Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,22

and—” Her eyes fell on her hand and rounded.

She laughed nervously as she glanced up at him and yanked off her gloves, tossing them behind her without looking. She plucked her safety glasses off her face, folded the arms in, and tucked them into the pocket of her apron before idly wiping at the large wet spot.

The mystery smell strengthened, but now it was mingling with Tabitha’s scent, creating something irresistibly arousing. Zevris’s muscles tensed, and his shaft twitched as though trying to force its way toward her.

“Sorry,” she said. “You caught me in the middle of something, and I kind of had a spill. I know what this must look like, but I was definitely not making drugs.” Her lips quirked in an uncertain smile.

He had the vague sense that he should have apologized for causing her distress, that he should have offered some sympathy, but his body seemed to want nothing more than to bury his cock in her heat.

Abort mission. Now. Get the fuck out of there.

Before you do something you regret.

“Are you spoken for?” he blurted.

Her brows creased. “What?”

“Are you spoken for? Do you have a male?”

“A male? Do you mean…a boyfriend?”

Was he truly being that unclear? “Yes. A boyfriend. Husband. Mate.”

“Oh!” her cheeks flushed. “No, no I…I don’t have anyone.” She caught her bottom lip with her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and leaned closer to him. “Are you okay, Logan? Your eyes look—”

Zevris lifted the cactus, inserting it into the space between himself and Tabitha as though it could act as some deterrent to the wild desires roiling within him. He wanted to lick that mysterious, maddening scent from her skin, wanted to fill the air with her soft cries as he pounded into her, wanted to fill her with his seed and forge that mating bond right now, right in her foyer, marking her as his forever.

Instead of doing any of that, he said, “This is for you.”

Her gaze fell on the cactus, and her brows rose. “For me?” She reached for it, her fingers brushing against his as she took the little plant from his grasp, sending thrilling sparks across Zevris’s skin that made him shudder. “You didn’t have to do that. Thank—”

“Goodnight,” he said hurriedly, turning away and forcing himself to walk before she could utter a response. He’d climbed cliff faces hundreds of feet tall that were easier to traverse than the sixty feet between her front door and his, but he did not allow himself to slow, did not allow himself to look back. He did not allow himself to succumb to those fiery urges.

Even a moment’s hesitation would have had him turning and racing toward her, ripping off his clothing as he moved without a care of what the neighbors would see. Her clothes would have met their end the instant he reached her.

Somehow, he managed to get his housekey into the lock on the first try after deactivating the door’s forcefield, though his hands were stiff and trembling. He opened the door, darted through, and slammed it shut all within a fraction of a second, pressing his back against it as he fumblingly locked the deadbolt.

He hoped the combination of that barrier and the distance between him and Tabitha would be enough.

Heat sizzled beneath his skin in waves, coalescing in his loins. His entire body buzzed with an itch he wasn’t sure he could scratch—and there was little space in his mind for anything but the need to fulfill his desires. To find release.

Zevris was only vaguely aware that he’d deactivated his holoshroud as he unfastened his belt and opened his jeans. In his desperation, he nearly tore off the button and broke the zipper, and he was only able to force the jeans slightly down his hips before he wrapped his hand around his cock and pulled it free.

It ached and throbbed so hard it hurt, and it was so sensitive that even the feel of the air against its skin was almost more than he could bear. His balls were tight and heavy, his breaths already short.

Hissing a curse, he slid his hand down his shaft.

He slapped his free hand against the door, raking his nails across the painted surface. The feel of his hand on his cock was a blend of pleasure and agony unlike anything he’d experienced. Baring his fangs, he tipped his head back, closed his eyes, and pumped his fist. It was Tabitha he saw behind his eyelids as he worked—her eyes,