Cosmic Sex (9 page)

He looked around before kicking the orange chunk under one of the tables, then grabbed the fruit from her.

“You have to peel it first. And you can’t eat the food until you pay for it.”

The money issue again. Nick could’ve mentioned that fact a little sooner, and that she would need to peel the fruit. She didn’t dwell on it long as more food caught her eye.

“What’s that?” She pointed toward a red shiny object.

“An apple. Don’t you have food on your plan... on Nerak?”

She shook her head. “Just capsules. I told you.”

“You weren’t lying?”

“Lie? I don’t lie. Why would I do that?” People didn’t lie on Nerak. There was no need. She picked up the apple and brought it close to her face, inhaling the fragrance of this fruit. This one had a lot of promise, too. But would it taste as bad as the orange?

“Like I said, Nerak has to be a pretty boring place. No men, no food... ”

Her head whipped around. “You truly believe me? That I’m from another planet?”

His frown deepened. “Yeah,” he mumbled, casting his gaze toward two women who were approaching with carts on wheels.

The women hadn’t heard their conversation, but she had and it greatly pleased her. She threw her arms around his neck. “I’m happy you finally believe me and not just maybe believe.”

“Uh, we’re in a grocery store... low profile,” he mumbled and stepped away, but then smiled to ease the harshness of his actions, a smile that made her body tingle. “But I’m glad you’re pleased.”

“Can we have sex after we get back to your apartment?”

The two women, who were closer now, jerked their heads around to stare.

Nick coughed.

People seemed to do a lot of choking when she mentioned sex, then they looked around at other people. Odd behavior. Maybe she should explain.

“You said we could have sex when you discovered who I am. Now that you have accepted the truth, we can have sex.”

“We don’t discuss sex in grocery stores,” he whispered.

The women chuckled. She could see they were friendly.

“Then where do you discuss it?” she asked, turning her attention back to Nick.

“In private.”

She thought about it for a second. “If you insist, but you do realize I’m not wearing any undergarments beneath this dress. The material rubbing against my nipples is causing numerous sensations inside me. I don’t know how long I can go without fulfilling my desires. I want to have sex with you very much.”

When her gaze lowered, she saw the familiar tightening in his pants. She liked that she hadn’t even pushed a button to make him expand.

As she returned her gaze to his face, she noticed a bright yellow fruit. Momentarily distracted, she picked it up, lightly running her fingernails over the length.

“What’s this?” It reminded her of the male anatomy. Interesting.

“A banana.” He grabbed it from her hands and dropped it into the cart along with some other things as he hurried her up and down the aisles at a brisk pace. He seemed to be in a hurry. Maybe he did want to have sex with her after all.

She snuggled inside the fur coat, pulling the collar up. The soft pelt felt wonderful against her skin. Sherry had been right when she told Kia that no man would be able to resist her when she wore this dress. And she had more clothes in which to seduce Nick. Before she left Earth, she would have many sexual experiences with him.

Sex first, then they would begin the search for Mala.

And food. She couldn’t forget about eating.

She sighed. Earth might not be as bad as she’d first thought.

Nick slowed, leaning over a bin with fogged glass. She joined him. The temperature had dropped considerably in this area and strange things were happening. She laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

She opened her coat. “Look, the cold air has made my nipples hard. You can see them through my dress.”

“Ah, shit.”

People were staring again. When she smiled, though, they smiled back.

But Nick didn’t seem to want to stay and interact with them. He hurried down another aisle with boxes and boxes of food. When he stopped, so did she. Good, she wanted to see what other treats were in store for her. She read some of the containers.

Chocolate.

She scanned the labels. Chocolate cupcakes, bags of chocolate candy, chocolate cookies.

It must be a favorite Earth diet staple since they had so much of it. Would it taste as good as pancakes?

She cast a covert look in Nick’s direction as he reached the end of the aisle and disappeared around the corner. She had money. They shouldn’t mind if she tried their product if she was able to pay for it.

The aromas in this area were so very tantalizing and she was so hungry. The food capsules she’d taken last night no longer made her feel full and Nick hadn’t given her a chance to finish her pancakes and the ones Manager had ordered hadn’t filled her nearly enough.

She squared her shoulders. Wasn’t she a warrior? Afraid of nothing? Besides, she was a superior being. It was her right to try this food called chocolate.

Having made her decision, she opened the bag of chocolate candy bars.

Chapter 9

“They went into Albertsons,” Darla said into her cell phone.

“And you say she has a pouch full of jewels?” Slava sounded skeptical.

“Well, yeah, I saw them when she was shopping for clothes. I heard the clerk say she was some kind of princess or something.”

