Alien Protector: Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Paranormal Romance by Ashley West Page B

breathe through her nose and let it out through her mouth like she’d always been taught to when she needed to calm down.
    Her head was spinning with new information and the fact that there was indeed life on other planets and one of the examples of that was sitting in her living room. In any other circumstance, she would have had a million questions for him about where he was from and the differences between Earth and his planet and the people in each place. She would have asked all about the kind of metal the blade was made of and if they had other weapons like that and soaked up all the knowledge.
    But that wouldn't be a good idea.
    Once this whole thing was over and done with, Draco would take the Artifact and go back to where he came from, leaving her here like he’d always meant to.
    It was probably better for everyone involved if she didn’t get too attached or try to get too much information. It wasn’t like she could tell anyone once he was gone, after all.
    She sighed and dragged a hand through her hair, pushing away from the door and crossing to her closet to pull out an outfit for the day. Maybe after she dropped Draco off she’d go to the museum. She could get another look at the blade with her new information and see what Nate knew since the last time she’d asked. There could also be some kind of way to clue him into the fact that extra security wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them to have.
    Once she was dressed and as put together as she could be, given the circumstances, she opened her bedroom door and then jumped when she saw Draco standing there.
    “God, you scared me,” she said. “What do you want?”
    “To apologize and explain,” Draco told her.
    “You already did that, remember? I believe you. You’re from another planet, which is all kinds of weird, but I believe you. You don’t have to-”
    “ No ,” he said, cutting her off. “Not about that. I didn’t… I know you think the only reason I went out with you, the only reason any of this happened, was because I was trying to use you.”
    It wasn’t a question, and Steph stared back at him, arching an eyebrow. “Are you trying to say that wasn’t the only reason?”
    He sighed. “At first it was. I wanted you to trust me, so that maybe you’d let me see the blade, and I could come up with a plan to get it. But then we actually went out, and… And it was harder for me to lie to myself that there wasn’t something more I wanted.”
    She didn’t want to get her hopes up. After all, this could just be a clever ploy for him to remain in her good graces until this whole thing was over. But there was something about the way he was looking at her just then that made her think there was more to it than that and that maybe he was being honest.
    “What else did you want?” she asked, barely daring to breathe as he pinned her with those eyes.
    “You. You’re just… You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before.”
    “Well, I am a human, and all your friends are aliens,” Steph pointed out.
    Draco cracked a smile at that. “You are very good at misunderstanding me, did you know that?” he murmured, stepping closer. “What I mean is that you fascinate me more than I ever would have thought possible, and I want you for you and not for what you can do for me. I swear it.”
    His voice was sincere and Stephanie let out a low breath and then smiled at him, one hand on her hip. “You know, you should have said something like that earlier. Could have spared me being so worried that you just saw me as something convenient and easy so you could get what you wanted. I don’t like feeling like that.”
    “I’m sorry,” he said and then reached out for her. When she didn’t pull away, he pulled her closer, one of his hands going under her chin to tip her face up. “Let me make it up to you?”
    Before she could reply, she was being soundly kissed, and she melted right into it and into him.
    He put his arms around her