Page 19 of Her Alien Soldier
Though rare, now, his people possessed a mating instinct. Once upon a time, it had guaranteed the flourishing of the Altarian people. Pairings had resulted in strong children who had grown to become the bedrock of their society. As they’d thrived, the instinct had become less vital, and had begun fading. It cropped up, occasionally, in beings of one of the ancient lines of Altarians.
Which, he was. And here it was, gnawing at him, heating his body and licking at his mind like flames. The fact that it was flaring to life for a human was different, and he could not explain it.
But he also had no desire to ignore it. Especially since he had wanted her since he had first laid eyes on her. Her scent permeated his senses. He swore he could even smell her whenshe was in her quarters and he was stuck in the lounge on his frustrating vigil.
Another bartender arrived, and he watched as Maggie spoke to the tall Cendilax male. He had been in here with that one several times since his arrival. He was a shameless flirt, and females seemed to like him.
Maggie was friendly but businesslike with him, even as he smiled and joked. His mate was no fool. She had seen enough of life to know how to handle herself, and he admired her. In that way and so many more.
He shifted impatiently in his chair as she filled her coworker in on whatever he needed to know, watching the door.
The sooner she finished, the sooner she would be on his lap again.
He watched a human sanitation worker come into the bar, then a pair of Bellarian women. A few moments later, he was surprised by a soft hand on his shoulder. Not the one he wanted. He knew that immediately.
He turned his head to find a curvy Tilesian female standing close. “You look lonely. Want some company?” she asked, winking at him, making no secret as to what kind of company she meant.
He glanced Maggie’s way to see her walking toward him, pausing a moment in her steps. He nodded at her, then looked at the Tilesian. “No, thank you. The only company I want is finally joining me,” he said, earning a smile from Maggie as she stepped up to his other side, and he pulled her down onto his lap.
“Oh! Well I’m glad you’re not sitting here alone, handsome. Have fun!” The Tilesian said, smiling and waving at both of them before sauntering off to the bar.
“She seemed friendly,” Maggie said, and he squeezed her hip.
“She did,” he agreed. “How was your shift?”
She smiled. “Quiet. I spent far too much of it staring at you.”
That pleased him far more than it probably should have, and he gripped her hip, pulling her closer so her curvy body was resting against his stomach and chest. When she rested her head on his shoulder, her soft hair gently tickling his upper arm, he took a deep breath.
It was perfect. She was perfect.
“Careful, or I won’t want to leave,” he murmured, slowly running his hand up and down the soft curve of her side.
“But you will,” she responded.
He had no answer for that. They both knew it was true and neither was naive enough to make promises otherwise. That he would stay, or that he would come back to her. Or that she would wait for him. They had both lived enough to know that life rarely worked out the way one expected it to.
“I was asking Baris, the bartender on duty now,” she nodded toward the tall Cendilax male, and Xarek nodded. “He hangs out with that Bellarian sometimes.”
“Oh. In a social way, you mean?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “They run laps around the station whenever the Bellarian guy is here. Sometimes play cards and drink together.”
Xarek nodded at this bit of information, continuing to rub her side. “And did he have anything interesting to share?”
“That he’s known the Bellarian for many years and he’s one of the few people he would trust with his life.”
Xarek thought for a moment, and she lifted her head, looking at him. “How did you bring this up with him?”
“I said that he’d been hitting on a friend of mine and I was doing what I could to check him out.”
Xarek squeezed her hip, still mostly lost in the feel of her body on his. “It was smart to frame it as such. The Cendilax revere females of their race and others. They are a maternalistic society. He would not lie about such a thing.”
“But he would never be able to tell me the whole truth, either, if the Bellarian is what he says he is. He would be skilled enough to know exactly what to say to a Cendilax to earn his trust. Especially a Cendilax who works in the most popular bar on the busiest station in the quadrant. Good for information.”
Xarek nodded in agreement. “He would not. But it gives us insight into his general character. Thank you, Maggie,” he said quietly, feeling warmth deep in his core for this smart, caring female.
He held her gaze, very much enjoying the hold he had on her, the way she kept her gaze on his, that pretty blush rising to her cheeks, her pupils dilating.