Slava didn’t believe her. He could be such an ass, just because his Uncle Yuri was a hot shot with the Russian Mafia. Yeah, well, he was only living in the shadow of his uncle. Now he was one to worry about. Even Darla didn’t screw with the mafia—Russian or Italian.

But Slava was a different matter. He didn’t even sound or act Russian, and he thought he knew everything just because he’d been in the joint. Some big-time con he was. He’d stolen some checks, signed his own damn name, then written his driver’s license number at the top. What a moron.

Darla snorted with laughter but quickly turned it into a cough.

She’d make him eat crow. This so-called princess had a bag full of jewels. She’d seen the precious gems flashing when the overhead lights hit them. Enough that it made her mouth water. The princess didn’t have a clue she would soon be parting company with her stones. An innocent just waiting to be ripped off.

The job would’ve been simple, one Darla could’ve handled herself. Hell, it wouldn’t have been the first job she’d done alone. But almost as soon as the chick left the store, she’d joined the man.

Good-looking SOB, and he was stuck to the princess like a bee on honey. Nope, he knew he had a good thing and he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight.

She still might have attempted to rob them, but it didn’t take her long to figure out he was a cop. Crap, just her damned luck.

There’d been some kind of wreck in front of the police station and the good-looking cuss seemed to know the uniform handling the accident. Probably undercover, since he wore his hair longer than the average street cop.

But Darla wanted those jewels.

That’s where Slava came in. He might not have much for a brain, but he damn sure had muscle. He could distract the guy long enough for her to get the jewels. If Slava got caught in the middle—oh, well. She’d be out of the country and she wouldn’t have to divvy up the jewels.

She could see it now. An Italian villa complete with a pool boy. She might even have a pool installed.

“So what am I supposed to do?” Slava asked, interrupting her delicious fantasy.

“Just hang close to the phone until I give the word.”

“Gotcha.” There was a pause. “I was going to the store later. Outta beer.”

She pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “Take your cell phone.”

“Oh, yeah.” He chuckled. “I forgot about that.”

“I’ll call you when I need you. Make sure you keep gas in your car just in case.” It was bad enough his brain ran on empty.

“Gotcha.”

She snapped her phone shut and dropped it back inside her purse. She really had to choose her partners better. And with the princess’s jewels, she could have just about any partner she wanted.

The lights above the grocery store began to flicker. Darla frowned. What the hell was going on? Power outage? Bad weather blowing in?

Not a cloud in the blue sky. In fact, it was pretty clear.

She scrunched down in her seat. If there was an impending storm, she sure didn’t want to be in the path of a lightning bolt. It’d be just her luck she’d get struck.

No, she was going to be really careful until she had those jewels in her hot little hands.

Chapter 10

Nick grabbed a loaf of bread and tossed it in the cart. The sooner he got out of the store, the better. The next thing he knew...

The lights flickered.

His feet came to a grinding halt. He jerked his head around, almost giving himself whiplash.

No Kia.

The lights flickered again.

He looked up as a hazy blue and yellow cloud formed, floating above the next aisle over.

Ah, crap!

He whirled the cart around and ran to the end of the aisle, taking the corner on two wheels, then came to a dead stop.

Kia sat on the floor, surrounded by open boxes and bags of chocolate cookies, snack cakes, and candy bars. She looked up, smiling. Her teeth were evidence enough of what she’d been doing.

“Chocolate, Nick, it’s wonderful.”

A man came around the corner, took one look, and hastily left.

She came to her feet, sauntering toward him. He couldn’t breathe. Even covered in chocolate, she had all the right moves.

“Chocolate is good. The only thing better is sex.” Her heated gaze caressed him. “I want you,” she breathed in a sultry voice that drizzled over him like hot fudge. “Do you want me, too?” She stopped in front of him, leaning against his chest, then ran her hands through his hair, pulling his mouth down to hers.

He couldn’t breathe. And he damn sure couldn’t move away from her. Not when she looked at him like this. Her deep blue eyes hypnotized him.

She ran her tongue lightly over his lips. She smelled like chocolate.

He captured her mouth, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth before he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

She tasted like chocolate.

Everything faded. It was just the two of them and a kaleidoscope of swirling clouds.

Heat swelled inside him. More, he had to have more. He fondled her breast, squeezing the nipple. She moaned, then coughed.

Coughed?

She coughed again, louder this time. Except the sound was deep and kind of hoarse, and he didn’t think Kia had made the noise.

A damn good way to kill a mood. Someone was going to catch hell for interrupting him.

