Page 5 of Kissed By the Alien
“Zyanthans are not part of the Coalition,” he adds.
“You wouldn’t be here if you were. We kicked their butts, and they left.”
“They fled because of a crisis in their territory. An internal war.”
“You don’t know how to spin a story, do you?”
His eyes narrow. “Are you trying to distract me, female?”
“Actually, I’m wondering if this isn’t part of some prank. I’ve never seen anyone with horns. Are you sure those are real?” I’m dying to touch his horns. The very idea sends a shiver through me. He’s a person, really no different than me, except… horns!
“Yes, they’re real. There are other species with horns. Did you not see any members of the coalition who occupied your world?”
“I stayed inside.” Until my father couldn’t contain me any longer. I point at the sharp tips. “You really have no clue what you have there, Tannis.”
“You will address me as Warrior Tannis.” With a subtle smile, he offers, “Or Warrior, if you prefer.”
“Warrior, then. Horns are a… How do I put this? A phallic symbol.”
“I don’t know that word.”
“Then go back to your ship and look it up instead of bothering innocent women like me. You really should have a full understanding of the planet you’re running around on so you don’t get yourself killed.”
He puffs out his chest and those horns… damn, they’re glorious. Long, thick… I need to fan myself, and it’s not from the bulky layers I’m wearing. As I’m about to ask him a question, his horns shoot straight up!
“Your horns are moving!”
“So is your mouth.”
“Ooh, now that’s downright mean. Offensive.”
His lips curl into a grin.
“Oh, I get it. I insulted you first. Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen horns on a person and I didn’t expect them to move… almost like a… Hmm, there really is no way to be delicate about this… like a penis.”
He tilts his head again. Damn, that’s adorable.
“I guess I must look odd to you, too,” I add as a round-about apology. I really didn’t mean to insult him. “Why do your horns move?”
“They are tied to our emotions. Instinctive for battle.”
“I can take a guess what it means when they shoot straight up.”
I pull out my water bottle to cover my smirk. When he doesn’t respond, I flip open the top and swallow, giving myself time to strategize. He still has my gun and flirting isn’t getting me anywhere.
“They’re rather big. Your horns, I mean. Do they get in the way?”
“Do those large breasts get in the way?”
“You’re rather cheeky.”
“No, I’m horny.”
I choke on the water. “My bad for bringing up the topic. Just a warning, Warrior, don’t say you’re horny. It’s a sexual term for arousal. Especially with how those horns shoot straight up like that.”
“But our horns curve back during mating.”
“As long as nothing else curves back,” I say, because while I started out flirting with the goal of coercing this guy into giving me my gun and letting me leave, I’m having too much fun trying to make him squirm. It’s been a long time since I met a guy who could hold his own against me, intellectually, that is. And without losing his temper. That’s an important quality.
