Alien Romance: Interview with an Alien (Football Paranormal Invasion Abduction Alpha Sci-fi Romance) (Fantasy First New Adult Contact Science Fiction Mystery Sports Alien Short Stories) (72 page)

*****

"I'm exhausted," Jacob said, peeling off his glove and letting it drop down into the dirt of the bullpen. "We've got to stop for the night."

"We can't just stop," Blaine said. "If we're going to show Lenore that she needs to keep me on the team, then we have to keep pushing."

"We aren't going to be able to show her anything if my hands fall off from catching pitches for six hours straight."

"It hasn't been six hours."

"Fine. Four. But that is still pretty excessive."

Blaine gave a deep sigh and nodded. He knew that Jacob was right. They had been pushing themselves to extremes over the last several days trying to polish their skills to the point that they would be able to prove to Lenore Fletcher that he was far too valuable to the team to simply trade away. All of that pushing, however, meant that they were practicing for several hours beyond their usual practices with the team and their bodies were starting to pay for it.

Blaine peeled off his own glove and dropped it down to the dirt. He looked around to reassure himself that they were the only ones in the darkened stadium. Though it was the middle of the night and they had had to get special permission from Maddon to remain in the stadium after practice, he still needed to make absolutely sure that there was no one watching them.

When he was finally satisfied that they were completely alone, he stepped into the middle of the bullpen and let himself shift. In panther form, he was able to stretch his body more deeply, enjoying the pulling sensation in all of his muscles as he pressed his hips up toward the top of the cage and his chest down toward the ground, extending his front legs in front of him. Finished with that stretch, he reversed the movement, taking a step forward with his front legs and pushing down with his hips to stretch his back and the muscles in his back legs.

The feeling was glorious and he knew that the deeply satisfied sound of his purring would entice Jacob to shift as well. He knew just how good it felt to be able to move around in this form, especially in a context that they generally didn't get to experience it in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his suspicions proven as Jacob shifted and mimicked his stretching movements.

They paced around the bullpen for several minutes, allowing the change in their body form to bring relaxation and soothing stretch to their muscles and joints. Being in this form also brought intense awareness to all of Blaine's senses. When he was a panther, he was able to see much further in the distance and smell even the slightest hint of new fragrances surrounding him.

It was these senses that suddenly told him that they were not as alone as he thought they were. It was subtle at first, just a faint scent carried to him by the night breeze. He took a deep breath of it, trying to recognize it. Then his senses prickled and he knew that they were being watched. He had a panicky feeling. He knew that if someone saw them walking through the bullpen as panthers that it wouldn't be long until their secrets were revealed, or until an animal control organization came out to investigate and they were no longer able to shift, even in the woods.

Blaine spun around, searching through the stands for a hint of movement. He didn't notice anything, but shifted back into human form anyway, not wanting to put himself or Jacob at any further risk than he already had.

"Did you hear something?" Jacob asked, looking as nervous as Blaine felt.

"No. I thought I smelled something and I could feel someone watching us."

"I didn't see anyone in the stands," Jacob said.

"I know," Blaine responded. "Neither did I. I thought that we were alone. I wouldn't have shifted if I thought that there was someone else here."

"Could it have been a custodian or maintenance worker?"

"If it was, we would have seen him. He would have made enough noise that we both would have been able to hear him."

Both men fell silent as they continued to stare around the stands, waiting for whoever they thought might be watching them to become more obvious. After a few moments, there was still no change in the stadium and they gathered their equipment to leave. They walked out of the stadium wordlessly, both anxious to get away from the strange feeling.

"What did you think that you smelled?" Jacob asked when they were finally back in their apartment. 

Blaine was stepping into the shower and he could barely hear Jacob over the rushing water. He stepped under the flow and let the hot droplets ease the tension in his shoulders. He pondered the question that Jacob had asked him throughout his shower, trying to come up with a way to describe it. It was unlike anything that he had ever experienced. At once it was so familiar and yet completely new like it was more than one scent blended together to create a different experience.

