Page 19 of Alien Step-Brother

Back in the suite, I sat on the couch with my legs crossed, watching the vast expanse of space through the window as the ship cruised past a vibrant orange and green galaxy. Alek was in the corner at the counter, making a drink from the bar. I followed his movements from the corner of my eye.

“Would you like something to drink?” he offered.

“Oh, no thanks.” I’d had enough of those colorful shots at the nightclub, and my stomach couldn’t stand another drop of liquor. Plus, I needed to keep some of my senses.

Alek dropped an ice cube in a glass of amber liquid. The sharp clink made me sit up straighter, almost holding my breath when he approached. I exhaled when he sat outside of arm’s reach, giving me just enough space to keep my cool.

He crossed his leg over his knee and draped an arm over the back of the couch, commanding my attention. His all-black galactic finery stood out against the white cushions, and he emitted the energy of a king on a throne—compelling and powerful.

Yet all I could think about was straddling his lap and running my fingers through the soft strands of his platinum white hair that shone like moonlight in the dimly lit suite. I wanted to feel his erection rubbing against me while I kissed his pale lips and tugged his horns back, exposing his throat for my teeth…

“We can’t keep pretending.” His words cracked through my thoughts, shattering them to pieces. After a long pull of his drink, he set his glass on the center table.

“But what else are we supposed to do, Alek? My dad and your mom are together. What we’re doing is wrong—”

“It’s not wrong,” he interrupted, bristling. The tip of his tail jerked, giving away his deep agitation. Then he swiped a hand over his face and swallowed down a rising groan.

“Of course it is. You’re my stepbrother now. It doesn’t matter how badly I want you.”Or that I feel as though I’d known you my entire life.But I couldn’t say that part aloud.

Alek leaned forward, face terse and severe. “You think I don’t know about the human taboo? It’s rutting ridiculous. On my planet, I’d have every right to claim you.”

“You can’t claim a person.” It was the only feeble reply I could think of.

Alek’s lips peeled back as he hissed. He stood off the couch, shoulders tensed and clenching his fists. His shadow blanketed me, casting me in his comforting darkness.

“Actually, I have every right to claim you,” he countered. We locked eyes, and I swallowed hard. “You are mine, and I am yours.”

His words made me feel like I was coming home after a lifetime away. It felt right. But I squeezed my hands in my lap as my heart fluttered like a panicked bird in a cage.

“We hardly know each other. We just met.”

“Knowing one another comes later.” Alek dropped to his knee and snatched my fiddling hands off my lap.

“What?” My breath lurched, and I clamped to my lips to halt a gasp. Sparks skittered over my skin where his warm palms enveloped mine, and the delicate scrape of his nails made my heart skip beats.

“I know at the center of my being that you are mine. You saw it for yourself in my eyes the moment you landed in my arms. Human rules and senseless taboos cannot compare to the bond we have, starlight.”

Oh stars, I knew what he was leading up to. After what Khalla said and what I’d researched, all the pieces were falling into place. It frightened and exhilarated me at the same time. I shouldn’t want him to continue, but I longed for it more than I needed air to breathe.

“Now that I’ve had you, I cannot let you get away from me. You are mine, Nova. Mystellarum, my life-mate.” Alekkon’s voice was thin, vulnerable, yet resolved. His eyes churned through blue, red, and gold with hints of black.

My body coiled tight and trembled with prickly nerves scratching under the surface of my skin, but there was a soft glow spreading within my chest as well. A ribbon of delight spiraled through my lower stomach and tickled my core—right where I needed him.

“But our parents, Alek… I know my dad won’t like this.”

“And my mother won’t care,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what they think. I cannot go the rest of my life without you. You were my starlight from the moment I first caught you and you will be mine until my final breath. We are bound forever.”

I earnestly gripped Alek’s hand. “No, you don’t understand. You haven’t known my dad for long. He’s a great man, but he’s very protective. More so since my mother left us.”

“I would not leave you,” Alek ground out. The promise of those words thrilled me.

A timid smile twitched at my lips. “That’s not exactly what he’d be worried about. Maybe you’re not familiar with human fathers who have daughters, but my dad is like that. Times ten worse, or maybe a hundred. I only ever dated when he was off world.”

Alek rose from his knees and sank onto the cushion beside me, with his thigh pressed into mine. “Your father should understand the bond since my mother claimed him. This isn’t some tryst, Nova. This is a profound connection based on instinct and biology. You are my life-mate because you are the one whom I am the most compatible with in the entire universe.”

“He might still try to shoot you,” I joked to combat the rising maelstrom of my feelings.

The corner of Alek’s lips turned up, and his eyes glittered. “In the time I’ve gotten to know Hector Ramos, I’d expect nothing less.”

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