“You didn’t let me finish.” Would she change her mind if she knew the truth? But that meant showing vulnerability. With a deep breath, he stared deep into her emerald eyes. “I came back to
Hanton for you. Ever since I met you, I felt a connection to you. Growing up in orphanages and group homes where no one questioned my background, I remained determined to find you as soon as I had the chance.”
“And yet, you’re leaving.”
“I panicked when you walked out on me. I assumed you would never be with me because of what I am.” He examined the neighborhood, making sure no one had heard. “I’m sorry.”
Releasing her arm, he blew out a heavy breath. So much for being the alpha male every woman desired.
At the touch of her hand, he looked up.
“Maybe you can come in, and we can talk about it?”
Sensing her hope, he thought he might still have a chance with her. “Sure.”
His phone vibrated in his pocket. “Excuse me for a moment.” He fished the device from his pocket and heard his real estate agent on the other end.
All his hope deflated as the woman announced someone would be viewing his place in an hour. Tucking the cell away, he turned to Rachel. “I’m going to have to take a rain check. There’s someone coming to look at the house soon, and I have to make sure it’s presentable before they arrive.”
“Maybe I could help?”
He shook his head. “No. I couldn’t ask you to do that.” The reminder of his ill-timed decision would be hard enough without her with him.
“Well, do you have a place to go while they’re there?” She rocked up to the balls of her feet. “You could come over here. I can make something for dinner.”
“I’d love to.” No way would he refuse her offer. Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you in about thirty minutes.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
His heart pounded all the way home. The cleaning had already been done earlier in the day. Now, he just needed to find a place to store the orb while some stranger traipsed through his house. Should he take it with him to Rachel’s? She’d already seen its glow. If he was going to have any type of relationship with her, he had to tell her everything, about the orb and his ability to read her emotions. Her reaction tonight would determine if they had a chance at a future together. He rolled his shoulders and stepped into his house.
Might as well get it over with.
***
Rachel blinked as she opened the door to find Luke on her doorstep. She hadn’t expected him to return, still unsure if he was playing her or really did want her in his life. One week wasn’t enough time to figure out his intentions. But if he moved away while she trained for her new position she would be devastated.
He reached for her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back. “Does the offer still stand for dinner?”
“Of course. Come on in.” With an almost bare refrigerator and cupboards, she’d thrown a meatloaf together with mashed potatoes—a staple growing up. Sundays were always reserved as her grocery shopping day, but she hadn’t felt up to going anywhere yesterday, only finding a pound of ground chicken. Though with Luke’s intense gaze, she didn’t think it mattered what they ate. She’d seen the same look right before he carried her to his bedroom and showered her with passion only two days earlier.
He followed her, but stopped on the porch, staring at her wicker rocking chair. “You still have it?”
She nodded. “I would never get rid of it. It reminded me of…you.”
With a wry grin, he stepped closer. “I captivated you back then, didn’t I?”
So much for the vulnerable alien she’d seen earlier. He’d returned to the confident man women everywhere admired. How would she ever keep his attention?
Setting down his duffle bag, he gripped her hand tighter. “Why don’t we take a seat, for old times’ sake?”
She led him over, and he sat down first, guiding her onto his knee. “We don’t quite fit now, do we?”
“No, but I like it just the same.” Several people had suggested she get rid of the chair, including Christine, but she could never bear to part with it, or the memory of the little alien boy. And now he’d come back to her, a grown and sexy man.
Still unsure of his feelings for her, she leaned on his shoulder, seeking the same comfort she had gained when trying to escape her parents. He ran his hand down her arm, her own nerves lighting up with need. “You feel so good in my arms.”
Yes, if only he had never left. They could have grown up together. Her childhood would have been so much different. Maybe she would have had more than one friend. For a moment, she held onto the hope of finally having everything she’d dreamed of.
A good career. A man who cared for her, loved her. And she never wanted the feeling to end. He had to know about next week, and with any luck, he wouldn’t find someone else.
“Um, Luke, starting next Monday, I’ll be out of town for training. I was wondering….”
He gently squeezed her thigh. “Yes?”
Lifting her head from his shoulder, she gazed into his mesmerizing eyes. “Would you check on my house while I’m gone?”
“That’s it? That’s all you want?” With one eyebrow raised, he cupped her cheek. “What happens if I move away before you get back?”
She drew in a deep breath.
Please let him be joking.
“I’ll only be gone for a week.”
“Good, because I don’t think I could stand not seeing you spy on me from your bedroom window for more than that.” He caressed the side of her face. “And I couldn’t stand not kissing your for that long, either.”
His lips brushed along hers before he devoured her. Gripping his shirt, she gave into her desire. With every touch, he made all of her worries disappear. The passion of his kisses filled her soul. He made her feel like no other man had, wanted. Though it didn’t matter. She only wanted him.
A car door slammed behind them at the same time the buzzer on her oven went off.
Gasping for breath, she pulled away.
“I take that as our cue to go inside,” he said. “Sounds like dinner’s ready, and I don’t want to see who’s trolling through my own home.”
She nodded, sliding off his lap. “Yes, might be a good idea before the food burns.”
On their way inside, he grabbed his bag. “While we eat, I need to show you something.”
Show me something?
Apprehension twisted her gut. Sure, she trusted him, but why wait to tell her? She lifted dinner from the oven and served it onto plates, trying to calm her shaking hands. When she’d waltzed into his house, uninvited, she’d done so with more confidence.
