Coto's Captive (9 page)

“Stay with me tonight.”

“Jimmy’s place is close and that’s where I left my SUV. I really do need to go back. It would be bad if they sent out a search party for me and came across you and your men. You need time to clean up. I heard what you said.”

He leaned down and just took her mouth, kissing her. He put his emotions into it. Lynn responded and he wrapped both his arms around her. She dropped the shotgun on the ground and clung to him. He resisted the urge to take her to the ground. Anyone could walk out of the human dwelling. She finally pulled her mouth from his and he stared deeply into her eyes.

“Don’t make me say goodbye to you.”

Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “Don’t make this any harder. I’m never going to forget you but I can’t just walk away from my entire life. People would worry about me. I can’t do that to my family and friends. It’s not like I can call them on the phone from your planet, right?”

“You can’t.”

“I figured. Put me down, Coto.”

He didn’t want to let her go but he lowered her to her feet and stepped back, breaking their connection. Lynn bent and retrieved the shotgun. “I’m never going to forget you. Ever. I have to go.” Her voice broke. “Take care of yourself and don’t get into any more space battles with Collis.”

She spun away and took off down the hill. He tensed, the urge to go after her almost impossible to resist. He fisted his hands, forcing his body to remain stiff and still. She’d hate him if he forced her to leave her planet. He just couldn’t hurt her that way, even if watching her disappear down the hill made his chest hurt.

He heard footsteps behind him and tore his gaze from Lynn’s retreating back. Vhon spoke first. “She’s not coming with you?”

“It’s too painful for her to leave her world.”

“I’m so sorry, man.” Vhon just stood there, looking at him sorrowfully. “We could take her. Our brother got away with it. It worked out for him and Casey. I’ll tell our father that we had to do it to ensure she didn’t tell anyone about our visit.”

“She won’t do that. I trust Lynn. I’d rather lose her than make her suffer the loss of all she loves.”

Vhon reached out and gripped his shoulder. “You’re a good, honorable warrior.”

“It hurts,” he admitted. “I never believed I could become so deeply attached to a female that fast.”

“Love at first sight. I believe in that. I long for it.”

Holion came out of the house. “Where is the woman?”

“Gone,” Vhon answered.

Holion snarled. “She will tell the humans about us and they will come to attack before we leave the surface! Which way did she go? I will silence her.”

Vhon dropped his hand off Coto’s shoulder. “Kick his ass. It will make you feel better.”

Coto didn’t need any encouragement. Holion was a threat to Lynn. He snarled and went after the male.

Lynn hid Mr. Avery’s shotgun inside her SUV and barely had time to close up the back when she heard footsteps and turned. Jimmy trudged toward her.

“Did you find that beast and take it out?”

“I found what killed your dogs. Problem solved.”

“It took you long enough.” He seemed to notice what she wore. “What the hell happened to you?”

His question caused memories of Coto to stream through her mind. “It’s a long story and it’s not one I plan to share with you. I’m going home.”

She tried to move around him to reach the front of her vehicle, happy she kept a spare set of keys stashed in the glove box since she’d lost hers. Jimmy grabbed her arm.

“What was it?”

A really amazing alien man
. “A bobcat with rabies.”

“Shit. I keep telling Mr. Avery he needs to pay someone to check his property. That means it will spread. I’ll have crazy raccoons and squirrels coming onto my property.”

“I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.” It would give her a valid excuse to visit the cabin and “discover” the body. “Right now I want to take a shower and sleep in a real bed.”

“You can use mine. I’ll even wash your back…or anything else you want.” He leered at her chest.

“In your dreams, dirtbag.” She jerked out of his hold. She opened the driver’s door and climbed inside but Jimmy grabbed hold of the edge, not allowing her to close it.

“You might not be such a bitch if you got laid. Face it, Lynn, I’m probably the best of the bunch. Tim is better looking but he’s a mean drunk. Craig can’t hold a job so you’d have to support his ass and we all know he’s nailing Miller’s wife every chance he can. Everyone else is either too old or way too young, unless you start trolling them right out of high school. Plus, I can get you high for free. Let’s go in my house.”

“Get out of my way.”

He refused to let go of the door when she tried to close it. He actually stepped forward, putting his body in the path of it. “You know you want me. Just do it. Do
me
.” He licked his lips. “Come on, baby.”

Her temper flared. She was done. “You want me to touch you?”

“Yeah.” He grinned.

“Fine.”

