Spenser: Stargazer Alien Mystery Brides #3 (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Read online

  She was still giggling, but she was also nuzzling her face into his neck, driving him wild with her tickle of warm breath.

  “If there’s any chance you’re going to change your mind, you need to tell me now,” he growled as he flung open the door to the apartment.

  “Not a chance,” she whispered in his ear. “I want you. Forever.”

  A pang of need shot through him and he nearly forgot how to walk.

  She nuzzled in closer and he managed to stride down the hallway and kick open the door of his room.

  “Spenser,” she murmured.

  He placed her down gently. “Natalie, I want you so much,” he told her. “Are you ready to accept me?”

  “Yes, please,” she whispered back, tearing at her own clothing in obvious frustration.

  “Wait, let me help you,” he murmured, finding some shred of his own patience, now that she had lost hers.

  He tried his best to take his time removing their garments, tenderly kissing her sweet flesh as he exposed it, bit by bit.

  He knew that when it was done, he would take her swiftly, whether he meant to or not. He had resisted for too long already.

  At last, they were both bare in the moonlight of his small room.

  “It was so lonely in here without you last night,” she told him. “I wanted you so much that it hurt.”

  “I slept with my hand against the wall so I could be as close as possible,” he admitted. “Neither of us will ever suffer such loneliness again.”

  She went up on her toes, pressing her lips to his, sending his head into the stars.

  Her body felt so good, warm, and bare against him, her soft curves pressed to his chiseled muscle.

  He kissed her for as long as he could bear it, then guided her to the bed and gently lowered her down.

  She reached her arms out for him.

  He shook his head and nudged her thighs apart.

  She allowed him the access he craved, and his body sang with the glory of it.

  He lowered his face to taste her.

  She moaned at the touch of his tongue, tossing her head against the pillow.

  He closed his eyes, savoring her every sound and movement, and prayed for the strength to please her properly before his own needs overwhelmed him.

  21

  Natalie

  Natalie closed her eyes against the onslaught of sensations.

  There was the acute physical need Spenser was stoking in her with each lash of his clever tongue. But there was also an emptiness in her heart that hungered for him on a deeper level.

  “I need you,” she murmured, when he had pushed her body and soul to their quivering limits.

  Instantly, he stopped and crawled up to her, caging her head in his arms and gazing down at her with such intensity that she thought her heart would forget to beat.

  “I am yours, and you are mine,” he told her, pressing his forehead to hers.

  “Yes, yes,” she murmured back, her hips lifting to meet his, her whole essence attuned to him, ready to accept him in every way possible.

  When he entered her at last, she had to close her eyes against the pleasure of it.

  “Look at me,” he said with a low growl that was impossible to ignore.

  She opened her eyes again and he locked his gaze on her.

  Everything in her tightened, the pleasure, the love she felt for this man whose loyalty had opened her heart.

  “Spenser,” she whispered as he filled her again and again until she was consumed with need.

  When the pleasure finally took her, it felt like a hurricane rushing through her blood and ravaging her body.

  Spenser shouted her name and she felt him fall apart with her, both of them greedy for every wave and every tremor of the other’s ecstasy.

  For a long time afterward, he held her in his arms, stroking her back.

  “My mate,” he whispered. “Rest now, sweet one.”

  It was early, and she had more to do.

  But it had been such a long day already.

  And they had all the time in the world together.

  She felt herself drifting into sleep, knowing that this was only the beginning.

  22

  Spenser

  Spenser stood on the moonlit beach beside his brothers.

  They were all dressed in suits, and looking very much like movie stars, in his opinion.

  They were also very nervous.

  “Everything’s fine, boys, really,” Micah reassured them. “Tony is the most organized man in the world, and the ceremony is simple. You’re going to be fine.”

  “Thank you, Micah,” Hannibal said with feeling.

  “It’s my pleasure,” Micah replied, clapping him on the shoulder. “I love weddings. Of course Tony and I threw a bigger shindig than this, but that’s our style. I think you and the girls chose just right.”

  Spenser looked around at the natural beauty of this place. The deep blue of the night sky seemed to melt into the sparkling depths of the ocean. The moon reflected in its frothy surface, bobbing like a glowing ball.

  Footprints through the cream-colored sand led back to the little house where the women were getting ready.

  Soon, Natalie would be here, and he would be her husband.

  The mating bond they already shared was permanent, and from what he understood, human marriage was not.

  But he wanted to honor her traditions and be bound with her in any way that might be meaningful to her people.

  Tony began to play the acoustic guitar from where he sat on a bright blue beach chair.

  A small group of friends and family sat in a half-circle around him, facing the water. Torches danced around them, adding their brightness to the pale moonlit sand.

  From the cottage, a small figure appeared, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

  It was Vi, she was smiling in a half-embarrassed way, walking a little too quickly over the sandy drifts to get to Hannibal. A short, ivory gown just skimmed her calves and made her look taller than usual.

  Beside him, Hannibal stood up a little straighter.

