Ash: Love Me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance (6 page)

Brook woke feeling warm and safe. Ash had his arm wrapped around her midsection while pressed against her back. She closed her eyes again and savored the feeling. She never spent a night in bed with a man. Truthfully, she never cuddled with one because there was never time. Sex for her was always on the sly. She was a princess; her virtue belonged to her husband. It became clear by the time she was twenty she’d never have a husband.

Who wanted damaged goods? That’s how she was looked at, the girl who was losing her sight as well as everything else. No one was going to marry her unless he did it to get what her parents protected with their lives. Their people. The ones they loved more than they loved the daughter they created together.

She stopped waiting for her prince charming and settled for Mr. Right Now and there weren’t many of them. Turned out she had a problem with being used for sex even if it was mutual. Not one of the few men in her life who bedded her would have ever been just content to hold her.

Ash was special and she didn’t want him to get hurt or worse. Maybe she should leave before they realized she was with him.

His hand moved stroking her belly.

“You’re awake?”

“So are you. How did you sleep?”

“Like a baby.”

His hand came up to play in her hair, running his finger over her scalp.

“That feels good.”

“I like the feel of your hair against my hand, but then again I just like you. Your skin is soft; I could grow old touching it.”

“Before I became a frozen popsicle but after I realized I wouldn’t live long, I wondered what growing old with someone felt like. Watching them mature and change, seeing their face wrinkle over the years. Would my love for my husband grow and mature during those years or would it wither and die?”

“What conclusion did you come to?”

“It depended on me and whether or not I chose correctly when I married. If I chose a man who loved and respected me and I loved and respected him, I believed my love for him would grow and mature along with us, but if I chose incorrectly the opposite would happen. Who were you with all these years?”

“No one, there could be no one after I met you. You would have to understand my beast for me to explain. One day I will introduce you to him and maybe you will understand. From the day I met you there could be no other. But there is no time to explain now. You should get up; you have to meet your friend soon.”

Brook raised her hand and touched his cheek loving the smooth skin. Leaning over she placed a kiss where her hand had been. She threw the cover off and went into the bathroom.

She padded down the steps after having taken a shower and dressed for the day.

“Its official,” she said raising her voice as she headed towards the kitchen, “being in the same clothes for several days sucks. Oh and I stole a shirt.”

Walking into the kitchen, she did a small spin so he could see her outfit. She was wearing a red and white striped button down shirt she took out of his closet. It was tied to the side and she rolled it up so it looked like a cute little puff showing off a little skin. She paired it with the pants she was wearing yesterday and called it a beautiful outfit.

“You look marvelous.”

“Ash, I believe you are a sweet talker and I like it.”

She sat at the island while he made breakfast. French toast and sausage. He looked so good shirtless as he scrambled the eggs and flipped the sausage. His red hair was long and he had it tied off behind his head. He put the food on plates and brought it over.

“I’m glad you and your friend decided to go virtual shopping, it is much safer than going to the actual galleria.”

“I’m not sure I like the idea of looking at clothes on the computer and then ordering them, but something is better than nothing.”

Ash covered his laugh with a cough and tried not to choke on his sausage.

“I think you will enjoy it more than you are anticipating. Eat up, I don’t want you to be late. Place the dishes in the sink and I’ll clean them after I get back.” He left the kitchen to get ready.

Brook finished eating and walked to the sink that had their dishes in it. How hard could it be to wash a dish? Children did it and she was old, well over three hundred years if she added her time in the Cryo onto her life. There was a double sink and she found a stopper, turned on the water and found what she thought was soap. She filled it with water and soap and let it run. The bubbles were mesmerizing she watched as they grew and grew and grew. Too much soap.

She beat at the bubbles that continued to grow even though the water was no longer running. They grew straight up at first hitting the ceiling then they began to come for her.

“Back bubbles,” she screamed as they pushed their way outward. She swung her hands at them trying to tame them. Then she tried to pop them. “Please stop, this isn’t my kitchen and Ash will kill me. Bubbles!”

“Brook, what’s…”

He stood there frozen and she wanted the floor to swallow her up.

“Ash, I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened! I thought I would help and wash the dishes but the bubbles wouldn’t stop.”

Why in the world was she more concerned about the dishes and what Ash would think than she was about the Patron? Could it be because Ash meant something to her when the Patron was this hazy spectator she never met? Finally, he slid to the floor. He was laughing so hard she could actually see tears coming from his eyes.

“It’s not funny.” She stomped her foot almost losing balance on the suds covered floor.