He pulled away from Kia, blinking his eyes. Ah, crap, they were still in the grocery store.

“Are we not going to have sex, Nick?” Kia’s face showed her disappointment.

A clerk stood behind her. Short, squat, and looking more irate than the driver who’d ripped off Nick’s door. Oh, yeah, this was really keeping a low profile.

The clerk straightened to his full height of five four, and tugged on his deep blue apron. “This is a family store,” he huffed. “We can’t allow this kind of behavior.”

“I’m sorry.” Nick set Kia away from him.

The clerk waved his hand. “Who’s going to clean up this mess?” He glared at Nick. “And who’s going to pay for all this?”

Kia turned toward the clerk. “Pay? I have money.”

The clerk’s jaw dropped open as he caught the full effect of her.

“The chocolate smelled so tempting that I couldn’t resist.”

The clerk snapped his mouth shut. “Uh, oh, that’s okay. We just need to pick up a bit, but we can do that.”

“Come on,” Nick said under his breath, grabbing Kia’s arm.

“But chocolate, Nick.”

He grabbed some boxes and bags, tossing them into the cart. “Okay, let’s go.” He didn’t add “before he changes his mind and calls the cops.”

Damn, he’d been thrown out of a few bars before, and once a bedroom shop—it was a bedroom shop, for Pete’s sake. What the hell had they expected? But a grocery store? This was a first. Or at least it would be if they didn’t get a move on.

He hurried to the checkout, dodging other carts and keeping one hand firmly on Kia’s arm. He wasn’t taking a chance that she might wander over to the ice cream section. No telling what the cold creamy fudge bars would do to her libido.

He piled the groceries on the revolving counter, then looked at the kid behind the cash register. Was he even out of high school? The boy wasn’t moving. No frigging wonder. Kia was licking the chocolate off each finger—slowly, one finger at a time. Hell, he couldn’t blame the teen. Kia made a simple, innocent act look so damned hot.

“Do you mind?” he asked.

The boy didn’t take his gaze off Kia. “Huh-uh. I don’t mind a bit.”

“The groceries!”

The boy’s head jerked around to Nick. “Oh, yeah, sorry.” He grabbed the food and quickly ran each item past the scanner.

Nick dug some cash out of his pocket and handed it to the clerk, who took the bills without even counting them. No, he was too busy mooning over Kia.

“Can I carry the bags?” he asked hopefully.

“We’ve got them,” Nick said before Kia could say a word.

He hurried her out to the car, dumped the bags into the trunk, and got in on the driver’s side.

“Are you angry?” she asked.

“No.” He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot and into traffic.

“Your jaw is twitching.”

He glanced in the mirror. She was right. It was twitching. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling.

“Are you going to start counting?”

He opened his mouth, then snapped it closed.

“I’m sorry about the chocolate.”

He glanced at her. She didn’t look sorry. “You agreed to keep a low profile.”

“You’re right.”

She crossed her legs. Her dress barely skimmed her upper thighs. His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

Don’t look at her legs. Don’t remember how they wrapped around your waist and pulled you in deeper... and deeper...  

Damn, the way she made him sweat he’d have to watch that he didn’t get dehydrated. And what was she doing while he was being tormented by images of her naked body pressed close to his? She’d turned slightly and was looking out the window. All innocent. Yeah, right, he knew better—innocent she wasn’t.

Man, he had to get control of his emotions and quit thinking with his dick. What did he really know about Kia? She was from another planet—that was it.

He’d seen all the Star Wars and Star Trek movies. Who could really say for sure there weren’t other planets in the universe? He’d always secretly wondered if Earth was where other planets had sent their rejects and humans had evolved over time into their own species.

So he could buy that she was from another planet. Stranger things had happened. But was this her true form? What if underneath that sexy bod was something green and slimy? Hell, maybe she did have a third eye or another head.

Cold chills swept over him.

This wasn’t right. Not at all. And having sex... well, that was out of the question. From here on out, he had complete control and he wouldn’t let her seduce him.

Who was to say his dick wouldn’t fall off if he kept having sex with her?

He cast a covert look in her direction. Her face was in profile. Sinfully long lashes outlined those incredible eyes. And those lips. Damn, they were sweet.

He squared his shoulders. It didn’t matter what she looked like. Wherever the hell Kia came from, she was his responsibility for the time being, but that was as far as it would go. He wouldn’t fall to temptation. It wasn’t going to happen.

What the hell had happened to his vow not to have any commitments? No long-term relationships? Hadn’t his father walking out when Nick was sixteen taught him anything? Dear old Dad had just gotten tired of being a husband and father.

