Page 7 of Her Alien Soldier
Chapter Three
It was almost the end of Maggie’s shift when Xarek walked back into the bar. She’d kept a vigilant look out for his Paraxian, but it was another day of seeing nearly every other race in the known universe, but not a single Paraxian.
“Thank you for keeping watch for me,” Xarek said.
“Of course,” she said with a nod.
She went to the back, brought out another ale - she’d ordered more earlier that day, in case he ended up staying a while - and poured it for him. She could feel him watching her. Not the way some customers did, not in a leering way that made her feel like she was nothing more than a pair of breasts with legs. He watched her, and she felt like he saw her.
And that makes absolutely no sense, Mags, she chastised herself. She took a breath then walked back to him and set the mug of ale on the bar in front of him, offering him a smile as she did.
“If you need to rest later, my friend Georgina is on. She’s reliable and I’ve alerted all of the bartenders here to watch for a Paraxian and contact you if they see one. I hope you don’t mind me giving out your contact code.”
She waited for a few seconds as he watched her, and the intensity in his gaze made her heart feel like it was going to pound out of her chest. “I do not mind. Thank you for doing that,” he rumbled, and oh, she’d be more than happy to let him show his appreciation however he wanted.
Cold shower. Think unsexy thoughts, she told herself.
“I’m off tomorrow, so there’ll be another bartender on duty when I’m normally here.”
He furrowed his brow for a moment, then nodded. “I hope you have an enjoyable day off. You deserve it.”
“You deserve one more than I do. I just sling drinks and make small talk,” she said with a soft laugh. “You fight. And even when you’re not, you’re still on duty, like now,” she added.
He shook his head. “Do not downplay what you do, Maggie,” he said quietly. “You make and serve the drinks, yes. But I see how you interact with people. You listen. You offer advice and information when asked. You make people feel less alone, if only for a little while. That is important.” He took a drink of his ale, then fixed that gaze on her again. “And, as you said yesterday, that is not all you are. You are multifaceted. Your work is not your entire personality. Some of us could learn much from you, if we had the time.”
She couldn’t help staring at him. She hadn’t heard him string that many words together since he’d arrived. But more than that was the sincerity, the calm warmth of his voice when he spoke.
A male who knew how to talk to her like that? Who looked the way he did and smelled of pure, clean, masculine warmth? She knew she’d do anything he asked.
Anything.
And shit, that was dangerous. That was the kind of thing she’d sworn off, giving up control of her heart and body like that.
“It’s… it’s time for me to go,” she said. “Hopefully you’ll hear something soon.”
“I hope so. Enjoy your time off, Maggie.”
She nodded, then moved away, focusing on making sure things were set up, clean, and organized for the next bartender, and when they arrived, she chatted with them for a few moments before heading out, unable to stop herself from glancing at Xarek as she did. He gave her a nod, and she left before she could convince herself to stay, take a seat beside him, order a drink, and probably make a huge mistake.
Coward.
Xarek watched Maggie leave, following her stunning curves until she’d passed through the doors and out of his line of vision. He took a deep breath and then a large gulp of ale.
The Paraxian needed to get here. He needed to get back to his people. The pull to spend time with Maggie, to learn about her and find out what she felt like in his arms, was nearly too powerful to ignore.
He was a soldier. His former almost-wife had been right about that. What kind of fool keeps himself away from a woman like Maggie? What kind of male doesn’t take the time to lavish praise upon a female like that, find out how he can help her, learn what brings her joy and makes her feel as adored as she should?
The kind who only has room in his life for one thing, apparently.
He gave a small shake of his head, watching the entrance to the bar.
The Paraxian better have what he promised.
Someone sat on the stool next to his, and Xarek glanced that way and gave the person a short nod of greeting. They lifted a hand in greeting, and Xarek noted that it was a Bellarian. Perhaps one of those who’d been in the band that had been playing the first time he’d seen Maggie. She’d been swaying, bobbing her head in time with the music. Her joy had been like a punch to the gut.
How long had it been since he’d seen pure, easy joy like that?
“Altarian. Don’t get many of you around here,” the Bellarian said.
