Day #9: 12 Days of Free Alien Romance 🎄
Dec 22, 2022 12:56 pm
Hi !
The 12 Days of Free Alien Romance Giveaway is here!
What's in this email? Keep reading for...
- At least one totally free book from a fabulous sci-fi romance author
- A chance to win a cute custom sticker from yours truly
- The latest episode of my holiday alien romance, All I Want for Christmas is Everything about an alien biker and his human crush
To celebrate DAY 9 of our giveaway, I'm thrilled to share a free book from Chloe Parker, Warlord and the Waif!
An alien warlord. An abducted activist. And the curse that binds them together.
WANT TO WIN A CUTE STICKER?
You'll be automatically entered to win a sticker featuring the couple from Stolen by Starlight if you click the free book link above! You don't have to download the book to be eligible. You'll be notified at this email address if you're a winner!
And now for the story...
🎄 All I Want for Christmas is Everything🎄
Content warnings: Catching a cheater, respectful stalking, alien NSFW scenes
Missed an episode? The entire story will be available to download as an ebook in my Facebook Reader Group on December 25.
EPISODE #
9
Ivy looked up from the book in the late afternoon when, just as it was getting dark, Tairon walked in with an insulated carrier in one hand and a bulging tote bag in the other. It looked like enough food to feed a dozen people.
“Hungry?” he asked as he hung up his jacket. He’d changed; now he wore dark jeans and a button-up. Looking far too handsome, he rolled up his shirt sleeves to expose his tattooed forearms, unpacked the food onto the counter, and started popping open lids. Ivy put aside the book and rose to join him in the kitchen to inspect what he’d brought. There had to be twenty dishes, each one emitting its own delicious bouquet of herbs and spices that filled the cabin with mouthwatering fragrance. There was a bottle of champagne, too, and a deep-dish apple cobbler with a beautiful oat crumble on top.
“This all looks amazing! Did you leave any for the rest of them?”
He beamed. “They wanted to send more, but I convinced them that two people can only eat so much. There’s no way we’re going to get through all of it as it is.”
“Challenge accepted,” she said, already getting out dishes and silverware. “How was the drive?”
“Easy. Only had to melt the ice a couple places before I got to the highway, and after that it was plowed. Did you get your stuff done?”
She nodded as, elbow-to-elbow, they filled their plates to overflowing with roast turkey and a dozen rich side dishes. “As much as I could on a holiday, anyway.”
It was unlikely that she’d hear back on any rental possibilities for a few days, and the realization that she’d have to return to the shared house with James hit her. Even if she found a place with immediate availability, they still needed to have all the awkward discussions about dividing their joint possessions. She still had to do all the work of packing up her belongings and arranging the move. And she had to do it while living with the man who’d rejected her and cheated on her. Ugh.
She plopped down in the dining chair that Tairon pulled out for her, and all the discouragement she’d managed to shake earlier came back in full force. She stabbed at her food, moving it around the plate but not eating it.
“You okay?” he asked, fork poised over his own meal. “If this isn’t to your taste, don’t feel obligated to—”
She sighed. “It’s perfect. I shouldn’t let it bother me, but I’m dreading the end of this weekend and having to go back to the house with James. I don’t really want to spend any more time with him, but we need to have a lot of conversations. I just—don’t wanna.”
Tairon growled under his breath. “Can’t say I’m a huge fan of his, either. Come stay with me instead.” She laughed, thinking he was being flippant, but he shook his head. “I mean it. You know how Draak live communally? My hive is the old public school on Blair that’s been converted into lofts. We have plenty of space. You could have your own room and everything. And there’s a gym and an indoor pool and a commercial kitchen with all the bells and whistles. You’re welcome to stay there as long as you want.”
It sounded too good to be true. She stared at him, trying to work out whether it was a serious offer, as they ate. “How much is the rent?”
He snorted. “I’m insulted you would ask.”
“Oh, come on. I am not going to mooch off you. You don’t even know—” She broke off when he gave her a very odd, intense look. “What?”
“I know you,” he said in a low voice. He hooked his tail around the bottom rung of her chair and dragged her closer. “Not to brag, but I’m something of an Ivy expert. Ask me anything, and I’ll prove it.”
Giggling, she moved her plate to her new spot at the table. “What’s my favorite color?”
