Page 16 of There’s an Alien Down My Chimney

Dropping down on the couch next to her I held the scanner up to her face, not that I needed the readout to know how to treat that lip. That was basic first aid and any Kertinal worth his salt knew how to fix that up.

She stared at the device but didn’t ask questions, trustingly leaning in when I held up the regenerator and started healing her lip. It wasn’t a miracle tool, but bruises and minor cuts and scrapes were no match for the device. Once her lip was all better, I ran the scanner over the rest of her and made sure each and every little injury was gone.

“Did you really go after those two and made them disappear?” she asked me when I was done. She was gently rubbing her mouth, testing her lip for any remaining tenderness and I really wanted to lean in and kiss her. I tucked away the devices into my bag and headed for the kitchen to make the promised drink, instead.

Ducking around the lamp hanging from the kitchen ceiling with my horns I shrugged, “They made a lovely splash as they went in.” There was a giggle from the couch, and when I smirked at her over my shoulder she had a shocked look on her face, her hand pressed over her lips to hold in more sound. Pity, I liked the sound of that giggle. If that was the response I got when I vanquished some assholes for her, I’d make sure to do it again.

The kitchen was a real mess, with all the pots and pans scattered around, most of the ceramic dishes and cups in pieces. What was much worse, was the fine dusting of granular white powder, and the even finer dusting of white mixed with dark brown powder. Locating the appropriate tins to make the hot drink in the mess I held them up with growing horror. A sound escaped my throat that I couldn’t entirely smother, something between a cry and moan. It was, to put it mildly, extremely embarrassing.

“What’s wrong?” Stella demanded and I heard her boots thud on the floor as she rushed from the couch into the kitchen. I could only wordlessly hold out the two tins to her, showing her without speaking that the jerks had needlessly thrown the marvelous ingredients for the drink all over the floor.

She clutched her hand over her mouth again, a sound coming from her chest that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Then she bent over, clutched at her midriff, and began belly-laughing so hard it had to hurt. So she thought my pain was funny, huh? I smirked at the laughing female, while I sat the empty tins on the kitchen counter. I suppose it was funny but damn it, that stuff was one of the most delicious things I’d ever tasted.

While she laughed, I collected the salvageable pots and pans and threw them in the sink. Then I got the broom and swept up all the shards, collecting them in the trashcan I’d located earlier. Somehow, that one was still standing upright, untouched, a small blessing.

By the time the floor was cleared, she was hiccuping through the last of her laughter. Waving her hand at me as if she needed help. She climbed to her feet while hanging from my arm, her pale skin flushed and rosy, and her eyes shimmering with mirth. “This way, I think he never even bothered with the pantry…”

It was a miracle to me when she jiggled open a slightly lopsided wooden door set in the wall, and revealed a shallow but tall cupboard filled with goods. With a triumphant look on her face, she pulled out a box, followed by a shiny bag filled with the sweetener she’d shown me. “Wow, you have more!” I said, accepting the gifts with one hand and dumping them on the nearest countertop.

She was still smiling and nodding her head up and down when I picked her up in my arms, swept debris from the kitchen table, and plunked her on it. “You are amazing, Stella,” I said, “And I hate that you’re losing this place, that they tried to hurt you and scare you away.” I pressed her legs apart and stepped between them so that I could dip down and press my mouth to hers. I loved that she eagerly responded, tilting to meet me, her mouth opening to let me in.

When I pulled back she looked a little sad again, her eyes sweeping around the kitchen which was still a mess, I’d swept and picked up the worst of it now, but it still wasn’t exactly clean. “They messed this place up looking for alien things, they thought I might have found something…” she said, tapping the center of my chest with a finger. “Good thing you somehow snuck out the back. That was smart.”

I preened, it had worked out great, though the only reason I’d decided to do it was because I had wanted to be closer to the front so I could hear what they said. I’d only barely thought to collect the papers and my things and take them with me. I’d made the call as soon as I realized Stella had gone outside, and it had taken a lot of willpower not to step in when I’d spotted her on the ground with her lip bloody. She’d solved the fight cleverly which had been sexy to watch.

