Page 12 of Alien Step-Brother

I supposed I should have been relieved, but there was something buried deep in my heart and stomach that craved to see him again. And I wanted that dream to be real.

I’d had trysts in my life. Fleeting boyfriends who came and went. None of them ever lasted, not for very long. Not one of them had ever shown the bold control of Alek at dinner or a blatant, unashamed desire for me as he had.

My new stepbrother wanted me, and he wasn’t shy about it. If not for our parents, I suspect we would have spent the night together, entangled in wanton bliss.

The naughtiest thoughts in my mind whispered it was still possible.

It wasn’t as if we’d see each other after the space cruise. Dad would go back with Khalla and Alekkon on whatever diplomatic assignments were designated to them. I’d return to Earth and my monotonous job behind a screen, as lonely as ever. We wouldn’t be spending holidays and weekends together like the average family back home.

Stars, I might never see him again. Did it matter if he was my stepbrother now? We weren’t related, and the physical strain between us might ease if we got a good fuck out of our system.

When I returned to the suite to dress for dinner, he wasn’t there, although there was evidence the shower was recently used. I tried not to think about him naked in here, but if my foggy dream was accurate, then he had an impressive piece.

Oh, who was I kidding? There was no way I wouldn’t think about his cock. I would until I had the chance to wrap my lips around it. My mouth watered at the idea.

I showered and dressed for another elegant dinner. This time I wore a navy-blue silk dress with long sleeves that adhered to the planes of my body like a second skin. I left my black hair long and straight down my back.

My dad sat at the table in the dining hall by himself, contently sipping away at a glass of whisky and reading the news holographically projected from his wrist-com. His rich brown eyes lit up with joy at the sight of me, and he set his drink down. Before I reached my chair, he bolted upright and swept me into a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re here. It’s been too long,” he sighed, patting my back like he did when I was a little girl.

“I saw you for lunch.” He squeezed the breath out of me before releasing me.

“I know, I know,” he waved off, settling into his seat again. “But it’s been years since I saw you last. Before this trip. I wished you could have attended the bonding ceremony with Khalla. Speaking of, she’ll be late for dinner. She had a meeting, and I was too antsy to wait.”

I took the seat next to him, and reached for my dad’s warm, calloused hand. “You’re an important man, Dad. You have a big role with the Intergalactic Star Force. I understand that, and I always have.”

Although it had stung when he wasn’t there for important milestones in my life. Or when Mom left.

But I understood his role was greater than me, regardless of the sting.

“Anyway, tell me how you and Khalla met. How did that happen?” I changed the subject to something he seemed more than glad to tell.

“Oh, well, funny story that. I was at a summit with about fifty outer quadrant senators and a handful of Earth representatives. The commanding general stationed me with the Dragaken envoy as a guide and guard. Wouldn’t you know, Khalla got one look at me and said right on the spot, in front of her envoy and the general, that I was hers and I wasn’t to leave her side?”

Khalla was a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it. I could take a lesson from her.

“Oh, that is funny.” I smiled, encouraging Dad to continue.

“Yeah, stars, I was shocked at first. You know, it hurt when your mother left.” I cringed at the topic, and Dad nodded, moving on. “But the Dragaken are a very instinctive people, in tune with their base needs and emotions. Her eyes turned gold when she saw me, and she knew that we were supposed to be together.”

A cold knife trailed along my spine, and chills danced along my arms.

“Her eyes turned gold?” I swallowed over a suddenly dry tongue.

Dad shrugged while sipping at his drink. “Yeah, it’s biology for them, you know? I never really thought much of the whole soulmate thing, but it's kind of like that, only with physiology. The Dragaken call it theirstellarum, like a life-mate.”

“So, you’re Khalla’sstellarumbecause her eyes turned gold?” My stomach lurched, and the thought of eating dinner suddenly made me nauseous.

“Basically. It’s their people’s way of finding their life-mate. Since her first husband died when Alekkon was a baby, she’s had time for her body to cycle through and select another suitable partner. Again, it’s all a biological thing they can’t control. But I don’t mind, I like her. A lot.”

Choking down my odd sense of dread, I nodded. “Yeah, you seem happy with her. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you happy.”

“I am happy. But are you alright with this? I should have asked you first,” Dad replied, squeezing my hand.

“I’m happy if you’re happy, Dad. That’s what matters.” He settled with that answer.

When the waiter came, I ordered a drink of my own—something strong that might ease the bristling nerves writhing under my skin. There was an unsettling memory from my buzzed first moments with Alek I was struggling to recall, and perhaps another drink would bring it glowing back to life.

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