8. Char
8
CHAR
T he receptionist was immovable.
“Please. I’m begging you. Her mom is dead, and she never knew her dad. Her grandmother died a few years ago. I’m her best friend. All I want to know is how she’s doing.”
Maybe this woman had a heart once, but not anymore. Her stony expression didn’t change as she repeated what she’d already told me.
“We can tell you she’s stable. Unless you’re listed as an authorized contact, we can’t give out any additional information.”
I was losing it now.
I’d managed to hold it together when Naomi was so weak she couldn’t get out of bed. Stayed calm while I half-carried her to the car. Didn’t panic on the drive to the hospital, or even as she was being admitted. But now my tears flowed, all the pent-up adrenaline catching up with me as it crashed.
The woman’s frigid attitude thawed ever so slightly, her eyes warming. She patted my hand where I gripped the counter, the gesture more stiff than sympathetic.
“Listen, it’s late. All the patients are asleep right now. Get some rest and come back tomorrow during visiting hours. Nothing will change overnight.”
Was that a clue or something? That Naomi was going to be alright? Or maybe this woman just wanted me to leave and stop bothering her.
I nodded robotically, because there was nothing else I could do. “Thank you.” The words were followed by a choking sob, sound and air squeezing painfully through my throat.
In a daze, I started to turn, wiping away tears and wondering how I was going to drive home if I couldn’t stop crying. Then a comforting scent surrounded me. A second later, I was pulled into a firm embrace. Warm and solid. I released a relieved breath.
Ryoch.
I fell into the safety of his strong arms, letting him take my weight, and buried my face against his chest. He was a wall of muscle, protecting me, keeping me from falling apart.
“Shh. I’ve got you.” His hot breath skimmed the top of my head, stirring my hair.
As I listened to the steady beat of his heart, I let my mind go blank. It was all too much, seeing Naomi so sick, and I needed a fucking break. Ryoch’s arms around me felt right, like he was meant to hold me like this.
I didn’t question it. For once, I let myself be vulnerable and cry. The heavy press of his touch soothed me, and that was enough.
Time slowed, the two of us standing in the emergency room waiting area while activity hummed in the background. He rubbed circles on my back, and didn’t rush me or nudge me away. If anything, he pulled me closer. With every shuddering breath, I inhaled his calming scent.
But it couldn’t last forever. Awareness came back to me, and I felt how damp his shirt was under my cheek, soaked by my tears. He was in street clothes, a t-shirt, but he must have been coming in to work when he saw me breaking down. Reality hit me like a slap in the face.
He’d reacted like anyone would, offering a hug to someone in distress. Mentally, I found my armor and started to put it back on. Whatever fuzzy feelings he gave me, his actions were nothing more than basic human kindness.
I moved to step back so that he could be on his way. His arms loosened, but he didn’t let go, and I tilted my head up.
Silver eyes shone down at me, in a face that was sharp and strangely beautiful. The question was out of my mouth before I had time to think.
“What are you?” I whispered.
He looked away. “Let me walk you to your car.”
Ryoch wrapped his arm around my back and steered me out the sliding doors of the ER to the quiet parking lot. I let him lead. His nearness gave me a feeling of safety, and even though I’d stopped crying, I still felt raw. I didn’t have the energy to protest or demand answers.
When we stood beside the driver’s side door of my car, he tugged my back against his chest and crossed both arms around my waist, bending to rest his chin on my head.
I stared at our reflection in the car window, at his broad body towering behind me, encircling me. It was impossible not to see how well we fit together, even with our size difference. I wanted to let go, melt against him, forget what I’d seen. But I couldn’t. Instead, I asked again.
“What are you, Ryoch? I know I’m not crazy.”
He closed his eyes, letting out a steady breath. His chest rose and fell. For an instant, I was sure I saw something move by my arm, but then it was gone.
“You’re not crazy.” He opened his eyes, and they glowed like orbs of silver moonlight in the window reflection. “I’m… I’m sorry. It’s late, and I’m on call. I want to do this right. Can we meet tomorrow?”
What the fuck was he hiding?
For the past week, I’d been willfully ignoring this shit, distracted by Naomi and writer’s block and sleepless nights. It was time I stopped and confronted it.
Ryoch had been on my mind constantly.
I’d missed him. Craved him. Need for him made my lungs tight. When I thought I’d never see him again, grief battered me, my heart physically aching.