  When Vi passed through the half-circle of torches to reach them, her expression softened.

  The love she felt for Hannibal was a palpable thing, strong and sure.

  Spenser smiled as he watched them take each other’s hands.

  But Fletcher wasn’t watching.

  Spenser followed his line of sight to see that Jana had nearly reached the torches, and his brother’s gaze was locked on her every step.

  She stood tall and proud, swathed in white satin in a way that made her look like one of the Greek statues at the art museum - even more than usual. She walked smoothly toward Fletcher, who beheld her with a look of wonder on his face.

  Spenser watched until she entered the circle.

  Then he looked up, anticipation heating his blood.

  Natalie was already walking toward him across the sand.

  Her dark hair was twisted up into a bun on her head, revealing the elegant curve of her neck. She wore a simple white dress that clung to her hips and breasts. Moonlight glowed in the light fabric as if it were as enchanted with her as Spenser was.

  He gazed at her, rapt and breathless at her beauty.

  Her walk to him seemed to take forever. He tried to memorize each movement, and the way she looked back at him, so solemn and yet so joyful.

  At last, she crossed the torch line to join him.

  Her hands were soft in his, and they turned as one to the new mayor of Stargazer, who spoke the words of the ceremony to each couple in turn.

  Before long, it was Spenser and Natalie’s turn to make their promises.

  He did his best to repeat the words, but he was so hypnotized by her smile that he hardly knew what he was saying. In the end, he was allowed to slip the slender band of gold around her finger and kiss her.

  The tiny crowd cheered, and Tony even whistled as Spenser dipped Natalie low and kissed her like their lives depended on it.
/>   When he finally set her on her feet again, she laughed and nuzzled his neck.

  “Now what?” he asked her.

  “Well, I guess there’s going to be food and dancing,” she told him.

  “Not too much food and dancing,” he growled. “I want to get you back to our cottage.”

  She smiled and cupped his jaw in her little hand. “You’ll never be satisfied,” she teased.

  “Never,” he agreed, tilting his head to kiss her palm.

  He turned her around in his arms, and they watched the others greeting their friends, smiling and laughing.

  It was a perfect night. Just like every night since Natalie had agreed to be his mate.

  He glanced up at the stars, wondering at how quickly this planet had begun to feel like home.

  “Are you thinking of Aerie?” Natalie asked quietly. “Are you homesick?”

  “I am glad to be here with you,” he answered her honestly. “Wherever you are is my home.”

  “Good,” she told him with a smile. “Because I’ve already had jackets made up for the detective agency. It would be a shame to lose a member now. It’s a wedding present for Vi.”

  “Should we give them to her now?” Spenser asked.

  “Nah,” Natalie said, watching Vi and Hannibal stealing a kiss just outside the circle of torchlight. “We’ve got time.”

  Spenser kissed the top of her head.

  They did have time. They had forever. And he couldn’t be happier about it.

  ***

  Thanks for reading Spenser!

  Did you know there are a whole BUNCH more books about these hunky Stargazer Aliens?

  You can read all about that first wave of musclebound men from Aerie that started it all by making contact in the small town of Stargazer, Pennsylvania, or check out some of their brothers that followed in their footsteps in other locations. There is even a trilogy about the time someone decided to cash in on the alien craze with a reality TV show!

  If that sounds good to you, then keep reading for sample of So You Think You Can Marry an Alien!

  Or check out all the books in the Stargazer Series right here:

  https://www.tashablack.com/stargazer.html

  So You Think You Can Marry an Alien - SAMPLE

  1

  Margot

  Margot Lane glanced around the crowded room.

  All around her, semi-famous and uber-wealthy people swayed to Elvis music in the dim light.

  It was pretty cool, but it might have been cooler if they hadn’t all been wearing plastic leis and grass skirts.

  And trying not to think about food.

  A couple of Kennedy cousins lounged on a velvet couch in the corner.

  An auburn-haired woman - Margot swore she was one of the Real Soccer Moms of the Gold Shore - bent over the pool table, pretending to consider her best shot. She was really just flirting with her opponent, a starry-eyed personal trainer in a Hawaiian shirt.

  It was Luau Day.

  At this high-end secret fat camp for the one percent and their celebrity compatriots, there were a lot of themed days.

  But in spite of the staff’s efforts, every day felt pretty much the same at A Slender Start.

  Margot’s roommate, Saffy, sarcastically called the place A Bulimic Beginning. The younger woman swore half the occupants were bribing the staff to smuggle in contraband candy.

  Saffy had just finished her freshman year of college and her wealthy parents had sent her to A Slender Start to lose the freshman fifteen so she wouldn’t embarrass them at the country club.

  Margot felt very sorry for Saffy. She could hardly blame the girl for being sarcastic under the circumstances. Saffy had no real reason to be wasting her summer at fat camp.

  Margot, on the other hand, had twenty-five good reasons.

  “Can you believe this shit?” Saffy muttered, sidling up to Margot. “They don’t even have a hula class. It’s the exact same thing as the Fourth of July party, but with leis instead of flags. I’m going to get a drink.”

