Page 18 of My Brother's Alien Match
Trembling, I moved through the hallway, until I was standing in the archway, facing him.
Robin stood with his back to the counter, clutching it for support.
“I—If you’re looking for Taylor, he’s not here. He went downstairs to meet you.”
“I’m not looking for Taylor. I am here for you.”
A strange noise left him and finally, he looked up at me with round blue eyes that were terrified because—I knew—he felt what I did. He was a slighter form, somewhat delicate for a man, and although he shared similarities with Taylor, there was no comparison. Robin was the most beautiful being I had ever seen.
Finally, I understood everything that had been happening.
After all this time, I had found my Sul.
Chapter Nine
ROBIN
My heart was beating so hard, it felt like it might burst from my chest.
Luno shouldn't be here. He couldn't, especially not while saying that he was here for me. I wasn't strong enough for that, nor for the way that he was looking at me.
God, he was so breathtaking, even more so in person. I hadn't been this close to him yet and for a moment when our eyes met, and his slitted pupils dilated, I was mesmerized.
His tentacles slithered beneath him, moving him forward, into the kitchen, and reality returned to me as I tried to back up, before remembering that I was flat against the counter already.
“What do you want?” I asked. And then, because Luno seemed determined to be my dream man in every way, he whispered,“You.”
My entire body melted, even though it didn't make any sense. He came so close the front of his robe brushed my shirt. He even smelled amazing. Something fresh and clean and masculine all at once. A bit like the salty air at the beach where I'd first laid eyes on him.
He reached up slowly and touched my cheek. Warmth filled his gaze.
“I can't believe I finally found you,” he whispered. “Do you have any idea how long I have searched for?”
I could barely follow his words. His fingers, gently stroking up my jaw and into my hair were extremely distracting.
“I don't understand,” I said. I wanted to though. I wanted it to all be so clear that I could just believe him and accept it. There was no reality in my mind where Luno would pick me over Taylor. It was too hard to even process. All I could think was that he was mistaken.
“I explained it to you last night,” he reminded me. “And you promised to meet me this morning.”
My heart caught in my throat.
“You know?—”
“That I was talking to you the whole time? Yes, I do now.”
“But Taylor?—”
“Isn't the one I want,” he whispered, and dipped down, kissing me.
The moment he did, heat pooled inside me and something odd happened. I stopped being afraid.
Gone were all the fears that I carried with me, of being alone, of not having a purpose, even the small everyday anxieties about filling my time and procrastinating and being a good friend, and brother. Everything just seemed to melt away. His lips were like a meditation bowl, clearing every thought, except one. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything—or maybe, hewaseverything, the culmination of every wish and dream I'd ever had.
Though the press of his lips had been soft and gentle, when he pulled back, I took a shuddering breath and stared up at him feeling moved and completely powerless.
“Do you feel it now?” he whispered.
I managed a shaky nod as something slowly slithered around my ankle. Glancing down, I shivered at the sight of a tentacledisappearing up my pant leg. On the other side, another slipped under the fabric. Swallowing, I stood dead still as they skated along my calves, wondering how high they would go.
