Hazel and the Alien Biker (Intergalactic Brides 5) (3 page)

“Go inside and write down their sizes, along with anything they need in addition to pajamas, then bring me the slip of paper. I’m going to call a limo to pick me up and take me to the store and I’ll return as soon as I can.”

Her eyes went wide. “A limo?”

“They’re supplied for all Terrans at the station here in town. I may not be allowed on my world any longer, but they haven’t completely abandoned me. It will only take a few minutes for one to pick me up. I won’t be able to carrying the sleeping bags and clothes on my Harley.”

She supposed that made sense, and it did make her feel better that the limo was for every one of his race. For a moment, she’d thought maybe he was rich. Hazel couldn’t exactly say why that made her nervous, but rich men always got what they wanted. What if he decided he wanted something more from her?

She nearly snorted.
Get a grip, Hazel. Who wants a dirty, worn out woman like you
?

“And, Hazel?”

She looked up at him.

“Write down your clothes sizes too, unless you want to sleep in one of my shirts.”

Her cheeks flushed at his words and she ducked her head before running back into the room. Sleep in one of his shirts? Just the thought was enough to make her hormones surge. She found a pad and pen and scribbled down their sizes, and as an afterthought, she included the girls’ favorite colors. If he was going to splurge, it might as well be something they’d like. She doubted another present would arrive at their feet anytime soon. Maybe he’d let them use a plastic sack to carry the pajamas with them when the left, in case the girls got a chance to use them again soon.

Outside, she handed the paper to Reyvor and slipped back into the motel room as a limo pulled up outside. She had no doubt they would be the talk of the Terran station tomorrow once they realized he was shopping for a woman and three children, and for some reason that bothered her more than it should. What did she care if a bunch of aliens gossiped about her? A lot, apparently.

Hazel cleaned up the mess from dinner, then watched TV with her girls. The minutes ticked by and when an hour had passed, she began to worry. It shouldn’t have taken Reyvor so long to pick up a few things. There was no way for her to contact him, so she had no choice but to wait. Another half hour passed before she finally heard his key in the lock.

Reyvor entered the room with the limo driver on his heels, both laden with sacks. What the hell had he done? There was no way he’d only purchased pajamas and sleeping bags, although she did see those items. Her lips thinned as she thought about all the money he’d spent on them and what he would want in return. But… he hadn’t looked at her like a man in lust. She hadn’t seen pity in his eyes either, only concern. Was he really as great a guy as he appeared?

The limo driver went back outside and Reyvor shut the door, making Hazel feel relieved at least there weren’t more bags to be brought in. He was smiling, his eyes full of laughter, as he stared into the eager faces of the girls on the sofa. Abby, feeling braver than the other two, ventured closer and tugged on his shirt.

“Is there something in there for me?” she asked shyly.

“I do believe there is,” Reyvor said. “Why don’t each of you pick a spot on the floor and sit patiently while I sort through things and then we’ll see what I have in here.”

The girls scrambled onto the floor and sat, practically vibrating with excitement. Reyvor’s smile broadened and he picked up three sleeping bags, handing one to each of the girls.

“I know these are plain, but I wanted to make sure you each had one alike. That way you wouldn’t fight over colors or patterns. You’ll sleep in these tonight on the living room floor, but you’ll get to watch TV until you fall asleep.”

Their faces lit up, and Hazel didn’t miss the way Winnie caressed her sleeping bag. It was the closest thing to a bed they’d had in a while.

He rummaged in the sacks again and pulled out some pajamas, a package of panties, and a stuffed bear, handing both to Abby. “These are for you. But there’s a catch. You can’t put them on until you’ve had a bath.”

Next, he gave the same thing in a different color to Winnie, then did the same for Nikki. She could tell her eldest wanted to protest she was too old for stuffed animals at the grand ol’ age of ten, but Hazel also knew deep down Nikki wanted that bear as much as her sisters wanted theirs.

“You have too many sacks left.” Hazel folded her arms over her chest. “What else did you buy?”