When he stepped out of the shower, he dried off, dressed in lounge pants and a tank top, and joined Jacob in the living room.

"It was sweet," Blaine said.

"What?" Jacob asked as if he had forgotten that he’d asked the question in the first place.

"What I smelled when we were at the stadium. It was really sweet. But at the same time, it was a little salty and kind of musky. I can't really describe it. I haven't ever really smelled anything like that before."

"What do you think it could have been? Something from the concession stand?" Jacob asked.

"I don't know," Blaine responded. "But if I ever smell it again, I am going to find out."

*****

Lenore struggled to catch her breath, gasping against the hand that was pressed against her mouth. It had been several minutes since the boys had left the bullpen, but she was still gripping the edge of the desk in the skybox, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide as she tried to process what she had just seen.

She knew that she wasn't really supposed to be in the stadium that night. The team had had their practice and it was over hours before, which meant that she really didn't have any reason to be there. When she found out that Jacob and Blaine had been scheming with Mr. Maddon to sneak in extra practice hours, however, she couldn't resist.

She returned to the field several hours after the rest of the team had left so that she would be able to do a little clandestine observing of the two men practicing. She knew that they wouldn’t have any idea that she had gone up into the private skybox from the back entrance, enabling her to hide behind the heavily tinted glass so that they couldn't see her as she watched.

Lenore had anticipated seeing the two pushing their spectacular bodies to their limit within the bullpen. She was looking forward to getting a bit of her own private show even if they didn't know that they were on display. What she hadn't anticipated was watching Blaine drop his glove into the dirt and then transform right before her eyes into a magnificent panther. Moments later Jacob had done the same, joining his best friend as they prowled around the bullpen like it had become a trapper's cage.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was impossible. She had always heard the rumors that there was a strange and ancient family who lived deep in the woods and that had the ability to change their form from human into animals, but she always thought that it was just a myth. It had never once even crossed her mind that there might be some truth to the stories.

Now she had seen it for herself. She had actually witnessed the two most incredibly sexy men she had ever seen in her life transform into powerful, beautiful panthers and then right back into men as if there was nothing unusual about it. She didn't know what she was supposed to do or think. She had already been struggling with her feelings for these two men. Now she had to cope with the reality that they were not at all what she thought them to be.

*****

Blaine couldn't stop his eyes from traveling from the field up to the bleachers. Rather than sitting in their usual seats as they had been since the first time he had noticed them watching practice, the two had moved over to the bleachers and were watching them with the same silence that they always did. He didn't know exactly what to think. The bleachers were where the truly devoted fans chose to sit, which made him feel like they were at the point that they were trying to get the real view of what it was like to watch the team play a game.

The bleachers were also much farther away from the team, which made him worry that Lenore wouldn't be able to see the benefits of all of the extra practices that he had been putting in. It had been more than a week since he had heard the conversation between Lenore and her father, but she hadn't yet said anything about her plan to trade him. Blaine wanted for that to be comforting. He wanted to think that it was because she had changed her mind and was just going to let it go, but the truth was that it made him feel even more nervous. Even though he seemed to be getting exactly what he and Jacob had been working toward, it was making it worse being in a state of not knowing what was going to happen. It was as though each moment that passed without her finally calling him into her office and breaking the news that the pressure was building inside him.

"Blaine!"

The sound of Maddon's voice broke Blaine out of his thoughts and he turned toward the manager.

"Yeah, Coach?"

"I want you and Jacob to go into the outfield for some pitching practice. Maybe run a few plays just the two of you."

"A few plays, sir?" Blaine asked, not sure exactly what Maddon wanted them to do.

"Yeah," Maddon said, gesturing at him and seeming to be struggling to come up with the right words that he wanted to say next. "Go out there and throw the ball around a bit and…practice."

"OK."