With a deep breath, she circled around, plates in hand, and set them on the table. On the corner, Luke had placed a cantaloupe-sized object resembling hundreds of tiny crystals formed together. A pale blue light emanated from inside, growing in intensity until it filled the entire kitchen. The same glow from his home.
“It seems to like you,” he said, a wide grin plastered on his face.
Like me?
“But what is it?” Some kind of high-tech device she’d yet to hear about? Wouldn’t surprise her since she didn’t even own a cell phone. Never had any need. No one called her but Christine. And most of the time, her friend came over rather than call.
Luke pushed back from the table and guided her onto his lap. “It’s my orb from home. That’s why I left you. My parents had kept it by my bed for as long as I can remember. I carried it with me the day I came to this planet. I thought I’d dropped it before being transported from the ship.”
He glanced down at the floor, loosening his grip on her. “I thought maybe they would come back for me.”
Her chest tightened at the hitch in his voice. If anyone knew what it was like to lose parents, she did. Even though she never had the best relationship with them, her life had shattered when they died. They’d abandoned her just like Luke’s mother and father.
“I’m sorry.” She trailed her hand down his arm, needing his comfort as much as she wanted to give the same to him.
His eyes became glassy. “You don’t need to be sorry. You’re the one who, as a child, accepted me without pause. I can’t say the same about everyone else I’ve met. And they never knew of my origins.”
God, how she could relate. Yet, everyone had known about her parents. Christine had been the only one who didn’t shun her because of their actions.
The orb began to pulse. She leaned closer. “What did you mean when you said it likes me? What does it do?”
He squeezed her against his body. “It’s like a guardian, glowing red when it disapproves of my actions and blue when it approves. You’re the only woman who can see the light from the orb, and also the only one who has ever made it turn blue.”
How had no one ever noticed? She immediately observed the light when she entered his house, though never thought much of it until it had turned red.
Wait!
“The first time I went to your house, it glowed red when we were in the middle of….”
Squeezing her thigh, he chuckled. “Yes, it disapproved of me moving so fast. Yet, the next day my
guardian
wanted you upstairs.”
She stared at the giant crystal again. At least it approved of her. Now, she just had to be sure of Luke’s true intentions. Was he ready to commit?
He ran his hand down her back. “Why don’t we eat? You made this wonderful dinner for us. Let’s not waste it.”
Conversation flowed freely for the next half hour. She shared parts of her childhood, while he revealed what he’d experienced growing up. Like her, he’d been an outcast, not due to his parents, but because he didn’t have any.
If only he’d remained in Hanton.
Yes, if only….
She focused on him. “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you stay here? With me?” Maybe her life would have gone differently if he’d stuck around.
Setting down his fork, he gripped the edge of the table. “I didn’t have a choice. When I went outside to grab my guardian, a police car drove by. Because the cop didn’t recognize me from town, and I couldn’t tell him where I came from, he turned me over to Children’s Services.”
She gasped. “You must have been so scared.” Many times she wished she would be taken away until her father told her what happened to children in foster homes. Remaining with her parents seemed to be the lesser evil.
“What I went through does not compare to the day you lost your mother and father.”
A chill ran through her body. How would he know how she felt? And how did he even know about her past? She’d kept that part of her life out of the conversation. Even after so many years, her stomach still churned when she remembered the night of their deaths. “You don’t know anything about that.”
He reached out for her hand, but she shrank back. Why did he have to mention her parents?
“I do, Rachel. I experienced the same terror when you found them, the shock, then anger, and even the regret. I felt it all along with you.”
A tear trailed down her cheek.
“How? You have no idea what I went through.” Nobody knew.
He left his chair to stand behind her, squeezing his fingers into her shoulder muscles. “Ever since the first day I met you, I’ve had an emotional connection to you. I experience all of your joy and sorrow, as you do.”
A new pain clutched her heart. She glanced back at him. “Then why didn’t you come back, then?” On the night she discovered her parents’ bodies—dead after her father had shot her mother then turned the gun on himself—she’d really needed someone for support. Anyone.
Stepping away from her, he stared at the floor.
“Because I wasn’t ready to face your rejection.”
With a deep inhale, she stood. She’d faced enough rejection in her life to understand. Craving the comfort he provided, she leaned against his chest and wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding her tight.
Pressing her palm to his heart, she let go of the painful memories. “It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re together now.”
***
Luke stroked the soft skin of Rachel’s cheek, enjoying her naked body tucked into his. The morning would come soon enough, taking her away from him for five long days. Until that time, he planned to study every inch of her body in the moonlight shining through her bedroom window.
He’d spent every night with her since he’d revealed his secrets, and it would be hell to let her go in a few hours. Aside from the initial alien bit, nothing he’d told her seemed to scare her away. She accepted him just as she had as a child.
With a soft moan, she turned onto her back and opened her eyes. “Hey. Is it morning already?”
He smiled as she fought to keep her eyes open. “Not yet. Go back to sleep. I’m just not tired.”
Turning onto her side, she reached over and grabbed his aching cock. “Maybe I can keep you company, or make you sleepy again.”
Want coursed through his body, eliciting a deep groan. But as much as he craved her—never stopped—he didn’t want to deprive her of sleep. “You have to drive to Waterton later today. You need to be well rested.”
Her supple lips met his, and she crawled on top of him. “Once in
Waterton, I’ll have plenty of time to catch up on my sleep. Until I leave, I plan to make the most of our time together.”