“Well, when the girls are clean in the morning, they can’t very well put their dirty clothes back on. So I bought them each a new outfit. And…” He picked up a sack and held it out to her. “I bought some things for you. I had to get pants with an elastic waist because I wasn’t sure of your number size since you just wrote small on the paper, but I thought you might like something new too.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and she blinked them back. How long had it been since someone tried to take care of her? Even before she’d left her boyfriend, the girls’ father, he hadn’t treated her with half the respect Reyvor had shown her. The beatings had come later, but he’d always treated her like she wasn’t worth much. She just hadn’t known it was okay to wait for someone better. Reyvor’s thoughtfulness touched her deeply and made her feel bad for thinking such horrible things about him. Obviously he wanted nothing in return, but a simple thank you, and here she was being a mean bitch and trying to paint him with the same brush as her ex.

He picked up two more sacks. “I also picked up some bathroom items I thought the four of you might need. It’s been a while since there was a female in my life, so hopefully I didn’t miss anything.”

“You were married?” Winnie asked. “Where’s your wife now?”

“I did have a mate,” he answered, his smile not quite as bright as before. “She died of something called cancer.”

Hazel’s heart twisted in her chest. Now she felt even worse. He’d lost the woman he loved and she’d thought about running out while his back was turned. If anything, Reyvor had proven there were still good men in the world, even if they were from an alien race. The purple color of his skin didn’t bother her, nor did his deep pansy-colored eyes. If anything, she thought he was rather striking.

“Thank you,” Hazel said softly. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

“Can I be first, Momma?” Abby asked, tugging on her hand.

“Of course. Then Winnie, then Nikki. Once you girls are settled, Momma will take a quick shower and change into her pajamas too.”

She spent the next two hours getting everyone, including herself, clean and into pajamas. Then she got the girls settled on the floor in their sleeping bags. The hour was growing late by the time they were finished and Reyvor had already escaped into the bedroom. He’d brought her a pillow and blanket from his bed and she curled up with them on the sofa.

With thoughts of what tomorrow would bring, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. There was no need to watch over her girls tonight. They were safe, all of them, and she knew Reyvor was here to protect them. Sleep weighed her down, and with the girls giggling in the background, she fell asleep.

The next morning, Reyvor placed a discreet call to the Terran station and asked for breakfast to be delivered to his motel room. Even cleaned up, he doubted the manager would want Hazel and her girls anywhere near his dining room. The man’s nastiness toward them made him wish he had chosen another motel, but the Terrans used this one frequently and it had made sense to choose a room here.

He grabbed some clothes out of the dresser and quietly slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower. As the soap slid down his body, he glared at his very erect cock. Ever since he’d gotten a whiff of Hazel’s clean scent last night, he’d been hard as a steel post. Normally, it wouldn’t bother him, but he didn’t want to walk around in front of the girls with a hard-on.

Adding more soap to his hand, he gripped his shaft and slid his palm up and down. Reyvor bit his lip to stifle the groan at the exquisite pleasure. His thumb swiped over the head of his cock before he fisted his shaft again on the downward stroke. His hips bucked and he fucked his hand harder, faster. Images of Hazel in the pajamas he’d purchased flashed through his mind and he felt a tingling in his lower back and balls.

He braced his free hand on the wall and worked his shaft faster, his hand a blur as he neared his release. Swallowing down the cry that sprang to his lips, he came. Long, hot jets of cum splattered the shower wall, leaving him dizzy and spent. Reyvor cleaned up the mess, then cleaned up himself.

When he was finished and dressed, he checked on Hazel and the girls before stepping outside to wait for the delivery. He was certain the scent of food would wake them, even though he felt guilty about it. He doubted they’d slept much since living on the streets and he should let them sleep as long as they could. As he’d lain in bed all night, not quite able to fall asleep, he’d wondered what he was going to do about them.

Hazel, no doubt, would be ready to charge back out onto the streets after she’d eaten and made sure her girls were dressed and ready to go. She was stubborn, and prideful, from what he’d seen. But he could tell she loved her daughters dearly, enough to accept help on their behalf. It was downright despicable of him to do it, but he was going to play on that sympathy as long as he could. The thought of those precious girls not knowing where their next meal would come from, or not being able to take a bath, or watch cartoons… it made his heart hurt.

