Page 23 of All You Need is Alien Love (Tentacular Tales #4)

“It’s not kryptonite. It’s just a luminescent crystal that happens to be green,” I explain.

River pouts. “Aww, nuts.” Then he leans closer and loudly whispers, “I still think it’s super cool. We need to bring all of them home with us, and if your grandparents won’t let us, we can hide them in our clothes before we leave.”

That doesn’t seem like a very well-thought-out plan, but who cares? I nod along. “Whatever you want, babycakes.”

His eyes widen. “Is that a new pet name for me? I thought you didn’t like using them.”

I blink. I don’t quite know where that came from.

“I don’t hate pet names. I just find using them embarrassing, my sugar plum.”

I put a hand over my mouth.

What am I saying right now?

My mother covers her laugh with a loud cough. “I think we’re ready to begin this part of the ceremony. It is time to share the deepest and darkest of your secrets with one another. River and Kai, what is something you’re afraid of that you haven’t told the other?”

River’s bottom lip trembles. “I’m afraid of the threat coming our way. That Layne Madison could ruin our newfound happiness together. That you or any of the people I care about could get hurt… or worse…” His voice trails off in a pained whisper.

My tentacles writhe with frustration inside me, and I grip River’s hand tighter. “That’s not going to happen. We’re the good guys, and we’re not going to let evil win. Trust me. Layne Madison and his minions chose the wrong Alliance outpost to mess with. We’re going to kick their asses.”

River’s eyes grow shiny with unshed tears. “Fuck yeah. Team ANAL’s totally gonna kick their asses all the way to Uranus!”

I can’t stop the dopey grin I wear around River far too often.

He squeezes my hand. “What are you afraid of, boo?”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out my biggest worry. “That I might not be enough for you.”

He gawks at me like I’ve suddenly grown a second head.

I pour my hearts out in a needy, insecure rush. “River, you just don’t get it. You’re the funniest, sweetest, smartest, most vibrant man I know. Everyone who meets you loves you. Many want you for their own.”

He scoffs. “That’s not even remotely true.”

I raise a challenging eyebrow. “It is so true, my intergalactic celebrity who regularly gets erotic fan mail at the office.”

His answering grin is dopey and ridiculously cute. “Okay, maybe I am kind of awesome.”

I wish I could take a picture to remember this moment.

“You are. Whereas I, on the other hand, am a bit of a grumpy hard- ass. I’m good at what I do, but I lack the kind of charisma you have that draws people to you.

Even I am blinded by your light. You’re so amazing and special that I worry I’m not interesting or exciting enough to keep you by my side forever.

” I swallow thickly. “And when we start to travel the universe together, I know you’ll meet all kinds of beings who will be drawn to you and will want to lure you away from me. I worry that I might lose you.”

Tears start to roll down River’s cheeks.

“Oh, babe. You’re radically devaluing yourself.

In my eyes, you’re just as amazing to me as I am to you.

That’s what makes us soulmates. Nothing and no one can ever tear us apart.

” He pulls my hands to him and kisses my knuckles.

“Kai Genaro, you will always be enough for me. You’re my perfect partner.

You’re strong, reliable, and levelheaded.

You help keep me grounded and make me feel safe in all the ways I need.

There’s no one I trust more than you, and there’s no one who inspires in me the kind of intense love and desire that you do.

You’re it for me, Kai, and never think otherwise. Got it?”

To my surprise, tears start rolling down my cheeks too.

River’s words obliterate that tiny kernel of uncertainty deep inside me.

My confidence rebounds even stronger than before we started all of this, and I want nothing more than to show him just how much he means to me. Preferably while we’re both naked and have a whole weekend or longer to ourselves.

The ceremonial music changes, and my mother returns to refill our cups with the sacred elixir. It goes down smoother the second time around, and I barely notice the burn in my throat.

In fact, right now I’m rather floaty.

“This is niiice.” I slur a little on the last word. “Relaxing even.”

River nearly tips over but manages to right himself where he sits. “No shit. This stuff’s even better than Benji’s brownies. Sorry, Benji.”

From behind River, I hear Benji say, “Wicked, man! I gotta try some of that alien booze. Seriously, you guys got any extra bottles on hand?”

River starts giggling.

I hear my mother’s voice take charge of things again, firm and controlling. “Let’s move on. River and Kai, what is one secret you’ve never told the other?”

I wrack my brain for a moment. I’ve told River just about everything, haven’t I? Then, before I can even attempt to stop it, my mouth starts moving and spills the proverbial beans.

“I wrote you a fan letter before I knew who you really were!” I let go of one of River’s hands and try to cover my mouth.

His eyes go huge. “You what?!”

Even my hand can’t stop my mouth from revealing the whole embarrassing truth.

“It was before I met you. I’d been reading your story on your blog for a while and loved it so much.

Needless to say, I was intensely curious about who you were.

