Star Catcher (3 page)

“And what are you studying here? What will you do when you finish school?” She felt the need to clarify in case he didn’t quite get it.

He paused as if searching for the word. “Doctor,” he answered finally.

“Really?” This guy got better and better. She had already checked to make sure there was no ring on his left hand.

“I study anatomy and physiology at your school, as well as your language.”

“So you plan to work as a doctor in America?” She smiled at him, butterflies apparently forming a mosh pit in her gut. This one looked oh-so-promising.

“Yes,” he spoke quietly, looking down at his book again as if ashamed.

“No worries. It might take a while to relearn all that medical stuff in a new country, but some of it has to transfer over. You’ll get there eventually. Look how fast you learned English!” She gave him a reassuring pat on the hand. He had long tapered fingers. Noticeably strong, they were perfect doctor’s hands.

She’d be willing to wait for him to finish his schooling. Stella gazed at his closed expression and gave herself a mental shake.

Way to dive down the rabbit hole. You just met the guy, Stella!

The conversation ground to a halt. She had overstayed her welcome. Stella was already planning their life together while he probably just wondered when she would get lost.

“Hmmm. Well, I guess I should get going before my ice cream melts.” She gazed down at the sweating container in her basket. An action film starring Mark Wahlberg rested beside it. She had decided against the chick flick after all. But what the heck, Marky Mark was total eye candy as far as she was concerned—the guy was made for chicks.

He followed her gaze.

“Eyes … scream … melts?” He looked grossed out.

She laughed out loud.
Ah, foreigners. They can be so amusing.
She gazed at his perplexed countenance. His thick eyebrows knit to a furrow while his sculpted cheeks were sucked in with revulsion.

It would be fun to play with this one.

Her eyes traveled down the formfitting T-shirt he wore, imagining a chest to rival Mark Wahlberg’s underneath. She’d
really
enjoy playing with this one.

“Come on. Enough studying.” She snapped the book shut and grabbed his hand. “I just have to pay for this, and then I’ll show you what
melting eyes scream
tastes like.” She grinned evilly at him and had to laugh at his look of horror.

Stella managed to drag Noth through a checkout, and then to her car despite his obvious misgivings. Shoving her handsome abductee into the passenger’s seat, she slammed the door and walked back to throw her other packages in the trunk. An insane wave of anticipation hit her as she fired up the engine and glanced over at the gorgeous guy she was taking home. Stella had plenty to keep her busy tonight.

* * * *

Noth liked popcorn. And sushi. And he adored the Chunky Monkey. If Stella was worried about her leftovers, she need not have feared. Noth was an industrial-strength vacuum cleaner. The only thing he didn’t care for was the alcohol. After finishing half a bottle of hard lemonade, he told her it made him
slozzy
, whatever that meant. Stella finished it for him, and then had two more.

The drinks were nearly the only thing left for her with his big appetite around.

Stella was shocked that Marmalade had warmed up to him so quickly. When Noth first walked into the common room, the kitty had been lying on her back on the couch, paws in the air in one of her weirdo cat positions. She cracked an eye open when they entered and jumped to her feet, puffing her tail and back fur and hissing in Noth’s direction.

Stella thought the cat was about to go into full-on attack mode, but Noth had stood stock still. He stared intently at the animal with a hushed sound emanating from his pursed lips. The cat immediately backed down. She even jumped off the couch and walked over to rub against his leg. It was totally strange, especially since she always seemed to hate guys. Stella figured the reason she had been adopted by the stray was because she rarely had men over to her place.

Now, Marmalade was lying on Noth’s lap and gifting him with the privilege of rubbing her tummy. He and Stella sat on the common-room couch, thighs teasing together as they watched the movie.

“Be careful. She usually bites when I touch her stomach.”

“I assured your feline I mean her no harm. She will not injure me.”

“Oh, really? What are you, the cat whisperer?”

“I do not whisper. I am simply one who communicates well with animals.”

“I guess I can’t argue with that. She never acts like this.” Stella looked up from the fluffy orange cat to examine the man who was making her purr like crazy.

