“We harness mostly solar radiation for our energy needs,” he said.
She curled her legs underneath her and turned toward him. “Tell me about ’Topia.”
“’Topia?” The glass, halfway to his mouth, froze in midair.
“That’s where you’re from, isn’t it? That’s what you told me in the diner.”
“You have a good memory.”
Too good, according to Dayton. You never forget a fucking thing. How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?
Shut up, Dayton! You don’t belong here! She pushed away the bad memory and sealed it behind a curtain of iron will. But before she slammed the door, she delivered the response she should have given. One, Dayton. That’s all. One sincere apology would have been enough.
Cam’s expression closed, and his fingertips had blued.
“Is it okay, the wine?”
“It’s quite good.” He flashed a grin. “Much better than my first drink of coffee.” He turned to study the fire. “The men I’m traveling with are from ’Topia. That’s where I was most recently, but I, myself, am from Xeno,” he said.
“How many are with you?”
“Five.”
Like working a jigsaw puzzle, she pieced together the bits he’d shared during their meeting at the diner along with conversations from his time as her handyman. “You needed repairs so you landed on Earth,” she deduced. “That’s why you need money.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Where were you headed? Why did you leave ’Topia?” Were they on vacation? Moving? Traveling for intergalactic business?
He set his glass on the coffee table. “I would tell you if I could, but it’s not something I can share. It’s better if you don’t know.”
She remembered he’d said his last job had involved intelligence gathering. Was he an intergalactic spy? Did he work for an alien Central Intelligence Agency? “Earth isn’t being invaded, is it?” she joked.
He didn’t laugh.
“Oh my god, we’re being invaded?” She leaped up, nearly spilling her wine.
“No! Herian, no!” He swore in his own language and got to his feet. “That’s not what I meant. I think Earth is safe.”
“You think?”
The oven buzzer went off, signaling the rolls were heated. She couldn’t worry about rolls when the fate of the world hung in the balance.
Cam set her drink on the coffee table and grabbed her hand. “A trouble spot is brewing in another arm of the galaxy, but Earth is far, far away from the danger. I don’t want to insult you by calling your planet insignificant, but few people realize you’re here.” His thumb caressed her fingers. “If I feared you were in jeopardy, I would tell you. I promise. I would never lie to you.” His eyes radiated sincerity.
She believed him. She wet her lips, and heat flashed in his gaze. Her stomach fluttered. “Would-would you show me yourself again?”
His throat moved as he swallowed. “Are you sure? I don’t want to scare you.”
“You won’t. I want to see the real you. I promise I’ll act better this time.”
“I don’t want you to act. If I’m showing my real self, I want you to be free to be who you are.” He squeezed her hands and then stepped back.
His mocha skin changed color almost instantaneously. For a second, he turned a shade between mocha and cyan, and then he became Easter-egg blue all over. His size enlarged, his shoulders widened and rolled forward, his spine arched to accommodate a tail.
Still Cam. She recognized his eyes, the hesitancy of his smile, despite the fangs—which weren’t all that long, she realized. He still looked, not human, but humanoid. And handsome. Still handsome.
After the way she’d behaved the first time, he wouldn’t believe her if she were to tell him he was attractive. She would have to show him. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his.
He jerked, but his arms came around her, and he kissed her back. In an intimate caress, his tongue met hers, hesitant first, then bolder as passion flashed.
Logs in the fireplace snapped and popped, the kitchen timer beeped, but she focused on him—his enticing musk, his exotic taste, the way his kiss coaxed and claimed at the same time.
Every nerve ending lit up with surprise and delight as she explored his mouth. His lips were soft, his tongue gentle but commanding. Tentatively, she touched his teeth. They were a little sharper than a human’s, but nothing she needed to worry about. She clung to him, hugging his neck, kissing him harder. He acted like a drug in her system—the more she got, the more she craved. His mouth moved over her lips, stoking the flames.
“You smell so good,” he murmured.
She smiled against his mouth. “It could be dinner you smell.” The aroma of stew and baking bread pervaded the house. The timer beeped away.
“No. You smell like lavender and female.”
Her body tingled from head to toe with desire and possibilities. Her womb clenched, and her breasts felt heavy and achy. It had been so long since a man had looked at her with desire and approval.
He captured her wrist and pressed his lips to her palm. She closed her fingers around the kiss. She could almost swear she could see clear to infinity in his eyes. How much had this man experienced for him to look that way?
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“What is that?” he asked.
“The oven timer. The rolls are ready. Maybe we should eat?”
They moved into the kitchen. She turned off the oven and the timer. Grabbing a couple of potholders, she withdrew the tray of rolls and set it on the stove top. Fortunately, they weren’t overbaked.
“Can I help you with anything?” he asked.
She turned around to find Cam had transformed back to the blond man.
“Why did you change back?”
“I thought you would prefer it? I can become the guy from the billboard, if you prefer.”
“No! I don’t want either one of those.” She strode over to him and placed her palms on his chest. “I prefer you to be who you are. I like Cam, the Xeno. He’s the one I kissed.” More than ever, she regretted her first reaction.
“I can’t reveal myself in your town. You don’t have any aliens in Argent.”
The way she’d freaked had been mild compared to how others would react. Millie would accept him, and so would old Gus from the bait shop, but she could think of a few who would react badly—kind of like she had. “You can be yourself when you’re alone with me, can’t you?”
Within a couple of heartbeats, he turned blue. His grin was fanged.
Their kiss steamed up the kitchen windows. When they separated, she felt a jolt, as if the topsy-turvy world had jerked to a stop. She didn’t foresee a future, but the sexual magnetism they shared was exciting, addictive, and she wanted to follow it through for as long as it lasted. It had been ages since she’d experienced such chemistry. It made her feel alive and energized.
“I’ll, uh, dish up the stew, if you’ll set the table,” she said.
He glanced at the dinette. “Isn’t it already set up?”
She chuckled. “Setting the table means putting out the silverware, plates, glasses. We’ll need little plates for the rolls—they’re in the cupboard over there—knives to butter the bread, and spoons for the stew. You’ll find silverware in the drawer under the cupboard.”