Page 45 of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
Chapter Nineteen
“Mine.”
Tiberius’s voice reverberated through her mind at the same time the aftershocks of her orgasm rippled through her body. It was enough to snap her out of her lusty fog and back to the present. Had she really just let him stroke her to climax in his office, right after he had told her that he was an alien prince?
She stepped back, swaying slightly as her traitorous body protested, and summoned what little remaining dignity she had left. “I don’t think so.”
“You had no trouble agreeing last night,” he told her, his dark blue eyes glistening. “You claimed me, as well.”
“That was a dream. It wasn’t real. And how the hell do you know about that anyway?”
“I know because I was there, Ryan. The dream realm is every bit as real as the one you and I are standing in right now. It simply exists on a different plane, one not readily accessible from your conscious mind.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Nothing makes sense unless you open your mind to the possibilities.”
“Oh? And I suppose that includes aliens and soul mates, too.”
“Among other things. Look beyond the confines of your limited knowledge.”
“Did you just call me stupid?”
“No. I merely made reference to the fact that humans are woefully ignorant of that which exists beyond their own solar system.”
Ryan felt as if her head was going to explode. “I have to get out of here.”
“Ryan, please.”
“Seriously. If what you say is true—that you know my thoughts—then listen to what I’m saying in my head right now.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded slightly. She felt the lightest brush against her thoughts, like a psychic fluttering.
This is too much. I need time to sort through all this. Please.
“As you wish,” he conceded, lightly brushing his fingers against her cheek. For the first time, she noticed small, thin webbing between the bases of his fingers. “But know this: everything I have told you is the incontrovertible truth. I am an exiled Aequorian prince, and you are the one fate has chosen for me, in this universe or any other, just as I have been chosen for you. The only variable here, sweet Ryan, is your acceptance.”
Tiberius stepped aside, and when he did, she felt a pang of disappointment spear through her. The question was: was it hers ... or his?
“Our connection works both ways,” he answered quietly, as if he had heard her unspoken query. “You have only to acknowledge it.”
When Tiberius opened the door, Ryan forced her shaky legs over the threshold before she could change her mind. Some part of her, a rather large part, wanted to stay and jump aboard whatever train he was riding into crazy town. She couldn’t, though. She needed time and space to sort through everything before she could hope to even begin to make sense of it.
The same man who had escorted her up to Tiberius’s office was waiting for her in the corridor.
She didn’t look back as she walked away, but she could feel Tiberius’s watchful eyes.
“Come back to me, sweet Ryan. I will be waiting.” The words floated into the back of her mind, barely distinguishable.
Her eyes snapped up right before the elevator doors closed, but Tiberius was already gone.
The ride back to her place was a blur; she was operating on autopilot as she struggled with the things Tiberius had said. Finding out that he was the owner of the nightclub now seemed inconsequential in comparison to these latest revelations.
Wasit possible that he really was from another planet? After watching every episode ofAncient AliensandThe X-Filesmultiple times, Ryan liked to think that life on other planets was not only possible, but probable. It seemed inconceivable that in all of space, only one tiny planet was capable of sustaining life. Plenty of theorists believed that the greatest civilizations had thrived because of outside “help.” If she could accept their viewpoints so easily, why was she having such a hard time accepting that Tiberius might be exactly what he said he was? That real live aliens not only existed but walked among them every day?
Tiberiuswasdifferent from anyone she had ever met, that was certain. His speech patterns and mannerisms were odd, among other things. He claimed to be able to know what she was feeling and thinking with eerie accuracy. Then there were the unusual markings on his skin, the orgasm-inducing ridges on his manhood, and the extra skin between his fingers. Oh, and the ability to enter her dreams.
Of course, it could all be some kind of complicated ruse based on her fascination with the paranormal. Tiberius could simply be an accomplished method actor with some psychic talent or he was exceptionally gifted at reading people. The markings could be tattoos. The ridges, subdermal implants. The webbing ... well, that was unusual, but syndactyly was a real thing. And the dream sequence could have been some kind of post-hypnotic suggestion.
