Read Online Alien Protector: Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Paranormal Romance by Ashley West - Free Book Online

he blurted. “The one I told you about? He’s really interested in it. He loves all these old things like this, and when he saw the blade on the television, he wanted to get a good look at it. But, of course, he doesn’t have the time to come and look for himself, so he sent me. I was hoping to get pictures for him. And I was interested to see it for myself.”
    A lie, of course, but fundamentally close enough to the truth.
    “Oh,” Stephanie said. “That’s really nice of you. You know...if it’s not on display by the time you have to leave, I can probably get pictures for you. I know it’s not the same as you being able to see it yourself, but. It’s something, right?”
    It was something, and Draco was touched. He smiled at her and couldn’t resist grabbing her hand where it rested on the tablecloth and raising it to his lips to kiss the back of it. “You’re a very kind person,” he said.
    She blushed darkly. “Oh, I...I mean, no. I’m not really, I just. I want you to have something to take back, I guess. And then you’ll remember me.”
    Draco didn’t tell her that there was no way he’d be able to forget her at this point, but it was true all the same.
     
    The food was delicious, and Draco had second helpings of everything he tried, eating spiced meat on skewers and things wrapped in pita as well as sweet, sticky honey cake at the end. He was full to bursting when the check came, and he made Stephanie blush again by insisting that he would take care of it.
    They walked back to the car together in silence, but it was comfortable, and Draco noted how relaxed he was.
    He also noted that he didn’t want the evening to end. It wasn’t just that it had been a long time and he was wanting for company. No, it was her. She was just so warm and welcoming that even though he was a long, long way from home, he felt at peace and wanted to spend more time in her company.
    He was trying to think of some way to phrase that so he wouldn’t sound like a creep, when she looked up at him. “I could take you back to your friend’s place,” she said softly. “Or...we could go to mine.”
    The invitation was clear, and Draco found the way she was twisting her hands nervously and chewing on her lip endearing. Quite without thinking about it, he leaned down, cupping her face in one hand before brushing his lips over hers. He could feel her soft gasp against his mouth, and then her arms were going around him and she was pressing up to kiss him back.
    This was different from kissing others back at home. For one thing, he was sure that she didn’t have any sharp teeth or a forked tongue. For another, she didn’t try to turn the kiss into a battle for dominance (not that Draco had a problem with that), and it was sort of...very nice to have an armful of a soft, pretty girl, who seemed to be surrendering to his touch.
    When they broke apart to breathe, Steph looked slightly dazed, and she gave him a crooked smile. “So. My place?”
    “Yes,” Draco replied, pulling back reluctantly so they could get in the car.
     
    It wasn’t a long drive to her apartment, and Draco took in her space as she let him in, smiling because it definitely seemed like the sort of place she would live. For one thing, there were books everywhere. Shelves were stuffed to bursting with thick books and the tops of them were lined with sparkly stones and other trinkets. It looked like the home of a collector and a lover of knowledge, and Draco wished he had time to explore more and see what else he might learn about her from her home.
    At the moment, though, he had other plans. Namely pushing her up against the closed front door and kissing her until she couldn’t breathe.
    Stephanie seemed more than alright with that plan if the way she had her arms wrapped around his neck was anything to go by. She kissed him back with just as much want and passion as she seemed to do everything else, moaning softly when he bit at her lower lip and then