Page 19 of Snowed in with my Alien Boss

“I don’t think I’m ready for food yet,” Abby said. “But I do want some joulka.” She’d once thought the alien beverage a nuttier version of coffee, but now that she could compare the two she realized it was a completely different beast altogether. She’d grown quite fond of it, and for bonus points, it didn’t give her the jitters.

“Okay! I’m going for some drowned pie,” Jenny said.

Ckarus, her mate, looked mischievous for a moment before saying, “I could drown your pie,” while waggling his eyebrows.

Abby held back a giggle. Jenny just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Josh.” She turned to Abby. “I swear, the two of them are like teenagers when they’re together.” Then, she was dragging her mate away.

Abby was getting in line when the sound of her father’s angry voice had her whirling around.

Chapter 14: Grogen

Grogen pulled the hood low over his face, feeling like the total stalker he was. But he couldn’t stay away from Abby.

He’d told himself that he would go home the minute he saw her face, that he just wanted to make sure she was doing all right. But the second he’d seen that damned azak flower in her hair, the possessive instinct in him demanded that he stay. The thought of her giving that flower to anyone else had his blood boiling.

He’d never felt so irrational about anyone before, and it terrified him—though he’d never admit it.

He’d watched as male after male placed the berry garlands around her neck, watched as she’d smiled and thanked them. It had taken all the control in his body not to stomp over and rip them off again. But then, one by one, she’d removed the offerings. That had soothed him. Until she didn’t.

Did she know these last few males? Was she seriously considering them, or had she simply gotten sick of playing the game? While she had been in the baths, he’d made sure to warn the males away, but that hadn’t stopped more garlands from appearing around her neck.

She was spending the day with a pair of friends, a Tallean-human couple. He recognized the male from back when he’d worked as a guard briefly before opening his repair shop.

“I’ve never seen you at a celebration before, Grogen.”

Grogen turned to see Holden, one of the colony’s directors. He was much younger than Grogen, but happily mated in a triad.

“I thought I’d see what it’s all about,” he lied.

“And that’s why you’re hiding in the shadows?”

Busted. Holden had always been perceptive; it was what made him good at his job.

The director looked over to where Abby and her friends were still talking. “Ah. I see.”

“She is my receptionist.” Grogen didn’t know why he felt he had to explain himself.

An older human male approached Abby from behind and she turned, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. Was this the useless sire she spoke of?

Tension coiled in his limbs, but he resisted the urge to go and protect her. He knew she could take care of herself. Then he realized that two more males were behind the first. Holden’s posture stiffened as well, ready to charge in to break up any disagreements.

When the first male suddenly grabbed Abby, pulling her out of the joulka line and toward the other two males, Grogen’s body took over. He stormed over, red filling his vision even as Abby tried to wrestle herself out of the male’s grip.

“Release her!” Grogen snarled, getting between the two and shoving the other male away.

Abby’s eyes grew wide when she saw Grogen. Then she immediately ducked behind him.

The male looked up at him, fear filling his face momentarily until his two buddies joined him. That gave him courage, even though Grogen towered over them. Abby’s intelligence had not come from this side of the family.

“This is family business, guard. None of your concern.”

So thiswasher sire, and he thought Grogen a mere guard.

“It is my concern. Abby is mine.” He felt Abby’s hands tightening on the back of his arm.

“Who the fuck’s that?” asked one of the other males. “You said she ain’t no alien whore.”

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