When one goes from sharing a bed with someone to sleeping alone, it feels lonely. When one goes from sharing with four hot men to none, no amount of pillows or sex toys can replace them.
As Liz walked into the lab where she’d worked for years, she felt lost. She’d met the men of her dreams here and had lost them thanks to her employer. Unfortunately, her options had been limited when her four aliens were taken to another location by the most secret part of the government.
Rumor was they were back now. Her lab partner, Meg, was a biologist who’d helped her care for the men. She’d sent Liz a few texts, and Liz knew Meg couldn’t tell her everything. Meg was a good friend, and she wouldn’t lie. Until Liz saw them for herself, however, she couldn’t let herself believe it. She needed to hold them or it would seem as if it was all just a dream.
A cold containment pod stood there in the lab, and Liz paused. The door was slightly open, and it sent a shiver down her back. Had something gone wrong?
She dropped her bag and sprinted to the pod, pushing open the door and expecting the worst—an empty cell.
Liz gasped in relief. Her four guys were there.
Regon ran up, and she hugged him tightly. He was the leader of the four men. His strong arms held her as her knees gave out. She buried her face in his neck. His smell was what convinced her. Their skin had a sweetness to it that wasn’t human at all. The aliens could change their appearance, but her guys played it safe. Brown hair and brown eyes. The variations in height and other details could be faked, but she knew her men. The way they touched her was possessive and intimate. Deep down they were amazingly good and patient considering what they’d been through. While many on Earth found the alien mating habits odds, Liz fell right into their arms. How could she not?
“Liz, we missed you.” Regon kissed her cheek.
Sed brushed her hair to the side and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. Her tension started to melt away. They were real and here. She kissed Regon’s mouth hungrily then turned to give Sed the same treatment.
“You’re okay?” she asked.
“We’re fine now.” Regon stepped back and stared at her.
A small ball of fur darted out the door, then Regon closed the door for privacy. Jal and Moder, her two favorite to watch when they were intimate together, walked up shoulder-to-shoulder and smiled. She hugged them both and let them squeeze her tightly between them.
“Are you okay?” Moder asked.
Liz stepped back and nodded. “I’m fine. You’re not locked up? You’re not guarded? What’s going on?”
Regon tugged her coat off her shoulders. “Meg yanked a few strings on our behalf. They won’t give us regular quarters, and the lab is locked. We can’t leave without security.”
“Pulled strings. But that’s Meg. She’s such a good friend. I wish I’d been here when they brought you back. Why are you here? What’s going on?” Liz sat on the edge of one of four cots pushed together to make one big bed.
Jal sat next to her. “Don’t worry about anything. You saved our lives when we were hurt in the crash. Meg did the best she could, but the military wants us here for something.”
“The alien abductions in the last few months have spiked. Abductions by our people, the Keelons. There are more going on in waves, and it’s overwhelming the tracking systems. Your government can’t contain it. They need to find something to help defend humans.” Sed shook his head.
Their human mimicking had improved so much. “Like you guys know anything about the abductions. You’re soldiers. It’s not your fault you crashed. Where did they have you?”
“A few hours away. Colder environment,” Regon replied.
“They think we have information about what the Keelons want. Taking us away from you didn’t make us talk so bringing us back is a new strategy.” Sed shrugged.
“Really? Seems dangerous to me. I’d do anything to be with you guys.” Liz leaned on Jal’s strong shoulder. They were all gorgeous figures of men, and her pulse pounded to fully reacquaint her body with theirs.
“We wouldn’t tell them anything until they brought us back to you.” Jal nodded.
She slid her hands over his chest that was covered by a gray T-shirt. He was the practical one who’d never lie to her. “I know how fast you guys heal. Did they hurt you?”
Big-hearted Moder knelt in front of her. “Nothing could be worse than being taken away from you.”
“You four had each other. But you’re talking to the government now? Are they going to set you free?” Liz wanted good news and time alone with them.
The tense looks the men exchanged told her she wasn’t going to get her dream, at least not yet.
“You’re here now. Everything will be fine.” Regon folded his arms.
Liz trusted them, but the feeling that they were holding back something hit her. Looking at the closed door, she shifted her gaze to meet Regon’s.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
Sed smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Meg and her security guys made some strides in speaking on our behalf, and we might be able to help and be freed.”
Liz smiled at the hope. Sed was the smartest and most technically advanced of the four, but was he correctly seeing the military men? “Meg and her security guys? I know she’s advocated for you. I’ll do everything I can, but you have to share your knowledge with the military, or they’ll never let you walk free.”
“As long as the Keelons are visiting Earth with less than peaceful intentions, we’ll never be free or safe. No matter what any of us do,” Regon said.
“What do the Keelons want? Worst case, what will they do?” Liz didn’t know how to fix the situation. She was a doctor who’d treated unexplained injuries with experimental methods. She wasn’t afraid, but she wasn’t a fighter.
Jal plucked at the buttons on her blouse. “Don’t focus on that, Liz. We have no idea what’s happened since we crashed. Their circumstances could’ve changed. Worrying won’t help.”
“You’re keeping things from me.” She stood and walked away. As much as she loved them, she knew they weren’t human. The government suspected them of being sent to spy on Earth. The possibility that the crash had been staged had been eventually ruled out. The damage and the injuries were too severe. If it had been a set up, it had gone very wrong.
Liz cared for them. She’d seen their pain and fear of the unknown over a year ago. They weren’t spies; they were victims. She believed they’d taken the ship to escape, but the military had never truly bought it. Proving loyalty wasn’t as easy as a blood test.
Regon stepped up behind her. “Worst case? The Keelons could take over Earth. Their technological superiority is unquestionable. They could make us all slaves, but controlling a planet so far away from their home would be more work than benefit. Especially when Earth isn’t a big threat. Please stop worrying. We’ll cooperate, as long as the government doesn’t separate us again.”
Liz turned and looked at the men she loved. Passion and intimacy were one thing, but they hadn’t had enough time together to build trust so deep it was unshakeable even if she wanted to have blind faith in them. “How can we fight the Keelons? I know we’ve been trying, but we need to be able to defend ourselves.”
Sed chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your friend, Meg, had a breakthrough. Hopefully, we helped her a little. There’s a lot for you to catch up on.”
“Really?” Liz smiled. “I knew Meg would figure it out. She’s got the kind of genius that can be good or bad.”
“You’re all good.” Moder slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body.
“I wish.” Liz let Moder’s lips on her neck slow her thoughts. She wanted to be good. To be strong enough to stand up for her men and set them free. Of course, if Meg had succeeded in creating a biological weapon, it could be used on Liz’s men as well as any invading Keelons.
Liz was stuck on the nightmare for the moment then stopped thinking about it. Instead, she gave into what all of them needed. She pulled Regon in for a kiss and held him tight.