“It’s hilarious.” He jumped up and ran out the room he came back with a miniature book in his hands and began holding it up to the bubbles.

“Are you recording this?” her tone was incredulous.

“Yes, and you will laugh till you cry when you see it later.”

Wiping his eyes, he stored the miniature recording device and strolled over to the sink fighting the bubbles of destruction. He grabbed a yellow bottle, sprayed one squirt at the bubbles, and they began to disappear. Soon the kitchen was free from suds and all its bubbly friends.

Brook looked down at herself. She was a mess. Ash crossed to her and pulling her into his arms he kissed her. A deep passionate kiss. Her toes curled as her lips tingled and her tongue swiped against his begging for more. He nipped her lower lip and started a warm tickle between her legs that quickly gained speed.

“Thank you, Brook I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.”

“Are you upset?”

Her father would have been having a fit by now. She had hidden from her father’s wrath more than once. He loved her but when he got mad, he forgot everything else.

“Not at all. You go swipe another shirt from my closet, this one is wet and I will clean the dishes. Later I will show you how.” She gave him a warm smile before heading upstairs.

Every time she expected him to be predictable, he did something to make her heart want to be with him. She took the shirt off, toweled off and grabbed a new shirt. Living in his house made her comfortable like she was still in the twentieth century but she wasn’t. She was going to have to reconcile her way of thinking with how things were done here. She needed to act like a baby and ask questions she felt were stupid in order to grow into the adult she wanted to be. One who deserved Ash’s respect as well as his love.

She took the stairs two at a time, because she could and it felt good to be alive no matter what century it was.

The drive to A’rouk medical center was filled with laughter as Ash described the look on her face when he walked into the kitchen.

She looked around for Jaz when he pulled into a ground space. She wasn’t there. A quick movement had her calling her frequency.

“Brook, I’m running late. You know my door code; I’ll just meet you there.”

“I wanted you to meet Ash.”

“Can I meet him when he picks you up? He’s not allowed in my room and I don’t need the hassle.”

“Ok, see you in a few.”

“She’s running late; I’m going to meet her in her room.”

“Brook, be careful. Virtual shopping is safer than the real thing but a good hacker can still make it dangerous. If your friend says don’t do it, listen to her.”

“Don’t worry; I learned my lesson with the dish soap.” She leaned over the seat and kissed him.

With a jaunty wave, she disappeared into the ground level entrance of the building.

Ash waited before ghosting out his hover car. Allowing his body to become invisible, he trailed her into the building.

A’rouk medical facility was a large sprawling complex in both width and height. One of the things that amazed her was that it also had underground floors. She had learned it was rare. Nothing went down; everything rose like towers that hovered over the world.

The ground floor was practically deserted. It was considered gauche to actually put your feet on the flat surface of the Earth. Commoners did this, peons who knew nothing about society and lacked money to ever be in the know.

Brook laughed. If her parents could see her now, they would roll over in their graves. To see their high society princess reduced to this because they froze her. Hell might just freeze over if her parents had anything to do with it.

She walked to the lifts. Elevator wasn’t the term any longer. A lift may have been the better term because it wasn’t something a pile of people could push themselves into any more. Public lifts usually took no more than three people at a time. four if you squeezed.

When she asked what families with many children did, she was told no one had more than two. It was the law. The lift came, turning her head to the side a breeze passed her. It was just her imagination but for a moment she thought she wasn’t alone. Her hand hovered wondering if she should call Ash but then decided it was a figment of her imagination. If he thought she was unsafe, he wouldn’t let her come alone.

Shrugging her shoulders, she pushed the button to Jaz’s floor and descended. It was dark down here and somewhat dank in the lift. It let her out on a brightly lit floor, the numbers on the units were large enough for her to see even from far away. She walked down the hall looking for 458. Last door on the right.

Stopping, she took the time to study the hallway, her eyes looking for anything out of place. The feeling of being watched made her hold her breath. The feeling wasn’t unfriendly though. It was as if some mysterious force of the universe cared enough to watch over her. Shaking her head, she walked up to Jaz’s door. She would keep this one to herself.

Keying in the number, she walked into Jaz’s private space. It was stark. No pictures on the wall and the furniture seemed regulation. Her heart went out to her friend. The living room was a nice size as well as the kitchen and the bathroom. It wasn’t a bad space; it just wasn’t a home.

She turned to the door as Jaz entered it.

“Brook, you found my place. How long have you been here?”

“I just got here so the timing is perfect.”

She went over to Jaz and hugged her. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Have a seat; I’m going to change before we get started. Are you hungry?” she called over her shoulder.