She twisted on the seat and kicked out her foot, nailing him in the crotch. He cried out and doubled over, stumbling back as he grabbed at the front of his pants.

Lynn slammed the door. She locked it and then leaned across the console, opened the glove box and retrieved her spare keys.

“You bitch!” Jimmy hit her window. “I’ll get even with you.”

She shoved the key in the ignition and started the engine. She flipped him off and put on her seatbelt.

“I’m going to get you fired!” He tried to open her door but it wouldn’t budge.

She figured he would call his uncle over that little stunt but she was fed up with his threats. It was possible the Zorn ways had rubbed off on her but she didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. It felt good to hit the creep. She threw the SUV in drive and slammed her foot down on the accelerator, taking off.

She forgot about the metal gate at the end of the long driveway. Jimmy probably wouldn’t show up to unlock it and let her out so she just rammed it. The thin chain snapped and the chain-link fence popped open. She drove out, merging onto the double-lane road that led into town.

Her little house was a welcome sight as she parked in front of the garage and locked up the SUV. She had to use the hideaway key under the planter to let herself in. After locking the door behind her, Lynn stopped, the utter silence hitting her as she studied her mismatched hand-me-down furniture and a few pieces she’d managed to buy on her own.

“Damn.” She put the keys on the table and checked her answering machine. There were no messages. She walked into the kitchen and opened her fridge, staring at the meager contents. She grabbed a soda, opened it, and took a sip.

“My life sucks,” she muttered.

She entered her bedroom, rested the soda can on her dresser, and began to strip. A shower would make her feel better. She stepped inside the cramped bathroom and turned on the water, taking time to brush her teeth as she waited for the old water heater to kick in. A few minutes later she tested the temperature and cursed. It was barely lukewarm.

“Fantastic. It’s out again.”

She clenched her teeth and just stepped under the stream of water. Goose bumps rose along her body but she suffered through it while she scrubbed her hair and soaped up. She rinsed and got out of the shower. She dried off and put on a robe, returning to her room.

She picked up the phone and dialed her father. He answered on the third ring. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, baby.”

“I was just thinking about you.”

“That’s so sweet, honey. I can’t really talk right now. Me and my buddies are about to go fishing. Kip bought a new boat. You really should take some time off and come down to Florida to visit me. Retiring here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

She might not have a job. That would free up her schedule. “I’d like that. We haven’t seen each other in two years.”

“Wow. It’s been that long?”

“Yes. Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“I sure am. Just don’t come next month. I’m going on that senior cruise.” He chuckled. “Not the month after that either. That’s when we’re going to Mexico.”

He was always busy. She didn’t blame him. There wasn’t much to do in Green Bend. He’d moved to a retirement community and made a bunch of friends who liked to travel.

“I gotta go. I love you, honey.”

“I love you too. Have a good time.”

He chuckled. “Always.”

She hung up and took a seat on her bed then dialed her best friend. She got the machine. “Hi, Michelle. It’s Lynn. I was just checking up—”

“You caught me in time,” her breathless friend cut in. “My husband and kids are in the minivan waiting for me but I forgot my sunglasses. Did you call to wish us a good flight?”

Lynn remembered then. “You’re going on your big vacation.”

“I can’t wait to get out of here for two weeks. I’ll call you when we get home and you can come over to see all the pictures we take. I can’t believe I’m finally going to see Hawaii. This is a dream come true!”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Actually, it will be about a week after we return. Mitch’s parents are coming into town to see the kids. It’s going to be pretty hectic with them here. Wait. Maybe the week after that. We’re supposed to go to Indianapolis for that race weekend.”

“Whenever. Have a great time.”

“Thanks. I have to go. Mitch just honked the horn. We don’t want to miss our flight. Love ya!” She hung up.

Lynn replaced the phone in the cradle, staring at it. There was no one else to call. Everyone had a life except her. She collapsed onto her back, studying the water-stained ceiling from a roof leak she’d had to patch the year before. The silence got to her and she started thinking about Coto, reliving every moment they’d shared.

The phone rang a few hours later and she sat up, grabbing it. “Hello?”

“Miss Reynolds? This is Hilton Morgan’s secretary, Millie.”

She grimaced. “Yes?”

“He’d like to see you in his office at two tomorrow.”

“Why?”

The woman hesitated then lowered her voice. “He’s angry. I know he received a call from his nephew, then placed a few calls and asked me to make this appointment.”

There it was. Jimmy had ratted her out and those calls had probably been to her boss. “I’ll see him then.” She slammed the phone down.

