Page 21 of Whisked Away By the Alien

Meanwhile, Bubbe chuckles and pours herself a glass of wine. “His cock, Gertrude. He said he put his cock back into his jeans. Maybe you need a hearing aid.”

“I heard him just fine, Ma.”

Before this goes too far, I wave my arms wide to catch their attention. “There is a language issue going on here, so before you jump to any conclusions, let me say nothing has happened between Sten and me. We cooked earlier. Period. End of story.”

Bubbe shakes her head. “You’re becoming as brazen as your sister, Golda. I blame the schmendrik.”

I say nothing. There’s no need to. My mother is quick to jump to my dad’s defense and immediately the age-old argument between Mom and Bubbe erupts. Stenikov watches my family with intense curiosity while I debate how to explain to him why he shouldn’t repeat what he said about his cock again, especially when my dad arrives.

I grab hold of his hand and pull him toward the kitchen. “Let’s start bringing out the platters.”

The moment we’re in the kitchen, finally alone, Sten leans his face close to the nape of my neck. One tiny puff of air from his lips skitters over my skin, waking every part of me. I don’t know if that’s his breath, or he’s blowing on me, but I don’t want him to stop.

“You smell wonderful, Golda.”

“That’s the brisket.”

His breath trails along my jaw. My entire body thrums, tempting me to surrender to whatever he’s planning.

Anything, but not here!my mind screams, well aware of the Mom and Bubbe on the other side of the kitchen door. They may argue for several minutes, but they’re suspicious people. And nosey. If we’re gone too long, they’ll plaster their ears to the door to spy on us.

Not that we’re doing anything. Yet.

“Sten?”

“Yes, Commander?” His deep sultry voice sends the most delightful shiver through me.

“Do you have any questions about anything?”

“I have many questions. More than time allows.” His lips graze the sensitive shell of my ear.

I hold my breath and shiver with anticipation as his lips glide along my cheek. A fraction of an inch… That’s all I have to move for his lips to brush mine.

“Golda, what’s going on in there?” Mom yells from the dining room, her voice shattering the spell.

When I inhale, preparing to yell out that everything is fine, my lungs fill with the most delicious smell in the kitchen. Sten. He’s the only person I’ve ever seen stand over a pot of hot oil, frying donuts in a kitchen with crappy ventilation, who doesn’t smell of sweat. His scent rivals that of the donuts. Delicious, manly…totally invigorating. Nothing like the dirty dock workers I see every day. I definitely wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of him.

OMG, what has gotten into me?

“Golda?”

“Coming, Mom!”

With the tops of his horns twisting, Sten carries the platter of brisket in one hand and latkes in the other, while I carry the tureen of chicken soup. As soon as he sets down the dishes, he heads back to the kitchen for the vegetables and apple sauce.

“He seems like a nice young man, Ma. And Golda likes him.”

I freeze, still holding the tureen.Oh, God.Change the subject. Anything. Find something to say before they start match-making!

“You’ve been hoping to find some blue decorations for Hannukah this year,” Bubbe adds.

“He’s analien, Ma, not a dreidel.”

“I can see that, Gertrude Miriam. Stop yelling. The neighbors will hear you.”

“Oy gevolt! As if the neighbors are our biggest worry right now.”

“Of course not!” Bubbe says. “You should worry about whether this alien goliath will crush the stemware. That’s my mother’s crystal that I saved from getting blown up during the war. It’s irreplaceable.”

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