Alien Adoration (6 page)

But as quick as the kiss had started, he backed away. She whimpered.
No, don’t stop.

The blue mood lighting blanketing his house when she’d arrived flashed red then rushed to purple and back to blue.

What the hell is going on?

“I’m sorry.” He lifted her off the counter then rushed to the cupboards on the other side of the kitchen, plucking food out. “I didn’t mean to go so far. You just tasted so…” He fixed his dark eyes on her. “It won’t happen again.”

Yes, it has to.

She gripped the granite behind her. What had she done to make him stop?
Am I a really bad kisser?
She’d never been told so before. Her past boyfriends had always said how much they liked what she did with her mouth.
Maybe it’s something else he doesn’t like.
She glanced down at her chest.
Are my boobs too small?

Oh God.
She never should have agreed to the date. Whether she slept with him or not, she would only have one night with him. Past observations proved the fact, no matter how much he tried to convince her otherwise. Best leave now and keep her dignity intact. “I…I think I should go. I’m suddenly not feeling well.”

“Please, don’t go.” He returned his attention to her, his slumped posture and sad eyes revealing a vulnerability she had never seen in him. “Maybe if you freshen up in the bathroom you’ll feel better.”

He hurried over to her and took her hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to take things slow.” His thumb brushed along her cheek. “Will you at least stay for dinner?”

Despite the apprehension tightening her chest and stomach, she nodded. “I guess.”

“Good.” A brief smile. Then he guided her to the main floor bathroom.

She ducked inside, needing to catch her breath. No way could she deny the zing of desire that swept through her body from his touch. But part of her blamed the sensation on his charm, his way of getting into her pants before he sent her packing at the end of the night.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she blew out a deep breath.
What am I going to do?

***

The date was going to shit all because of his stupid orb. When he had Rachel on the counter, ready to take her, the orb glowed red, as if showing disapproval. Maybe he had moved too fast. In order to make her believe he wanted more than a one-night stand, he refused to fuck her on the first date. But when he’d backed off, the emotion radiating off her no longer matched his. He’d hurt her, exactly what he wanted to avoid.

Across the table, Rachel forked the shrimp scampi and linguini on her plate, but very little made it into her mouth. She only sipped at the pinot grigio he’d been told would go well with the meal.
So much for all his searching the web to find the ideal meal to make with a date. He’d prepared the entire dinner himself, wondering if she would ever come out of the bathroom.

“Are you enjoying the meal?” He yearned to break the silence. She hadn’t said two words since she sat down at the dinner table.

Her eyes met his. “I’m sorry. My stomach’s just a bit queasy tonight.”

Guilt clutched his chest.
How can I make things better?
To let her go after finally working up the courage to ask her out would mean his defeat. And right now, nothing else mattered but making Rachel smile again.

She set down her fork, and placed her napkin beside her plate. “I think
it’s best I go home now.” Pushing her chair back, she stood then headed for the front door.

He jumped to his feet and raced to catch up with her. “Let me walk you home.”

He’d fucked up, been too tempted by her at the beginning of their date. He wouldn’t let the evening end with her upset. “Let’s do this again tomorrow night.”

At the bottom of her steps, she turned around to face him. “You want to see me again?”

Her hurt seemed to give way to something else, the emotion too ambiguous to read.

“Of course.”
He brushed his fingers along the back of her arm, enjoying the sensation he read from her. “I told you this wasn’t a one-time thing.”

The corners of her mouth curved up into a slight smile. “Okay.
A barbeque?”

“Sounds great.”
Anything to get out of the house and away from the orb. Plus, he wouldn’t have to look up another fancy recipe to impress her. Hanging out with the guys in his apprenticeship program, he’d learned some skills on the grill.

Her cheeks reddened. “And maybe we could come back here for dessert?”

Even better.
“Sounds like a plan.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Best not to push his luck. “Get some rest, feel better, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He squeezed the back of her arm then walked away. If he stayed any longer, he would back her into her house and up to her bedroom. With the pain he’d caused her now gone, Rachel gave off waves of desire. He groaned, rushing back to his house. Inside, he changed into a pair of coveralls. He needed something to get his mind off her, and routine maintenance on his Harley would hopefully do the trick. He entered his garage, cranked up some old-school rock, and set to work.

***

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Rachel opened her eyes with a whimper.
Who the hell is at the door so early in the morning?
She slid out of bed then tromped down the stairs. Opening the front door, she frowned at Christine standing on her porch.

“You
are
home,” her friend squealed. “So, tell me about your date. What’s Luke like in bed? Is he well hung?”

“I just woke up.” She spun around and traipsed toward the back of the house. “Give me a few minutes to figure out who I am and what day this is.” Not only did she need a trip to the bathroom, but a strong cup of coffee wouldn’t hurt. She’d spent half the night staring at her neighbor from her bedroom window and trying to understand his actions. He continued to tinker away on his bike when she’d climbed into bed. And the dream had come. She’d been on the verge of learning the little alien’s name when she woke up.
Had it been Luke finally going in for the night that had startled her? Too tired to care, she had rolled over onto her side and gone back to sleep. Only to be rudely awakened too damn early by her best friend.

Christine followed her inside, leaning against the bathroom doorframe while she peed.
No privacy at all.

“So, did you guys do it? I need to know.”

“No.” She flushed the toilet and washed her hands. “We didn’t have sex, so I have no idea what he’s like in bed.”