It rang a few minutes later and she answered again. “Hello?”

“What is going on?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s Richard from work. I was just called and asked to cover for you for the next few weeks. I can’t work weekends. My wife is pissed. You need to suck it up if you’re sick.”

“I think I’m fired.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry.” She hung up on him. “My life is shit,” she muttered again, collapsing onto her back once more. She rolled onto her side, staring at the empty space in bed next to her. She wished Coto were there.

The light faded in her room when the sun went down. She lay there, thinking about Coto and her life. She’d always wanted to find a man who could make her feel sexy, make her feel as if she were the most important thing to him. She’d known that with him, even during their limited time together. The pros and cons of a future without him waged war inside her mind as the hours passed. She finally drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

Lynn jerked awake in her dark bedroom and lifted up, staring at the clock. It was seven in the morning. She’d dreamed about Coto. They’d been laughing together, sitting on a couch in a room she didn’t know. He’d kissed her and something had tugged on her shirt. She’d pulled away from him and a little boy stood next to her leg. He had to be about two years old, and it was obvious Coto was his father from how similar they looked. The toddler had smiled at her and climbed onto her lap. She’d known he was her son too.

“What did I do?”

She threw off the covers that she must have pulled over herself during the night and jumped out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth, splashed water on her face, and yanked open the cabinet under the sink to grab out a travel bag.

She didn’t want to lose Coto. It was scary insane to leave everything behind but it would be so much worse living with regret.

“I only hope I’m not too late.”

She packed necessities and rushed into her bedroom, digging her suitcase out from the back of the closet. She froze, wondering what to take to another planet. Was it cold there? Warm? She had no idea.

“Son of a bitch.” She opened the case, tossing in some of her favorite outfits. She’d have to find him and hope he hadn’t already been picked up. The campsite would have to be taken down. She might find him there. They could be at the old farmhouse or even where their ship had crashed.

Desperation struck as she located a few family photo albums and precious mementos she didn’t want to leave behind. One suitcase turned into two, plus a duffle bag. Lynn kept glancing at the clock. Every minute seemed to speed by as she rushed around her house.

She finally grabbed a permanent marker and stopped in front of her fridge, hesitating after she ripped off the cap. “How do you say goodbye to everyone you love?”

She finally started to write. No one would be able to miss seeing it once they came to her house when someone investigated why she was gone. “This is going to suck if he’s gone already and I have to try to get this off.”

It became clear she’d packed too much when she lugged the first suitcase to her SUV and went back for the second one. She lifted it and carried it out her open front door, distracted, still trying to decide where to look for Coto first. She slammed into something solid and dropped the case.

Coto gripped her hips to steady her. “Are you injured?”

She recovered quickly. He was on her porch. “Coto!”

“I slipped my communicator inside your pocket when I kissed you goodbye. I came to ask you to leave with me one more time,” he admitted. “I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was you. I tracked the signal at first light. Please come with me.”

She nodded. “I was going to find you. It’s insane but—yes.”

He grinned. “Yes?”

“Yes!”

She was so relieved they were together again that she lifted up on tiptoe and threw her arms around his neck. Coto’s mouth crashed down on hers, kissing her. She moaned against his tongue. He backed her inside and they bumped into her couch. He tore his mouth away.

“I want you.”

“I want you too.” She let him go, fumbling to get out of her clothes.

“I’ll close your door.”

“Don’t bother. Nobody ever comes by. The house can’t be seen from the road. Strip.”

Coto didn’t hesitate. She loved that about him. He nearly tripped tearing off his boots. She finished before he did and motioned him to follow her down the hallway to her bedroom. He threw his uniform top on the floor, opening his pants as he came after her.

“I missed you last night.” She got on the bed and flipped over onto her back in the middle.

“I’m here.” He shoved down his pants. “You’ll never sleep without me at your side again.”

He surprised her when he dropped to his knees, gripped her ankles, and jerked her down the bed. “I’ve never done this before but I was given instructions should I ever bound to a human.”

“We had fantastic sex,” she reminded him.

“We’re about to have better.” He spread his hands open on her thighs, pushing them wider apart and lifting her. “I’m going to master oral sex.”

Lynn looked down at him. “I’ve never been so enthusiastic before to say okay.”

Coto bent forward, nuzzling his face against her pussy. “Let me know if I do this correct.”

She clutched at her bedding. “Right there. That’s the magic spot.”