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Hurry back.
I most definitely will.
The tentacles released Shawn and he hurried up the stairs before he changed his mind.
* * * *
Shawn parked and walked into the restaurant. He spotted Ann, but halfway to the table he
stumbled to a halt. Bryan was at the table, not the investor Ann said was interested in his dad s
business. What was he doing there? Panic threatened to take hold but, taking a deep breath, he
squished it.
Um, hey guys, Shawn said as he sat down.
Shawn, hey, Ann said. Jason couldn t make it, sorry. His wife is sick and so are their kids.
Oh, that s rough.
My son wanted the car tonight, and since Jason couldn t make it, I asked Bryan to run me up
here and eat with us. Hope that was okay?
Sure, no problem.
Bad enough he didn t want to be here, but now he d have to watch every word he said around
Bryan. If he acted nervous, Bryan would notice. Once he sat, the waitress came and took their
orders.
Our business won t take long. Mainly I need to know&
Ann talked on about market values and such, but Shawn tuned her out. Why did people ask you
if something was okay after the fact? What if he d said no? Then what would she have done?
Shawn muffled a laugh as he imagined the look on her face. He tuned back in just as she finished
her spiel and the hamburgers arrived.
That sounds like a good price. Why don t you go ahead and list it next week? Shawn said as he
dipped a French fry into ketchup.
Wow, really Shawn? You don t need to think on this? Ann asked. Maybe talk to your mom?
No, she said to sell it after she moved, unless I wanted to stay. Shawn shrugged a shoulder. I
knew when I moved here this wasn t permanent. Just give me some time to tidy the place up.
Well, I sure hate to hear that, Bryan said.
Shawn looked up to find dark blue eyes staring at him with& Shawn s own eyes widened. That
was blatant interest in Bryan s eyes. This afternoon he d thought Bryan had been checking him,
but he d dismissed it. Where was that coming from, and why now? He heard rumors through the
years that Bryan was bi, but he hadn t believed it.
He did now.
Shawn lowered his eyes to his plate. Bryan was a good-looking man, nicely built, seemed to
have a good personality, and a strong sense of what was right and wrong. He was a good cop,
too. He might have been interested if he didn t have a seven and a half foot alien with tentacles
that were capable of driving him straight out of his mind hiding in his basement.
After Ziang, no other male compared.
* * * *
Shawn parked the truck and sat staring at his childhood home. Memories of his youth flickered
through his mind. He bit his lip as he thought of the many visitations through the years.
He d always known he was being watched, and by something not of this world. Somewhere in
his mind he d known that he was waiting. Knew he was waiting for something so completely
outside the realm of possibilities his human mind couldn t fathom it; he d buried the feeling.
Denial was truly a weapon of the mind. Now that was over. Tomorrow night he d willingly leave
the life he had this planet, and all he knew with an alien. To go live among other aliens. And
tonight, that very same alien planned to mate him.
Was he completely insane?
Shawn laughed as he opened the truck door and got out. Yeah, I think that s a foregone
conclusion.
He made his way to the basement. Ziang? I m back.
As soon as he walked in, he knew something was different. The lights were off, all except one in
the kitchenette and there was& Shawn took a deep breath. There was a scent that hadn t been
there before. It was a heavy, musky scent that permeated the basement. It wasn t cloying and he
didn t have trouble breathing, but the scent filled his lungs and made him slightly dizzy.
It reminded him of the time he drank a glass of champagne. He was pleasantly buzzed, relaxed
but aware. Almost hyperaware. His body shivered, and need sparked to life, racing through his
system. His dick hardened, his breathing accelerated, and every nerve in his body shimmered to
life. Suddenly his clothes were too tight, too restrictive.
Ziang?
The shadows shifted and Ziang stepped towards Shawn. But this was a different Ziang. He was
nude, his movements agitated and restless. His body tensed once he saw Shawn; every muscle
stood out starkly and his breathing was ragged. An odd combination of low growls and strangled
moans rumbled in his chest. His tentacles writhed against his back, twisting madly. His face was
strained; his eyes were half closed, his nostrils flared, and the odd patterns on his skin
shimmered. Aggression flowed off him and Shawn took a step back.
Shawn... Ziang s voice was low, full of gravel, and vibrating with need. It s okay, don t be
afraid of me. I m not going to hurt you.
Holy hell, Shawn said. And I didn t think you d hurt me, but I m a bit freaked out here.
What s going on with you?
I m in rut.
Shawn s jaw hit the ground. He was a country boy and he knew what the rut was, at least as far
as Earth animals went. Surely Ziang didn t mean the he was going through the same thing? If it
was, he was in for a long night. Rut was breeding season.
I m& Ziang clenched his fists at his sides, the growls rising. Sorry, Shawn. I should ve told
you about this earlier. I was hoping this wouldn t happen until we got off this planet, but it has. I
should have taken the time to explain to you what happens and
Okay there, just calm down, E.T. Does rut mean the same thing as it does here on Earth?
It s my mating season, my reproduction season. Don t be afraid.
Ah, Ziang, you do know that males of my planet can t get pregnant, right? You guys didn t
somehow miss that, did you?
A choked sound, much like a snort, sounded from Ziang. I know that, but it doesn t change the
need. And I need you, Shawn.
Then that smell& ?
Means I m ready to procreate.
And then some, from the smell in here, Shawn mumbled. He looked at Ziang as a new thought
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