Page 8

Chapter

Five

M att couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he watched London took another healthy bite of her cheeseburger.

He’d never seen a woman of her size eat with so much gusto.

It was her second one and she didn’t look like she’d slow down anytime soon.

“Mmm, this is so good. Can I have another one? And some more of these fry thingies with extra ketchup please,” she said with a full mouth.

Matt chuckled. She looked so adorable with that ketchup smear on the side of her mouth.

Carnal images of him licking it off filled his mind.

It was day three of their trip and already he was falling for her in a big way.

That was dangerous considering a woman like her couldn’t ever possibly be interested in him.

He’d been burned too many times before and knew better than to try anything.

His main goal was to help London find her sister.

It hadn’t been a problem getting the time off at the software company he worked for because he’d had a lot of vacation time banked.

Matt tried to convince himself that the reason he’d volunteered to help her was because he wanted to find out all he could about where she’d lived for the past twenty years, the other species and what their technology was like.

It was true that extraterrestrials and space interested him.

He’d always believed that the government had covered up what had happened in Roswell, New Mexico.

He’d only ever shared these opinions with other alien enthusiasts, because most people didn’t understand the fascination.

Now he had living proof sitting across from him and all he could think about was how she’d feel in his arms. How her hair and skin smelled.

Her smile, and the way her eyes lit up whenever he did something for her.

That was another thing that made her special.

When he’d taken her shopping for clothes to wear for their trip, or when he’d take her to dinner, she was appreciative.

It seemed like such a rare quality with the women he’d dealt with, and the fact that London was a bona fide Princess made it even more amazing.

Matt knew he could tell himself a number of times why he was here with her, but the real reason was, he couldn’t let her get away. He knew nothing would probably come of this, but as long as she was here with him, he could pretend.

“Are you sure you want another one? Your stomach is going to hurt if you eat this much. If you want, we can go to another hamburger place tomorrow for lunch or we can get some to go for the road.”

“Oh could we? I think I could eat a hundred. This is the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

“You said that yesterday when you ate hotdogs and the day before when we had tacos. Actually, we should probably be eating healthier foods, but this is quick and easy.”

“Oh, but I love this stuff. There’s nothing like this on Thibius.

Don’t get me wrong, the food is good, but not like here.

On my planet there is no natural vegetation, everything is grown by machine, and there are no chickens or cows either.

The meat we consume is from the ropies. They’re big, green and furry.

Their meat is also really tough if not cooked for a couple days.

We only eat it when there’s a big celebration because of the effort it takes to get it just right. ”

“So the Thibians are mainly vegetarians for the most part?”

“No, there are other meats, but they’re found mainly on other planets. When we visit different worlds, we try stuff indigenous to their land, but nothing has compared to the food on Earth so far. I think I could get very fat here.”

“And you’d still be very beautiful.”

For the first time since they’d been served their food she put the cheeseburger down. Her grin was wide. Damn, even with that piece of lettuce stuck in her teeth she was still hot. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Then why haven’t you… well… you don’t touch me or anything.”

He gulped. Was she serious? She had to be teasing him. “Touch you how?”

“I don’t know. Like a man touches a woman.”

Matt had been in the middle of taking a sip of his soda and nearly spit it out. “Excuse me?”

“We’ve been riding in your really uncomfortable vehicle for three days now, and the nights we’ve stopped at hotels, you’ve insisted on two separate rooms. Why can’t we share a room? If two people like each other, isn’t that what they do?”

“London, you don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t have to offer yourself to me out of gratitude.”

She picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. “I am grateful, but gratitude isn’t the reason, I’d like to…”

“Then what’s the reason?”

“I would have thought it was obvious. You’re a smart guy. You were able to find articles about my mother and me, and the last known location of my sister. So if you can figure that out, something this basic should come to you.” She winked at him and then took a sip of her drink.

Matt’s heart began to beat at an erratic pace. Her words and tone seemed sincere. But did he dare hope that she was feeling for him what he’d felt for her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her? London was so pretty and sweet. If she was only toying with his affections that would crush him.