“Bummer.”
Christine plopped down at the kitchen table, resting her head in her hands. “Well, what did you guys do? Give me something.”

She smiled, scooping grounds into the coffee filter. “We kissed…and a little bit more.”

Her friend tapped her fingers against her mug, grinding on Rachel’s nerves. “And you stopped, didn’t you? You and your dreams of romance.”

“I didn’t. He stopped.” He’d given her the fancy dinner, everything she thought she’d wanted. “Told me he wanted to take things slow.”

Christine slapped her hands on the table, wearing a big grin, her eyes wide. “I told you he was ready to settle down. And you’re the lucky one he picked. How I wish I was in your place.”

Yet, she’d run out on him, afraid she’d done something wrong. No way would she tell her friend that.

“So, while you were with Luke last night, there was some interesting shit happening in town.”

Always the gossip queen.
“What happened now?” Nothing surprised her anymore in Hanton.

“Our boss came home from work yesterday to find Dirk fucking his wife in the pool.”

Her stomach twisted. Even though she no longer dated the jackass, she cringed at the thought she’d let him touch her. If she’d done more with him, who knows what diseases she might have contracted?

“Bill ran back into the house to grab his shotgun and by the time he came back out, Dirk was flying over the fence, bare-assed. Bill got some of his cop buddies searching for him, but they couldn’t find the weasel or his car anywhere.”

Christine stood and joined her at the counter, getting her own cup of coffee. “And Jenny Marshall has disappeared, too. I say good riddance to both of them.”

As much as she hated to ask, she couldn’t help herself. She’d lived in the small town for too long. “What about Bill and his wife?”

“Jackie claims he works long hours and doesn’t pay any attention to her, that she was just looking for affection. But we all know Bill slipped out the door every night at five to get home to her. What she was thinking, I have no idea. Bill and I both spent the night at Roy’s house, but who knows what’s going to happen today.”

She gasped.
“Roy’s? You’re doing the threesome thing now?” God, she needed to leave this town. Hanton would never bring her the happiness she craved. The worst part was, none of what Christine said proved to be big news. It had all happened to someone else before.

“No, Bill slept on the couch. I only
did
Roy.”

“You’re dating a cop now? When did this happen?”

Christine spun around without spilling a drop, and giggled. “When I left the bank yesterday, he was writing up a ticket for the silly person who parked in front of the fire hydrant.”

“You.”
Her friend always parked there, no matter how many times she’d been warned not to. And the numerous citations never seemed to deter her either.

Christine waved her hand in the air.
“Doesn’t matter. Anyway, I convinced him not to write the ticket and to take me out for dinner. We’d just left the pub when Bill phoned him. Our fun was delayed a little bit.”

“Wow, I’m going to have to start calling
you
Jenny Marshall.” Getting it on with someone else in the house? She would never have the nerve to do something so bold. Even after two years, it had been Luke who’d asked her out, not the other way around.

“Not quite.” Christine elbowed her. “For one, I would never have dated Dirk. Sorry, but I told you that all along. And second, I don’t do guys who are already in committed relationships. There are plenty of single men around here willing to show me a good time. But to be honest, I think I’m going to keep Roy around for awhile.”

Mug in hand, Rachel rolled her eyes and sat at the table. She gave the relationship a week. Christine got bored easily.

Her friend joined her. “But, enough about me. So what’s happening next? Are you going out with your sexy neighbor again?”

She sipped her coffee then nodded. “Tonight.”

“Must have been some kiss if he wants to see you again so soon.”

I hope so.
But had he only asked her out again because he hadn’t yet added her as a notch in his belt? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remove the thought from the back of her mind.

“Going anyplace special for the date?”

She blinked, returning her focus to her friend. “We’re having a barbeque at his place then coming back here for dessert.”

“Dessert, huh?
That’s original. Do you have supplies? Is your room suitable to entertain a man as hot as Luke?”

Oh God.
She cringed. The thought of him actually coming into her house hadn’t crossed her mind until now. “No, will you help me?”

“Sure. Hop in the shower, and we’ll take a drive into Allentown.” Christine poured herself another cup. “We’ll have your house looking chic in no time, and your room well-stocked with everything you could possibly need.”

Great, more money.
But she refused to have him come into her house of odds and ends when his looked professionally designed. She, at least, had to find matching throws. And if they were going to have sex, she had to have condoms. STDs and pregnancy were not options in her life.

She gulped down one last mouthful.
“Sounds good. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Trying to land the hottest guy in
Hanton. Now, get moving.”

She placed her mug in the sink then rushed upstairs. If she spent time with Luke as his girlfriend, living in
Hanton would definitely be more bearable.

***

Luke wiped his hands on the rag then tossed it onto his toolbox. He’d worked on his Harley long into the night, and again in the morning after a few hours of restless sleep. Rachel had invaded his mind with her luscious lips and soft curves. A battle raged inside him. He wanted all of Rachel, to bury himself deep inside her hot body, especially after the taste he got the day before. But he also sensed her hesitation, and refused to push her too fast. He’d heard the whispers behind his back about the women he’d invited over. And with his reputation, it would be hard to convince her he didn’t want anyone else. Yet, he had to.

Leaving the garage, he trudged toward his house. He needed to grab a shower and take the food out of the freezer before she came over. Would she expect some fancy dish made on the barbeque after last night, or would she be just as happy with burgers? Damn, why had he waited so long to ask her out?