Page 49 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

Rendash searched the kitchen while she enjoyed a prolonged sample of the wine, checking every drawer and cabinet, seeming to take stock of everything inside each of them even though she was pretty sure he couldn’t read the writing on anything. He stopped longest at the refrigerator.

“There are many provisions in this place,” he said, lifting three packaged ham steaks from the freezer.

Zoey set the wine bottle down and joined Ren. There were plenty of items inside that wouldn’t go bad over a short amount of time — mostly condiments in the fridge, but meat and vegetables in the freezer. No milk or fresh produce, but that was expected for a vacation house. The pantry was a bit more lucrative, brimming with canned, powdered, and dried goods. She took out a couple cans of green beans and a bag of biscuit mix, placing them on the counter.

“Let’s get cooking,” she said, taking the ham from Ren.

He scrubbed the foundation off his face at the sink while Zoey prepared the ham, green beans, and biscuits. Her search for plates turned up wine glasses in one of the cabinets, so she decided to show the wine a little respect by using one.

“You want any?” she asked Rendash.

He took a tentative sniff from the bottle, seemed to consider it for a few moments, and declined. She shrugged; that meant more for her. The alcohol was already warming her from the inside out. Tomorrow was uncertain, but tonight, they’d live in luxury.

When the food was done, they stood at the island counter and ate together. By the time Zoey finished her first plate, Rendash had almost demolished all the rest of the food; he scarfed down helping after helping like he hadn’t eaten for weeks.

Zoey smiled and gathered up the empty plates, taking them to the sink to rinse off. It required a surprising amount of concentration to hold the plates steady while she washed them.

“Hungry, I take it?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Yes,” he said around the biscuit in his mouth — not abiteof biscuit, but anentirebiscuit. “Certain functions of mynyrosburn excess energy, and I have yet to fully recover from my captivity.” He paused to swallow and run his tongue over his teeth. “Also, this isgood.”

“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but the way to a girl’s is to compliment her cooking.”

“This isverygood,” he said with a grin.

Zoey laughed. “Wait till I make you an omelet in the morning. For now—” she drained her fourth glass of wine and returned to the island counter to collect the nearly empty bottle, bracing herself with one hand on the granite “—I’m going to go explore upstairs. You look around down here.”

He covered her free hand with one of his own, stopping her before she walked away. “Are you sure we should separate?”

Zoey threw her arm wide, swaying against his anchoring hold. Why did the bottle feel heavier even though the wine was mostly gone? It didn’t matter;shefelt great. “We have this whole place to ourselves. Lock the doors, and we’ll be fine. Besides, upstairs isn’tthatfar away.”

He looked her over, his expression oddly drawn with apprehension even though there was the hint of a wicked gleam in his eyes. “But you seem a bit…off balance. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay near?”

She set the bottle on the counter — ignoring the fact that she missed it by almost a foot on her first attempt — and stepped closer to him, pressing her chest against his abdomen. Smiling, she toyed with the lapels of his overcoat with her fingers as she looked into his eyes. She wanted him to remove it. “How about you look around down here and join me upstairs in about thirty minutes?”

“I’m not very accustomed to your reckoning of time,” he replied, voice lower, raspier. One of his hands settled on the underside of her arm, just above her elbow.

“Hmm…then just come up after you lock the doors.” She rubbed a finger at the base of his throat. He had a sexy neck; thick, corded, strong. Who cared if it had scales? Scales were sexy, too. “I’ll check upstairs for a place we cansleep.”

His nostrils flared with a heavy inhalation, and his hand trailed farther up her arm. He nodded. “Yes. Good. I will see you soon.” But he made no move to pull away; instead, his head tipped toward her.

Zoey’s lifted her lashes and settled her gaze on his mouth. It should’ve been illegal for a man to have such defined lips. They were sinful, offering teasing flashes of his fangs.

She lifted her hand and trailed a finger over his bottom lip; his lips were firm, but softer than they appeared. What would they taste like?

What would they feel like against her own?

Rendash stared down at Zoey, unable to break away as he’d meant to. He’d seen that light in her eyes before, but never so strongly, so openly. Her gaze blazed like fire, spreading heat through his veins. His lips tingled beneath her bold but gentle touch. She’d leaned her body against his, and it seemed only natural to place his lower hands on her waist and draw her a little closer.

“I want to kiss you,” she murmured.

Though the light in her eyes didn’t explain what she meant, it was enough to make his cock ache with want for her.

“What doeskissmean?” he asked.

Her brows furrowed. “Kiss?” She laughed. “Did I say that out loud?”

He raised his only free hand and pressed it to her flushed cheek. “Are you sure you—”

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