Page 77 of Kissed By the Alien
I move directly below her and look up, surprised to see she’s naked beneath that shirt of mine she’s wearing. “I must say, Lexi, I’m enjoying the view from down here.”
“Stop looking!”
“I’d rather be tasting.”
She clenches her legs together. “This is not the time to flirt!”
“I can think of no better time.”
“I’m going to fall.”
“I’ll catch you.”
“You’ll get hurt.”
“Lexi,” I moderate my voice so I’m not too harsh with her. “I am a warrior. Do you doubt my abilities or my judgment?”
“No, but?—”
“Then you will let go and I will catch you.” When she hesitates, I add, “Don’t rush, sholani. This truly is a lovely view.”
“You’re awful!” she says as she locks her ankles together, denying me the pleasure of seeing her.
“I’m not the one who tried to escape through a window with a rope that is too short.”
“I’m slipping!”
A second later, her shrieks send birds flying from nearby trees as she falls and lands in my arms. Frantically, she grabs ahold of my neck and shoulders until she realizes I have her.
“You doubted me.” My voice remains stern, partially because I’d like to reprimand her for unnecessarily endangering herself.
She takes several deep breaths. “I don’t doubt you. Only myself.”
“Why leave like this, Lexi? You were free to leave my bed, my rooms, the embassy anytime. I would not have stopped you. I am not your father.”
She taps my shoulder. “Put me down, please.”
“Not until you answer me.” I like this method of extracting answers. I get to hold her longer.
She turns her head away from me. “You would have asked me where I was going and you wouldn’t have liked the answer.”
“Home. To your father?”
She nods. “I wasn’t running off exactly. I left you a note explaining. I need to speak with him. To hear him tell me what he did and why.”
“You don’t believe what I told you?” I’m worried about her. If her father kidnapped her once, even if to ‘teach her a lesson’ as she theorizes, then she’s not safe with him.
“Something’s off about this entire situation. Even if my dad knows about my sneaking out, about my hideout, the ball, everything as you said—and I do believe you—it doesn’t make sense that he’d have me kidnapped. There’s no reason to. He could have talked to me, told me why he didn’t approve of what I was doing.”
“As you talked with him?” I ask as I gently set her on her feet.
“You’re right. My father and I haven’t exactly been great at communicating with one another. But I know him, Lutan. He would never intentionally put me in danger.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
She looks both ways, checking to see if we’re alone. “Two years ago, I had a boyfriend. Devlin. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself, and I let him treat me in a way that…” She swallows hard and opens her mouth as if to speak but falls silent.
I stroke her hair, giving her the time she needs. I know how hard it can be to speak of the past.
