Read Her Alien Hero (1Night Stand) Online

Authors: Jessica E. Subject

Tags: #A 1Night Stand Story

Her Alien Hero (1Night Stand) (2 page)

BOOK: Her Alien Hero (1Night Stand)
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“Let me see.” Lauren leaped from her bed to Melinda’s, not touching the floor on the way over.

Melinda waved her fingers over the touch pad. “There’s no way she could have found me a match already, or even read through everything I wrote. Should I click on it? I mean, what if it’s spam or a virus—I would lose all my stories.”

“Open it!” Lauren perched behind her, peering over her shoulder. “You backed up all your work before you left home, remember? Maybe Madame Eve predicted your application would come in today and is a speed reader. Who knows? Please don’t keep me waiting any longer.”

Hand vibrating from nerves, Melinda brought the pointer to the message, clicked, and read.

 

Bonjour Melinda,

I’ve been waiting a great deal of time for your application. I’ve had the perfect man for you all along. You will meet him at seven tonight in room 316 for dinner and an evening filled with whatever activities you choose. I have attached his photograph so you will know who you are meeting.

Affectuesement,

Madame Eve

 

Melinda’s lunch threatened to make a reappearance.
This is all wrong
. Her date had to be someone who believed himself an alien. No one else would match the description of her ideal man. Thank goodness she had a reason to cancel. “It’s not going to work tonight. I am having dinner with all of you, with my readers. I spent a lot of money on my Mad Hatter costume.”

Gripping her shoulder, Lauren squeezed. “Yes, I know, but you are going to skip it. No way I’m letting you pass on this opportunity. Besides, I’m sure your fans would love to read about how you met your happily-ever-after guy at a conference.” She clicked on the attachment. “Let’s see what this guy looks like.”

As the picture popped up on screen, they gasped, Melinda in pure shock.

“He’s hot.” Lauren leaned closer to the computer. “Look at those muscles. And such a strong jaw…. Wow! I’m so jealous. Can I pretend I’m you tonight?”

Melinda squinted at the screen, a headache developing in her temples. He wasn’t at all the man she’d expected to be matched up with. Not even a guy she’d expected to see again. “I know him. He’s my…. Oh God, I know him.”

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

 

Cooper Tate parked his truck in the lot of the hotel then pulled out his phone.
Okay, I’m here
, he texted. Awaiting Tabitha’s response, he got out of the vehicle to stretch his legs. A four-hour trip he’d made in three didn’t favor his bones and muscles. Why couldn’t his friend have arranged a closer meeting? And why a hotel, of all places? Any other guy might assume the arrangement to be a booty call, the beginning of a secret affair far away from prying eyes. But Cooper knew better.

Tabitha remained content in her marriage, expecting her second child with her husband of seven years. Yet, Cooper held onto information regarding Tabitha even the man she slept beside every night didn’t know. Information he planned on no one else
ever
learning.

His phone vibrated in his hand. Cooper clicked it on, thumbing the message, hoping to at last figure out what his friend had planned.

Check in at the desk. Don’t worry, everything has already been paid for. Once in your room, you will find an envelope on the bed with more instructions
.

Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose, his stomach clenching with worry. He wasn’t some spy on a secret mission. His entire existence had to be kept under the radar. One step into the spotlight, and people would start looking into his background. Tabitha, of all people, should have known better.

You can’t be serious.

I am
, she responded.
It’s a good surprise. Trust me
.

He had trusted her his entire life. If not for her, he would never have learned how to hide what he was from the rest of the world, an Earthbound child resulting from an extraterrestrial’s affair with a human. His father, thinking of no one but himself, had left Cooper’s mother pregnant and alone when he’d returned to his own planet. Tabitha and her alien father had taught Cooper how to integrate into society, look human by blending in rather than standing out. His mother refused to tell him how Frey had found them, yet, without the man’s help, Cooper would never have been allowed outside, remained a hermit living in his mother’s basement for all of his life. And not known he had any other options.