  “Hey, Saffy,” Margot said, catching her hand before she got away.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re a really beautiful person,” Margot told her.

  “Um, thanks,” Saffy said.

  Even in the darkened room, Margot could practically hear her blush.

  “I just wanted you to know that,” Margot said. “You don’t need to lose weight. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  “Are you angling for a low-sodium tomato juice of your very own?” Saffy asked. “Because I would have totally brought you one without all the ass-kissing.”

  Margot laughed and Saffy gave her a friendly shove and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Margot completely alone.

  This was her chance.

  She scanned the room for the trainers, but the only one in sight was about to take his turn at the pool table.

  Before she could lose her nerve, Margot slipped between the bodies, making her way quickly, but smoothly toward the exit.

  I’m an adult. I can just tell them I’m leaving and check out.

  But she knew they would try to change her mind. Everyone would be watching.

  And Margot Lane wasn’t fond of confrontations.

  Kind of ironic that she was there because most people saw her as the bloodthirsty and protective queen she played on TV.

  Queen Esther of A Lion’s Game would have dispatched with the bevy of trainers with a few cold words and a withering look.

  She also would have been better at sneaking.

  “Hey, Margot, how’s it going?” Amberlee asked brightly as she appeared out of nowhere.

  “Oh, hi, Amberlee,” Margot muttered back to the petite trainer.

  “Where are you headed?” Amberlee asked, a hint of suspicion creeping into her normally effervescent delivery.

  “Just back to my room,” Margot lied. “I forgot my lucky lei.”

  “Oh,” Amberlee said, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she nodded. “Cool. Hurry back. You don’t want to miss the hula.”

  “I don’t think I could live with myself if I did,” Margot said, nodding back.

  Amberlee gave her a puzzled look and moved to rejoin the festivities as Margot made her way to the main lobby. No one was at the desk.

  Perfect.

  She passed the stairs and pushed through the big double doors that led outside. As soon as she hit daylight, she headed for the trees.

  A Slender Start was a couple of miles from the nearest little town - Margot knew that much. But she figured she could sweep through the woods to get away from the camp, then come out at the main road, such as it was, and still make it back to the nearby village by dark.

  Margot felt better the moment the green canopy of trees closed over her head. It was peaceful, with nothing but the hum of the cicadas and the squirrels scolding overhead.

  She hiked uphill a little ways, enjoying the chance to fill her lungs with clean air and get some real exercise instead of the silly sit-ups she’d been doing with the trainers.

  “Fit,” Margot muttered to herself.

  She’d spent a year tromping around the highlands of New Zealand in full armor wearing an auburn wig and a five-pound crown on top to shoot the first season of A Lion’s Game. She was willing to bet she was more fit than most of her fans.

  That hadn’t mattered though. What mattered was what she looked like.

  People want Queen Esther to look fit, like she is in the books.

  And the producers had made her sweet agent tell her, a man who had six granddaughters.

  “Oh, Margot, you know I’m proud of you, right?” Ed had asked, tears in his voice.

  “Sure,” she’d replied, figuring the show was canceled.

  “They say the fans like your character, but…”

  “But what?”

  “You didn’t test well overall near the end of the season. They think you’re… too heavy,” he’d said softly.

  “Oh,” she’d said, hur
t but not surprised.

  Margot exercised every day and ate well. She was a size ten, healthy and comfortable in her own skin. But show business seemed to reward the extremely slender, and no amount of dieting had ever gotten her much slimmer than she was now. She had been amazed and grateful to land the role as Queen Esther.

  “They want to send you to a special summer retreat,” Ed had continued. “To help you lose some weight. If you lose twenty-five pounds in the next four weeks, before shooting starts, you’ll get to reprise your role.”

  “And if I don’t?” she’d asked. “Are they really going to just replace me?”

  “No,” Ed had replied. “They’re, uh, going to… kill off your character.”

  Margot had been unable to respond.

  “You’re a lovely young woman,” Ed told her. “They say the camera adds ten pounds.”

  Then why don’t they send the camera to fat camp?

  But Margot never liked to cause a fuss.

  So she had politely calmed Ed down and agreed that of course she would spend a month at A Slender Start and do her best to lose weight.

  I’m a team player, she’d told herself. It’s for the good of the show. The whole cast is counting on me.

  But after a few days of abject boredom and condescension, she’d had enough. Anyone in her business who wasn’t rail thin didn’t need nutrition advice from a bunch of twenty-year old personal trainers. At this point, Margot knew so much about diet, exercise and metabolism that she could probably run her own fat camp.

  But frankly she wasn’t interested in running a fat camp, or attending one either.

  Margot Lane was tired of being pushed around.

  She wasn’t sure what she did want to do, but whatever it was, it wasn’t going to happen at A Slender Start in the next three weeks.

  Now she just had to get out of the woods, make it to town, and plan her next move.

  Without money or a cell phone.