Jennifer and the Alien Badass (Intergalactic Brides 15) Read online

  “She’s not a potential bride or a mate,” Tyril said. “She’s not allowed on our world.”

  “There are humans on our world who aren’t part of a mated pair or in the program.”

  “Yes, but they’re related to a mated pair.”

  Siril’s arms tightened around her a moment. “And she’s not?”

  Tyril looked away then back again. “Her daughter obviously ran from her. How do you know this isn’t all an act? Maybe she was a horrible mother and her daughter wanted to escape. I’m sorry, but I believe the council will side with me on this and not permit her on our world. As it is, I’ve said too much.”

  Siril’s lips brushed her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “How far are you willing to go to see your daughter again?”

  “I’ll do anything,” she vowed.

  “Anything?” he asked. “You’re certain?”

  Jennifer nodded.

  “Then congratulations. You just became a potential mate.” She could feel Siril’s lips curve into a smile against her ear. “It’s only a matter of calling the council.”

  “Siril, what are you doing?” Tyril asked.

  “I’m going to go introduce my potential mate to the council,” he said, leading her away.

  Her head was spinning and she didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. She’d spent eighteen years alone, except for her daughter, and now there was a hunky alien saying she was his potential mate? Was that like mated, as in married? She’d been willing to do anything to find her daughter, but marry a complete stranger? What if he left wet towels on the floor, or left the seat up? What if he beat her into submission when her smart mouth got the better of her?

  They entered a conference room with a large screen on one wall. He pushed in some buttons and a moment later, another purple alien appeared on the screen. He was dressed in white from head to toe and appeared a little surprised by the call. Was this their equivalent of using the phone?

  “Siril, I heard you were returning tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Chief Councilor, but I have a favor to ask first.”

  The chief councilor looked from Siril to her and back again. “Does this have something to do with the woman at your side? I wasn’t aware you’d been dating anyone while on Earth.”

  Siril looked confused by the word “dating” and she wondered if they didn’t date on his world. And if they didn’t, how exactly did the brides choose a mate? Had her baby been shipped off just to get attached to the first alien who spoke to her?

  “I’m Jennifer Montgomery,” she said.

  “Montgomery,” the chief councilor muttered. “Any relation to the Lila Montgomery who arrived here from that Terran Station over a week ago?”

  Relief nearly made her legs buckle. “So she is there. I’ve been so worried.”

  “It seems Lila left without telling her mother where she was going,” Siril said. “Jennifer was rather fierce in trying to obtain the information she wanted, but Tyril refused.”

  The chief councilor winced. “I shouldn’t have said anything either. Is there a reason your daughter wouldn’t want you to know where she is?”

  “I don’t know,” Jennifer admitted. “I thought I’d brought her up to be responsible and thoughtful. She’s never done anything like this before. She’s always told me where she’s going and when she’ll be home. I’m really worried about her. I don’t know why she signed up for the program and I’m afraid she’ll do something impulsive.”

  The chief councilor nodded. “I understand your concern, and as a parent, I can empathize. I cannot, however, let you come here just to check on her.”

  “What if she came as my potential mate?” Siril asked.

  The chief councilor studied them. “And is it true? Are you considering a mating with Siril? He’s our fiercest warrior, the best of the best, if you will. There’s nothing I could ever deny him. If he wants to mate with you, then I won’t stand in his way. But I need to know if you’re serious or just wanting a way to check on your daughter. I won’t have him taken advantage of.”

  Siril snorted. “If anything, you should worry I’ll take advantage of her.”

  The chief councilor didn’t smile.

  Siril sighed. “What would make you accept her, without question?”

  “If the two of you agreed to be mated here and now,” the chief councilor said.

  Jennifer trembled as she thought about it. She knew her daughter was safe on their world, but was it enough? She wanted to see Lila, to understand why she’d run away. But was tying her life to an alien’s worth having peace of mind? She could always leave a message for her daughter and hope she sent one back.

  Glancing up at Siril, she noticed that he was watching her, an intense expression on his face. For whatever reason, he wanted this mating, and she didn’t understand why. They didn’t know anything about one another. She was a complete stranger, and while she knew she was pretty, she didn’t think she was beautiful enough to make a warrior like him fall to his knees and beg her to be his. Although, he wasn’t exactly begging. Just watching and waiting.

  “There’s another shuttle leaving for that station in two days to return some potentials who didn’t find matches. Take that time to get to know one another and make a decision,” the chief councilor said. “I suggest you use the time wisely.”

  The screen blacked out and she gulped down a lungful of air. What on earth had she gotten herself into?

  Chapter Three

  Siril wasn’t certain what to make of the female. She was prettier than the other human females he’d seen, and he loved the way she’d gone after Tyril when he wouldn’t help her. It was obvious she loved her daughter and worried about her, which made him believe she was a caring mother. Since she already had a grown daughter, and only seemed to have the one, he assumed she couldn’t have more. But despite the fact she wouldn’t be bearing his children, he still wanted her. She was everything he’d been looking for in a mate.

  She, on the other hand, didn’t seem as certain about him.