“London, I think all that beef is going to your head. What you probably need is a good night’s sleep and in the morning you’ll have a clear head.

We’ll hit North Carolina tomorrow so that should make you forget this nonsense.

By the way, you have something between your teeth.

Excuse me while I go to the restroom.” He slid out of the booth and headed for the men’s room, but not before he saw the crestfallen expression within the depths of her brown eyes.

“What a coward,” he muttered to himself as he walked away.

If she really was serious, he was an asshole for reacting the way he did, but he just couldn’t take that step.

Damn. Damn. Damn!

Standing at the urinal he cursed himself several times and didn’t notice a large bald man standing next to him until the other guy spoke.

“Is that your bitch out there?”

Matt frowned and looked up at the large bald man clad in a leather vest and dusty jeans. Stuffing his dick back into his pants, he zipped up and flushed.

“Uh, we’re just friends and I’d appreciate you don’t refer to her a bitch.”

At the sink he quickly washed his hands, but the man didn’t seem to be finished with his questioning. “And what are you gonna do about it if I say it again?”

Matt ignored him. He knew how to defend himself but he wasn’t looking for trouble.

“That’s right buddy. Keep your mouth shut. That bitch out there looks like she could use a real man if you know what I mean. I guess you don’t mind my talking to her?”

Matt’s lips tightened. He wasn’t going to let this oversized jackass intimidate him. “It’s a free country, buddy,” he mocked.

“Are you trying to be funny, four eyes?”

“Not at all. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

When Matt moved to pass the biker, he was stopped. “I don’t like you, and there’s going to be a toll to get past me.”

Matt was a second degree black belt in his discipline, but he only used his skills when absolutely necessary.

Though he was fast losing his temper, this jerk just wasn’t worth it.

He dug out the twenty he’d had in his pocket, thankful that his wallet was on the table with London.

“Here this is all I have on me. Now can I go?”

Baldy snatched the money from his hand and immediately stuffed it in his own pocket. “You got a smart mouth, nerd. You better watch it before you get hurt.”

When Matt walked back to the table, he knew he’d messed up. London hadn’t touched any of her food since he’d left her, and her eyes were red and swollen. He grabbed his wallet and called the waitress for the check.

London didn’t bother looking in his direction, her gaze firmly trained on the window. With a heavy sigh, Matt reached over and took her hand. “London, I’m sorry for what I said.”

She snatched her hand away and turned a blazing pair of brown eyes in his direction.

“Don’t patronize me. One of the things I hated about Thibius was that the men thought they knew everything.

I know my own mind and my feelings. I don’t know why you think you’re an expert about my feelings, but don’t insult me like that again. ”

“I didn’t mean?—”

“Yes, you did. I’m not stupid so don’t treat me like I am. I like you, and I was hoping that you liked me a little too.”

“I do like you, London.”

More than you know.

“Then why are you always backing away from me like I’m some kind of undesirable?”

He shrugged. The last thing he wanted was to get into his boring history with the opposite sex. She’d probably laugh at him and after the way he’d treated her, he deserved it. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then make me understand.”

She sounded so sincere that he was on the verge of telling her everything when the waitress showed up with the check. Talk about perfect timing. He threw some bills on the table. “Come on, London, it’s getting dark and we need to find a hotel for the night.”

“Are you going to insist on two separate rooms again? I’m not too crazy about that arrangement, Matt. The strange sounds at night make it difficult for me to sleep.”

“We’ll talk about it when we find some place to stay.”

“No. I want to talk about it now. Why not share a room? It will at least save you some money. The room I was in last night had two beds.”

“Don’t worry about it. Paying for two rooms is hardly going to break me.”

“It’s not about that, and you know it.” She stood up, shaking her head. It was evident that she didn’t like the answer he’d given her, but what exactly could he say? That he wanted her desperately, but was too scared to act on his impulses for fear that she’d break his heart?