Mark Wahlberg was shirtless on the TV, but Stella sat next to the hottest guy she’d ever seen, either on or off the silver screen. His aquiline nose, strong chin, and dark, fathomless eyes pulled at something deep within her. His gaze was somehow both warm and caring and stern and calculating in equal turns. The combination made him magnetic.

And the alcohol was making her unusually aggressive.

She placed a hand on his knee and smiled seductively when he glanced her way. The film had captured his attention. He asked what the names of different guns were. She didn’t know. He asked what “the flying thing was called,” and Stella supplied the word
plane
, and now Mr. Wahlberg was kissing the love interest. Stella was caught up by this part as well, especially the shirtless aspect.

Her hand rubbed suggestively on Noth’s muscular thigh.

“What is that called?” He pointed at the kissing couple and looked at Stella. “With the mouths,” he added.

“Kissing. We call it kissing. Why? What do you Slavs call it?”

“I do not know.”

“How could you not know?” She grinned at him. Was this some kind of a game—a sort of “teach the guy from a deserted island how to kiss because he’s never done it”? The idea of a little role-playing made her nipples hard. He was staring at her mouth with intense concentration. Stella licked her lips, and he copied her motion.

“Here, you poor, deprived thing.” She spoke in an exaggerated tone of sympathy. “I’ll show you what kissing is.” She leaned in, enjoying her own joke. If he balked, she might be able to act like she was kidding up to the last instant before contact. Then her lips touched his. At first, he didn’t respond.

Oh crap! I’ll have to play it off somehow.

She’d pull away right now. Tell him to get an English/whatever-freakin’-language-he-spoke dictionary next time he was confused. In just a moment she’d break contact, but then his lips softened slightly against hers. Had he imitated her movements the tiniest bit? She gave a little nibble on his lower lip, with a suck at the end because they were fabulously suckable lips, after all.

When in Rome … make out with complete strangers?
What was she doing? Stella sat back, her head swimming from either too many drinks or the lip-locking. Most likely, it was the awesome combination.

Noth stared at her, his eyes wide and his mouth open as if he had a million questions but couldn’t find a single word. His fingertips reached up to touch his lips, and she worried she had hurt him with the bite. He moved his hand from his own mouth to hers, tracing her bottom lip with a featherlight index finger.
So he’s okay with it, then?

*

“I call it
solum
,” Noth answered the intriguing Earth woman sitting beside him.

He continued to trace a finger on her warm lips. Something stirred deep within him, but he found it difficult to give that sensation a name as well. He had never experienced anything like it in his life. And the kissing? Such a thing was never done on Artanos. Mouths were for eating food. The word he had given her actually translated more like “connect,” but that was how the kiss made him feel.

“I like it. Will you kiss me again?”

“Sure, I’ll
solum
you again.”

Stella grinned up at him. She certainly was a happy female, smiling most of the time. It was a pleasant change from his home planet. The Artanians were a serious group, but there was not much to smile about where he came from. Too much uncertainty and a history rife with bloodshed made them a somber race.

She leaned into him again, and he met her partway. The cat jumped off his lap, and he used his mind-speak to call a quick apology. In addition to his familial ties, Noth could communicate with lower life forms. Both domestic and wild subspecies understood his projected thoughts. Many schools of animal science had attempted to recruit him because of the ability, but Noth wanted to help his own kind. His true gift was his passion for medicine.

Their lips touched again, and Noth was lost in the sensation.
This kissing activity is incredible!
Her mouth moved all over his, sucking on his top and then his bottom lip.

He thought he was doing a commendable job of keeping up, but just when he began to feel secure in his technique, she licked the seam of his closed mouth. He opened it in surprise, and the unpredictable human put her tongue inside. It was soft and warm, tasting of lemons from her drink. He followed the movement, the soft caress of wet skin causing his respiratory rate to speed up mysteriously.

