His yellow eyes flicked towards me. Watched me scoot and stop. Narrowed.
Then T’raat scooted two inches of his own.
I took that as a good sign. Maybe he wasn’t as mad at me as I’d thought. I scooted another couple of inches, which was about as far as the seatbelt would allow. The corner of T’raat’s mouth tipped up in a grin, and he scooted to the extent of his seatbelt’s reach, too. I unfolded my arms and set my left hand on the seat between us, palm up. He stared at my hand a few moments before placing his on top and giving me a soft squeeze. I returned the gesture, and he stretched across the seat to engulf me in a hug.
I never quite figured out who won that argument, but I was glad it ended quickly. Timber just rolled her eyes and muttered, “Kids.”
I ignored the jab at my age. So I was young—so what? I was plenty old enough to know what I wanted, and I wanted T’raat. Plain and simple. One little tiff wasn’t going to be enough to stop me from caring about him.
“Apologies for angering you.”
His sudden words startled me. I tipped my head up to look into his eyes, which glistened with tears. I felt like the biggest asshole in the galaxy for upsetting him.
Sneaking a glance at the front seat, I made sure Timber and Aunt Ann weren’t looking. Since they both seemed occupiedwith the road ahead of us, I gave T’raat a kiss … and slid my hand slowly up his thigh. His breath caught in his throat when I reached hisn’riland gripped the bulge in his pants. He was already hard, and I stroked him through the fabric a few times while we made out. A low, muffled buzzing sound began as his Xalanite vibrations kicked in.
In the front of the truck, I heard rustling as Timber cleared her throat. When I snuck another peek, I saw she had shifted in her seat to sort of block my aunt’s view of the two of us in the back.
“Do I want to know?” Aunt Ann asked her dryly.
“Probably not.”
She sighed. “Harry’s gonna kill me.”
Part of me hated putting my aunt in that position, but another, larger part wanted nothing more than to have some extended time alone with T’raat. My panties were soaked as he did things with his tongue that were probably illegal in a few states, and when he reached inside my jeans to rub my clit and finger me, it took everything I had not to moan and scream.
This was the best road trip ever.
I lost track of how long we pawed at each other, but it was apparently long enough for us to reach our destination. The truck came to a halt, and Aunt Ann cut the engine. She paused a moment before opening the door.
“You two done yet?”
Well, that all depended on the definition of “done” … “Um, yes, ma’am.” We disengaged and adjusted our clothing, so we’d be presentable. I didn’t know Timber’s contacts, but if they were former CPD, then it behooved us to behave.
Growing up with an aunt in a high-profile government position of authority, one might think I was accustomed to being in the presence of cops and soldiers and the like. It didn’t quite work out like that, though, as she wasn’t ever Director Hall athome; she was Aunt Ann, my dad’s fun sister who let me get away with little transgressions around the farm whenever she came to visit. I never thought of her as an officer or director or anything like that, so I never developed a sense of comfort around other authority figures. Cops always freaked me out. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d do something illegal without realizing and get arrested for it.
The feeling apparently also applied to former cops. The two men who answered the door at the sprawling ranch home bore matching buzz cuts and severe expressions. My anxiety skyrocketed when they glared past Timber to T’raat and me. I straightened my spine and held my head a little higher, like better posture might win me points with them.
“Hi John. Marcus. How’s retired life treating the two of you?” Timber started as though this was a social call and not a flight for our lives.
The first cop—John—sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Given the way his tight t-shirt fit him and the look of his arms, he still worked out. Despite the salt-and-pepper hair and the fine lines around his eyes, I knew he’d have no trouble kicking my ass if I stepped out of line. “You’re all over the news, Detective Millwood. Again.”
“Agent Millwood,” she corrected. “And unfortunately, there’s been a … misunderstanding.”
“That’s a bit of an understatement,” said Marcus. “They’re slinging around words like ‘deserters’ and ‘spies.’ One channel is even going so far as to say the two of you conspired with the alien to kidnap the girl.”
I had planned on staying quiet and letting Aunt Ann and Timber take care of this, but my resolve broke when I heard that. “What? That’s ridiculous! I begged them to bring me with.”
Marcus smirked. “Guess you didn’t read them their rights.” He leaned closer to me. “You’re supposed to remain silent. Youhave that right, young lady, and it would be wise to practice that right.”
“I’m not gonna keep silent while people are accusing Aunt Ann of kidnapping me.”
“Your aunt, huh?” John rubbed his chin. “Fawkes News didn’t mention that.”
“Does Fawkes ever give the whole story?” Aunt Ann said dryly. John chuckled, and he and Marcus both stood back and waved us all in.
The home was decked out in Southwest décor, with woven blankets displayed on wooden ladders, handmade pottery, and enough turquoise to start their own bazaar. It seemed out of place in Iowa, but what did I know? I followed John and Marcus as they led the four of us to a back bedroom.
“I’m guessing you guys didn’t get much sleep. This all started last night, correct?”