Blaine gestured at Jacob with a tilt of his head and they started toward the outfield. He had already gotten into the grass when he realized what was happening. Lenore must have told Maddon about her intentions to trade Blaine and now even though he didn't know that Blaine and Jacob already knew what was going on, he was trying to get them to show off a bit so that she might change her mind. Blaine smiled. It made him feel good to know that he had the support of his manager behind him, even if he did wonder if that would matter to Lenore at all, and assuming that the answer to that was a resounding 'no'.

They had been tossing the ball back and forth for a few moments when Blaine realized that his panther senses were triggering. In human form, he didn't have quite the same sharpness of senses, but they were still stronger than humans and at that moment he was able to detect a hint of the sweet, sultry smell from the practice the week before.

He paused briefly and took in a deep breath, trying to be a subtle as he could. He could see Jacob looking at him strangely, but there was nothing that he could do or say. If he had tried to explain what was happening to him, Lenore and her father would have been able to hear, and right then Blaine realized what it was he was smelling.

Just as they had been since Blaine had overheard the conversation in the clubhouse, he and Jacob stayed after the team practice for the own practice. The season would be beginning soon which meant that Lenore would need to make her move fast if she was still determined to trade him. They needed all of the time that they could get to prove that he was invaluable to the team.

Even though they knew that there was nothing wrong or against policy for them to be getting extra practice, Blaine didn't feel comfortable letting the others on the team know what they had been up to. Part of him was embarrassed about the situation and didn't want anyone else to know that they were even considering trading him at any point. The other part of him was feeling selfish and didn't want his teammates to want to extend their own practices as well. This would force him to share the field and its equipment, which he didn't want to do.

This was why, as the other men took their showers then cleaned up after themselves exactly as Lenore would have wanted them to, Blaine and Jacob waited behind. They used every technique they could think of to stretch out the time that they stayed in the locker room, from acting like they couldn't find any clean towels, to using the large foam rollers for an uncomfortably long time on the backs of their thighs under the guise that their hamstrings were tight.

Finally, the others were gone and Jacob and Blaine headed back out onto the field. The sun still hadn't set all the way yet, but the late summer night air was cooling off slightly, which was a pleasant relief. Blaine took his place in the bullpen and started throwing pitches.

Suddenly the breeze stroked across his face and he filled his lungs with the smell of Lenore.

*****

"Jacob," Blaine whispered, "do you smell that?"

"Smell what?" Jacob asked, tossing a ball repeatedly into the pocket of his glove.

"Take a deep breath."

Jacob did as Blaine instructed and his eyes widened slightly. Blaine nodded, knowing that his best friend was detecting the exact same thing that he was. Not even bothering to look around as he always did, Blaine dropped his glove and ball to the ground and shifted. Becoming his panther form allowed him to really channel his senses and focus in on the strains of scent in the air.

He followed the smell out of the bullpen and let it guide him across the field. It grew stronger as he walked and soon he got the prickle across his skin that told him that they were being watched. The sensation was stronger this time and he realized that Lenore was very close by.

He quieted himself and looked around, trying to detect any movements among the seats. It was a predatory movement, an instinct that told him to utilize his strong senses to detect prey and then lure them to him. Lenore, however, didn't feel like his prey. She was so much more, yet he wanted her just as ferociously.

Blaine walked slowly until the sensation was so intense he knew that she had to be close to him. He paused and looked into the seats again. Suddenly he saw a shifting flash of color and leaped into the seats to investigate it.

The sound of a scream reverberated throughout the entire stadium and Blaine rushed to find Lenore and stop her from screaming. He found her in the row of seats where he had seen the color, and now looking at her he realized that that pop of color had been a bright teal dress that she had not been wearing when he saw her watching their practice earlier with her father.

Lenore cowered on the cement floor of the stadium, hiding between two rows of seats as she tried to push back away from him. She wasn't screaming now, but looking at him with an expression in her eyes that said that she wished she could force the sound up through her throat.

Blaine stepped toward her slowly, not taking his eyes from hers. The smell was stronger now and he was struggling to control himself. His need for her was increasing with every second and he couldn't wait any longer to touch her. He leaned forward and nuzzled her legs with his head. He could feel her shaking, but didn't step back. Instead, he closed the space between them a little more and rubbed the side of his body along hers.

