9781631053283HeartsLastChanceMichaels (4 page)

“Come, get under the blankets.” He watched her scramble
under, then rejoined her and took her in his arms.

Her arm squeezed his ribs. “Now can we talk about your
natural form?”

Brock pressed a kiss to her temple. “Ask away.”

“You’re not going to morph into some scary shape, are you?”

He chuckled. “No, I’m sure you’ll find me very pleasing. I
don’t have tentacles, horns or even extra appendages. My skin shimmers with
silver, and my hair is the color of that sunset we watched earlier—what did you
call it? Purple, with lighter blue and red toward the ends.”

“How long do you wear it?”

“Hair is hair, Tricia. Some of the elders have thinning
hair—”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, is it short?
Down to your shoulders?
In a ponytail?”

“Ah. Mine tends to curl, so I try to keep it above my ears.
My brothers wear theirs to their shoulders and one sister’s reaches to about
here.” Brock skimmed his hand to the middle of her back. “But my oldest
sister’s reaches to her ankles, though she wears it twisted in some ornamental
fashion.”

“How many are in your family?”

“I have two brothers and two sisters. And a large extended
family.”

Tricia kissed his chest. “I only have a younger brother.”

“I know. You were not very nice to him when he was growing
up.”

“Can you blame me? He was a little pest, always following me
around and messing with my stuff.” Her voice had risen with indignation.

“
Shhh
.
While my people search for their
Chosen
, we
take the form of—how can I put this in terms you’ll understand?—balls of
light.”

“What?” Tricia lifted her head, her eyes wide.

Brock reached out his hand and stroked her nearest breast.
“See how your body reacts when it’s away from my warmth?” He watched her nipple
go from pucker to point. “Yes, I ‘morph’, as you say, into a ray of light,
invisible to your species. Your animals, however, can see me. That’s why your
dog Charlie always wagged his tail whenever I was around. You thought he was
sniffing out other creatures in your backyard, but it was me, petting him
behind a bush or a tree.”

“I do remember that.” He felt her relax against him. “So
what happens tomorrow?”

“I can either come to your apartment or you can come to
mine. It makes no difference to me.
Just wherever you’re most
comfortable.
And during the week, I’m not going to interfere with your
work, but I do need to remind you of my time constraints.”

Tricia yawned. “I appreciate that, but do your Elders know
what they are asking? This is a huge decision for me.”

Brock patted her backside. “Go to sleep. We have all day
tomorrow to talk.”

Chapter Three

“Thank you for staying with us. Please come again.”

Tricia smiled and tucked the receipt in her purse. She
picked up her overnight case and waited for her friends to finish checking out
before handing the valet her ticket.

“Thank you so much for doing this, Trish.” Lara embraced her
after handing off her own valet ticket. “I needed a weekend away with you
three.
Nothing like retail therapy to take your mind off the
world of high finance.”

“True. And I had a great time also.” Tricia turned as the
others joined them. “Maybe we should do this every month.”
Unless I have to move to Mars.

Not Mars.
TriJupe
.

Brock…you’re stalking
me again….

Sorry, I’m already
missing you.

“Earth to Trish.”
Tricia blinked,
noticing Becky’s hand waving in front of her eyes. “
Hellooo
…”

“Sorry, I was thinking about Brock.”

“Having withdrawal symptoms already?” Jayne’s eyebrows rose.
“That’s not like you. What gives about this guy?”

“He’s dreamy and obviously the latest Mr. Right Now.” Lara
ushered them out the door of the hotel as their cars began arriving.

Tricia tipped the valet after stowing her suitcase in the
trunk. She climbed behind the wheel. “Have a great week, guys. Love you.”

“Keep us informed on how everything goes with Brock.” Her
friends waved as they claimed their vehicles.

You’d never believe me
if I told you.
Tricia signaled then turned in the direction of her condo.

Upon arriving home, she unpacked and switched on her
computer. Caught up on emails and phone messages, Tricia soon felt restless.
Funny, I never felt bored before on a
Sunday.
She put a load of laundry in the washer,
then
wandered back to the television.
I don’t
feel like watching
TV,
don’t want to read…what the
hell is wrong with me?

Are you up for
company?

Brock?
His voice in her mind sent little
ripples of pleasure to her womb.
Can you
come over so we can talk?

“I’m right here, sweetheart.”

Tricia shrieked and whirled around. “You scared the hell out
of me. Do you always transport like that?”

He walked over to her. “When it suits me, and we’re in
private. Obviously, if I take you to dinner, I can’t just appear in the
doorway.” Brock captured the hand that clutched the collar of her shirt and
kissed her palm.

Tricia’s stomach fluttered. “What is it about you that
makes
my knees so weak when you’re around?” She stepped
forward and looped her free arm around his neck.