“No, I just ate.”

Brook took a seat to wait.

They were sitting on the couch, Jaz grabbed a sandwich and woofed it down and was now teasing Brook.

She wiped a tear from her face. “Again. Tell me exactly how much you squeezed into the water.”

“This is not funny, Jaz.”

“I’m sorry Brook, it’s just that I can almost see your friend’s face as he walked into his kitchen to find it being taken over by suds. Was he mean?” Jaz’s voice dropped with worry.

“No, he was sweet. I thought he’d be mad and scream or not want to deal with me, but he sent me upstairs to change while he cleaned the dishes. I never met anyone like him before.”

“You picked a good man.”

“We’re not…” What could she say? She slept with him last night and was looking forward to doing it again.

Jaz laughed at her, “You were saying.”

“I was asking you exactly how do we virtual shop? Ash told me to listen to you and if you say no to heed your warning. Makes me think he wasn’t concerned about credit card theft.”

“Credit cards?”

“Plastic cards you swipe in stores with sixteen numbers on them that you can use online. Anything…”

Jaz shook her head.

“Let’s forget about them and tell me what to do.”

Jaz held up a small round cylinder. “Place this on your temple.”

Brook took it and placed it where Jaz instructed. Virtual shopping is the same as going to the galleria without having to actually drive there. The best part of it is any clothes you order will be here before we finish shopping.”

“How can that be?”

“I don’t know how it works I just know it does. Sit back on the couch and get comfortable. When you open your eyes you will be at Monburgh Galleria one of the best and most expensive around. Their virtual service is to die for.”

She sat back and closed her eyes. Her body grew tired, a feeling of lethargy took her as a warm liquid filtered through her body. Her mind slipped away as she fell into a deep sleep.

“Brook, open your eyes we’re here. Brooklyn!”

Her eyes opened with a pop as Jazlyn’s voice woke here. She was sitting in a chair as people walked past her never focusing on her.

“Can they see us?”

“Yes, and that’s the best part. As long as you come as yourself, they can see you. Some places have their virtual set so that you can come as something else and be seen. Let’s go.” Jaz grabbed Brooklyn’s hand to pull her up.

“I can feel your hand.”

She smiled, “The man who designed this tech is amazing.”

Brook rose and walked over to a tree growing in the mall. She touched it feeling the texture of the tree underneath her fingertips.

“I can feel the tree.”

“You have to be able to or you wouldn’t be able to try on the clothes and see if they fit.

“We’re really at the mall?”

“We are.”

Brook looked around the galleria. It was large with several floors. The bottom floor housed very few shops and it was almost deserted.

“Why is there even a bottom floor here?”

“Because every place needs one. The bottom floor has a couple of places that would never be accepted on floors two and up. They are visited by those who are not allowed upstairs.”

“This reminds me of a period of time in Earth’s past when we separated people based on the color of their skin.”

“That’s stupid no one has control over their skin color, besides now a day you can be any color you want to be. Purple is becoming popular among the youth.”

“I think segregating people based on the fact that they walk the Earth or don’t have as much money as you is also wrong.”

“I agree with you but there is nothing I can do.”

Brook nodded her head and looked around. No one walked; everyone was on a small disc a little wider than a flying saucer.

“That keeps everyone from touching the floor.”

There were no steps or escalators. The world had changed while she laid in a frozen sleep. The comforts of home were gone now. She had to make it in this complicated social climate all by herself.

All of the big hallways out in the center of the gallery were clear. You could look down to whatever level to see if there was a store or a friend from whom you may have gotten separated. You could change a level just by thinking down. It was a talent and skill that kept you from hitting another person.

“Show me a store.”

“I thought you would never ask.”

Jaz took off and Brook willed the lift under her feet to follow Jaz. It took off following her across the galleria. They dropped two floors before they ended up at Jen’s.

“This is the most popular store in the galleria.”

Brook followed her in. She was familiar with this type of store it catered to the super tiny, a club she would never be able to join. She had been in plenty of stores like it and hated them. She backed out of the store, calling out to Jaz that she was going to explore and moved another level down.

This level was hectic but peaceful. Teens walked in groups or with families pointing out clothing. A store caught her eye. Retro for the yesterday girl. She moved towards it wondering what she might like.

“Hi,” she was greeted by a sales person. “Welcome to Retro for the yesterday girl in you.”

“Thanks.” The sales woman was wearing a crinoline under her skirt from the nineteen fifties with a line of lights placed discretely in the material. It felt wrong but it looked nice.