As he rubbed against her, Blaine could feel Lenore slowly stop shaking. She took a long breath and he lifted his head to look at her.

"Blaine?" she asked slightly breathlessly.

Blaine dipped his head down and gently nudged against her face. He felt her hand come up to the side of his neck and her fingers run down through his fur. His stomach clenched and he felt the intense need for her get even more overwhelming.

He could sense Jacob coming up behind them. Lenore continued to run his fingers along his fur and the scent of her washed over him even more. He felt himself shifting as she touched him, and soon he knelt in front of her, his chest hovering over her and his lips only inches from hers.

"What are you?" Lenore whispered.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked.

"What are you?" Lenore repeated, her voice slightly more insistent.

"A panther," he whispered back.

It was the first time that he had told anyone that, and rather than making him feel afraid or vulnerable, it seemed to connect him to her. Even though he had hated her so much, his attraction to her was completely primal. His body ached for her, and as he looked into her eyes, he could see the glimmer of desire gazing back at him.

"Is Jacob the same?"

"Yes."

Blaine turned and saw Jacob standing behind them, looking down at them.

"How did you know that I was here?"

"You screamed," Blaine said with a soft laugh.

"Before that."

"I knew that you were here this time and I know that you were here last week."

"How did you know?"

Lenore's voice was soft and breathy, making her sound even sexier. Even if the faint light of the evening he could see that her cheeks were flushed.

"I could smell you," Blaine whispered.

Lenore looked away, the color splashed across her cheeks deepening.

"What do you mean?" she asked, almost sounding like she didn't want to hear the answer.

Blaine couldn't resist her any longer. He leaned forward and tucked his head into the curve of her shoulder and neck. She seemed to tremble as his breath traveled along her skin.

"I can smell your body," he whispered, touching his lips to the side of her neck. "I can smell how much you want me." He kissed her again, bringing his lips further down. "You smell so sweet."

"I do?" she asked.

"Yes," Jacob said from behind them. "You're impossible to resist."

Blaine heard Lenore gasp and he looked down to see that Jacob had shifted back into his panther form and was running his tongue along her leg, progressively pushing the hem of her skirt up as he went.

"So are you," she replied, reaching up and cupping her hand around his face. "Show me. I want to see it again."

Blaine pressed back onto his knees and shifted, then turned and followed Jacob down the cement steps of the stadium down toward the field. Rather than going through the gate that would lead down another set of steps onto the field itself, Blaine hunched for a moment and then leaped, soaring over the low wall and landing in the dirt. Jacob followed and they started to run around the field, picking up speed in the open space. They had never had the opportunity to run in panther form through the large space of the field and it was strangely freeing.

When he had done several laps around the field, Blaine stopped and turned back to look for Lenore. She was standing beside the wall watching her. The wind rippled in her hair and pressed her dress around her body. He walked toward her slowly, enjoying letting his eyes travel along her body.

As he drew closer to her, Blaine shifted. He walked up to the wall and reached for Lenore's hand. She rested her fingers in his palm and he led her to climb up on the wall. When she was standing in front of him, Blaine placed his hands on her hips and lifted her down into his arms.

He knew that she could feel the pressure of his erection pushing toward her through the front of his pants and he settled her harder against him to make the hardness even more evident.

"You've been watching us play for a while now," he said, turning and carrying her toward the outfield where Jacob was waiting. "Do you want to play with us now?"

Lenore nodded, making a small whimpering sound in her throat. Blaine lowered her to her feet and watched as Jacob stepped up behind her, getting close enough that it pressed her forward slightly, sandwiching her between their bodies.

Blaine dipped his head and caught her mouth with his, coaxing her lips apart with the tip of his tongue. She kissed him back deeply, her eyes drifting closed as she let his tongue slip in against hers. Jacob reached down and grabbed the bottom hem of Lenore's dress, lifting it up and over her body. Blaine's mouth parted from hers just long enough for the dress to pass over her head and then get tossed aside before he captured her again in a deeper, more intense kiss.

