Page 20 of Grumpy Alien Boss

I smile and pose with her, then with her friends. More people gather, fascinated by my height. The café owner brings out extra chairs to accommodate everyone.

"You're quite the celebrity," Olivia says between bites of tamago.

"Size has its advantages." I catch her admiring glance. "But don't get too comfortable with this friendly version of me. Tomorrow, it's back to business."

"Oh?"

"Veritas demands excellence. I'll push you harder than ever."

"Bring it on." Her chopsticks click against the plate. "I can handle anything you dish out."

That smile. Those bright eyes full of challenge. My pulse quickens at her fearlessness. She has no idea what she's getting into, yet she faces it head-on.

"We'll see about that." I lean back, studying her.

The flight back passes in comfortable silence. Back at the office, Olivia dives into her work with renewed vigor. Her fingers fly across the keyboard, managing our Earth-based empire while occasionally shooting me knowing glances.

Those glances set my blood on fire. Now that she knows what I am, there's no need to hide my strength, my power. When I lift a filing cabinet to retrieve a dropped pen, her breath catches. When I growl at an incompetent supplier over the phone, her pupils dilate.

The tension crackles between us all day. Every brush of her hand, every whiff of her perfume, drives me wild. But we have responsibilities. The fate of Earth hangs in the balance. I can't let my desires compromise the mission.

The setting sun streams through the window, painting her in amber light. Her silk blouse clings to every curve, and my enhanced vision picks up the rapid flutter of her pulse at her throat.

"Olivia." My voice comes out rougher than intended. "Come here."

She rises from her desk, bottom lip caught between her teeth. Her steps toward me are slow, deliberate. Those green eyes peek up at me through her bangs, dark with desire.

"I want you. Now."

CHAPTER 9

OLIVIA

Dar's gaze holds me in place, his red eyes smoldering with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. The command is not stern or mean, but it's not a request either. "Take your hair down, Olivia." His voice is a low rumble, a sound that seems to resonate within me, igniting a heat that pools in my belly.

I hesitate for a moment, not out of fear, but out of a desire to draw out this moment, to savor the anticipation. Dar expects to be obeyed, that much is clear. But I'm not one to simply roll over and submit. I want to tease, to tantalize, to make him work for it.

"And if I don't?" I challenge, my voice barely above a whisper. I see the surprise flicker in his eyes, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He likes the chase, the challenge.

My fingers trembleas I reach up to pull the pins from my French twist. Each metallic clink against Dar's mahogany desk sends shivers down my spine. His red eyes track every movement, burning hotter than the summer sun.

"You're beautiful," he says.

The last pin drops. My hair tumbles past my shoulders in waves. The scent of my shampoo fills the air between us.

"I've wanted you since that first 'fuck yeah' in the interview room."

His voice wraps around me like silk. But there's steel underneath - the voice of a commander, a warrior. An alien warrior. The thought should terrify me. Instead, it makes my knees weak.

"Come here," he says.

I walk across the floor unsteadily in my heels - the same heels that broke that fateful morning. I fixed them properly since then, but the memory remains. Just like I'll never forget discovering his true form.

I stop at the edge of his desk. "I want you too. But..."

"But?"

"This changes everything."

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