masking his true appearance, and they still held that lustful gleam. F-me didn’t cut it. His were full on fuck-me eyes, and they were only for her.
Yes, please.
Damn it, Tabitha, you’re supposed to be angry right now!
She pressed her lips together and glared at him as she held her phone up with the screen facing him. “What is this?”
Zevris’s smile took on a sheepish slant. “Your phone.”
“You know what I mean, Zevris.”
He sighed and lifted a hand, combing his fingers through his hair and dragging back the wild strands that had been dangling over his forehead. “Those are the messages I’ve exchanged with Mia, pretending to be you.”
“These are my private conversations, Zevris.” She flicked through the messages, stopping on one he’d sent two days ago. “You even told Mia we were together!”
“I gave her as little information as I could, and didn’t say anything untrue,” he replied.
“This is wrong on so many levels. You don’t snoop through people’s phones, especially the phone of someone who is your…your mate! It’s an invasion of privacy and it shows you have absolutely no trust in that person.”
He closed the distance between them smoothly, dipping his chin to keep his gaze upon her. “I trust you, Nykasha. That’s why you have your phone back. I should have done so sooner. I was simply acting to protect my mission and prevent suspicion. Mia is someone you care about. I did not want her to worry.” He reached up and caressed her jaw, his lips spreading into a grin. “I was also confident in my skills. I knew you were mine the moment I saw you, Tabitha.”
Tabitha opened her mouth to scold him some more, paused, and closed it. She couldn’t be mad at him for that…could she?
Ugh. I should be, damn it, but I’m just…not.
She understood why he’d done it, and, well, none of what he’d told Mia was actually wrong. Tabitha and Zevris were together.
They were mates. He’d just…announced it a little prematurely.
How crazy was this? She was mated to an alien. Her alien from next door.
Knowing she was likely wearing the biggest, goofiest grin ever, she stepped closer, rose on her toes, and pecked a kiss on his jaw. “You’re lucky I like you so much.”
“I certainly am.” Zevris put his hands around her waist and drew her against him. He stared at her, a ravenous gleam in his eyes. “I missed breakfast in bed this morning. Shall I have it on the patio, instead?”
Dipping his head, he captured her mouth.
Tabitha moaned and slipped her arms around the back of his neck. He dropped his hands to her ass, taking a handful of each cheek, and squeezed as he clutched her closer, inserting a knee between her legs.
She gasped as he ground his knee against her pussy, and he took that opportunity to sweep his tongue into her mouth. Tabitha clung to him as he devoured her. His lips were hot, and his tongue was demanding. Whispers of pleasure bloomed within her core, making her clit throb with need.
Dexter barked, startling Tabitha. She pulled her head away and watched as Dexter chased a squirrel.
“The universe seems determined to block my cock today,” Zevris grumbled, tightening his hold on her.
Tabitha burst out laughing. “You know what cockblocking is?”
“I am living it, female.”
She snickered and rubbed her nose against his. “Well, consider it punishment for going through my phone.”
Leaning back slightly, she brought her phone into the space between herself and Zevris, tapped the camera icon, and switched it to the selfie lens. She extended her arm and angled the phone toward them. “Now stoop your pervy butt down and smile!”
Laughing, Zevris did as she commanded, hunching his back to get his face into the frame. Once they were both smiling up at the camera, she took the picture, then turned to reward him a kiss on his cheek and pulled away.
But he stopped her before she could escape, keeping one hand on her ass while the other smoothed back loose strands of hair from her face. He leaned close, staring into her eyes. An awed gleam joined the desire always blazing in his gaze. “The blue is more pronounced today.”
She smiled up at him. “Will they get brighter?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen the change as it happened.” He gently brushed the pad of his thumb just below her eye. “But I hope it won’t. I’m rather fond of your eyes as they were.”
Her heart fluttered, and the warmth in her core radiated