Brook moved between the racks and found several things she really liked. Going into the dressing room and figuring out how to move onto the higher lift was fun, she managed it with a small jump. She would have simply stepped on the floor but with all the fear around it she was sure it would set off some silent alarm.

“Brook, are you in here?”

“I am.”

“You left me,” Jaz said in a sad voice.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t stay in there and I didn’t want to take your fun away.”

“It’s ok they kicked me out.”

“They what?” She was pissed and her voice became louder than she intended.

“They kicked me out; my kind is not allowed in the store unless I am with a person of worth.”

“Jaz,” Brook controlled her voice “let me try on these pants and then we’ll deal with that.”

Brook walked out of the dressing room with a retro pair of jeans on molded her shape. “I love these! What do you think?”

“They look great on you and they’re all the style now.”

“Great, I am going to get them as well as a few other items.” She changed and they took them up to the cashier. She paid for them and the cashier guaranteed she would have them when she was done shopping.

Brook climbed the levels like she had spent her life doing it. She walked into Jen’s, the store that had the misguided judgment to kick Jaz out. Jaz moved slowly behind her. A behemoth of a man came up next to her. He stood close to seven feet tall with a bald head and a nose ring that didn’t look nice on him. His eyes were set far apart like he wasn’t really human.

“Didn’t we tell you to never come back here.”

“Are you the one who kicked my friend out your store?”

“Who are you?” 

“Brooklyn, if you don’t know who I am, you better look it up.”

He was smart enough to look through a registry he could pull up in front of him.

“Ms. Brooklyn, my apologies. I didn’t mean to offend. This one knows…”

“This one is named Jazlyn. She is my friend and is welcome to walk into any place I would be welcomed into. If I ever hear that she has been banned or mistreated in this store, I will personally own it the next day. Is that understood?”

The man nodded.

“Perfect, now we will both need our own personal shoppers, chop chop.”

The patrons pointed at her and gasped as they looked at her. Several came close trying to meet her while keeping an acceptable distance from Jazlyn. She ignored them all, placed her arms around Jaz, and spoke in a loud voice. “Friends forever.”

Jaz laughed and hugged Brook. Their personal shoppers arrived and soon they both left after having bought several outfits.

‘Brook, you didn’t have to buy me anything from there.”

“That makes it better then.”

“Makes what better.”

“Buying you the clothes because you didn’t expect it. It makes it even more special that I can do something for you, besides you were smoking hot in that blue dress with your red hair.”

“No one ever pays attention to me, but thank you.”

They hit a couple more stores shopping and laughing until both of them grew silent.

“Do you feel it?”

“I do,” Jaz responded. “It’s like someone is watching us but that ridiculous.”

“I would agree but someone tried to kill me twice.”

“I think we should go, Brook.”

“I agree. How do we get back?”

“We need an anchor like the chairs we were sitting in. They have them all over the store for virtual guest who come and go all day.”

They walked a few storefronts down and found several chairs. They took two next to each other.

“Close your eyes and think of my living room.”

Brook nodded closing her eyes. The same strange lethargy overtook her but the feeling of warm liquid covered her.

“Open those eyes, Brook, we’re back.”

“That was so much fun. In fact, it may have been more fun than actually going.”

“I told you so.”

Jaz reached behind the couch opened a door in the wall that was just above head level when sitting on the couch. Inside there were bags full of clothes.

“Told you they would be here when we got back.” They reached up and pulled them down. Each bag was neatly named letting them know whose bag it was.

Brook stuck her hand in a bag wanting to see what was actually in it when she was bitten. She screamed and pulled out her hand to see a snake clamped onto it.

“Don’t move, Brook.”

Jaz jumped and ran from the room. She came back with a clear jar, she captured the body of the snake in it and used the top to pry his teeth out of her hand. The top set came out making the bottom set jerk out. The snake fell into the jar hissing. She closed the top and threw it down the garbage shoot.

She grabbed a sharp needle and plunged into Brook’s already swelling hand.

“You’re lucky, Brook. I hate snakes, fear them actually and so I keep every anti-venom med I know about on hand. Come on, work.”

“I’ve never seen that type of snake before.”

“That’s because it not native to Earth; it’s a present left over from the Alien War.”

“Poisonous?”

“Most humans are dead in five minutes. The only good thing is that it only has one shot, it dies taking its victim with it. They are also smart; they rarely bite unless riled up.” Jaz looked at her hand and sighed with relief. “Brook, you’re going to be just fine.”

“Jaz, I think I’m pretty sure somebody is trying to kill me.”