I might have been a little obsessed and I wrote you a fan letter. ”

“Shut the front door!” River looks utterly delighted by my revelation. He tilts his head, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. “What did your letter say?”

My cheeks warm. “I don’t remember the exact words, but I gushed about how much I loved Vardox and Starblade, and how I couldn’t wait for more chapters. I also asked”—I bite my tongue, but the words still spill out—”if you were single and interested in guys.”

River clutches his free hand to his chest. “Right in the motherfucking feels yet again. How are you so fucking adorable, Kai? I can’t even handle it. Now I’m gonna have to go back in my email and find this love letter from you.”

“It wasn’t a love letter,” I grumble.

His expression screams cut the bullshit . “It totally was and you know it.”

I grunt. “Maybe a little, but it was a fanboy kind of love since I didn’t know who you were. Now that I do, I love you so much more than I could have ever imagined possible then.”

River beams at me. “You’re such a romantic. People don’t get that about you, but I do.”

“I’m only a romantic with you, my love.”

“Awww!” he croons, and I swear I can see hearts in his eyes.

It makes me oddly proud of myself.

River taps his chin. “I need to think of a worthy secret to share on the same level as that one.” He hums to himself for a moment, then his eyes widen.

“Ohmygod, I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.

” His cheeks turn red. “Okay, so when I found out you were biologically capable of gestating a baby—which is super cool and very different because you’re an epic alien—it did freak me out a little.

Not that you could do something like that, but the idea of me becoming a parent, I mean.

I’m pretty young and I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a dad.

The more I thought about it though, the more I wondered what a little baby Kai would look like.

” His eyes glitter with anticipation. “I think he or she or they would be so fucking cute. And then when I saw your baby pictures with your wee little tentacles, I was like, Damn, I could totally be a baby daddy someday if it’s with Kai .

” He facepalms. “Gah! I seriously didn’t plan to tell you that for a while. ”

I swallow thickly, an unexpected warmth spreading down my chest and into my belly. “Really?”

He nods vigorously. “I know how much you hated the Tentaculum Calefaction, and that situation was not cool. Someday, if you want to have kids, I think I could be down with that. They’d be a part of you and me together, after all, and that is something I never would have wanted with anyone but you—and that’s the truth. ”

I hear a chorus of aww s from the audience, but I ignore them. River is all I can see right now.

“I really want to kiss you senseless right now,” I admit.

He leers right back. “I’d really like you to rim me senseless right now.”

My cock salutes that inspired idea.

Naturally, that’s when my mother interrupts our moment. “Ahem, boys, let’s keep it R-rated. No NC-17 allowed.”

To my own surprise, I stick my tongue out at her and then ask River the question that’s been lingering in my mind since yesterday.

“Did you use that tentacle-shaped dildo on yourself?”

My balls tingle at the idea, but my tentacles writhe unhappily inside me as if saying, We’re the only tentacles he needs!

River’s answering smile is slow and seductive. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow night.”

“I’ll hold you to that promise,” I purr.

“Now for our third and final official question of the ceremony,” Mom interjects hurriedly. “What is a dream you have that you want to share with your life partner?”

River sways a little where he sits, his eyes blinking sleepily.

“One of my dreams is to visit your home world with you. I want to know more about where you came from and meet your extended family.” He leans an elbow on his knee and rests his chin in his hand as he looks at me.

“I want to swim naked in the ocean there with you, where you can let all your tentacles out and not have to worry. Every inch of you is beautiful and I want to celebrate that while we make unforgettable memories together.”

My tentacles throb with pleasure at his words and my hearts swell in my chest. “Thank you for sharing that wonderful dream with me. I swear on my honor, we will make that happen.”

He lights up brighter than a supernova and it makes me giddy inside.

I don’t have to think before I give my response.

“My dream is pretty simple. I want to grow old with you while we travel together on this amazing journey of life. It won’t always be easy, and we’ll undoubtedly face our own share of challenges over the years, but together I know we can weather them all.

I also swear that I will do everything in my power to make sure that there are more good times than bad.

No matter what happens or where life takes us, I want to experience it all with you.

There could be nothing more perfect to me than that. ”

Tears well in River’s eyes and his bottom lip trembles. “You just hit me with a superstealthy romantic whammy, Kai.” He sniffles. “I swear that we’ll always be together, facing whatever comes as a team. Our love is unstoppable!”

For an instant, I swear I can see our future reflected in his eyes—and it’s beautiful.

My mom claps her hands together loudly. “I think that’s my cue to call an end to this session. The elixir is going to start making our couple very sleepy soon. Fortunately, they won’t have any nasty hangover effect in the morning?—”

I tune out the rest of her words as my mind starts to drift on the gentle wave it’s riding. My thoughts wander back to my unanswered question, and I grin to myself.

Tomorrow night. I’ll pry the truth out of him—even if I have to enact some Lord Vardox methods in the process.

Mmmm…