10 Things Aliens Hate About You (Alienn, Arkansas Book 4) Read online

  Resurrecting the myth added new life to the many years of speculation about what had happened to the original craft en route to a landing zone somewhere north of Arkansas.

  North America had been less inhabited all those years ago, but a later exploratory mission found the precious bauxite ore Alpha-Prime relied on for fuel was more plentiful in Arkansas. The decision was made to make Arkansas the site for the second colony trip to Earth many years after the doomed first ship.

  Miss Penny’s mother, Paladin, did the best she could to raise Juliana’s mother when the only other adult survivor of the crash, a Royal Magistrate Guardsman, Lukas Marek, didn’t return from a scouting mission to find out how much off course they were from their original trajectory.

  During the landing, the life boat’s navigational equipment had been smashed beyond all recognition.

  Paladin had been forced to move the infant princess and Miss Penny away from the landing site after a storm destroyed their meager shelter, eventually making a life for them hidden among the humans. She’d left coded messages at the landing site in hopes Marek would find them, but he never had.

  Valene snorted at herself for getting lost in thoughts about Miss Penny’s adventures. Clearly, Aunt Dixie wasn’t the only one intrigued by the Lost Colony Legend.

  The loud, lively music that spilled out of the Smokin’ Hog Saloon as the door opened to admit two bikers shook Valene from her reverie about her alien ancestors, the Lost Colony ship and the Alphas’ intriguing past on Earth.

  A glance at her watch said she’d been sitting in the car for almost ten minutes. Time to go.

  Valene pulled the scarf from her head and dropped it on the front passenger seat. She dragged her feet as she made her way into the bar—not because she didn’t want to see Wyatt, but because she was going to have to distance herself from him. Again.

  Maybe for good this time. There was no future for them if he wasn’t willing to live in sin for the rest of their lives, and maybe not even then.

  <^><^><^>

  Wyatt nursed his beer while he waited for Valene to show up. He hoped she wouldn’t stand him up. Vee was probably miffed that Daphne Charlene had been hugging and crying all over him at the chili cook-off debacle.

  Hunter had called to report that the park looked pretty good given all the chili that went airborne. Wyatt asked if the bride was going to think it was cleaned up well enough and Hunter snorted. Wyatt made a mental note to expect a heated call tomorrow. He shook his head. It amazed him the way people acted up sometimes, when civil conversation would be a better solution to most of the issues folks faced. But no one asked him.

  He shifted in his seat, watching the door as two more bikers joined the din of the crowded bar. It wasn’t karaoke night, but it was crowded. Wyatt tipped his beer to his lips again, and darted a look at the door in time to see Valene pause just inside, searching for him. He resisted the urge to wave his arms and call attention to himself because she wouldn’t like it.

  She’d find him. She always did. And she would be much happier if he didn’t do what he wanted, which was race across the room, grab her and drag her back to the booth, kissing her silly along the way.

  Her gaze landed on him. He winked and she smiled. Gorgeous.

  Valene skirted the edge of the dance floor and dodged several other patrons until she reached his table. He noted all the men whose eyes followed her progress through the bar. Wyatt stood up to greet her when she got close, satisfied to see those same men disappointed to learn she was taken. He had no doubt she could have anyone she wanted. He was a lucky guy. If only she wanted him on a permanent basis.

  To that end, he had something new to add to his proposal. And he did plan to propose, again. And again and again, as many times as it took for her to say yes. The way she looked at him told Wyatt she wanted to marry him, but something was holding her back. He wished he knew what it was.

  As if reading his mind, Valene stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him. Hands on her waist, Wyatt held her close for a few moments to ensure everyone in the place knew she was here with him and not looking for a date.

  Valene broke the kiss and smiled. “Claiming your territory again.”

  “You got that right.”

  She pulled away and sat down in the booth across from him. He took her hand across the top of the table.

  “What can I get you to drink?”

  “My usual.”

  That meant root beer in a brown bottle that looked like she was drinking actual beer. The bartender looked his way and nodded when Wyatt pointed to Valene. He’d arranged her beverage choice in advance. A waitress brought a second beer for him along with Valene’s frosty, cold bottle of root beer.

  “Did you requalify for your annual gun certification today?”

  “Does a bear poop in the woods?”

  She giggled. She always giggled when he said that. It was why he repeated it so often.

  “I wish I could have watched you.”

  “Why? It’s not that exciting. I stand in a booth and shoot at paper targets with several different weapons.”

  She shrugged. “I watched you shoot in a competition once.” Her eyes lifted, gaze locking with his. “You looked…well, really good…you know…shooting.”

  “Did I?” He didn’t remember seeing her at any competition recently. “When was that?”

  “Three years ago.”

  Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “We didn’t even know each other then.”

  She lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “Well, I knew about you.”

  He squeezed her hand, suddenly understanding something about their first meeting. She literally ran into him almost a year ago. He’d been in love with her ever since. But it seemed she’d been aware of him for longer. Two years longer. Warmth centered in his chest at the idea she’d been crushing on him for two years before they even met. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

  Wyatt knew the Grey brothers had a little sister. He’d even seen a few pictures of her. His life had changed the moment he came into contact with her and looked into her eyes. He’d known in a second she’d be important.

