Page 10 of Wrong Bed Right Alien

Clutching her leather satchel to steady her nerves, Kimber turned to the voice with a smile. It faltered as Pel Cappa approached wearing very skinny jeans, an off-white shirt with the buttons open to his navel, revealing ample skin and chest hair, bare feet, and chunky black glasses perched on his nose. His thick, dark hair was a mess, and something akin to a mustache was attempting to grow on his upper lip.

“Kimber! Nice to finally meet you. Hey, sorry about last night. I got tied up.”

She nearly choked, remembering what the bartender had said. “Oh—oh, no worries, Mr. Cappa. Thank you for the flowers and breakfast. You certainly didn’t have to do all that.”

“Oh, God, call me Pel. Yeah, no formalities here, right Kim?”

“Yes, mmm-hmmm.”

Spearing her with a charming smile, he grinned a bit like he was preening at having caught her enjoying his view. He had a pleasant enough face, but something about him was off-putting. Tall and fit, he had his father’s rich chocolate hair and powerful jaw, but he lacked the warmth his father naturally gave off. Pel’s golden-brown eyes swept over her unabashedly, landed on her chest before he ran a hand over his mouth and cleared his throat.

“So here’s the thing, Kim. I know you came a long way from Florida and uh,yeah, I appreciate the hell out of you coming here. But, ah, I have something else I have to do today, so we’re going to have to cut the interview really short.”

Why wasn’t she surprised? “I’m sorry to hear that. Can we resume tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that won’t work, Kimmie. Here’s what I can do for you. I’m throwing a party tomorrow night at my castle.”

Pausing, he openly and eagerly watched for her reaction.

A surprised “Oh,” was all she could muster.

“I, uh, I own a castle outside of town a way. Super easy to find because, castle. Duh.” Laughing at himself, he hurried on. “I’m having a few business associates, friends, that kind of thing, and I think you’d fit right in. We’re going to be talking about the clean air initiative and some other work stuff, so you know, you’ll get some good solid meat for your article. Bring a guest, of course, and plan to stay the night. It’s an overnightexperienceif you will. Lots planned, lots planned.”

Wasn’t this just her luck? Pel Cappa was shitting out on her and trapping her into an event she had no desire to attend. “Mr. Cappa, respectfully, I’m not—”

He tilted his head and drew his bottom lip under his teeth before letting it out slowly. “Did you come to Ireland alone, or…? Jim mentioned you were going to stay on a few days, have a little vacation. By yourself?”

Taken aback, she wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Why the hell did he care, and why would Jim even mention that to Pel?

“Right, I’m staying on for a few days.”

He waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. The back of her neck prickled with unease.

“So, will someone be coming with you tomorrow night?”

She sure as heck wouldn’t be coming alone. The way Pel looked at her gave her the creeps. How much would she have to pay Belinda the bartender to accompany her? Because she sure as hell wouldn’t be attending alone.

“Yes. I’ll bring someone.”

A skeptical look crossed his face. And then he looked disappointed. “Right on. Okay. Good. Let me give you a tour.”

Irritated, she dug out her small recorder from her bag. Maybe she could get a conversation going while he showed her around and ask a few questions. He walked much too close to her as they went down the first hall. He talked almost non-stop about the architecture, the world-class designer who staged every room in the house, imported furniture, and his plans for an outdoor pool. By the fourth room, her mind had drifted to how easy the conversation between her and Ethan was last night.

Pel put a hand on her back as they reached the professional-style stainless kitchen and kept it there as they walked through the layout. She tried to get a word or two in, but never got the chance. His hand slid to the curve of her lower back, pressed harder. Moving nonchalantly to the side, she hoped to disengage his touch, but he persisted, and then his hand moved lower to the rise of her ass.

She quickly side-stepped his touch. “This is a beautiful home, Mr. Cappa. I think we should go over a few questions if you have time?”

Dropping his hand to his side, he was clearly irritated that she’d moved away. A tight smile pulled his thin lips. “Sorry, no, the tour ate up all my time. We’ll have to save everything for tomorrow night.”

Of course it did. Keeping a pleasant smile firmly in place, she spread her hands in acceptance. “Okay.”

“I’ll text you the details for the party after I show you out.”

Frustrated at the fruitless encounter, Kimber tried not to be discouraged as he walked her to the front door. Stopping in the threshold, he pointed into the sky to the right, where a hill sloped down to the water.

“I saw my first UFO right there, Kimmie. What do you think about that?”

Rule number three. No extraterrestrials!Jim’s voice boomed in her head.

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