“Green. Dark green.” He answered quickly and confidently, and damn it, he was right. He extended his arm toward her, brushing his fingers over the dark-green, tattooed foliage that twined through his scales. They were ivy leaves, she realized. His tattoos were ivy. She raised her eyes to meet his, and he answered the question in her mind even though she hadn’t asked. “I got them the week I met you.”
“That’s awfully…permanent,” she breathed. He gave a slow nod, that wary look on his face again. The I-don’t-want-to-scare-you-off look. But he was trying to tell her something by showing her those tattoos. Something important. “You can’t cure your fixation with me, can you?”
Another nod.
“It’s not going away.”
“It’s a forever thing,” he agreed, voice rough.
“So you’re going to follow me around for the rest of my life?” she blurted out disbelievingly.
He lifted his chin, eyes glowing at her. “Yup. Pretty much. On your terms,” he added. “I can respect your boundaries. But I will need to be…near.”
“So you’re saying that it’d be pretty convenient if I lived in your building.”
“Even more convenient if we shared a bed.” He raised his brow and then calmly proceeded to eat his dinner as if he hadn’t just made her thighs clamp together against the naughty thrill that’d run through her at the suggestion.
“I don’t know what to say.” She stared at her plate and its gorgeous array of food that he’d brought back through the snow for her. That his people had made for them. What would it be like living with a bunch of alien dragons?!
“No pressure to answer now. Let’s have dinner. Let your human brain catch up.” He winked at her, and she couldn’t help the giggle that erupted. “I’ll answer any questions you have, or we can just enjoy the food. It’s all going to work out, I promise.”
“You don’t know that,” she protested. She paused. “Wait. Do you know that? Have other Draak fixated on humans?”
He nodded. “Several from my hive. We’ve heard of others as well.”
“What happened with them?” She held her breath, and to her surprise, she was hoping that they’d all had happily-ever-afters.
“They worked out,” he said simply, and her heart gave a lurching, sideways thump. “Each in their own way. I can introduce you to the couples I know, if you want.”
“Do the humans live at your hive?” she asked. Her pulse had finally slowed enough that she could enjoy the food, so she dug in. It was truly delicious, restaurant-quality stuff, though she didn’t recognize half the dishes.
Tairon nodded. “Some of them do. Others live with their mates in human housing for various reasons. All of them are together, though, barring a friend of mine who only fixated recently. They usually pair up pretty fast. A matter of weeks. Our case is…unique. It’s rare to fixate on someone who already has a committed partner.”
She winced. “Well, he wasn’t so committed, was he?”
“He’s a fucking idiot,” Tairon growled. “Didn’t deserve you. When I saw them together in the car, I wanted to kill him.”
“Why did you try and stop me from going home, then? Didn’t you want me to know, so I’d leave him?”
“Of course, but I didn’t want you to find out that way. I’m sorry he hurt you.”
Ivy set down her fork on her mostly clean plate, her stomach tight and pleasantly full. “You know what? I’m not. My only regret is that I didn’t catch him sooner. But this was pretty much the best Christmas gift he could have given me. I feel really lucky to be here right now with you.”
“Does that mean you’ll come stay at the hive?” Tairon asked jokingly. She nodded, biting her lip when his eyes lit up and he practically bounced in his seat. “Yeah?!”
His enthusiasm was infectious, but she had to be clear about her plans. “I’m not saying I’ll move in permanently, but it takes a huge amount of stress away knowing I have a place to stay while I figure everything out. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Over dessert (two for her, one apple and one pumpkin, and a double size serving of apple cobbler for her), Ivy peppered Tairon with questions about his friends (“flaming idiots, mostly”), what he did for work (carpentry), and his biggest fear (drowning). Over champagne, she told him her dreams of owning her own bakery someday and maybe getting a cat.
“Cats are very Draakish,” Tairon told her, after he’d washed their pie plates and popped the champagne, filling two flutes for them to sip by the crackling fire. “We twitch our tails when we’re annoyed, too. No whiskers, though.”
“Too bad, or I might keep you as a pet,” she cracked. He nudged the side of her head with his horns, purring, and she relented, unable to keep the smile off her face. “Okay, I admit it. I might keep you anyway.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT EPISODE...TOMORROW!
Lots of love,
