Riv's Sanctuary: A Sci-fi Alien Romance by A.G. Wilde (best books to read TXT) 📕

“I didn’t ask to be here—” Well, you kinda did, Einstein. “—and it’s obvious you don’t want me here either. I completely understand that. But, and I know this is rich coming from an outcast you just met, I would like a chance. I could help out around here. I could even stay in the barn…that is, if you have a barn. You wouldn’t even know I’m here. I won’t stay long. Just long enough for me to get my bearings. Then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise.” She paused. “Geblit said you were a nice guy.”

Okay, so that last part was a lie but he didn’t know that.

As she waited for him to respond, the blaster making the muscles in her arms burn, she prayed he’d say something friendly. Something that would reduce her fears. Something agreeable.

A sound of annoyance left his lips.

“Phekking Geblit,” he muttered. “Sit.”

Pushing the chair toward her with his boot, he turned and moved across the room, pulling a comm device from his pocket.

Not the reaction she’d been looking for but better than knocking the blaster from her hands and wringing her neck.

Glancing at the chair, she bit her bottom lip nervously. She needed to sit, the blaster was too heavy. But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t look very threatening sitting with the blaster, now would she.

His back was turned to her as he pinged what she assumed was Geblit’s number.

A tone sounded, and then a click.

A growl so deep it felt like it moved the air and brushed against the hairs on her skin left him as he pinged Geblit again.

It took three more pings and three more tones before the comm device went hurtling through the air to smash against the far wall.

Eyes wide, Lauren gulped.

Shit, he was frickin’ angry. Frickin’ frickin’ angry.

She was going to have to bear the weight of this blaster if he turned on her.

Edging a little farther backward, she only stopped when the back of her legs bumped into something soft. When that soft thing proceeded to lick her, she almost leaped from her skin as she jumped and yelped.

Turning on the thing, she didn’t know what she expected to see there, but she definitely didn’t expect to see a plump little fur ball with small round eyes looking up at her.

For a moment, she couldn’t even determine if it was a real animal or not. It was literally a round ball of white fur, like wool, but with eyes. And it had definitely licked her.

When the little fur ball blinked at her and proceeded to move, on legs she couldn’t see because it was just so furry, Lauren’s wide eyes followed it as it moved farther into the room, straight toward the angry male.

Her host was rigid as he watched the animal approach.

Breath held as she waited to see what he would do, she was surprised when he bent and lifted the little fur ball, growling something underneath his breath as he walked directly toward her.

Reflexively, she raised the blaster, only to hear him grunt as he passed her to move down a corridor to her right.

The sound of a door opening and slamming shut echoed back into the room and Lauren released her breath.

She needed a plan.

Glancing at the front door, she moved toward it. She could leave now but where would she go. He had a perimeter barrier that looked like it would fry her if she got too close and outside the farm there had been nothing except for the grassy plain.

Letting the blaster sag in her tired arms, she began to pace.

This was really, really a bad situation.

She was stuck on a farm with a male that didn’t want her there. What the hell was she going to do?

A sound in the corridor had her raising the blaster once more, her shoulders rigid as she waited for Riv to appear. Soon he was standing in the room once more, his presence filling it so quickly it was difficult not to stare at him—not that she would have let her eyes drift anywhere else anyway.

His shoulders lifted and fell in a sigh as he crossed his arms and looked at her, his eyebrows diving toward his nose. His eyes were still dark and they were boring into her.

Lauren swallowed hard.

“You ready to talk now?”

No response.

“Are you going to let me stay?”

Still no response.

“I won’t be any trouble. I won’t even eat that much and anything I eat I’ll find a way to pay you back for.”

At that moment, her stomach decided to grumble. So loud it was, that it sounded as if she had a baby dragon roaring in her gut.

From across the room, Riv’s grumble followed her stomach’s growl.

His teeth bared and Lauren took a step back.

Shit.

“Hey, that was my stomach growling. I wasn’t like, challenging you or anything.” For fuck’s sake, she needed a plan.

As her stomach growled again, she tried to tense her stomach muscles, as if that would stop the sound.

Not now.

Not the right time at all.

Stop challenging the man, you idiot organ!

Riv snarled again.

Dammit.

This wasn’t getting her anywhere.

The blaster was also weighing her down and she contemplated resting it on the table.

Thinking about it, he didn’t seem too bothered by the fact she was holding a weapon against him. He’d walked right by her to pick up the pom-pom on legs.

That made up her mind.

Moving forward with cautious steps, wary eyes cast his way, she rested the blaster on the table.

Riv moved forward, his arms falling to his sides, and for a moment, she considered grabbing the blaster again.

But he didn’t move her way. Instead, he walked past her into another room without so much as a backward glance at her, and Lauren was left to stare at the space he was standing in.

Well, at least, he hadn’t tried to snatch the blaster away and he hadn’t attacked her either.

One point for Lauren on the survival meter.

Maybe if she got enough points, she’d win this game.

Riv