  “Did I win that contest three years ago?”

  “Does a bear poop in the woods?”

  He laughed out loud at her unexpected quip.

  Valene flashed a grin and a few people looked over at them. The grin faded. She liked to be unnoticed. Before long, she cleared her throat and straightened, but he wouldn’t release her hand. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, signaling a text message. He refused to turn his attention from Valene, and hoped it wasn’t an official call from the station.

  Time to change the subject. “Did the park area get cleaned up after I left?”

  Valene frowned. “It looked much better than when you were there.”

  “Am I going to get an angry call from the bride when she gets to the park tomorrow for her outdoor reception?”

  “How should I know? It’s a public park. If the bride wanted a pristine space she should have booked an inside venue. I mean, there was bird poo scattered around the place, too. Is the bride expecting all the birds to be constipated during her event?”

  Wyatt grinned. “Well, can’t argue with that.” He tucked Valene’s “inside venue” argument away for use if and when the angry bride called him.

  Valene tried to pull her hand from his. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Another buzz from his pocket distracted him. He glanced at his hip and the subtle noise.

  “Answer your phone, Wyatt.”

  “No. I want to ask you something.” Wyatt put his focus back on Valene, where it belonged. He reached into his other pocket with his free hand to retrieve the surprise. He’d planned on waiting a bit before proceeding with his plan, but found he couldn’t wait to hear what she’d say.

  One handed, he opened the ring box below the level of the table so she couldn’t see it.

  “I love you, Valene.”

  “I love y
ou, too.”

  “Will you marry me, Vee? I don’t ever want to be without you.” Wyatt lifted the opened ring box into her view. Her eyes went straight to the ring. She sucked in a deep breath of shock. Her eyes widened, but he saw the joy, too. She liked the ring. Wyatt mentally exhaled in relief.

  Beside their table, someone else drew in a surprised breath, but he ignored it. The phone buzzed in his pocket and he ignored that, too. Someone really had a bee in their bonnet, but Wyatt didn’t care. He wanted Valene. He wanted to marry her. He wanted her to say yes. He wasn’t letting anything distract him until he had her affirmative answer.

  Before Valene could say a word, a familiar voice almost shrieked, “You want to marry her? What about me?”

  As one, Wyatt and Valene turned to gape at Daphne Charlene Dumont as she virtually crashed into their table. Her incredulous, outraged expression said louder than her demand that their secret love affair had been busted.

  This was really bad. Somewhere nearby, Wyatt had no doubt a bear was pooping in the woods to confirm that fact.

  Chapter Four

  <^><^><^>

  Valene nearly swallowed her tongue when she saw Daphne Charlene looming over their booth, wailing about her nonexistent relationship with Wyatt.

  The ring in the box he’d surprised her with was so beautiful and so perfect. But she couldn’t have it. Could she? No. Never. But she wanted it with a desire born of crazed love and affection for a man she could never have unless unreasonable sacrifices were made in the name of keeping Alpha-Prime’s most successful way station a secret from the earthlings.

  If they married, Wyatt’s family would suffer, her family would suffer, he would probably grow to resent her and the strict stipulations of their wedded bliss. How long before he chose to have a dangerous mind wipe to erase her from his head for good? This relationship was impossible no matter how much they loved each other.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t marry you, Wyatt,” she said, hating every word.

  He slumped. “But you love me.”

  “I do.” Tears welled up in her eyes, threating to spill over and give Daphne Charlene a truly good show.

  “Tell me the real reason.”

  Valene shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”

  Wyatt snapped the ring box shut and put it back in his pocket. As if at a loss for what to do, he retrieved his phone and studied the screen for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “Too late now,” he grumbled, typing a response into his phone. He then pointedly glanced up at Daphne Charlene and back at Valene.

  “I can’t go on like this, Valene,” he said, not using his typical pet name for her. He was hurt. She heard it in his voice and saw it in his posture. She never wanted to hurt him. Not ever.

  “I don’t expect you to. I know it’s completely unfair.”

  “Please tell me the problem. I can’t fix what I don’t know about.”

  She didn’t speak, just shook her head and didn’t try to hide her utter desolation as she looked away from Wyatt’s equally miserable expression. There was no fixing this problem, this stupid, secret Alpha-Prime-versus-human issue.

  Wyatt stood up and retrieved his wallet from a back pocket. He threw a twenty on the table and signaled the bartender with a nod. Valene got out of the booth, too.

  Daphne Charlene moved closer to Wyatt, but wisely didn’t hug him or anything overt like earlier at the chili cook-off. Valene gave her the stink eye, but the other woman didn’t move away. She just returned the evil look with a side of attitude. Valene gauged Wyatt’s expression, but couldn’t figure out what was on his mind. He probably wanted to ditch her since she’d just turned down his second marriage proposal.

  Wyatt was tall, blond and gorgeous and any woman would of course be in love with him because he was perfect. He was perfect for Valene and she wanted him with every beat of her heart and every breath of air she inhaled.