His hands settled on her hips. “I hope it never dies.”
Brock’s lips slanted over hers, feather soft. Tricia opened her eyes in surprise.
“Come, we have many things to talk about.” Releasing her, Brock led her over to
the sofa.

“My home planet is called
TriJupe
.
We exist in humanoid form, with the exception of how we travel. My people can
see the bodies of light, what you call ‘teleporting’. Our food isn’t that
different from yours, so I don’t believe you’ll starve when we visit—”

“Wait a minute.” Tricia pulled back in alarm. “How will I
get there? And if you know me so well, you’ll remember I don’t do extreme
heights.”

Brock took both of her hands in his. “I remember. I can put
you into sort of a sleep-state, where you won’t even feel the motion. You’ll go
to sleep here, then wake up in my mother’s house.”

“But how?
I’m human, Brock. I don’t
just transform my body.” Tricia worried her bottom lip.

He curled his arm around her. “I’ll have to consult with the
Elders, but I think there’s a way to get you there.”

“Have there been other humans who’ve visited your planet?
How did you even find out about Earth? And what do I tell my friends, my staff,
my
family?”

“To my knowledge, you would be the first Earthling on my
planet. I chose your planet to explore because I was restless and tired of the
neighboring planets and solar systems. I wanted to see a planet—”

“You didn’t want the alien next door, in other words.”

Brock laughed.
“Exactly.
And when I
did go to the Council, to request to try to bond with you, I was questioned at
length about your culture, your customs, and yes, my parents wondered why I
could not bond with someone closer to home.”

She squeezed his thigh. “I love it. You’re a rebel, like
me.”

“Rebel?”

“Someone who doesn’t always follow the
rules.
My parents wanted me to marry a nice doctor and settle down, not
open my own coffee shop. Oh!” Tricia sat up with an alarmed expression, her
fingers to her lips. “I can’t travel to your planet, Brock. What would I tell
my partner? How long would we be gone? I can’t just dump everything on Justin
and disappear for months.”

“Relax.” Brock drew her back into the circle of his arms.
“Time moves much faster on my planet than here. For instance, we’re on day
three of your Earth days. Nearly a month has passed on mine. So you’ll only
have to maybe take a few days or even a week from your duties.”

Tricia chewed her lip. “Can’t I just make a video of the two
of us expressing our feelings and send it to your Council?”

He laughed. “Unfortunately, that will not satisfy the
Elders. We need to appear before them, since this is my final chance.”

“So they know you’re not lying to them.” Tricia sat up.

Brock frowned. “Why would I—oh, you mean be untruthful. Yes.
And my mother wishes to meet you, of course.”

“Do we have to have her blessing or something? What happens
if she doesn’t approve of me?”

“I am of age. I no longer need my mother’s permission to
bond with my
Chosen
. She will accept you,
simply because I happen to be her favored son.” Brock smiled and rubbed small
circles on her lower back. “However, there is something else I must prepare you
for.”

“You already told me to expect silver people, with multi-colored
hair.”

“Yes. This concerns my brother
LoGar
and his mate.”

Tricia relaxed against him again. “What about them?”

She felt Brock take a deep breath. “
DaSie
has another mate.
LoGar
is her second. This means
they have a
tri-union,
and any children she has with
him will be given her Primary’s name.”

Tricia’s mind whirled. “What? Why? He’s okay with this?”
This was straight out of one of her favorite series of books, only alien-style.
“Is your brother all right in the head? He doesn’t mind sharing? That’s insane!
Every woman’s dream, but still insane.”

His arms tightened around her. “I did not observe you
dreaming of being with two men at the same time.”

Tricia kissed his jaw. “What did you call me sleeping beside
Tony while you were in my mind a few weeks ago?”

“That was different. I knew you were dissatisfied with him
and it was only a matter of time before we were to meet. What are you saying?
You would take another?”

“Oh God no.
I’m a one-man woman,
you know that. I’m just saying
,
if the timing was right,
and I had enough alcohol in me, and two guys wanted to do me at the same time…”
She was too embarrassed to go on.

“Ah. I get it. What is daily way? I have not observed…”

Tricia placed her hand over his mouth. “It isn’t a
custom,
it’s a series of romance books.
A
fictional town where tri-unions are normal.
It doesn’t exist in
America
,
except maybe behind closed doors.”

“This is a fantasy of yours then?”

“Not if it means losing you.” Fighting the rising panic in
her chest, Tricia flung her arms around his neck. “Don’t be threatened by it,
it’s just a stupid fantasy. This isn’t a deal-breaker, is it?”

“No.”

