Page 33 of Whisked Away By the Alien

I slide in next to him, wondering if he realizes how scared those people are. Oh, who the fuck cares? I get to sit! Yay!

“You’re smiling,” he says.

“I never get a seat on this bus.”

He rests his hand on my thigh. Now I have a better reason to smile.

When he squeezes my leg, I say, “Find something you like?” I’ve never been one to flirt, but with Sten it’s easy. Natural. And I can’t seem to stop.

“You’re soft,” he says.

“Good soft or bad soft?”

“Pleasurable soft.”

My stomach flutters and parts lower respond with a pulsing. When we get to my apartment, what then? I’m slightly panicked. I’ve never done anything like this before and could screw things up.

Am I ready to go all the way with him? Will he think I’m easy because we only just met? What if he’s not the right guy for me? Nothing says I have to marry the guy I lose my virginity to, but I don’t want a one-night stand.

I want more.

I want… Sten. And for more than one night.

“Did you enjoy the meal?” I ask, because when conversations get uncomfortable in my house, food is always a safe topic.

“Very filling.”

“That’s not a regular meal for us. It’s too much fried food and too much food in general. Cooking oil is expensive, but my parents are big on maintaining customs so we remember where we come from. When Rachel and I were kids, we used to get a small present each of the eight nights of Hannukah, but that dropped off as we got older. Now, we exchange gifts on the last night. As Sadie gets older, I suppose we’ll go back to giving gifts nightly. It makes the holiday more special for the kids.”

“On Zyan, we don’t give gifts often. Perhaps between two mates, but I can’t recall much from when my father was still alive. We do have plenty of rituals to ensure health and good lives. When a youngling turns a month old, we perform yenun. We dunk the youngling in water to wash away the sins of the family and ensure a bright future for the youngling.”

“That’s lovely.” I finally glance outside and realize I almost missed my stop. With a quick tug of the cord above the window, the bus slows. “This is our stop.”

When I step into the aisle, I turn to the people still huddling in the back of the bus. “Not all aliens are bad,” I announce loud enough so they can’t pretend they didn’t hear me. “Like not all humans are good.”

Without waiting for any of them to respond, I head to the doors up front. Sten’s right behind me, protecting my rear. Oh, god, he has an unobstructed view of my backside! I should hold my head up high and proceed off the bus. But no, I give in to my impulsive nature and shake my ass at him.

I’m hopeless!

With the squeak of the bus doors closing behind us, I start walking, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. “You didn’t see that, did you?”

Please, please, please, say no!

“See what?”

Relief washes through me. “Nothing. My place isn’t far from here.” I point in the general direction of my apartment, still trying to dissect what’s gotten into me. My parents aren’t here so I can’t use them as an excuse. Often, I do the opposite of what they say, just because.

Then it dawns on me. I’m acting carefree and a little reckless because I’m with Sten. Being myself around him is… easy.

“Lead the way, Commander.”

That name gets me every time, and he knows it. That teasing grin on his face says as much. I return his smile and weave my fingers through his. “Thank you for walking me home tonight. I’m glad you’re here. I had a really nice day with you.”

“Which part? Teaching me how to cook or protecting you from your family?” He says that last part with an adorable chuckle. “Or letting me taste you? I truly enjoyed that part, though I’d like to taste more of you.”

My cheeks flush and I’m hoteverywhere. If the snow weren’t coming down in buckets, I’d chuck my wool coat.

“Do you have snowball fights on Zyan?”

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