Page 26 of Beauty and the Alien Beast

He blinked several times. “Ella…?” he asked, still looking at my breasts and then back up at my face in total puzzlement.

I realized where I had laid my hand a moment later and had to fight back an awkward laugh. “No, no.”

I swept my hand up and down to take in my whole body. “Woman.” Then I pointed at him and made the same sweeping gesture up and down his form. “Man.”

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to charades here. If I’d accidentally looked like I was introducing him to my rack before, God knows what miscommunications would happen next.

Realization dawned across his rugged features, and he nodded. “Wom-an!” He pointed to me. “Man!” Then he gestured to himself.

I nodded enthusiastically.Now we’re getting somewhere.And I had managed to get through it without a single pantomimed dick.

He was still staring at my boobs.

I blinked at him and then put my hands on my hips. “Hello?”

He looked up at me hesitantly, then back at them. “Ella?”

I rolled my eyes. “Breasts, Teken.”

He perked up. “Breasts!”

That just made me snort and shake my head. “Yeah, you picked that one up real fast.”

He was a big, scary extraterrestrial, but he was obviously one of those honorable, warrior types… and he was also kind of a big dork sometimes, like any male. His obvious intention to become besties with my well-endowed cleavage was more amusing as opposed to annoying, but that was because I found everything about him alpha sexy.

But how does he feel about me?

“Do you like me?” I asked.

I didn’t know if he had anywhere near the words to answer my question. I tried an approximation in his language, but I might have been babbling about space cabbage for all I knew.

He cocked his head.

I sighed. Our communication issues were going to be a real problem if we didn’t figure this shit out quick.

Brax came up behind him and butted his head under Teken’s arms like a much smaller dog, tail wagging happily.

I put my hand on Teken’s arm. He shivered slightly, muscles tightening, his eyelids sliding down just a bit. His breath went just a touch harsh, and I knew at once that I was right; he was fighting his desire for me.

When he finally, uneasily, pulled away, I said quietly, “Why?”

He blinked several times and looked away, pausing for a long time before looking back at me. He spoke in his own language, slowly, but I could only grasp bits of it with the words we had taught each other so far. “I belong… you… mate.”

Wait… what? He thinks I’m his mate?

“Whoa.” I held up a hand, smiling to let him know I wasn’t offended, then did my best to repeat what he had said back to him. “You belong to me? And I’m a mate?”

He nodded. “Mate. Sheleki.”

Does he think I’m his girlfriend?

It was one of the words he kept using—sheleki. “Mate” was what he said when I had asked for the meaning.

“I’m not your mate, Teken.”

He scowled as if he either didn’t understand enough of what I just said or refused to believe it.

He folded both sets of arms across his chest and said in broken bits of English, mixed with his own language, “You are…sheleki. I protect you.”