  She opened her mouth, about to blurt out that she was considering moving in with him sans marriage so they could be together, but didn’t want to find out what he thought about living in sin while they faced each other in this raucous biker bar.

  And especially not with Daphne Charlene hanging on every word they uttered. Valene didn’t have the courage to make things possibly worse by spilling her unlikely idea.

  “Let me walk you to your car,” he said briskly. He took her elbow gently and guided her toward the door, leaving Daphne Charlene to her own devices.

  “What about me?” Daphne Charlene asked loudly, causing several bikers at a nearby table to take notice of them.

  Wyatt didn’t say anything. He gave her a sharp glance, as if to say, “Do not mess with me right now.” If he noticed any of the bikers watching them, he didn’t acknowledge it. He just kept shepherding Valene toward the door.

  Once through it, he searched the parking lot with his eyes.

  “Where is your car?” he finally asked.

  “I brought my parents’ sedan,” she said, pointing to it parked illegally at the edge of the forest.

  “Hiding in plain sight again, I see,” he said in a low, amused tone.

  That’s the truth! Little did he know it was also the problem.

  “I’m surprised you ditched Daphne Charlene in there all alone.”

  “She’s not alone. I saw her brother sitting in the corner. She’ll be fine. Me, on the other hand, I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life without you.”

  Valene didn’t comment, but she was fairly miserable about turning down his fervent marriage proposal, again.

  They reached the sedan and he held out a hand for her keys. Valene dug around in her purse, retrieved them and gave them over.

  He unlocked and opened her door. When he turned back, Valene launched herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He stiffened and didn’t hug her back. Well, what did she expect? She’d just turned his second sweet marriage proposal down, this time in front of a horrid witness, no less. Would there ever be another ask? She mentally sighed, wishing for things that would never happen. No matter how many times he proposed, she’d have to say no.

  “Let’s go to your place.”

  Wyatt’s breath whooshed out in surprise. “What?”

  “I’ll follow you home.”

  “And then what?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “I want to marry you.”

  “Except that.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I know. I wish I could explain, but I really can’t and I have to ask you to please not pressure me about it.”

  Wyatt’s arms wrapped around her. He squeezed her gently and pressed his face into her neck, kissing the sensitive spot near her collarbone. “I love you so much, Vee.”

  “I love you, too. Come on. I’ll meet you at your place.”

  He pulled back enough to look at her face. He kissed her hard and then nodded, adding a quick, “Drive safe.”

  “I will,” she promised.

  Valene drove straight to Wyatt’s place, went past his house and parked around the corner on a dead-end street with only one streetlight. A well-trodden path passed from the lonely short road along the back of the homes on Wyatt’s side of the street. Only one yard was fenced, right next door to Wyatt’s. It would be problematic if his neighbor’s dogs were out in the yard. Usually they were tucked in their doggie beds by this time of night.

  She’d snuck along the path often enough to know the ins and outs of making her way past the five houses closest to Wyatt’s place in the quickest time possible.

  Wyatt’s small house was just two streets over from the home he’d grown up in—his physical closeness to his family another example of their emotional closeness.

  Valene locked the sedan and walked along the sidewalk before ducking into the nearest unfenced backyard. She carefully passed the first few homes until she came to the narrow passage between a tall wooden fence on the left and a chain-link fence on the right.

  Sh
e stopped at the corner, searching the neighbor’s yard for either of the humongous Siberian huskies in residence, but didn’t see or hear them.

  Scooting sideways between the fences, Valene took care to be quiet. No need to rouse the animals into a frenzy. She made it without incident and was soon standing on Wyatt’s small patio next to the kitchen door at the back of his house.

  Before she even knocked, she heard the chain lock release and the dead bolt snap free. The door swung open and Wyatt hooked an arm around her, pulling her inside.

  She didn’t have time to catch her breath before Wyatt kissed her hard on the mouth. She returned his kiss with her own amped-up attitude. She didn’t know how long they stood in front of his kitchen door smooching, but when he lifted his head, she was breathless.

  Wyatt hugged her tight and whispered in her ear, “What was your name again?”

  “Very funny.” She huffed. “It’s Valvoline Ethyl Grey. Stop asking me that. You know I hate my name.”

  “Fine. I’ll just call you Vee.” His expression changed, though, hardened. “Why won’t you marry me, Vee?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “If I ask you here in the privacy of my kitchen, will the answer be different?”

  She slowly shook her head, certain her expression conveyed her misery.

  “Are you already married?”

  She snorted out a startled laugh. “No.”

  “Locked in an arranged marriage like your brother?”

  “No.”

  “You have another boyfriend tucked away somewhere?”

  “No! Absolutely not!”

  “Then why is it complicated?”

  “Because…well…” She sighed loudly. “Because it just is.”

  Valene didn’t know what to tell him. If she told him the truth, she’d have to run and get the Defender weapon out of the glove compartment of her parents’ car and shoot him…again. He’d be fine, lose nothing more than a bit of time. But she didn’t want to do it.

  During the whirlwind wedding plans for her brother Axel’s arranged marriage, Wyatt was shot with a Defender when he found and sedated an escaped animal native to Alpha-Prime near the bauxite pit’s lovers’ lane.