  “I’m unfamiliar with the term ‘dating,’” he said. “But whatever it is, I’m willing to try it with you.”

  She smiled a little. “What if it’s painful? What if it’s a form of torture?”

  “Is it?” he asked in curiosity.

  “I guess that depends on who you’re dating. I’ve been out with plenty of guys who definitely made the night complete torture.” She glanced at him. “A date is when two people go out and have fun, or just sit and talk over coffee, while they get to know one another, and see if maybe there’s something more there.”

  He nodded, as that made sense. He might know that he wanted her, but she needed more time to figure things out. He could respect that. If she wanted to go on one of those dates, he would be happy to oblige. Besides, it would give more opportunities to experience more human things. He’d spent most of his vacation hanging out with males he hadn’t seen in many years, and while he’d had a nice time, he hadn’t gotten a chance to do many things besides visit their homes, have meals with them, or go to a bar for drinks. The human version of drinking was humorous. He’d finished off three bottles before the bartender had cut him off, even though he wasn’t the slightest bit inebriated.

  “So, where would you like to go on this date?” he asked.

  She pulled a device from her pocket and looked at the screen. His friends had those. A cell phone.

  “It’s almost dinner time,” she said. “Would you like to join me for a meal, and we can figure out where we go from there?”

  Would it be too presumptuous to ask that they retire to either his bed or hers when they were finished? His gaze skimmed over her curves and slender legs. He’d love to see more of her, preferably without clothing. The boots she wore had to be the sexiest things he’d ever seen a female wear. He wondered if he could talk her into wearing them all the time, or if she had others like them.

  “Dinner would be good,” he said. “Do you have a favorite p
lace to eat?”

  She snorted. “Yeah, cheap and cheaper. You don’t look like the type to enjoy fast food though.”

  He didn’t have any idea what fast food was. “You pick wherever you want to eat and that’s where we’ll go. My treat. I’ll even have a limo take us so you won’t have to worry about driving.”

  Her eyebrows lifted into her hairline. “A limo? Never been in one of those before.”

  Good, then he could show her that he could provide her with things she didn’t have already. If she was used to eating cheap meals, it sounded like maybe she was hurting for money, something he had plenty of. He’d transferred some of his credits into the Earth dollars used here, and hadn’t spent even a fourth of what he’d transferred. Things didn’t seem to cost very much on her world. He’d transferred two weeks of wages, thinking he would spend more here, but it was laughable how little he’d spent.

  “Pick anywhere I want?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “There’s a steak and lobster place not far from here. If the sky is the limit, that’s where I want to eat. Never been, but I’ve heard it’s amazing.”

  “When we get to the limo, give the driver the location and he’ll take us there.”

  “You’re sure about this? From what I’ve seen on the news, a mating for your kind is serious. It’s not like here, where we can get a divorce a week later if things don’t work out.” She moved a little closer and looked up at him. “I appreciate what you’re doing, helping me with my daughter and all, but you’re going above and beyond and I don’t understand why. That guy said you’re the best warrior on your planet. I’d imagine you have your pick of women, so what’s so special about me?”

  He reached out to lightly caress her jaw, not the least bit surprised that she was as soft as she looked. She didn’t flinch when he touched her. If anything, she seemed to like it. She leaned into him, pressing her cheek against his palm, her eyes closing briefly and a look of longing crossing her delicate features. Then she pulled away.

  “We’ll talk more over dinner,” he said.

  “All right,” she said softly. Her voice was husky, an undercurrent of need there that he hadn’t anticipated. Was she as lonely as he was?

  He reached down and took her hand, leading her through the Terran Station and out to the waiting limos. He waited while she gave the name of the restaurant to the driver, then he helped her into the backseat before sliding in as well. It didn’t seem to take long to reach their destination, but he used the time to study her. Her hair was long and straight, but it wasn’t what he’d heard referred to as dishwater blonde. There were streaks of gold and honey in there. It wasn’t her best feature though. That would be her incredible legs.

  “If you took a picture, it would last longer,” she said with a smile, glancing his way.

  His lips twitched with humor at having been caught staring at her. He looked away and was thankful when the limo pulled to a stop outside of a place called Rock Lobster. He slid out of the limo and helped her out. With her hand clasped in his, they went through the entrance and waited to be seated. Even though it was the dinner hour, and the place seemed busy, they were taken to a table immediately.

  The hostess left them with menus and asked for their drink order, then left them to peruse the choices. Siril had experienced enough Earth food over the last week to figure out what most of the things on the menu were, but he hadn’t had lobster yet and wasn’t sure how it would taste. Jennifer seemed to be studying the menu hard enough that he wondered if she were preparing for an exam instead of dinner.

  A waiter appeared at their table, a smile on his face, and their drinks in his hands.

  “My name is Tim and I’ll be your server this evening. Who had the sweet tea?” he asked.

  Jennifer lifted a hand and the server placed the drink in front of her, then gave Siril his water with lemon. The server pulled a pad from the apron tied around his waist, a pen poised over it.

  “Have you had time to decide what you’d like to eat this evening?” Tim asked.

  “I’m ready if you are,” Jennifer said, looking at Siril.