With a heavy sigh, he headed inside and had to wait in line to check in. Women of all shapes and sizes, ranging from eighteen to eighty-five, or close to it, flooded the lobby as if there for some kind of convention. And they all stared, some less obviously, taking a quick glance here and there, but most with their eyes locked on him as if he had a bull’s eye on his chest. Sweat beaded his back. Was this Tabitha’s surprise, a lobby full of women gawking at him? He eyed the area, seeking all possible exits. The attention of one or two proved bad enough, but being in the spotlight of so many left him antsy. One moment of distraction to let his projected image fade, and the mob would push closer, grabbing their smartphones to take pictures of the weird-skinned man or even call the authorities.

Tabitha
had
said to check in and go to his room. Maybe she knew the women would be there and tested his ability to retain his form when stressed. Or, he’d simply ill-timed his arrival.

After several agonizing minutes, Cooper arrived at the oak desk, his shirt soaked with sweat under his coat. “The name’s Cooper Tate. I-I have a reservation.”

At least he hoped so. He hated surprises and anything unplanned. Tabitha had rolled those factors together into the already unnerving situation. What else did she have in store for him?

The clerk set a piece of paper in front of him. “Yes, sir. I need you to sign this form in case of incidentals.”

Everything had been paid for? Shit. He’d have to make the cost up to her when he returned home. She’d never take his money, so he’d owe her dinner and a night of babysitting. Maybe more. Cooper signed and then received his key card, the ticket to his unexpected evening.

Rather than get stuck in an elevator with any of the staring women, he hiked up the stairs to the third floor. He had no suitcase to lug around, having packed nothing but an overnight bag when Tabitha had told him to rush to Ottawa. If he needed anything else, she’d failed to inform him.

Finding room 316, he held the key card in front of the lock, not quite ready to push it in. Did his surprise wait inside? Someone there he would meet? A setup? Someone from the government ready to take him to a lab? Perhaps the messages came from someone besides Tabitha, texting so he couldn’t identify a voice other than hers. At least the location at the end of the hall, near the staircase, offered a quick escape route if necessary.

His phone vibrated against his hip, indicating a new text message.

Don’t tell me you’re on your way back home. I put a lot of time, money, and effort into arranging this
.

“Dammit.” Cooper cursed under his breath.
Totally Tabitha
. She would make him feel guilty if he didn’t go through with whatever she had planned.

He opened the door and set his bag down in the foyer.
Just got in the room. Long line at check-in
.

After replacing his phone in its clip, he gazed around the space. Rather than a room, he’d been given a suite, complete with a living room and kitchen, an area larger and better furnished than his bachelor apartment. Why did he need such an expanse for a one-night stay? He didn’t mind the king-size bed tucked into a separate bedroom. Who didn’t want more space to sleep? But he didn’t need a dining table. Heck, he never used the one at home. All the space seemed a waste just for him. What had Tabitha planned? And why spend her money on him? She had enough to pay for with a young child at home and a baby on the way.

She’d mentioned an envelope on the bed. He entered the bedroom, flicking on the light switch as he passed it. Indeed, a manila envelope lay on top of the chocolate-brown duvet.

Cooper wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before picking up the package and pulling out a sheet of paper.

 

Bonjour Cooper,

Your friend Tabitha contacted me. I am aware of your unique situation, and rest assured, you have nothing to worry about. Your secret is safe with me
.

 

Cooper’s chest tightened.
Secret?
Tabitha had told someone else about his past. Yet, had she revealed her own confidential information, stuff she hadn’t even told her husband? He eyeballed the space, expecting the authorities to rush in, or the World Health Organization in hazmat suits.

When no one burst into the room, he returned his attention to the letter.

 

After all, I brought Tabitha’s parents together
.

 

Really? Carrie and Frey met through a dating service? Obviously his parents hadn’t, or they would have been mentioned instead. Maybe his dad would have stuck around if they had.

 

With your friend’s help, I have arranged a date for you this evening. She will arrive at your hotel room at seven. The rest is up to you.

Chaleureusement,

Madame Eve

 

Cooper tensed, heat flushing through his body. How could Tabitha set him up with a stranger? Not even a simple date, but a one-night stand. She could have, at least, told him before he drove to the hotel. But then he would never have traveled to Ottawa, never gone through with the arrangement to begin with. He stood, tossing the note and envelope back onto the bed.

