Page 51 of Made For The Alien Warrior

Instead, Derrik called her a freak and laughed at her, shattering her self confidence and scarring her for life.

In college, Symphony didn’t bother pretending any of the guys there would be interested in her. And they proved her right. Not once did anyone ask her for coffee or invite her to a movie. Not once did anyone express interest in her outside of the pitying glances one would give to a differently-abled person. She’d learned to bury the desire of being wanted deep in her chest.

Symphony thought she would never be pursued by someone she liked.

Until she got beamed up into space.

Until she met Tiegan.

His purple eyes seemed to blaze a hole into her as he looked down. The cadence of his breath hit the air, punctuating the silence with rising anticipation.

She went stock still, hardly believing her ears. “What did you say?”

He stepped a little closer. “I can feel your excitement.”

“I amnotexcited.” She sucked in her bottom lip.

He watched her mouth as if he wanted to devour it. Her hand shot out, falling against his chest in a silent invitation. Eyes widening, Symphony gasped. The nano-tech was going berserk. It was drawn to Tiegan as if he had some kind of magnet.

Tiegan vibrated beneath her hand. “Is that your agreement?”

“This is my hand misbehaving,” she said, even as her crazy fingers slid down Tiegan’s chest. The sensation of his leathery skin against her flesh made goosebumps pop all over her body. He felt hard and firm. Manly. Although he was anything but human.

Tiegan snatched her roaming hand before it dipped beneath his pants. “My intentions toward you are not pure. If you continue to tease me in this manner, I will take it as consent.”

“My arm wants you,” she spit out breathlessly.

He tilted his head. “And you?”

“I want…” She swallowed, “I want to know if you would still feel possessive of me if I didn’t have this.” She loosely shook the hand in his grip. “If it was just me and the stump, would you be this intense?”

Tiegan’s steady gaze remained on her without blinking. Was he actually listening? Had something gone wrong with the neural connector?

She tapped behind her ear, wondering if she could shake the translator back into action.

“Turn around.”

Her heart sped up. “No.”

“Turn. Around.”

There was so much firmness in his tone that Symphony decided it would be best not to argue. Slowly, she shuffled away from the big, brooding alien.

Tiegan came up behind her. His warmth hovered over her body, sending tingles over her spine. The intimacy of his breath on the back of her neck made her hand start to glitch again.

Tiegan wrapped his blue fingers around her arm and gripped it tight. The intensity level notched up by a thousand as he pinned her left arm behind her back.

When their eyes collided, Symphony released a shocked breath. The air wascharged.Or maybe it was the faint blue cloud that descended on her mind.

What exactlywasthat? It didn’t feel like desire. Hell, there was enough lust thickening the room that she didn’t need the neural connector to communicate it. Why did Tiegan’s emotions in her head feel like… determination?

Her brain was short-circuiting. She was ready to explode and all he’d done was pin her arm behind her back.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

The chant paraded in her mind as Tiegan touched a giant thumb to her face, tracing her jaw line. “You are whole to me.” Before she could respond, he gripped her chin, lifting her head to add, “I have chosen you and I will continue choosing you in whatever form you come.”

Staring into his eyes, she saw that it was true. That Tiegan would care for her whether she had two arms or none.

---