It wasn’t logical. But I couldn’t keep lying to myself and hope this obsession would eventually go away. Not with the way I felt when I was near him. Like I was coming home.
Which was why I couldn’t let this drop. I turned around in his arms, anger and anxiety rising, putting a few inches between us while he kept holding me.
“No. This can’t wait. I need you to tell me now.” My imagination was going into overdrive, and the words spilled out. “Are you a vampire? A werewolf?” I was kind of joking, but kind of not, because none of it made sense. “What. Are. You.”
Ryoch searched my gaze, his brow furrowed, and I leveled him with my best don’t-fuck-with-me look in response. The silence between us grew more tense with every second that ticked by. Then he gave a short nod.
“I’m from another planet.”
My heart sped up, and I might have gasped, but I didn’t react otherwise. My brain wasn’t fast enough.
He went on without a pause, voice strong, although the words seemed far away in my buzzing ears. “There’s so much to say. I don’t know where to start. The most critical thing is that you are very, very important to me, and I need to see you again.”
I’m from another planet.
Somehow, I knew it was the truth.
I might’ve also been in shock.
I blinked, swaying on my feet. Ryoch waited for me to say something, but I was stunned, mesmerized by his expression. The urgency and need there. He needed me to believe him.
And I did. He was from another planet, and I was important to him. Okay then.
Also, he had to go to work. He was an alien, but also a doctor who worked at the hospital. Sure.
If I didn’t think too hard, I could stay in this headspace a little longer, at peace with this alternate reality. But it was a temporary coping mechanism. Later, I’d realize how many questions were still unanswered and remember that I didn’t trust easily. Then it would come back to bite me.
For now, I found myself nodding slowly. “Um… I’ll be back here tomorrow to see Naomi.”
His shoulders dropped in obvious relief. “Visiting hours start at ten on Saturdays. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria at noon, and we’ll go somewhere to talk.”
We both stared at each other, and my gaze went to his lips. He still had his arms around me, his body pressed close. My hands drifted up over his chest, fingertips stroking almost unconsciously along his defined pecs. I felt his breath catch.
That intake of air pushed me over. With everything else going on, I’d tried to ignore my attraction to him, but suddenly I felt every brush of his fingers, everywhere his body touched mine. I shivered as my skin reacted, hot and cold at once. My stance widened, and an actual trickle slid down between my thighs.
Only Ryoch had ever made me this wet.
Maybe I should have been more cautious, not less. But my pussy was fully in charge. I pushed aside all the smart thoughts in my brain about getting more information before I did anything stupid, rising up on my tiptoes as my fingers slipped around Ryoch’s neck and into his hair. He didn’t hesitate. His mouth slanted over mine. All I could do was hang on.
The kiss sent a zing of heat through my chest and between my legs. Every motion of his lips was expert, strong and soft at once. I moaned into his mouth as his tongue swept inside. He made a sound in return, almost a growl, and I surged against him, chasing it. His hands roamed down my back, under my ass, squeezing and lifting me closer.
A tart taste filled my mouth, and I almost didn’t notice he was pushing his tongue to the back of my throat until the pressure there made my knees buckle. I wanted more. With a needy whine, I lifted my leg to wrap around his waist, desperate for friction against the hard length I could feel between us.
Nearby, a car door slammed. Shit .
We both reacted at the same time, breaking away from each other. I hadn’t realized how much larger his tongue had swollen inside my mouth until he withdrew it. When I moved back, my breath jolted at the sight of a pointed tip disappearing between his lips.
Right. Alien tongue.
I shuddered, whether it was from what I’d seen, the cold, or the kiss, I wasn’t sure. Ryoch squeezed my arms, then his hands dropped to his sides. He took a step backward toward the ER, and I hugged myself at the sudden chill.
“Tomorrow. I’ll be here at noon,” he said.
“Tomorrow.” I nodded and lifted my hand in an awkward wave.
He turned and jogged back to the ER. I stood there another minute before getting into my car. My limbs were numb, my mind racing, and I had to take a few deep breaths before I could drive.
When I finally got home and fell into bed, the image that floated in front of my eyes was our reflection in the car window. The movement I thought I’d seen, for a split second. Something tail-like reaching up for my arm and then whipping out of sight.
His eyes, his face, the tip of his tongue… The feel of his tongue filling my mouth.
Fuck. What did he actually look like? And how come no one else seemed to notice his strange appearance?
A million questions threatened to keep me up, and I struggled to let sleep take over, hoping maybe I’d find some of the answers in my dreams.