“I’m going to make you forget all about this for a little while, then we’ll nap and prepare for tonight’s fight,” I said, nudging her shoulder to try and get her to lie back on the table. I didn’t want to think about Stella in the thick of things with me tonight, so this would serve as a distraction for me too.

Chapter 11

Stella

When Ru said he was going to distract me, he really meant it. In seconds he had me out of my shoes and pants, and then he dropped to his knees, nudged mine apart, and leaned in. “You smell so good, sweetheart,” he said, his bass tones vibrating against my clit, he was that close. I could see his red eyes glow at me, the fine cracks that crisscrossed his skin in red lines lighting up with a soft light.

My thighs were resting on his broad shoulders, beneath the horns that branched and twisted like antlers, when he tilted his head a little, I could feel them brush along my skin. He’d done this in the shower last night, so I knew what to expect. My body still jerked in surprise when he flattened his tongue and pressed it against my clit, a deep rumble humming through his tongue and the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Then he got down to business, licking at a steady rhythm and finding my opening with one of his thick fingers. He worked it into me and started pumping it in and out with a practiced curl on each stroke that hit my g-spot just right. For a long moment I felt like I was wound so tight I’d shatter when I came, but that was okay because I knew he’d be there to catch me. For now.

When the orgasm hit me, I screamed his name, my hands clutching tightly at his horns, my legs clamping shut around his head. He was rumbling in those sub-harmonics, prolonging my pleasure with the vibrations of his voice. I could just see the glow of his eyes, see the heat and desire in them, a mirror of my own.

Struggling to relax my legs, I finally managed and tried to pull him up by his horns, steering him to my mouth for a kiss. I could taste myself on his lips and loved the naughtiness of it. “Come inside me, please Ru,” I urged him, eager to have him fill me.

With a pang I realized that we might not have a next time, we were going in to retrieve his ship and the device that had brought him here. Things would get hectic in a hurry, would we have a chance to say goodbye? My heart ached, letting me know that I’d grown to care for this alien far too quickly. I hadn’t had any time at all to think about what I wanted to do, and the thought crossed my mind again that leaving with him might be it.

He slid his hands along my body, cupping my breasts, and sliding them over my hips. His dark red eyes were regretful when he shook his head, “I want nothing more than to make love to you, my beautiful Stella. I can hear your friend’s car in the distance, however.” He tilted his head at an angle, the pointed tip of one ear peeking through the wild, red and black strands of his hair, which haloed like a mane around his head.

I groaned. Seriously? What was it with people’s timing today? I didn’t hear the sound of Pike’s truck yet, but I believed Ru when he said so, and frantically scooted to the edge of the table to locate my pants and shoes. The growl that rippled from Ru’s chest surprised me and I froze in place while I stared up at him.

“There are still shards on the floor,” he warned, and he reached over to pick up my underwear and leggings from a chair. I hadn’t even realized he’d put them somewhere safe, but I was very grateful now. Once I was dressed and back in my boots, I could hear Pike park his truck in front of my cabin, which would only be mine for a few more hours.

“I’m going to wash up and get ready for tonight,” I told Ru, but I leaned into his tall body, hugging his slender waist. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to finish this properly.” He cupped the back of my head and pressed a kiss to my mouth, a smile on his face. With a little nudge, I was sent towards my bedroom, while he headed for the door to welcome Pike inside. That felt so normal, so domestic, surrounded by all the chaos, that I felt another pang in my chest. This is what it could feel like to live with Ru for real, to share a home.

My eyes burned. Okay, so I really liked him if I was imagining sharing a home with him. That had never happened to me before. My heart started pounding in my chest as I surveyed the chaos of my bedroom, I knew what I was going to do.

*

Ru’ol

The Kertinal as a race wasn’t much for romantic notions, for true love and mates, and all that shit that came with it. Our Royal house was technically separate from the military, but that was just a sham, the Royals were run by the military. Our whole society was about gaining more, expanding our empire, and breeding the best soldiers for the goal. Love didn’t have a place in all that.