The food arrived and he carried it inside and set it on the table. He snagged his omelet out of the bag and ate quickly, wanting to have time to focus on the girls once they were awake. Now that he’d seen Hazel take care of them, he knew he could be of more help and give her time to eat her own food.

Little Abby woke first, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and she toddled over to him, not quite steady first thing in the morning. He helped her into a chair and pulled out a platter of eggs, bacon, and biscuits, the same thing he’d ordered for all of them. As she munched happily on her food, he put a cartoon on for her and waited for the others to wake.

“Do you have children?” Abby asked.

“No. My mate and I were never blessed with them.”

She watched him for a minute. “Do you want children?”

His eyebrows shot up. “If I ever take another mate, then yes, I would like children. I’m actually purchasing a nice, large home with lots of bedrooms in case I ever get another chance to have a family.”

Winnie wandered over and plopped into a chair. “What kind of house? We used to have one, but we had to share a room.”

“A big, white one. With a nice yard to play in,” Reyvor said.

Nikki joined them, looking grumpy first thing in the morning. “You shouldn’t talk about our home, Winnie. You know Momma doesn’t like it.”

Reyvor wanted to ask why they had lost their home, but he didn’t think Hazel would appreciate his curiosity. If she wanted him to know what had happened, he was certain she would tell him. Until then, he’d do what he could to help out this little family and then he’d get on with his life, such as it was. Although, he had to admit he’d found more joy in shopping for these three girls than he’d found in much of anything else in the last year. It just proved he was ready to move on and start the next chapter of his life. Preferably one that included a mate and children.

“Can we see your house?” Winnie asked.

Reyvor smiled. “Well, it isn’t mine yet. I still have to pay for it and sign papers.”

Nikki’s lips twisted and she stabbed her eggs with a little more force than Reyvor thought was necessary. He could tell their current way of life weighed heaviest on her, and he wondered what he could do to help. What would it be like to be so young, be dependent on someone else, and have them fail to provide the basics you needed to survive? He had no doubt Hazel was doing the best she could, but it wasn’t enough, and Nikki was aware of that.

“If you could do anything today, Nikki, what would it be?” he asked.

“Find a place to live and Mom a job to pay for it.”

He’d hoped she would ask to go shopping or to the zoo. Those things he could give her, but a permanent home? As far as he was concerned, they could stay with him for as long as they needed, but he knew Hazel wouldn’t agree to it. It wasn’t right these young children had to live on the streets, but their mother was stubborn.

“That’s something I’d have to discuss with your mother. Where you live is up to her.”

Nikki scowled. “If we leave it up to her, we’ll be on the streets forever. Daddy might be mean, but at least we had food when we lived with him.”

Mean?

“Daddy hit us and hurt Mommy,” Abby said.

His stomach clenched at the thought of anyone raising a hand to these children or their mother. Obviously, this family had been in need long before they decided to live on the streets, and now at least a little of the puzzle was solved. He knew why they were on the streets, but he didn’t understand why someone hadn’t helped them by now.

“Mom made us leave while Daddy was at work,” Nikki said.

“Are your parents still married?” he asked, needing to know if an irate father could land on his doorstep.

“They were never married,” Winnie said. “They didn’t even live together until the last year when Mommy lost her job. Daddy said we could all come live with him so we’d have a place to stay.”

And then he’d abused their trust. Asshole. Reyvor wasn’t sure what to do about the family sitting before him, but he was determined to help them. There had to be something he could do for them. His gaze strayed to the woman sleeping peacefully on the sofa. How long had it been since she’d gotten a good night’s rest? She’d confessed they hadn’t eaten in two days, and the kids had told him they slept at the park out in the open. Their way of life was far from safe, but how could he convince Hazel to trust him?

“Can we stay with you?” Abby asked. “It’s nice here.”

“That’s up to your mother,” Reyvor said. “I don’t mind if you stay longer.”