And now look at him. Not only was he stuck with Kia, but she was an alien. Could his life get any worse?

He hit his right blinker before turning into the parking garage and pulling into an open space.

He’d get the stuff unloaded and into his apartment, feed her, then they would start looking for this cousin of hers.

And there would be no sex—at least until he knew what he was dealing with. With IA on his ass he’d have to keep his nose clean. Ah, man, if Candy questioned Kia he’d be in deep shit.

Low profile. He could do it.

He wouldn’t even think about his ripped-off car door... or Albertsons. He would start with a clean slate.

He put the car in park and killed the engine before going around to the passenger side, but Kia had already opened her door. He couldn’t move. Hell, he could barely breathe as she swung her legs around.

What was it about a long-legged woman who wore a short dress and stiletto heels that could make his brain stop working? Sexy didn’t even come close to describing how she looked.

“Is something wrong?” she asked as she stood.

“You look nice. Really nice. Did I mention that?”

Her smile came slow but it reached all the way to her eyes and made them sparkle.

“No, you didn’t.” She raised her wrist to his nose. “Sherry showed me scents. Isn’t it nice?”

He took her hand in his. He couldn’t resist touching her. Her skin was soft... smooth and warm. It didn’t take much imagination to envision her hands sliding over his body, caressing every inch of him.

“Smell.” She nudged her wrist closer.

He inhaled. This was what he’d been smelling. A light scent that blended with the chocolate. It had wrapped around his senses, warming his blood.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s real nice.” He let go of her hand, mentally shaking his mind clear of all the sexual thoughts he was having. He kept repeating “no sex” until he felt in control of his sexual urges, then pushed the button that would pop the trunk.

Kia sauntered past him as she went to the back of the car. He’d let her get a few packages, then he’d grab a couple and whisk her toward the elevator. He wouldn’t think about sex or the way her perfume had enclosed him in a cocoon of sensual images and made him think thoughts he had no business thinking.

Like scooping her up and carrying her up to the apartment, then slowly stripping off her clothes and having hot and wild sex for the rest of the day.

And if she liked chocolate? Oh, baby, he could think up a lot of different ways to use chocolate that would please her and him.

“Oh,” she began as she reached into a bag. “I have this, too. Sherry said you would enjoy it.”

He really liked her voice. It was sultry yet held a touch of innocence, too. As if she was unsullied by the world at large.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Body oil that heats as you massage it into the skin. They had a... ” She pursed her lips, then smiled when she thought of the word she wanted. “They have a whole line of sensual products.” She grabbed some packages as she straightened.

His gut clenched and his dick went full salute. Ah, man, this wasn’t good. How the hell was he going to resist? He was only human.

He grabbed an armful of packages and shut the trunk. “Let’s get this stuff upstairs.” Maybe trekking back and forth to the car would cool his ardor. Cool? Had it ever dropped to below hot and horny since he encountered Kia? He didn’t think so.

“Are we going to have food again?”

Food and sex. Did she think of nothing else? He frowned. Yesterday, if someone would’ve told him that he was going to have a sexy woman staying in his apartment who only thought about food and sex and he would try to keep her at arm’s length, Nick would’ve laughed and said they were crazy.

Too bad that’s exactly what had happened. Maybe he should just give the lady what she wanted. Worry about the consequences later. But that’s exactly what he’d been doing all his life. Sam was right. He lived on the edge. This time he wouldn’t succumb to temptation.

He followed Kia toward the door. She stopped in front of it and waved her arm, then turned toward him. “It’s broken.”

“You have to push it open.” He shoved the door open and let her go past him. She stopped halfway through the threshold and looked at him as if she’d just thought of something.

“Thank you,” she said.

Her words drifted over him, touching parts of his body he didn’t even want to think about. He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “You’re welcome,” he croaked.

She stopped in front of the elevator, then pushed on the door. She looked back at him as if to tell him this door was broken, too. He walked over and pushed the button and the door swished open.

“So much to remember,” she mumbled as she went inside.

He went in behind her and pushed the button to the fourth floor, casting sideways glances at her as they ascended.

How the hell was he going to resist her? Was he retarded? She was sexy, vibrant... and horny. How often did he get a horny woman in his bed? Sure, he’d had his share of hot women, but Kia was different.

Earthy, that’s what she was. Not exactly Earthy. Nerakian would probably be correct since she wasn’t from Earth.

Nothing seemed to embarrass her. Oh, man, she looked so friggin’ hot without a stitch of clothes. Her high, pointed breasts begged him to suck on them.

The elevator stopped, but it took a few more seconds for his mind to clear. Kia was killing him.