Page 9 of The Pregnancy Pact

Men of all species seemed to be universally clueless about some things.

“That was incredibly rude,” I snapped.

“What was incredibly rude?” He frowned at me, like I’d gone nuts.

“You…you…you said…” Without his support, I felt a little dizzy and had to catch myself with a hand against the wall. “You said…”

What had he said? Something about me being old? Too old to be here?

All of a sudden, it didn’t seem such a terrible remark. He was right. I was way too old for this. Way too old, way past jaded. All of a sudden, I wanted to be back in my room. In the quiet. Where I could lie down.

“Never mind,” I mumbled, turning, keeping a hand on the wall to support myself.

I don’t know how far I’d gone when I heard the Asterion behind me say, cool amusement in his tones, “If you are seeking the ship bay, you are headed the wrong direction.”

I stopped, gritting my teeth.

Damn it.

“Allow me, female.” I felt him step up beside me, take my arm once more. “I will take you to your space ship—if you can recall which is yours—and then I will go to my room. I think I have had my fill of excesses this eve.”

He offered me no quarter, gave me no option, as he turned me around and got us walking again. I could have protested, but I didn’t think it would do me any good. He was a man on a mission as the old saying goes…except, he wasn’t a man. Not a human one, anyway.

We were in the ship bay when the idea, the sensation, that had been growing since I first laid on eyes on this creature, this Asterion, bloomed into full force. He was so damned beautiful. And seemed as tired of all the craziness as I was. He also seemed lonely. I was lonely too. The kind of loneliness inspired by hurt and betrayal. The kind that that made words whisper in my mind, words like,

Invite him to stay. What’s the harm? You’ll never see him again.

What if he says no?

What if he does? Then you’re alone and you drink wine till you fall asleep. You’re never going to see him again.

I’ve never done anything like this before.

There’s a first time for everything.

What if he stays and he hates it? What if you’re not good enough?

Who cares? You get sex from a gorgeous alien and you’re going to complain? You’re never going to see him again.

That was it. The argument that kept repeating and leading me down a path I’d never dreamed, at the beginning of the night, that I’d go down. The path of a one-night stand. A one-night stand…with an alien.

We were in the bay now, where the space ships were docked. Rows upon rows of gleaming space ships. Big ones; small, personal ones; commercial ones; military ones. Explorer ones, mid-size, like mine.

“What is your ship’s name?” the alien asked.

That was embarrassing. I screwed up my face, trying to think.

“I, uh…”

He frowned down at me. “You cannot remember?”

I shook my head to try and clear the vapors. Not to mention the lingering thoughts of him and what he must look like naked. That beautiful silver skin all bare for my hands to roam over…

Stop, Lorelai! Focus!

The alien must have noticed something was off. He tilted his head, staring down at me with a new light in his eyes.

“You are looking at me in a particular manner,” he said, and his voice had deepened, gone a little rough.