Page 10 of Snowed in with my Alien Boss

Yes, he’d stopped kissing her earlier. But perhaps she’d misread that… Maybe it had been shock and not disgust. She’d been pretty shocked herself. Well, she’d know by his response now. If he rejected her, she could pretend not to care and blame it on the Rhean spirits.

Except… He didn’t reject her.

“I will go with you,” he said, “If the festivities are still happening.”

“You mean because they might be cancelled after the storm? A storm blows in a few days before the celebrations like clockwork every year, at least all the years I’ve been here anyway. They’ve got cleanup down to a science. Everyone pitches in. I think two years ago, we had to postpone it for a day, but that was the only time.”

“Yes, then. We will attend the festivities together.”

“Great!” She was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “I have a spot booked for the baths in one of the big pools, but I can cancel it and rebook for us instead.”

It was a Tallean custom to bathe in water scented with winter fruits on the eve of the winter solstice, particularly the red and purple berries that stayed on the trees, vibrant against the white background of snow. With the influx of Earth citrus into the market, there was even an option to add tangerine and orange peels into baths these days. But the baths booked up so quickly now that many people did it the morning of instead, as she planned to. Abby rather liked the ritual and booked a spot in the public baths every year.

“Yes. Please do that.”

“Great! I’m meeting Jenny and Ckarus after, so it’ll be a double date—if you don’t mind.”

“I do not.”

They continued chatting until she started getting sleepy. She didn’t even know what time it was. It was late, but that was all she knew. The storm outside made it impossible to tell.

She stood and yawned, stretching. Oh yeah, she was still just in her bra and underwear. She’d forgotten about that. The azak flower was on the table now; she’d taken it off after the kiss because she thought the way he froze meant he wasn’t interested. Now she wished she had offered it to him. But that could be the alcohol speaking. And anyway, he’d agreed to spend the actual solstice with her, so she’d have plenty more chances to do that.

She looked down at the couch and frowned. It wasn’t nearly big enough for two. Hell, it probably wasn’t big enough for just Grogen. His feet would stick off the end, and his shoulders would take up the entire width.

“Where are we going to sleep?” she asked. “I don’t think you’ll fit on that couch.”

“With the supplies unloaded, there is plenty of space in the back of my transport. The seats flatten down completely.”

“That’s a great idea.” She relaxed, glad that they’d both be comfortable, he in his transport and she on the couch. But she was a teeny tiny bit disappointed that they’d be sleeping apart. She’d enjoyed cuddling up next to him, and a small part of her was worried that if they went their separate ways now, he’d wake up in the morning, decide that this whole night had been a mistake, and cancel their plans for the celebration.

“It is large enough for both of us.”

Oh, was it now?

“But it might be a bit cold. The heater isn’t strong enough to heat the whole garage. It’s intended for a small space.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll have to snuggle in real close, won’t I?”

Chapter 8: Grogen

Grogen couldn’t sleep, not with Abby pressed right up against his body. She’d fallen asleep huddling close to him for warmth, and it was everything he could do to keep control of his primal urges, especially when she was giving him plenty of hints that she wouldn’t reject him. If anything, she’d signaled clearly that she was interested.

But she’d also had some Rhean spirits, and he wasn’t sure how much of it was just the alcohol talking. So he’d held back. It would be better in the morning when she was sober. He didn’t want her to regret anything.

She’d appeared a little disappointed that he did not take things further, but she’d had a tough day and sleep came easily for her, so he had plenty of time to study her in repose. He couldn’t believe that he had once thought human features strange: too soft, too rounded. Now, he thought they were just right, especially on her.

She snored softly as she slept. It was unbelievably cute.

He struggled to tamp down his anger when he thought over the conversation with her father. He had known plenty of males like that, and they were invariably bad news. He was glad that Abby was smart enough to recognize it and had gotten herself out of danger.

He also knew, however, that there was currently a housing shortage. The colony was growing faster than it could build. He should know—he’d fixed plenty of vehicles for males who’d come to the colony on construction contracts.

That small voice in his head insisted again that she could stay with him. But that was rushing things. They’d shared all of one kiss; it wasn’t like she was his mate or anything, even though he could see himself forming a mate bond with her very easily if he wasn’t careful. That could be disastrous—who knew, she might regret asking him to join the celebrations with her when she woke tomorrow.

She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep and tossed a leg over him. It brushed over his crotch before she wrapped it around his thigh. She was using him as a body pillow.

Stars! This was torture. It was now almost morning, and while she’d gotten hours of sleep, he’d had none. He had to do something about this. He’d need energy to clear out the snow once the storm ended.

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