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time
saver.”
    I’m sure it is, Bethany wanted to say. Instead, she said, “Well,
we prefer talking to each other first.”
    Not quite the total truth since many
human couples went from saying “hi” to groping each other in a
matter of minutes. She was pretty sure catman meant full out, body
to body naked contact when he spoke of coupling.
    The idea of having sex with him made
her stomach flutter and sent a spike of desire to her pussy so hard
it almost made her moan. He was incredible to look at. She wanted
to run her hands all over his hard-muscled body and explore every
inch. She slid her gaze downward to marvel at his ripped form. She
admired his wide muscular chest and washboard abs, which tapered to
a tight, trim waist. It was what she didn’t see that surprised
her.
    The waistband of his thong dipped low
across his lower abdomen where it held a triangular piece of
material snugly in place. There was no sign of a bulge or any
evidence of an erection between his beefy thighs. He looked a lot
like an anatomically incorrect life-sized doll. She couldn’t help
but stare in disappointment. Bethany had expected, anticipated, so
much more, considering his enormous size.
    “ Bethany?”
    His deep voice startled her. Bethany
jerked her head up and gazed straight into his wondrous eyes.
Vren’s sly smile stretched into a broad grin. He’d caught her
staring, and seemed to have guessed what she was looking for. Her
mind raced to find some way to recover from her flub in
manners.
    “ So you bathe in your
underwear?”
    He huffed out a small laugh. “I do not
wear underwear. All Alliance fleet personnel must wear a uniform
while on duty. This is how I dress when I am not on duty.” He
hooked his thumbs under the waistband at the front of the
thong-like garment and tugged it downward just a bit, drawing her
gaze once again to his crotch. “This is a tapa. All D’Lyrians,
males and females, wear this. Our females also wear small strips of
decorative cloth to cover their breasts. We males enjoy looking at
them.”
    Tapa reminded her of tapas , the Spanish word for
appetizers. Bethany refused to think about what kind of snack might
be hidden behind his tapa so she concentrated on his last
statement. At least he’d said his species name. D’Lyrian.
    She nervously cleared her throat and
looked back up at him, confused. “You enjoy looking at the females
or the cloth?”
    His smile vanished and his expression
turned serious as if he dissected each word of her question. He
blinked, unnerving her once again. Suddenly, his face
brightened.
    “ Both,” he said with a
satisfied grin.
    Damn D’Lyrian alien! Bethany crossed
her arms over her chest and stood as tall as her short frame
allowed. It was a struggle, but she somehow managed not to tap her
foot in irritation.
    “ I’ll leave so you can
finish your shower.”
    She spun around, slid the door open
and quickly stepped out of the stall. She pulled the shower door
closed behind her, determined to not look back at him. She grabbed
the two trash bags off the floor, but before she made it out of the
bathroom, she noticed his tapa draped over the top of the shower
door.
    Curiosity killed the cat,
Bethany. She couldn’t stop her mind from
countering her warning with the part about how satisfaction brought
the dead feline back to life.
    She hurried to her closet and then
shoved the bags to the very back, behind all her clothes.
Afterward, Bethany slid on her boots. She needed to park the old
ranch truck in the shed beside the barn. Until she could clean the
blood off the backseat, it was best to keep it hidden. If Caleb or
any of his goons were bold enough to trespass on her property, she
didn’t want them to make any discoveries. Her fear for Vren grew by
the minute, and her attraction to him kept pace.

Chapter Four
     
    The small female became more enticing
with each passing moment, and he couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts
focused on finding a way out of his