Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,7

forth slowly, producing a series of sad little squeaks.

The female looked back at the truck. “They did that?” Shaking her head, she turned that exquisite face back toward him. “I am so, so sorry. I’ve never worked with them before. I only found them from a quick internet search, and their ratings seemed okay for the price. Are they at least going to pay to have it replaced?”

Eyeing Zevris, the dog approached cautiously, growled, and barked.

The female frowned at the dog and scratched him behind his ear. “Dexter, hush.”

Tilting its head, the dog—Dexter—regarded the female. Zevris could not determine whether the animal’s questioning expression was merely an effect of his own imagination. Nonetheless, Dexter seemed to comply with the female’s order.

Zevris’s gaze lingered on the dog for a moment longer before he returned it to the female.

Her eyes were green—a vibrant shade of it that humans likened to the gemstone called emerald. They complemented her golden hair and pink lips perfectly.

“Supposedly,” he replied, “though I’m not overly confident that they’ll follow through.”

“If they don’t, I’ll gladly pay to make it right.” She chuckled a bit nervously. “Tabitha, Destroyer of Mailboxes, is not the first impression I wanted to make with my new neighbors.”

“Tabitha,” he purred, one corner of his mouth curling upward. “Is that your name?”

A blush stained her pale cheeks. “Oh! Yeah. I mean, not the Destroyer of Mailboxes part, but yes, my name is Tabitha Mathews.” She stuck her hand out. Her nails were short and blunt, but they were painted a vivid pink.

Zevris tucked the mailbox under his arm and extended his own hand.

When he took her hand in his, electricity crackled along his arm, and the heat in his chest flared. All his urges—to hold her, to protect her, to mate with her—increased tenfold, and now he found himself also battling the impulse to lift her hand to his lips.

Tabitha’s breath hitched. The pink on her cheeks darkened. Her skin was soft and smooth but for the hints of calluses on her forefinger and thumb, and her touch was warm and delicate. What would her fingers feel like elsewhere on his body?

“I’m Ze—” He caught his lower lip between his teeth, nearly puncturing it with a fang, and cleared his throat. “Logan. Logan Ellis.”

Damned fool is far too weak a term to describe me. Nearly destroying my cover twice in a single morning?

He’d never been so careless.

Tabitha smiled wide. “Nice to meet you, Logan.”

Dexter barked again.

Tabitha rolled her eyes and sighed, though she was smiling playfully. “And that annoying but adorable mongrel is Dexter.”

“I am happy to meet you, Tabitha. And to meet Dexter, too.” Zevris still could not bring himself to look away from her, and it took all his willpower to finally, albeit reluctantly, release her hand. Silence stretched between them; it was mere seconds, barely long enough to draw a full breath, but it felt like an eternity as his mind raced.

What were the things humans usually chatted about idly? Which topics were suitable for small talk?

Why had her scent and its effects not faded?

The human social skills he’d slowly built during his time on Earth seemed to have vanished in those moments, leaving Zevris with nothing but instinct—and his instinct was to be direct. The games humans played in their courtship rituals did not come naturally to him…and he suspected they didn’t come naturally to most humans, either.

“Tabitha, you are the—”

Zevris wasn’t sure what he’d meant to say. You are the one, perhaps, or You are the most beautiful female I have ever seen. Unfortunately, neither he nor Tabitha would ever know how his sentence was meant to end, as his words were cut off by the sound—and feel—of liquid splattering on his boot.

An instant later, he felt the warm liquid seep through the lacings and tongue to reach his foot, where it ran down to soak the insole. A strong, acrid scent struck Zevris’s nostrils.

Zevris glanced down to see Dexter at his feet. The dog had one of his hind legs raised in the air as he unleashed a stream of urine onto Zevris’s boot.

“Oh my God! Dexter, no!” Tabitha reached down, grabbed the dog by the collar, and pulled him away, leaving a trail of urine on the driveway. “Bad! Bad, bad, bad dog!”

Dexter ducked his head and glanced at Zevris, tongue hanging out as though in mockery.

What had that slobbering beast just done? Why had it done it?

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Tabitha looked up at Zevris but