Taken by the Alien Next Door (Aliens Among Us #1) - Tiffany Roberts Page 0,94

tilted his head. “Like Christmas? Isn’t Christmas a holiday?”

Tabitha reached for her strawberry lemonade. She felt the grains of sugar against her lips as she took a drink. “It is. And during Christmas, people usually decorate their trees and homes with lights. In some neighborhoods, there are so many lights it’s as bright as day.”

“Ah, yes. I saw lights like that on some of the houses in our neighborhood last winter.”

“Vegas was like that, just lights everywhere the eye could see, but it wasn’t decorated for any holiday. That’s just what Las Vegas is. It’s flashy and bright. It’s also known as Sin City.”

She speared a flaky piece of salmon on her fork, bringing it to her mouth for a bite.

He slipped a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Unless sin has a meaning of which I’m not aware, it doesn’t sound like Sin City is any place for a child.”

She chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand until she’d swallowed her food. “That’s at least partially right. I…saw a few things that made Nan hurry and cover my eyes. But there are plenty of things for kids, too. She took me to see Cirque de Soleil and The Phantom of the Opera. I’m still irked that Christine never chose the Phantom.”

Zevris chuckled too, and his eyes gleamed with not only their usual hunger, but joy. “You’ll have to show me what those things are at some point. If there is one thing humanity excels at, it’s creating entertainment. I came into your culture thirty-five years behind my peers.”

Tabitha grinned, but it softened as she ran her eyes over him. Zevris was gorgeous. His eyes were bright and alive, his dark hair was swept back with a couple rogue strands curling over his forehead, and the warm light overhead created contrasting shadows that made his cheekbones sharper—that made them look more like his natural face. And she was the only one on Earth who’d seen behind his mask, the only one who knew his true appearance, who knew of those now-familiar attributes that made him impossibly more appealing.

She’d never dreamed she would be sitting in such a fancy restaurant on a date with a man like Zevris. She absently reached up with her free hand and touched her emerald pendant.

“Have I told you how handsome you look?” she asked.

His grin was that rakish, lopsided one she loved so much. “So, my female approves of her mate?”

Tabitha looked up at him from beneath her lashes and lifted her foot, brushing the toe of her shoe up and down his leg beneath the table. “Your female very much approves of her male.”

Though it was barely audible over the soft hum of conversation, Tabitha heard Zevris’s growl. It went straight to her clit and nipples, making them ache.

“Behave,” she whispered, unable to stop a teasing smile from turning up the corners of her lips.

“You willfully tempt me and then tell me to behave?” His grin took on an even more devilish slant as he tilted his chin down to stare at her from beneath his dark eyebrows. “Every day, Nykasha, you show me more reasons why you’re meant to be mine.”

Yep. Panties officially wet.

Tabitha’s breath quickened, and her heart fluttered at the promise in his eyes. She took another drink, this one deeper, longer, but it did nothing to cool the fire burning in her core.

Who was she kidding? There was no way she was going to last three more weeks.

Lust doesn’t equal love, Tabby.

And she had to remember that he was looking for a womb. His whole race was looking for wombs.

But if it really is that simple, why all this? Why all the effort?

She knew, deep down, despite her reservations and insecurities, that he really was seeking a lifemate. She just… Was she really ready for that? Was she really ready to become a mother so soon? A couple weeks ago, she wasn’t even thinking about getting into a relationship, and now she had to think about having a baby?

But boy did her ovaries burst every time she saw him.

What would their child look like? Would they have pointed ears? Fangs? An adorable little tail?

As they continued with their meal, Tabitha finished her tale about the Grand Canyon and told him about the other trips she’d taken, including her those to New York City, Niagara Falls, and the beaches of Florida. She had him laughing when she described the time she and Nan had gone down to Disneyland