“Hell yeah, when it comes to what I want. You two should be more like me. You’d have a lot more fun.”
I watched the Atlan run for long moments. He was lickable, for sure. Did my repressed sex drive want to climb him like a tree and not stop until I passed out from orgasmic exhaustion? Oh, yes, she did. But sex with an Atlan was not fun. Dangerous? Extremely. “I’m fine. I don’t need any more fun in my life.”
Fun, to Carmen, was clubs, parties, drinking and taking a hot new man home for a night of sweaty sex. Sometimes she kept them for a few weeks. Sometimes she kicked them out of bed before she fell asleep. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for in a partner, or if she was looking for anything permanent at all. She seemed to be enjoying herself, so more power to her. I, however, had zero interest in making my life any more complicated than it already was. Two alien family members, a mother on another planet, a twin who was too busy having orgasms to remember to call me, two jobs—because I refused to accept another dime of Max’s money—because taking his money made me feel like my mother was a prostitute —and a college degree to finish. The Warlord Maxus scholarship that covered tuition? Okay. The I’m-out-of toilet-paper-and-groceries fund? No.
Carmen turned away from the hottie on the beach to stare at me. “Stef, you are so serious all the time. He’s gorgeous. You should ask Adrian to hook you up with one of those beasts like on TV. Set you up on a date with one of those guys.”
“I do not want a relationship right now.”
She laughed. “Who said anything about a relationship? All I’m saying is I wouldn’t kick any of them out of bed.” She practically purred the word bed as I blinked away my surprise that she’d recognized him for what he was. Atlan. A beast.
I sighed. I’d met enough Atlans to know one when I saw one. I’d spent several weeks on their planet after my mother found herself mated to one. I was happy for her, and Warlord Maxus was great—more than great—but that did not mean I wanted a big, growling, bossy warlord for myself.
My twin sister, Adrian, had done me dirty and hooked up with an Atlan while we were visiting mom and Maxus. Adrian and her new mate, Kovo, came back to Earth to live. To say my sister was obsessed with her new man was an understatement. It was like he’d drugged her with orgasms, and she’d never recovered. Warlord Kovo, my new brother-in-law, was good to her. He treated her like a queen, so I could hardly complain. I was thrilled that she’d found someone who would love her the way she deserved. My twin was the best human on the planet. If Kovo ever broke her heart, I would kill him—even if I had to hire an entire squadron of Special Ops snipers to do it.
I’d pondered how to murder him many times—just in case. I wasn’t sure even a SWAT team would be enough to take one of these warlords down. They were too strong. Too big. Too…much.
I missed spending time with my twin, but true love, especially in the whole ‘honeymoon’ phase, tended to make people a little crazy. Adrian and Kovo were way more than a little crazy for each other.
And with a cock like that? No wonder…
Shut up and stop thinking about my brother-in-law’s junk, that’s what I was going to do. I didn’t want to be irrational and foolish like my sister. Obsession? No thanks. I wanted my head on straight and my feet on the ground, thank you very much. No kids. No husband. No freaking Golden Retriever named Rosie or a stupid lawn that needed to be weeded and mowed every weekend. Three bedroom house with toilets to clean and dog shit to pick up in the back yard? Hell no.
Henry took the binoculars from Carmen. “You mean he’s one of those aliens, like on that bachelor TV show? What do they call them?”
“Atlan Warlords.”
A long, slow whistle left Henry’s lips. “Fuck me, that guy is ripped. How are the rest of us supposed to compete with that?” Henry whistled again, louder this time and the Atlan turned his head in our direction. “Ripped, and fast.”
“I told you; he’s following us.” Carmen sipped at her margarita and stared at the Atlan as he picked up speed. “Stef, I swear he really is chasing the boat. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t. Not for sure. Carmen was right, it did look like he was pacing the boat, keeping us in sight. Then again, maybe he was training for a marathon. Or blowing off steam. Or just trying to keep that freaking fabulous body in tip-top shape.
If he was tracking our boat? Well, shit. That could only mean one thing—he thought his mate was on this sailboat. We were going to hit the docks and an eight foot tall alien was going to walk up to one of the handful of women on our boat—mostly tourists—and say the one word that would start all kinds of trouble…mine.
A few minutes later, everyone was watching him run. The closer we got to shore, the more they paid attention. Even the crew members were talking about him, wondering what the massive football or hockey player was doing running after the boat. They speculated that he was a new recruit for one of the local professional sports teams. Why Miami even had a hockey team—duh, it’s hot here—was beyond me.
We all watched. He ran. The theories about him continued.
Carmen, Henry, and I remained silent. We knew he was no such thing. He wasn’t an Olympic bodybuilder, or a professional wrestler. He didn’t play basketball. He was an alien, and he didn’t give a shit about football or any other human sport. The best I could judge, based on Maxus and Kovo, warlords only cared about two things. Fighting and fucking, and not necessarily in that order.
I lost sight of him when our boat drifted past a group of pilings and floated toward the pier. The sails were down and our tour guides used an inboard motor to move us into place at the dock. One of the crew hopped off to tie the lines as another dropped the fenders. I’d watched this process at least a dozen times and still sighed in disappointment. Fun over. Now I would have to save enough money for the next time.
As the passengers began to disembark, I threw my white cotton shirt on over my hot pink bikini top, and wiggled into the cute swim skirt that came with the set. I loved a sexy, barely-there, G-string bikini bottom as much as the next girl, but only when I was on the beach or at the pool. I didn’t walk around the docks with my ass hanging out. I had some standards.
My sandals were a bit sturdier than flip-slops. Velcro closures covered with sparkling golden glitter crisscrossed the tops of my feet. My new pedicure had turned my toenails a bright, happy, sunshine yellow that matched my beach towel. I was, after all, trying to cheer myself up.
Carmen, Henry and I always sat near the front of the boat, which meant we were in the back of the line waiting to get off. I slung my beach bag over my shoulder and waited. I’d packed it full of sunscreen, a towel and a few other odds and ends. I was watching one of the crew members assist an elderly gentleman onto the pier when Henry nudged me. “I don’t believe it. There’s that alien. He actually caught up.”
“Where?” Carmen’s head swiveled like she was a bobblehead toy. Her dark brown eyes had grown big and round like an owl’s. “He’s so hot. I hope he’s here for me.” She giggled. “I tried out for that Bachelor Beast show, you know. I auditioned twice.”
“You did not,” I said.
“Oh, yes, I did.” She rubbed her hands together. “They’re going to have auditions for the next season soon. Third time’s a charm, right?” She glanced up at me, then back down the pier, trying to spot the alien. “I’m not kidding, Stef. I want one.”
“Are you crazy?” I shook my head as I handed the remains of my margarita to one of the crewmembers, along with a hefty tip. I was coming back, I wanted them to remember me and give me my preferred spot on the boat next time, right at the front where the wind hit my face and the waves splashed on either side of me. The extra cash had worked so far. In fact, the last two times I’d walked onto the boat they’d greeted me by name.
“What do you mean, am I crazy? What’s wrong with you? He’s gorgeous. And if he’s one of those aliens, he will be totally devoted and loyal and…” Carmen shivered. “Horny. Did you even watch the show? The first season? He grabbed that makeup girl and claimed her up against the dressing room door with the cameras rolling in the hall. She was enjoying herself, everyone watching could hear them going at it like animals.”