Noth’s hands yearned to hold … something. He cupped the back of her head, threading his fingers through her soft hair. It was remarkable. It reminded him of a slippery fabric they utilized back home for the finest of garments. He sifted his fingers through its luxurious fineness, becoming more a fan of the stuff that grew out of their heads than he ever would have believed. Wanting to feel her tongue farther inside his mouth for some unknown reason, Noth fisted the smooth hair and pulled her deeper into his kiss.

She made an enthusiastic sound, breaking for air while he continued to place kisses on her lips and chin. Stella turned her head, directing his mouth to her cheek and neck. Her hands grabbed his hair as well, pulling him closer. An odd buzz had begun in his abdomen, unlike anything he had ever experienced. This human activity was certainly exciting.

“Let’s go to my room,” Stella said. Maybe she did not want to do any more kissing. That was too bad. He wanted to learn more about this phenomenon.

“What do you like after kissing?” He followed her, his hand placed obediently in her much smaller one. “More snacks?”

She laughed as she pulled him into the dark room.

Chapter 4

Stella was expectant and nervous all at once, unbelievably relieved he hadn’t objected to continuing their make-out session in the privacy of her room.

On tiptoe, she stretched up to kiss him again and let her hands slide up under his shirt, across his impossibly smooth chest. It was rock solid, with a tantalizing hint of rib under the exquisitely toned muscle. She rolled a taut nipple between thumb and index finger and was rewarded when he groaned against her parted lips. His tongue stabbed deeper into her mouth while his hands wrapped around her head, grabbing her hair with a nearly painful ferocity that had her copying his sound effects.

She had to get this damn shirt off him and see his chiseled chest! Reluctantly, Stella broke off the kiss. His dark eyes looked hungry and slightly confused, as if he didn’t understand her intent. Stella pulled the thin cotton up his muscled flank, relishing the striptease she was orchestrating. Noth’s bulging arms lifted to assist her, and he pulled the T-shirt over his head.

Oh, hell yeah! Twelve packs aren’t just a myth!

She had only ever seen them in airbrushed commercials for workout machinery when insomnia crept into her bed at three a.m. Stella had believed flawless abs existed solely in the magical land of infomercials.

They should hire this guy to sell fitness equipment. She’d spend her last paycheck to buy whatever exercise routine he was selling.

“I can’t believe you’re real. And standing in my bedroom,” she said, awed by his stunning torso.

Again, he gave her that quizzical look. Noth sucked in a quick breath as her fingers traced the carved muscle of his stomach down what would have been a happy trail if this Adonis had any hair. Maybe he was a swimmer and a shaver? She didn’t ask as his eager mouth had found hers again. Stella slid a palm over the intimidating bulge in his pants.

Christ, not even hard yet and he feels huge!

Stella’s mouth watered as her hand stroked him through the cotton. He made a rough noise, and the package under her hand began to stiffen under her massage. Stella’s mom had always warned her about things that were too good to be true. Something had to be wrong here because Mister Perfect did not just walk into her life with his impeccable manners and great career potential and… She unbuttoned and unzipped his fly to wrap her hand around the most magnificent cock she could imagine.

That settles it.
There was no way she could turn back now. She couldn’t be content with second or third base tonight; this one was going all the way. Stella shoved him back onto the bed and grabbed each foot in turn, unlacing his boots and pulling them off with surprising speed. She grasped his jeans at the hip and tugged them down and off before tossing them over her shoulder into a crumpled heap. They wouldn’t need those for a while. Not if she had anything to do with it.

“Boxer briefs. I like.”

“They offer the most support of all your undergarment choices,” he explained.

“My undergarment choices?” She giggled. “Well, those are what I would have chosen.” She slipped her fingers into the elastic of the boxers in question and yanked them off.

“This cock is amazing,” she sighed, as she lowered her mouth down to his bulging head. It was all natural, just the way God intended, which made sense since he was a foreigner. An uncircumcised penis was the norm over in Europe. His groin was just as hairless as his chest too. Very curious, but Stella quickly decided it was way better than the alternative. No curly black hairs stuck in her teeth or throat—gag! And it was so smooth. Butter-soft skin covered rock-hard muscle. She couldn’t wait to get his massive piece deep inside her.