Page 68 of Her Alien Neighbor

“Thank you,” I tell them. “It means a lot.”

We step out into the hallway and exchange hugs, and I have them put their numbers into my phone before we say our good-byes.

I fall into step with Sam as we hurry toward the front entrance, eager to put an end to this night. Since I didn’t wear a coat, Sam tells me to wait inside while she gets the car and brings it around, but the moment she steps out, I notice…Axil. He’s leaning against the door of his truck, wearing a long puffy coat that ends at his knees, his hands in his pockets, and his boot planted against the driver’s side door.

He’s here. I don’t even care why. The sight of him brings tears to my eyes. I didn’t know how much I needed him until right now. But there’s nothing else I want more than his arms around me.

“Are you okay?” he asks as I run outside. He seems to notice my distress immediately because he pushes off the truck and runs toward me.

Then I’m in his arms, my feet no longer touching the ground as he holds me against his warm body, whispering encouraging promises into my ear. He pulls back to look at me and uses his gloved finger to wipe away my tears. “Let’s go home.”

I think I say yes, though it’s hard to hear anything over the sound of my teeth chattering because I didn’t bring a coat. Axil carries me to the truck, and Sam waves before heading to her car as Axil drops me in the passenger seat. He presses his forehead against mine and whispers, “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

The tears fall harder now, not because of my pain, but because I believe him, and for the first time in twenty years, I feel completely safe. He’s all I need.

CHAPTER 18

AXIL

Vanessa cries quietly the entire drive to my house. Seeing her cry feels like a blade being lodged into my side. It is horrible. But the one thing worse than that is seeing her make herself smaller so as not to bother anyone else with her tears. That makes my blood boil.

I am curious who is to blame for her sadness. Though I am certain I can guess: Trevor. Or it is her detestable former friend with the sharp voice and harsh features. I believe her name is Beth.

“Do you wish to tell me what happened?” I ask, keeping my voice soft. If I cannot yet offer her the comfort of my body, I must do so with my energy. I pull a peanut butter cup from the center console and silently hand it to her, hoping it will help.

She chuckles when she sees it but waves her hand. “No, thank you,” she mutters while sniffling. She burrows deeper into the coat I placed in her lap once I got her settled in the seat. I will never understand why she attended this event without a coat on a night when snow was in the forecast. “And no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

I nod, putting the candy back in the console and returning my hand to the wheel. The snow continues to fall in wide, wet clumps, making it hard to see the road ahead.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” she says, looking at me with her big, beautiful eyes bloodshot from the tears. “I just don’t want to think about it anymore tonight. If that’s okay.”

“Of course, it is okay,” I tell her. “Whatever you need, Vanessa. Tell me, and I will give it to you.”

She offers me a small smile, then turns away, leaning her head against the window. We get back to my house within minutes, and when I help her down from the truck, I ask, “Would you like me to walk you home?” I do not want her out of my sight, especially with her being so upset, but I know I cannot push too hard, or she will run in the opposite direction.

“No,” she replies quickly, and my heart sinks. “I’d like to stay…with you.”

My stomach twists with excitement, not because I expect anything to come from her stay, but because holding her in my arms is all I have wanted to do since she discovered the truth about us. Now she is here, in need of support, and she is allowing me to give it to her. It feels as if I am floating.

“Yes,” I reply, trying not to sound too eager. “Stay as long as you would like.”

The house is quiet once we get inside. I do not know where my brothers are. Possibly asleep. I just know they are not here in the living room, which makes me happy as I want Vanessa all to myself.

“Whoa!” Vanessa jerks back as I hang my coat on the hook by the door.

Her eyes roam my body approvingly, and I never want them to stop. It is when I look down that I understand her reaction. “Ah, the suit.”

“Yeah, the suit,” she says as she pulls me in by the lapels on my jacket.

Well, Kyan’s jacket that I borrowed.

“You look amazing!” Vanessa says. “I didn’t think you owned anything that wasn’t flannel.”

“There is a lot you do not know about me, tiny human.”

She steps back and draws a circle in the air with her finger. “Give us a twirl.”

“You…wish for me to twirl?” I ask, surprised. It does not sound like a particularly masculine act, this twirling, but since she asked for it, I shall provide. I can deny her nothing. Taking off my boots, I use the smooth tiled floor to my advantage and spin around two full times before stopping. The room spins, briefly, but then my dizziness fades. “How was that?”

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