Page 16 of The Pregnancy Pact

“Calm yourself.”

A smooth male voice. The accent slightly monotone, due to the translating chip.

I wanted to spit out a reply, a desperate question. Instead, I kept my hand over my mouth, breathing down the nausea. Only when the fear of my stomach rebelling had died down did I slowly open my eyes. Even then, I squinted against the soft glow in the ship’s bedchamber. One wall panel on his side of the bed was open, revealing a massive window through which one could watch stars spin by. Besides this, a couple of in-ceiling lights were on, but they were too much from my hungover self.

“What…the…hell…” I croaked. “This ship’s moving, isn’t it? And I’m still in your room. Did you kidnap me?”

The alien Overlord—what was his name, anyway?—chuckled derisively. I wanted to smack him.

“Kidnap you? Why would I do that?”

Sex trafficking maybe?

That was my initial assumption. The Overlord’s laugh kept me from saying it, however. Maybe it was humorous that I’d think anyone would want to use me for sex slavery.

“I—I don’t know,” I fumbled, confused. The effects of the lyven were clinging to me. I hadn’t had a hangover this bad in years. I was struggling. “The ship is moving, isn’t it?”

Silence, as if the alien next to me was considering. I heard movement, the rustling of blankets, as he pushed himself up in the bed until he was seated next to me.

“You are right,” he said at last. “We are moving. Morning must have arrived. But I did not think we were scheduled to depart this early.”

“Oh, crap.”

Again, I covered my face with a hand. This time, it was to hide the tears threatening to slide from beneath my eyelids.

“Crap. This can’t be happening.”

“I must speak with the captain about this,” mused the alien. “Either my reckoning was wrong, or he felt there was an impending need to depart. Either way—”

“Would you shut up?”

The vicious words flew from my mouth as I dropped my hand, whipping my head around to stare at him. His jaw didn’t drop. However, his golden eyes widened noticeably. He was shocked. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe I’d said such a thing to an Overlord. However, I was also terrified of what being on this ship, and this ship moving, meant for me.

“You’re losing one day at the gaming tables and prostitute houses on Drixus,” I snapped. “I’m losing my job. My chance to rebuild my life after the crapstorm it’s turned into. We are not the same.”

Whereas before his golden eyes had been widened with surprise, they now narrowed in anger.

“Take care, human female,” he growled. “You are in a predicament, but I am still an Asterion Elder and a Lead Advisor on the Interstellar Coalition. Recall with whom you speak.”

“I don’t care with whom I speak,” I blustered, although…that wasn’t entirely true. Sanity was returning, fighting the effects of the hangover. “This is your fault. I’m going to lose my job, my one chance at starting over. I’m going to lose everything because of you!”

“I accept no responsibility for this,” he countered. “You made the decision to accompany me aboard this ship. I did not know the captain planned to depart early.”

“You offered me that stinkin’ drink!”

“You drank it willingly, as I recall. I did not restrain you and pour it down your throat.”

“You didn’t warn me how strong it was!”

“Neither did you ask.”

Stalemate. We sat there glaring at one another in what had to be weirdest scenario of my entire life. Me, in my rumpled clothes from the day before. Him in well…very little. Actually, for all I knew, he wasn’t wearing anything. It wasn’t until I was sitting there glaring at him that I realized he was shirtless. He was shirtless and, unlike Charlie, middle age hadn’t created a pot belly, a pooch, a dad bod. His stomach was flat, his chest was firm, and he was…really sexy and beautiful.

Damn it, Lorelai.

I shouldn’t be noticing. I was mad at him, right? This was all his fault.

Swiftly, I turned my face away, then had to deal with the repercussions of the bedroom spinning around. Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed in and out, in and out, focusing on stemming the dizziness.

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