Behind Lenore Jacob was undressing, peeling away the workout clothes he had put on after the shower he had taken after practice so that the other players wouldn't get suspicious. When they were a pile on the grass beside them, he stepped up and let his body touch hers.

Blaine felt Lenore sigh against his mouth and her hands come to the hem of his shirt. Her fingers gathered the shirt up around his waist and he reached for the sides of her panties. As she stepped out of her shoes, Jacob released the hook on her bra. Soon Blaine was the only one wearing any clothing.

He stepped back away from Lenore, gently pushing her back into Jacob's arms. He peeled away his shirt and started stepping out of his shoes as he watched Jacob wrap one arm around Lenore's waist to hold her cl0se and tuck the other hand between her thighs. One finger dipped into her folds and Lenore gasped, her head falling back against Jacob's shoulder.

Blaine pushed his pants off and dropped to his knees in front of Lenore. He took one nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the taut bud. His hand covered the other breast and he massaged it deeply. Lenore was whimpering and writhing against Jacob, one hand looped back to grip the back of his neck while the other held onto Blaine in front of her.

Taking his mouth from her breast, Blaine looked over Lenore's shoulder to Jacob. He gave a slight nod and Blaine stood up. In one swift movement, Jacob flattened his hand on Lenore's back to push her forward so that she bent at the waist. Blaine rested his hand on her chest, guiding her toward his erection so that she took it into her mouth just as Jacob buried himself deeply inside her.

Jacob's thrusts into her guided Lenore into a fast, smooth rhythm along Blaine's hard cock. She moaned, causing delicious vibrations to ripple along his skin. He felt her hands come up to his thighs to support herself, opening her mouth further so that he slipped into her throat.

Blaine's head fell back and he let out a groan. His sound of pleasure seemed to compel Jacob forward and he pounded into her harder. Suddenly he heard Lenore's whimpers grow high and desperate. Her back arched and she released him to let out a cry. Jacob slammed into her harder and grunted. Blaine could imagine the hard, delectable spasms of her body embracing him buried deep inside her and the thought pushed him over the age. He grabbed her head and pushed it forward, thrusting into her mouth and guiding her to suck him again. She gave a few deep draws and his stomach clenched intensely as his tumbled into his climax.

Blaine could feel his cock throbbing as he poured into her mouth. He roared as she swallowed luxuriously, draining him and cleaning him with her tongue.

Several minutes later they were lying together in the grass. Blaine lay on his side, Lenore nestled back in the curve of his body. One of her legs draped over Jacob's body as he lay on his back, his head tucked close to her so that he could kiss her breasts every few moments.

"Thank you for the workout," Blaine said, kissing the side of her neck.

"You're very welcome," she said with a soft giggle that was completely outside of the personality she thought she had but was totally irresistible now.

"Yeah," Jacob said. "Maybe it will help us play better. I hear the hard-ass new owner of the team is looking to make some changes."

He licked her nipple and Blaine felt her hips snuggle back against him, causing his erection to begin hardening again.

"Oh, really?" Lenore asked.

"Maybe she'll want to trade some of us," Blaine said.

He knew that he was walking a fine line. She still hadn't actually told them about the impending trade and he had just admitted that he knew about it. It could have gone badly quickly. Instead, she turned so that she could smile at him and gave him a soft kiss, tenderly biting his bottom lip.

"I couldn't possibly trade either of you," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice. "There's no way that I could split up my wonder team." The men laughed and Blaine pressed against her, nudging her with an erection that was full and firm again. "I was thinking," she said, her voice lower and slightly breathier now as she reached behind her hips to stroke him and then guide him into her wet, waiting body. Blaine pushed forward to sink into her and Lenore groaned. "Maybe we should change the mascot of the team to my new favorite animal. What do you think about The Panthers?"

THE END

Another bonus story is on the next page.