  He nodded and motioned for her to order first.

  She smiled warmly, then turned to face the server. “I’ll have the steak and lobster with rice pilaf on the side, and a house salad with ranch.”

  Siril wasn’t certain where she was going to put that amount of food, but it pleased him that she had a healthy appetite for someone so small. She didn’t even reach his shoulder, and while she had curves, she was far from fat. When the server turned his way, he ordered the seafood platter with two types of shrimp and lobster, and decided to ask for the same rice and salad as Jennifer.

  When the server was gone, he focused his attention on Jennifer.

  “You only have the one daughter, correct? At least, that’s how it seemed at the station,” he said.

  “Yes, it’s just been the two of us.”

  “Her father isn’t around anymore?” he asked.

  “I was a little bit wilder in my younger days. Her dad was a one-night stand I met at a bar. We never exchanged more than first names and no one at the bar remembered him after I found out I was pregnant. So it’s just been us.”

  “I find it hard to believe no one wanted to marry you over the years. That’s the human term for a mating, correct? Married?”

  She nodded. “I had a few boyfriends at first, but it became apparent they weren’t that fond of Lila. So I ditched them, and after a few duds, I decided to give up on dating and just focus on my daughter.”

  “That sounds rather lonely.”

  “Sometimes it was. But I just focused my attention on her and working hard to pay the bills. She may not have had everything she wanted, but I made sure she had everything she needed. Her clothes and shoes weren’t name brand from a high priced store, but they were clean and I did my best to keep them trendy. I didn’t want kids to make fun of her because we had so little.”

  Siril took a sip of his water. “It sounds like you’re a good mom and you were doing the best you could. I’m sure she appreciates everything you’ve done for her.”

  Jennifer shrugged. “I’d thought she did, until this stunt. How could she sign up for the bride program, take off to another planet, and then make sure no one could tell me where she was or if she was okay? Why would she do that? Was I so horrible to her growing up, just because she didn’t have the latest cell phone or gadget?”

  “If you agree to be my mate, I will take you to my world and we can find her together and ask why she did it. If she’s mated to one of my kind, her home will be there now. Even if she did agree to communicate with you, it’s doubtful you would ever see her again, if you remained here.”

  “That’s quite the selling point you have there.”

  “I’m hoping that you’ll spend time with me and see that I’m not so terrible. Maybe we’ll get along well and feelings will grow over time. You’ve been alone a long time, and so have I. Even though I’m quite a bit older than you, I think we could make things work between us.”

  Her brow furrowed. “You don’t look a day over forty. How old are you?”

  “Fifty.”

  Her eyes widened and her jaw slackened. “Fifty? But you don’t have wrinkles or gray hair. And… Well, I’ve never met a fifty-year-old as fit as you. I bet you even have an eight-pack.”

  Her assessment was a little amusing. And if he understood the human definition of an eight-pack correctly, his was more like ten. Being the top warrior on his world, he’d stayed in shape. Even better shape than a lot of the younger warriors he trained. He was well aware that had it not been for his missing body parts he probably could have crooked his finger and had any female he wanted. But right now, he was glad that hadn’t happened, because the more he learned about Jennifer, the more he liked her. He was very willing to be mated to someone like her.

  “Fifty,” she muttered again before taking a sip of her tea. “And in all that time you’ve ne
ver been mated?”

  He shook his head. “I stay busy with my work.” And no one wanted me.

  “What would it be like to be mated to you? What’s a typical day for you?” she asked.

  “I wake early, work out in my back garden, then report for work. When I’m on my world, I train our current and new warriors. The council sends me out on missions that sometimes last a week or two, and then I return for more training. My mate would have a lot of time to herself, except for the evenings, unless she chose to train alongside me. Obviously, I wouldn’t expect a female to do everything our warriors do, but if you wanted a good workout, you could join me sometimes.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Are you trying to say I need to lose weight? I know I’m carrying a few extra pounds, but it’s just rude to point it out.”

  His jaw dropped a little. “What?”

  “It’s not polite to tell someone they’re fat.”

  He blinked at her in confusion. “I never said you were fat.”

  “But you think I need a good workout?”

  “It was merely a suggestion of how we could spend more time together, but not a requirement. I’m rather fond of your curves.” His gaze caressed what he could see of her. “And I’m most intrigued about what they look like minus the clothing.”

  Her cheeks pinked.

  “I find you to be rather delectable. Between your ferocity when protecting your young and the sexy way you fill out those clothes, I was hard-pressed not to toss you over my shoulder and find the nearest bedroom.” He leaned his elbows on the table. “Or is that too forward speaking?”

  “You want to have sex with me?” she asked, her face flushing more.

  He leaned forward a little more and lowered his voice so no one else would hear. “What I’d like is to take you back to my hotel suite, rip every stitch of clothing from your body, except possibly for those sexy as fuck boots, and take you so hard and fast your legs shake and you scream my name over and over. I want to worship every inch of your body, take you so many times you can’t walk tomorrow, and then I want to do it all over again. I want to erase every memory of every other male you’ve known, eradicate them one orgasm at a time, until you’re begging me to never stop.”