Tricia felt his hands tug her back. He cupped her face in
his hands. “But back to my brother’s mate. She may ignore you altogether. Her
species isn’t exactly the friendliest.” Brock dropped a kiss on her lips and
moved his hands to her waist again.

“How did your brother manage to bond with her?”

Brock nuzzled her neck. “He was asked to observe their
species, since uprisings were rumored. Our Elders wanted him to be our
ambassador, once the rumors were disproved. Since
DaSie
is the ruler’s daughter, he became enamored of her over the years. She had
already bonded with a ranking official, but it was time for her to choose
another.
LoGar
jumped at the chance, before he could
get approval from the Elders. I was supposed to delay the bonding, but then
opportunity for you and I arose, and I received word yesterday it had already
taken place.”

“Is he in trouble, then?” Tricia realized her shirt and bra
had come unfastened as he spoke. Brock’s mouth fastened on her left nipple and
she shuddered as ripples of pleasure shot to her core.

“Not exactly in trouble.”
Brock
kissed his way to her other breast. “Diplomats don’t always have the same rules
as the rest of us. Are you so tired of me now, that my touch makes you want to
keep talking about my brother, or are you going to shut up and let me love
you?”

“I admit, loving you in person is so much more satisfying
than doing it
myself
.” Tricia clasped his head as he
suckled.

Brock stood up and carried her to the bedroom. “I’m so glad
you agree.”

* * * *

Cheerrrip
!
Cheerrrip
!
Brock
extracted himself from Tricia’s sleeping form and located his communicator. He
pulled on his blue jeans and headed into the living room, careful to close the
bedroom door behind him. So far, Tricia was amazingly receptive to his
revelations. However, he was well aware hearing about aliens and seeing them in
person were two different things. If the Elders were contacting him again, this
couldn’t be good news. He aimed the communicator at Tricia’s television set.

“Greetings,
BaRok
. There has been
an unfortunate incident since our last check-in.”

Brock frowned. “My brother—”

“Indeed.
NiKoh
is furious with
LoGar’s
decision and has launched an attack. It is our
belief he and
SaLie
want to force
DaSie
to make him Primary.”

“They can’t do that,” Brock exclaimed. “Have they no sense
of honor?
LoGar
is of age, and not the eldest
brother. It’s not our place to assert pressure, just to assure the bloodlines.”

“Your mother sends her regrets, but she wishes you and your
Chosen
to return immediately. This should speed up your
Chosen
’s decision, if she is unable to bear a family
crisis, then she’s not the one for you.”

Brock frowned. “Have you spoken to
KiRah
?
She said something similar to
LoGar
before he left.”

RiKar
looked flustered,
then
regained his official manner. “Your sister is wise for
her young years. When shall we expect you?”

“My Chosen has to arrange a few days’ vacation from her job,
RiKar
. She can’t abandon her business on a whim. Has
anyone gone after my siblings?”

“Yes. I’m expecting a report any moment from
DaShlek
—hold on a moment.” Brock saw his Elder turn away to
confer with someone.
RiKar’s
purple hair swayed side
to side before he turned back. “
BaRok
, I’ve just been
informed
NiKoh
and
SaLie
are holding
SaMir
hostage in the compound, and
DaShlek’s
guards have them surrounded. Both sides demand
arbitration,
TaTur
is already on his way. It would be
helpful if you could arrive soon.”

Brock pinched the bridge of his nose. He was too far away
from his siblings. Contact could only be made from his home planet. “I will
inform Tricia plans must be stepped up. We will arrive within the week,
RiKar
. That is the best I can tell you. I will contact you
when we are ready to leave Earth.”

The Elder visibly relaxed. “It will be good to finally meet
this creature you’ve been enamored of for so long. Blessings,
BaRok
.” The screen went blank.

Blessings,
indeed.
How was Tricia going to react to this set of events? She
thought they had a few days to arrange her ‘vacation’.
If I return without her, would the Council see it as a failure?
He
considered contacting
RiKar
again, but decided
against it. Time was running out, his siblings’ lives were on the line, as well
as his love for Tricia. He had no choice but to awaken her. Brock slipped his
communicator back into the pocket of his jeans and returned to the bedroom.

He lay down next to her and placed gentle kisses along her
jaw.
“Darling Tricia, time to wake up.”
Brock slipped
his hand under the sheet and found a warm round breast. His fingertips stroked
the tender nipple. “
Tri’chu
le’vey
…”

“
Ummm
.”
He watched her eyelids flutter as she shifted in the bed. “Is it morning yet?
Ooohhh
…yes…” Tricia rolled to her back and tossed her arms
over her head, nearly banging Brock’s forehead. She smiled and opened her eyes.
“Hi.” She arched her back, pressing her breast further into his hand.