Page 36 of Alien Jeopardy (Mated & Afraid #1)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FIVE

Ellison

Damn, Ka-Rexsh sure knows how to kiss.

My blood’s on fire as I finally pull away, a little sheepishly, considering I basically jumped him. And I don’t have heat to blame, like I did just yesterday.

I like him.

Maybe the idea of meeting a real love match on a reality show isn’t far-fetched. Maybe this is just some weird story to tell our grandkids about how we met.

I stare up at him for a long time, taking in the proud set of his jaw, the curling horns protruding from his forehead, and the fiery orange of his eyes. He sure doesn’t look like any of the guys in World’s Most Eligible .

He does, however, look like he could be the romantic lead in a number of the alien fanfics I like to binge.

“We won,” I make myself say, pumping my arms up and down as Rex smiles at me. “You were brilliant. I never would have thought of that.”

“I should have thought of it right away.”

“How did you think of it?” I ask him.

“I was looking at you. You don’t have wings. We all see the world one way at ground level. I realized I needed to look at the problem from a different level.” He gives me that fangy grin, and he’s so pleased with himself and just so damn cute that I want to kiss him again.

I really like him.

Suddenly, I throw my arms around myself, utterly self-conscious.

“What is it?” he asks.

“I’m not in heat anymore,” I tell him quietly. I glance up to find him watching me with banked fire in his eyes. “But I still want you.”

Something predatory sparks in that orange gaze.

And then Ken’s hologram winks into view.

“Congratulations on winning another luxury challenge. You two sure are making everyone else look completely incompetent. This romance arc, though?”

Ken pinches his thumb and fingers together to make an extremely human chef’s kiss.

“Your ratings are through the roof.” The AI hologram turns to look at me. “By the way, I downloaded all the fanfics you bookmarked on your account. I’m reading them now.”

“Oh,” I say, at a loss. “You’re going to love them.” What else can I say to that?

“Behind you, your luxury accommodations for the night. We will cut the feed in an hour so you have privacy. You can make whatever you would like to eat in the insta-pantry. Don’t get too comfortable, though, because your cabin will disappear an hour after dawn. Early worm catches the bird!”

I nearly correct his idiom, but clamp my mouth shut at the last moment. No one likes a know-it-all, and I very much don’t want to piss off Mr. No Privates.

Nope. If he wants the worm to catch the bird, so be it.

“Thank you,” I tell him, beaming. If I beamed any harder, the hologram would need SPF. “Can you tell us if the crew is safe?”

But Ken winks out of existence, leaving my question hanging in the air and me alone with Rex.

The ground shakes and I squeak, grabbing Rex’s arm to anchor myself.

In front of us, a round structure shoots out of the ground, a stone cottage of sorts—though it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

“I keep thinking nothing is going to surprise me, and then I keep getting proven wrong,” I say.

Rex laughs. “There is much you haven’t seen in this universe, but you are the only thing I care about seeing.”

Aww. Good grief. “You sure know how to flirt.” I squeeze his bicep a little, feeling warm all over, as Ken’s words echo in my mind.

Privacy.

Ken said the cameras were going to be off in an hour.

“We’re going to have privacy,” I tell Rex.

“Good,” Rex tells me, a mischievous smile on his face. “I know what I want for dessert, and no insta-pantry can make it.”

Whoooowhee. I fan myself, then stop, thinking hard.

“I don’t know what an insta-pantry is,” I admit.

Ka-Rexsh laughs and takes me by the hand. “Come with me, hyrulis. I will show you how the insta-pantry works, we will eat, and then, my Ellison, it will be my turn to feast.”

I might not be in heat, but good grief, I’m hot all over.

It should be ridiculous, the way he says it, and if anyone else said something like that to me, I would absolutely be laughing.

But he’s completely and utterly sincere, and it’s refreshing to be with someone who says exactly what they want without any sort of subtext.

Rex clearly wants to eat me out, and I’d have to be half dead not to want him to do just that.

I’m not half dead.