Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31078 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
It was true that extraterrestrials and space interested him. He’d always believed that the government had covered up what had happened in Roswell, New Mexico. He’d only ever shared these opinions with other alien enthusiasts, because most people didn’t understand the fascination. Now he had living proof sitting across from him and all he could think about was how she’d feel in his arms. How her hair and skin smelled. Her smile, and the way her eyes lit up whenever he did something for her.
That was another thing that made her special. When he’d taken her shopping for clothes to wear for their trip, or when he’d take her to dinner, she was appreciative. It seemed like such a rare quality with the women he’d dealt with, and the fact that London was a bona fide Princess made it even more amazing.
Matt knew he could tell himself a number of times why he was here with her, but the real reason was, he couldn’t let her get away. He knew nothing would probably come of this, but as long as she was here with him, he could pretend.
“Are you sure you want another one? Your stomach is going to hurt if you eat this much. If you want, we can go to another hamburger place tomorrow for lunch or we can get some to go for the road.”
“Oh could we? I think I could eat a hundred. This is the best food I’ve ever eaten.”
“You said that yesterday when you ate hotdogs and the day before when we had tacos. Actually, we should probably be eating healthier foods, but this is quick and easy.”
“Oh, but I love this stuff. There’s nothing like this on Thibius. Don’t get me wrong, the food is good, but not like here. On my planet there is no natural vegetation, everything is grown by machine, and there are no chickens or cows either. The meat we consume is from the ropies. They’re big, green and furry. Their meat is also really tough if not cooked for a couple days. We only eat it when there’s a big celebration because of the effort it takes to get it just right.”
“So the Thibians are mainly vegetarians for the most part?”
“No, there are other meats, but they’re found mainly on other planets. When we visit different worlds, we try stuff indigenous to their land, but nothing has compared to the food on Earth so far. I think I could get very fat here.”
“And you’d still be very beautiful.”
For the first time since they’d been served their food she put the cheeseburger down. Her grin was wide. Damn, even with that piece of lettuce stuck in her teeth she was still hot. “Do you really mean that?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Then why haven’t you… well… you don’t touch me or anything.”
He gulped. Was she serious? She had to be teasing him. “Touch you how?”
“I don’t know. Like a man touches a woman.”
Matt had been in the middle of taking a sip of his soda and nearly spit it out. “Excuse me?”
“We’ve been riding in your really uncomfortable vehicle for three days now, and the nights we’ve stopped at hotels, you’ve insisted on two separate rooms. Why can’t we share a room? If two people like each other, isn’t that what they do?”
“London, you don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t have to offer yourself to me out of gratitude.”
She picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. “I am grateful, but gratitude isn’t the reason, I’d like to…”
“Then what’s the reason?”
“I would have thought it was obvious. You’re a smart guy. You were able to find articles about my mother and me, and the last known location of my sister. So if you can figure that out, something this basic should come to you.” She winked at him and then took a sip of her drink.
Matt’s heart began to beat at an erratic pace. Her words and tone seemed sincere. But did he dare hope that she was feeling for him what he’d felt for her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her? London was so pretty and sweet. If she was only toying with his affections that would crush him.
“London, I think all that beef is going to your head. What you probably need is a good night’s sleep and in the morning you’ll have a clear head. We’ll hit North Carolina tomorrow so that should make you forget this nonsense. By the way, you have something between your teeth. Excuse me while I go to the restroom.” He slid out of the booth and headed for the men’s room, but not before he saw the crestfallen expression within the depths of her brown eyes.
“What a coward,” he muttered to himself as he walked away.
If she really was serious, he was an asshole for reacting the way he did, but he just couldn’t take that step.