On his way out of the bedroom, he unclipped his phone.
No way it’s going to happen. I’m heading back home
. One hundred dollars in fuel wasted. So much for trusting his friend. Never again would he travel anywhere at her request without knowing the reason before he set out.

He grabbed his duffle bag from the floor and reached for the door handle. His phone vibrated.

Have you looked at the photo? Do not leave until you do.

Dammit
. He hadn’t noticed a picture. What difference would seeing the woman make anyway? He refused to stick around for some blind date whether with a troll or a super model. He’d had enough blind dates in his lifetime, and they all ended the same way, with the woman departing when she noticed something “off” about him. He’d learned to never stick around long enough for them to think about it any further, often excusing himself to use the restaurant bathroom and leaving instead, paying the bill on the way out.

In order to placate Tabitha—she’d torment him if he didn’t look—Cooper picked up the envelope and fished inside.

Thick, filmy paper brushed along his fingertips. He pulled out the rectangular object to see the identity of the woman about to be stood up.

No, it couldn’t be
. Wavy red hair framed the woman’s ivory face. A smattering of freckles highlighted her cheekbones, drawing his attention to her radiant clover-colored eyes. Long ago, he’d imagined kissing her full lips, slipping his hands under her tight shirt to stroke her warm skin. While his former neighbor had grown up in the best of ways over the years, she still resembled the girl he’d fantasized about for most of his early teen years.

His phone vibrated again.
Well?

Fine, I’ll stay
. He couldn’t pass up an evening with Melinda. How had Madame Eve found her after all these years? There had never been anything between them when they’d lived next door to each other. Why was she all of a sudden his date? He’d only mentioned her once or twice to Tabitha. Had his friend remembered, and had Madame Eve tracked his old neighbor down?

Regardless, if they had nothing more than one night together, he planned to fulfill as many of his fantasies as possible.

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

 

Melinda smoothed down yet another strand of hair attempting to ruin her flattened style. Picking out her ensemble had been easy—a black-and-white print dress cinched under her boobs to show off her curves rather than her extra pounds. At least she hoped it did. Getting her hair to cooperate proved much more difficult, as if it had a mind of its own and objected to anything other than her natural waves.
Crap!
She didn’t have any more time to worry about it, her five-minutes-before-the-date alarm on her phone piercing her eardrums and making the device bounce around on the vanity.

She turned off the ear-splitting noise and bustled out of the bathroom, brushing away the creases in her dress where it had pressed against the sink. Sliding into her black-suede platform pumps—anything to give her more height—she grabbed her clutch then headed out the door.

Lauren had already left for dinner with the girls, prepared to tell them a story about Melinda getting food poisoning from the roadside restaurant she’d stopped at on the way to Ottawa. Anyone who knew her would believe the tale. She loved trying new places to eat wherever she went, from truck stops to black-tie restaurants she had to reserve a table at months in advance. Though some places she vowed never to visit again, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to taste the man in room 316.

So long as Melinda avoided running into any readers and authors on her way there, she could keep her one-night stand a secret from the rest of the world. No need for the entire romance industry to learn she’d paid to be set up with her former neighbor.

When she reached the elevator, the doors opened right away, as if waiting for her. No delaying the reunion. She rode two floors down, fighting the nausea rolling through her stomach. Closing her eyes, she took a deep inhale, letting her worry out with the exhale. She opened her eyes again at the ding of the elevator.

On unsteady legs, she wandered through the hall in search of the room where she’d reunite with the man she remembered as a skinny teen who’d kept to himself. She’d longed for his attention, left the school each day at the same time as Cooper with the hope of walking home with him, only to be refused when his mother pulled up to the curb to pick him up. And the woman never offered her a ride. Many of her friends questioned her attraction to Cooper, believing him nothing more than a geek who never had any more than a few words or a brief wave for her. How would interacting with him after so many years be any different than their childhood? Would he be glad to see her or not even open the door when she knocked?

BOOK: Her Alien Hero (1Night Stand)
10.19Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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