Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,91

of blue light in his eyes.

He wore a charcoal gray suit jacket over a white button-down shirt and matching slacks. The clothing was tailored perfectly to him, accentuating his wide shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. His usual scruff had been shaven clean; she’d known he wasn’t one of those guys who needed a beard to look masculine, and this only hammered that fact home.

You could cut diamonds on that jawline.

Tabitha pinched the sides of her skirt and lifted it outward, smiling at him a bit awkwardly. “Thank you for the dress and shoes. Do you…like it?”

He closed the remaining distance between them, angling his face down to keep his eyes locked on her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He smoothed his palms down her arms slowly, causing a shiver to run through her. An appreciative growl rumbled in his chest. “Maybe we should stay in tonight…”

Tabitha laughed and shook her head, trying to ignore the pulse his growl produced in her clit. “Heck no. We are going out.”

Zevris caught his lower lip between his teeth and drew in a soft, hissing breath, eyes smoldering. “I don’t know if I’ll last until we make it back.”

The way he looked at her—as though the mere sight of her was enough to make him climax—made an ache bloom in her core. She was sure her panties were wet already.

Tabitha pressed a finger to his chest and trailed it down his abdomen toward his groin. “Behave and you won’t have to wait until we get back.” She grinned playfully. “I’ve…never fooled around in a car before.”

His eyebrows shot up briefly, and as they sank, his lips stretched into a wide smile. He moved one of his hands to her hip. “I’ll be sure to save room for dessert.”

She blushed. It didn’t matter how many times they’d been intimate; it was still so strange to hear a man—especially this man—flirt with her like this, and for her to flirt right back.

“Are we ready to go?” she asked, thrumming with excitement.

“No. Not yet.” He stepped back, withdrawing his hands from her, and reached inside his jacket. “Turn around.”

Tabitha arched a brow but did as he commanded.

He stepped up behind her; she didn’t hear his movement, but she felt it, and tantalizing heat radiated along her back. His hands brushed over her shoulders, and something small and solid fell against her collarbone. As his hands swept back, she realized what he was doing.

Zevris gently shifted her hair aside, and his fingers tickled her neck as he fiddled with what must’ve been a latch. When he was done, he placed his palms over her shoulders, and a delicate chain settled into place around her neck.

Looking down, Tabitha raised her hand to touch the pendent hanging between her breasts. It was a heart-shaped emerald on a white gold chain. Simple, elegant, lovely.

She knew Zevris had the funds to purchase her all these gifts but…he didn’t have to. He could have taken her out anywhere and she could have worn what she already owned. But he wanted this night, this date, to be something special. He wanted her to feel special.

Her eyes burned with tears. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything, Tabitha.” He let her hair fall back into place, the pads of his fingers brushing the back of her neck as he did so. Stepping in front of her, he caught he chin and lifted her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It reminded me of your eyes.”

She sniffled and tried really hard not to cry—it would ruin her makeup. “You really are a romantic. Did they teach you that before you came here looking for a mate?”

He shook his head with a chuckle. “I could have been taught everything my people know about humans over the span of many years, and it wouldn’t have been enough to figure out your courtship rituals. I simply want to please my mate.”

My mate.

He’d called her that since the beginning, but more and more she felt like it was the truth. That she was his.

She smiled and reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “Are we ready to go now?”

Zevris returned her smile, tightening his fingers around hers, and dipped his chin. “Now we are ready.”

Tabitha glanced at her drink again. Though the glass itself was nothing out of the ordinary, its contents had drawn her eye several times since the server had delivered it. The liquid bled from red to