Page 12 of Her Alien Beast
Chapter 8
VLANN
I surveythe mess in disbelief. When I find the bottle of soap underneath the sink, I discover Amira must have poured half of it into the dishwasher, rather than the single drop that’s required. I growl and rise to my feet, intending to go scold her, but then I pause in the kitchen doorway and turn around as I consider the situation. Amira Swan comes from money. She’s probably never filled a dishwasher or done a load of laundry in her whole life. The Swan family has several live-in servants, according to the information Owen had provided.
And yet…Amira had insisted on cleaning the kitchen. Instead of playing the role of the spoiled, rich socialite and sitting back while I did everything, she’d tried to be helpful.
Biting back a smile and shaking my head, I clean up the kitchen floor and get the remaining suds out of the dishwasher. Once I’m finished, I go in search of my little human.
I can’t help it, but I’m already thinking of her as mine. I don’t want to return her to her family. There’s a dark part of me that wants to keep her in my residence forever as my little captive. No one but Owen knows she’s here and I can trust him to keep quiet.
But no.
She has a family, people who care about her, and even though she ran away, I think she wants to return to them, eventually.
When I find her, she’s sitting on the edge of her bed, biting her lip. Once I stride through the doorway, she shoots straight up, looking dreadfully nervous as moisture shines in her dark brown eyes.
“Who taught you how to wash dishes?” I ask, a note of amusement in my voice. She must have noticed my good humor, because her shoulders relax a bit.
“I never really learned,” she confesses. “I’m very sorry. I just didn’t want to be a bum during the next seven days.” Again, she bites her lip and fidgets in place.
“It’s all right, Amira,” I say. “I’ve already hidden the soap.” I waggle my eyebrows at her in a playful manner, but despite my attempt to alleviate her worries, she appears anxious again.
“You’re not mad?” she asks, continuing to fidget under my gaze.
“Of course not. It was only an accident.”
Her sudden smile melts my heart. In the next moment, my desire for her swells so rapidly my hands tremble, and once more I have the inexorable urge to bite her. I clutch the door and wait for the fierce wave of need to pass. When it doesn’t and my cock only becomes harder, my blood heating as my vision momentarily blurs, I decide I’d better leave the female’s presence before I lose control. Not for the first time, I find myself wishing I knew more about the mating customs of Kaxxlorans.
I long to possess this human female, body and soul. But she’ll be leaving soon, I remind myself. I back out of the room, though each step in the opposite direction of Amira pains me.
“I’m locking your door now. Go to bed.” There’s no warmth in my voice and I feel a surge of guilt at the look of disappointment that flashes in Amira’s expressive dark eyes. I don’t mean to upset her, but I must get my impulses under control, lest I harm the little human.
Back in my study, I pour over the report about Amira that Owen had sent, bringing the information up on the large screen on my desk. I had scanned it quickly earlier in the day, but now I want to take the time to memorize every little detail about the petite human who has thoroughly enchanted me.
She had graduated first in her class from a local private school, then she’d attended a university on the other side of Marryyn in Eastern Horrtch, obtaining dual degrees in Interplanetary Business and Economics, again graduating at the top of her class. Though she comes from a wealthy family, she’s certainly not lazy, and her record is clean. She’s a hard worker, even if she doesn’t know how to operate a dishwasher. My opinion of her was already high, but it soars even higher as I read about all her academic accomplishments. I’m impressed.
I began to wonder about Gregory Whitworth, so I contact Owen and ask him to provide a detailed dossier about the human male. It still angers me that Amira’s family is pressuring her to marry a man she doesn’t like, a man she says hasn’t treated her well, and I want to see if Owen can dig up any dirt on the human.
A short while later, a file containing information about Gregory appears on my screen. As I open the report, I decide I will give Owen a raise, after all. The young human male always comes through, even frequently managing to get ahold of highly classified material.
As I scan the report on Gregory, my protectiveness for Amira rises. Gregory not only has a criminal record, but a troubling one at that. He hasn’t just been accused of small, petty crimes, either. He’s been arrested over ten times for driving a hovercar while intoxicated. There are also three dismissed cases of rape. I glance at the name of the judge who had presided over the cases and growl. That particular Marryyn judge is known to take bribes. There are also several expunged charges of assault and bribery.
She can’t marry him. I won’t allow it. Even if she changes her mind, I won’t allow it.
The little human doesn’t know it yet, but she needs me.
I’ll keep her safe, and I’ll kill Gregory if he comes near her.
* * *
The next morning at breakfast,Amira quietly avoids my gaze.My fault, I think, wishing I hadn’t been so harsh last night before locking her bedroom door. But she doesn’t know how badly I’d wanted to lock the door from the inside and then proceed to rip her clothes off and pound into the sweetness between her thighs, or how badly I’d longed to sink my teeth into her flesh.
I watch her push Yovorian eggs around on her plate. The only thing she seems interested in is the tea. I open my mouth, preparing to remind her that she’s not a simple houseguest and that I will take any and all measures to ensure she doesn’t run away, but I soon press my lips together, not trusting myself to speak calmly.
When we’re finished eating, she gazes at the table, at the ceiling, at the wall, everywhere but at me. I half hope she will offer to clean up just so I can teasingly explain how the dishwasher works. Before I can think on this further, my wrist comm buzzes.
It’s Owen. I excuse myself to take the call in my study.
