Page 34 of Wrong Bed Right Alien

Slightly dazed from the force of the sudden sickness, she turned slowly to her name. Ethan hurried toward her, a brown takeout bag in one hand. Looking from her, to Pel, and then back to her, he looped his arm protectively around her and pulled her close. Instantly reassured, she sagged against him and let him guide her out of the restaurant.

“Let me take you home.”

Vaguely aware of telling him which hotel was hers, Kimber had the sensation of being swept off her feet. Suddenly, she was in his arms, and he was carrying her, floating her away. Strange, but her body rejoiced, as if this was exactly what she needed. By the time they reached her room, she was feeling much better and more than a little ridiculous to be carried through the hotel.

Ethan opened the door with her key and walked inside.

“You can put me down now.” Kimber slid from his arms and smoothed the front of her shirt.

Closing the door softly, he turned on a light and looked at her with concern. Reading the question in his eyes, she shrugged.

“I ate something that’s not agreeing with me, that’s all.Oh, God,I threw up on Pel.”

She couldn’t muster up the energy to be mortified.

“Good. I’m sure he deserved it.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest, the sleeves of his white shirt pulling over his biceps. His hair shone golden in the light, his eyes denim blue. He looked different somehow. His jaw was a little too square and there was a slight dimple in the middle of his chin she hadn’t noticed before. The bridge of his nose had a slight dip where she could have sworn it was straight before.

She’d rushed into this fling so quickly she didn’t even recognize his facial features!

Feeling slightly muddled, she pressed her fingers to her temple and took a long breath. Maybe she was imagining things.

“I’m going to shower and lie down. Will you stay?”

Settling into the chair by the window, he stretched his long legs in front of him and crossed his hands over his middle. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter Fifteen

Ethan

His father summoned him, and he had no choice but to go, even if it meant leaving Kimber while she was unwell.

Ethan couldn’t explain what had just happened at the restaurant. He’d picked up the food he and Tristan had ordered and something inside Ethan pointed him to Kimber. He instinctively knew that she was there, and that something was wrong. Ignoring the anger at finding her with Pel Cappa and pushing back the desire to grab the man by the neck and toss him into the ocean, Ethan’s only thought had been to get to her.

Could his father possibly know how he was feeling about her? Is that why he summoned Ethan to the base station for a meeting?

He sat at the small table near the window while Kimber showered and pondered what he was going to say to her when she came out. He’d been thinking about it since his father hailed him, but a suitable solution hadn’t come to him. They needed to talk about what was happening between them. If his father ordered him to Luxxor, it might be years before Ethan could return to Earth. Learning how Kimber felt about him could change a lot of things. If she cared for him as intently as he did for her, he would stop at nothing to create a life for them. But if she didn’t, he needed to know. It would crush him, but at least he’d never wonder.

Neb had been milling around, watching Ethan extra closely. He’d even been in the bedroom with them at the castle until Ethan had chased him out. It was Neb’s sole duty prevent Ethan and Tristan from breaking the rules and cleaning up the mess if they did. He suspected Ethan’s feelings towards the human, or he wouldn’t be hovering. He had to be careful not to give Neb a reason to think of Kimber as a threat.

The bathroom door opened, and she padded out in a thick robe while drying her hair with a towel. Her cheeks were pink, and she had more color on her face than when she’d gone to shower. Relieved, Ethan smiled as their eyes caught.

“I just need to grab some clothes.”

She gestured to an open suitcase piled neatly with clothing. Plucking a couple of items from the top, she disappeared into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later in sweatpants and a loose top.

His hearts swelled. She looked beautiful in her simple clothes, with her hair wet and mussed. Urgency pumped through him. His father had better not call him back to Luxxor. He wasn’t ready to leave Kimber… he needed time to figure out how to approach his father about the possibility of having a human mate.

“Feeling better?”

Sinking into the chair across the table from him, she ran her fingers through her thick, wet hair. “Thankfully, yes. I haven’t felt right since getting back from the castle. Did you feel strange after we left?”

“No.”

“It must have been something I ate at the hotel breakfast buffet. All that was left was a stale Danish and some questionable grapes.”

He stretched his arms to her across the table and took her hands. She stopped playing with her hair and gave him her full attention. The perfect words wouldn’t come. All the magazines warned men to be careful with how they expressed their feelings and not give a woman the opportunity to read into things.

“I don’t want this thing between us to end.” There. Succinct with no opportunity for question.

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