Page 28 of LeX

MANDY

Thisisthe first time thatI’vewoken up thatIdidn’t feel likeIwas staring out at the world through someone else’s eyes.Rafeis sleeping next to me peacefully, andItake this time to simply look at him.Standing, he is easily over six feet tall, with a powerful, muscular build that exudes strength and agility.Hisbody is lean and sinewy, with well-defined muscles that ripple beneath smooth, bronze-colored skin.Butit’s his face that is so striking; almond-shaped eyes and a chiseled jawline with high cheekbones give him a ruggedly handsome and alluring quality.Heis the alien version of theMarlboroman.Heis sexy as shit, andIbelieve he knows it.Lordknows he is cocky enough.

Maybethose drugs messed with my mind more thanIrealized.EspeciallywhenIknowIshould have come-to screaming and completely terrified of the alien male lying next to me, and all the crapIhave seen since waking from my drug fueled sleep.Butinstead, my mind is calm and my heartbeat steady.Fearis the last thingIthink of whenIlook atRafe’sface.It’sscary how attractedIam to him.Ihave no idea why he has put up with me.Iwas mean, violent, unreasonable, and an all-around pain in the ass, but his attention and care never wavered.

Hehas been kinder to me thanIdeserve or have ever experienced before.WhatIreally want to do is trace those muscles with my tongue, butIhave made him uncomfortable enough since the momentIstepped out of that pod and into his arms.WhatIcan recall of that moment is fuzzy, andI’mglad thatIcan’t remember fully how badlyIhumiliated myself with him and the others.

Ihave been attracted to other guys, but ifIcould,Iwould crawl inside ofRafejust to get closer.Everythingabout him lures me in, his smell, the sound of his voice, his size.Theway he walks with a confident poise to his gait, emitting an aura of primal strength and magnetism that is just irresistible.Andthe way he watches me; it’s like he doesn’t miss anything.Manytimes,Ihave caught myself looking away as his eyes gleam with intelligence and curiosity, instead of the anger and mistrustIhave grown used to out of many others.

IbelieveIam way out of my league here and reaching a little too high whereRafeis concerned.Thereis no way a guy like him could really want a backwater, holler girl with no education, or any idea what to do with herself now.Eventhough he sounded sincere before, it’s just hard to believe.Hell,Iwould have run for the hills if the tables had been turned.Justshows who the better person here is.AsIstart to ease out of the bed, his eyes open.

“Whereare you rushing off to?”

“Wouldyou believe me ifIsaidIneeded to pee?”

“Possibly, butIcan see the wheels in your mind spinning around; you’re running.”

“Iam, andI’mnot.Thosewheels spinning in my head tell me you’re just being nice, andIshould let you off the hook so youcan carry on with your life.Iknow you said you want more,Rafe, but you gotta realize how odd that sounds from my point of view.Imean,I’mme, and well … look at you.Youcould have your choice of girls from any race, color, or personality.Whywould you pick me?AmIlike a charity case, or pet project?”

Whenhe rolls his eyes in a very human way, my words stop dead.

“Mandy, it’s nice to know you have multiple versions of yourself naturally, when hereIthought it was just the drugs talking.Youare seeking reassurance, andIdon’t blame you.IbelieveIwould be acting the same in your circumstances.Youhave arisen to a world that makes little sense to you.Ihope that you want to believe my emotions and words are true, but you’re too scared to expect more.Allthat proves is thatIhave not done a very good job of convincing you of or confirming my feelings for you.So,Iam going to make this simple so that there is no more confusion on your end.Youare myMATE!Theone being in all the universes that was made for me.”

“Umm, what?”

“SweetLittleSuet, you are not making this easy on me.Whatyou should have done is thrown yourself into my outstretched arms and declared your every lasting devotion.”

“Areyou for real right now?I’msorry ifI’mblowing what could or should be a possible heart to heart moment, but are you serious?I’mnot good at reading between the lines, andIdon’t know if you’re joking or playing around.”

Witha swiftness that is shocking, he moves me on top of him.Hegently gathers my long hair to the side asIraise myself on my elbows, looking down at him, carefully avoiding any movementagainst his erection where my legs are positioned.Witha soft touch, he draws me closer, his hand cradling my head.

“DoIscare you?”

“No.”

“Areyou attracted to me?”

“Yes.”

“Thenwhat is holding you back?Ido not want to hear about anything like worthiness, embarrassment, different species, or any of that foolishness.Youare literally lying on top of me.Ican feel the heat of your core and smell the soft sexy musk of your arousal and still you hesitate.Tellme why?”

“I’mscared.”

“Youjust said you were not.”

“Notof you, but of what you could do to me ifIlet you in.”

“Ifyou let me in this delicious little body of yours you will be screaming, but not in horror,Ican assure you.”

“It’snot my bodyI’mworried about,Rafe.Thosewounds can heal.It’sthe ones that mark your heart that never truly leave, andIknow ifIlet you in … no pain would ever compare before or after.”

Hisdark eyes stare up at me like he is looking for reassurance, then he does something, andIfeel myself melt all around him.Hesmiles.It’sthe first timeIthinkIhave seen him do this.Instantly, he looks younger, like the darkness of his soul has been released in this single moment.

“Thenyou better make sureIremain close, because myLittleSuet,Iam pretty sureIhave already captured the one thing you are trying so hard to protect.”

“What’sthat?”

“Yourheart.”

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