16. Jess

Gravod's house was a tidy little cottage on the outside. Inside, it looked like a hotel room. There was nothing…personal. The furniture was generic and functional, and it felt oddly empty.

No books.

Gravod was rigid next to me, as though he expected me to run out of the place screaming. I wasn't freaked out though, just curious.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I'm just noticing the lack of decoration." I met his eyes and smiled, and he let out an obvious breath. "Do you have anything from your planet here? Like a keepsake?"

He shook his head, scanning the room with a furrowed brow. "No. It's part of our protocol. We can't risk having anything that would give away our identities."

"Oh." It made sense, but it also seemed kind of sad.

The house mostly fit into one room. There was a small living area with a beige couch and a TV, a dining table for two, and a compact kitchen in the back. Wonderful smells were coming from the oven. His bedroom was visible through an open door near the end of the counter.

I took a couple of steps toward the kitchen before pausing to ask a question that had been bothering me.

"How did you establish yourselves here? Money. The bar. How did you know what you needed?"

"Reconnaissance."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't say more. He looked at me like that was all I needed to know.

Nope.

"I'm going to need more information, Gravod. My imagination is taking me to ugly places." Like alien abductions. How else would they have gathered intel?

His eyes went to the ceiling, as though the answers were there, then back to me. Obviously wrestling with what to say.

"The more you know, the more it puts you in danger if our secrets are compromised." I started to protest, but he put a hand up. "I can put your mind at ease. We have the technology to observe without interfering. Our scientists are adept at research. They prepare us for everything we need to know, so we can blend in on any planet we visit."

"Are you kidnapping people from Earth to figure us out?"

"No. Absolutely not."

I could tell he wanted to say more. He was clearly proud of his planet's tech. Which reminded me.

"You must have some kind of spaceship somewhere."

My gaze darted around the small room as though it might be stashed in a corner.

"We came in a ship. It's hidden. Once we can be sure it won't be needed, we'll destroy it."

"Needed…to return to your planet?" Somehow I hadn't considered that they might leave. That he might leave. My gut twisted.

He nodded. "In case the mission isn't a success."

The mission to find their mates.I was very aware of his eyes on me.

Char still hadn't called me back. We were the test cases, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Special? Experimental? Right now, I felt queasy. But if we were part of their "mission," I wanted to know everything.

"I'd like to see your ship."

Gravod's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Because it's a fucking spaceship. Holy shit.

"Because I'm dying to know what it looks like. But also, because I'd like to know more about you." I gestured to the room. "This doesn't feel like you. It feels like an alien's idea of a typical house on Earth."

He took my hand, his warm fingers folding over mine. I knew it wasn't his real hand, not exactly, but his touch still soothed me.

"I want you to get to know me. Let's eat. We'll talk."

His voice was like a caress, and I found myself leaning toward him. I was sure his scent had something to do with this intense attraction, but it wasn't just that. He was strong and smart, and he looked at me like I was the air he breathed. I'd already decided to give this a shot, so why deny that I felt something for him?

"Okay." I squeezed his hand back, and he smiled. "After dinner you can show me the ship."

He huffed out a laugh and pulled me to his open kitchen.

If I didn't know Gravod was from another planet, it would have seemed like a pretty normal date. He pulled a lasagna out of the oven, poured us each a glass of red wine, and we sat at the table that was just big enough for two.

"This is delicious," I said around a bite.

"I'm glad you like it. I found the recipe online."

Such a normal thing to say.

The conversation was easy. We chatted for the next hour, and I learned more about Gravod's background. He was humble about it, but I got the impression he'd been high up in the Lydaxian version of the military. He'd done this kind of thing before, re-shaping his body to blend in on other planets.

It was obvious that he'd given up a lot to come here, leaving his career and his family behind.

"Did you have a hard time deciding to come to Earth?" I leaned back in the simple wooden dining chair and sipped my wine, an empty plate in front of me.

"No." He answered without hesitation. "I do miss my planet and my family, but matehood is the ultimate desire of every Lydaxian. For years I thought I'd never mate. When I got the opportunity to have that, I jumped at it."

I nodded, wondering whether I would make a similar choice. To give up everything familiar for a chance to find love.

"Did you know what humans looked like? Whether you'd even be attracted to us?"

"We saw images. I wasn't worried."

His smile did something to my lower belly, and I shivered as his gaze raked over me.

I let the images comment go. They'd been spying on Earth somehow. Whether it was drones, or weather balloons, or just intercepting our communications, it didn't really matter. I believed him when he said it wasn't intrusive. But if he was attracted to me…

"How come you think I won't be attracted to you?"

His lips turned down, and he motioned with his glass toward the window. I could see the back corner of the bar through the parted curtains.

"One of the wolf shifters. He told us that any human female would be horrified to see our natural form."

"You showed him?"

"Yes."

I pictured a "you-show-me-yours" measuring contest and snorted.

"He turns into a fucking wolf."

Gravod's smile came back. "I know." He shook his head. "But he was adamant that we were disgusting to human eyes."

This had gone on too long. I put my glass down.

"Show me what you really look like. Rip off the band-aid."

I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting.

His face fell, and my determination faltered a little. He was sure that if I saw him, I'd reject him. But I knew in my heart he was wrong.

When he still didn't respond, I stood and extended my hand. He stared at it before putting his hand in mine and letting me pull him to his feet. I reached up to cup the side of his face, meeting his eyes. He looked so unsure.

"Please, Gravod. I liked everything about how you felt last night. I've told you before, this won't work if there are secrets between us. And I won't be able to relax with you until this is out in the open." I came up on my tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his lips. "Please. I can handle it. Have a little faith in me."

He leaned his jaw into my touch.

"It isn't a lack of faith. I want to be pleasing to you." He closed his eyes and spoke in a pained whisper. "I don't think I could stand to watch your reaction if I disgust you."

"Look at me. Am I pleasing to you?"

His eyes drilled into me, almost angry. "Of course. You're beautiful."

Heat spread across my cheeks as I smiled.

"Then it's reasonable to expect I might also find you pleasing."

I carefully maintained my expression as he examined my face, assuring himself that I meant what I said. Finally, Gravod nodded. He went to the windows and closed the curtains, and then he stood a few feet away and started to unbutton his shirt.

He looked like he was being led to the guillotine.

My heart rate picked up as I watched each button come undone. This was it, the moment of truth. I hoped I was doing the right thing.