hand, not the size of his very large hands. And feet. Dear god, they’re enormous! I wonder if.. Focus!

Rachel pressed her lips together and gave a helpless shrug. “We don’t have a choice. We’re out of options and out of time. I wouldn’t have used the snake code otherwise. And if I didn’t say it yet, thanks for coming. I hope your director won’t be too mad that you had to leave without notice.”

“I was in between shows when you texted,” Ashlyn hedged, not ready to tell her sister she’d quit when the director made a pass at her. There was a time and place for everything, and this was not it. “I just think you’re crazy if you want me to pretend I’ve been claimed by one of those guys in there. You said most Caldorians are primitive when it comes to the opposite sex. Your words, not mine. As in dominant, territorial, possessive alpha males. They don’t do pretend. It’s not in their DNA.”

“I also said they are honorable and loyal. Protective. Whoever you choose will do whatever is necessary to make this work. They’re all royals on their planet, selected from each of the four Sectors. You would be treated like a princess.”

Ashlyn turned to look at something else. Anything else. Anyoneelse. She needed her pulse to stop racing. Oh, but the big warrior did something to her. Something carnal.

Against her own better judgment, she stealthily tracked the movement of the golden eyed warrior as he lifted a hand to his ear and said something into his communication device, then rested it on the pack he wore across his chest. She couldn’t help herself. She wanted to see what was under all that gear.Muscles. Lots and lots of muscles. And alien markings.

Every Caldorian had markings, even the women. Otherworldly, beautiful swirls and whorls that covered various parts of their bodies. Like tattoos, only better. They formed under the skin and never blurred with age. Mostly blue, some had other colors, but they all sparkled with opalescence. Some warriors were covered from head to toe, while others had almost none, and all were as unique as a human’s fingerprint. The most amazing thing about their markings was that they could light up. Unmated Caldorians left theirs unlit, while claimed or bound mates traditionally kept them lit up like a neon sign. It wasn’t a requirement, just a way of saying ‘hands off, this one is taken’.

Down, girl!

Sliding her hands nervously down her clothes to smooth out wrinkles she didn’t have. “Royal just means they’re probably twice as bossy. I was there when Dagan decided he needed to prove Sash wasn’t rejecting him.” She held up a finger for emphasis. “And do you remember what else he did?”

Rachel snorted. “She loved every naughty minute of it.”

“Fake fiancé, fake claiming, whatever you want to call it, we’d have to lie to the Intergalactic Council about it. That’s the wholepoint of this, right? To fool them? I’m a terrible liar, and even if I wasn’t, some of the Councilors have to be telepathic. Won’t they know we’re lying the minute they see us?”

“No. You’d both be wearing devices that block telepathy. Most of the Council members wear them. Standard Operating Procedure. They don’t want telepaths digging around in their minds any more than we do. So, no one would be surprised to see you wearing one. In fact, they’d think you were crazy if you didn’t have one.”

Ashlyn turned back toward the glass like a moth to the flame. Turned back tohim. She scowled at the huge alien who had captured her interest for no good reason other than he refused to leave her thoughts. He lifted a brow questioningly and straightened from the wall, his gaze locking her in silent challenge before dipping leisurely south.

The very masculine appraisal made her acutely aware of her own femininity. Her nipples had already betrayed her, hardened into tight nubs the first time he looked at her and hadn’t softened since, her breasts full and heavy, aching for his touch. She knew, by the flare of his nostrils and the glint in his eye, he could see the outline through her thin cotton t-shirt and lacy bra. His gaze lingered, the weight of molten gold scraping along her raw nerves as he took in every minute detail of her small, yet curvy, body. He took his time, didn’t rush, almost as if he knew exactly what it would do to her. The slow, sensual perusal called to her, stoked a fire, a longing for something she couldn’t identify, had never felt before, deep within her.

There was no denying the warrior’s sex appeal, hell, his every appeal, but fooling anyone into believing an engagement, or claiming, was real would be entirely different and completely beyond her. She had no experience, no idea how to go about even trying. When it came to actually building relationships, she was at a complete loss. She’d sacrificed so much to chase her dreams.Serious dating and falling in love were things she’d never felt she had time for.Not even for this magnetic hunk of man? Couldn’t play house withhimfor a few days?

He straightened, turned so that he faced her more directly, confidently, and widened his stance. Everything in her was tempted to reach out and take what he so clearly offered. Hot, wild, untamed sex. Pleasure. Bliss. All she had to do was say yes.

She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. He wanted her; the desire stamped across his face said as much, firing a thousand volts of answering electricity through her veins. Desire suffused her cells.

She slowly released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and looked at her sister, uncharacteristically flushed. “Are you sure they know whatfakemeans?”

Rachel looked from Ashlyn to the warrior in question and cleared her throat, her eyes wide. “They all know the plan.”

Ashlyn’s tongue darted out to lick her full lips. Crazy how she hadn’t noticed they were dry. She was a strong woman. She could resist temptation. She needed toresist. This was going to be a fake engagement. She couldn’t afford to fall for him. Besides, this guy looked like trouble with a capital ‘T’, and that was something she didn’t need at the moment. Not even a little.

Decision made, she turned back to him knowing full well his piercing eyes had never left her. She could feel them on her, burning through her resistance. This time she purposely made eye contact. It was her turn to givehima very thorough once over, one he couldn’t possibly miss, then yawned and looked at her nails in dismissal as she turned away. She wasn’t sure if aliens would recognize the brush off, but a human would.

A quick peek under her lashes told her she scored a bullseye.Probably never happened to him before. Probably has women lining up at the door. Well, not this girl!Her lips twitched.

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