Protected by the Alien Warrior Hope Hart (books that read to you .txt) 📖

the ends of the material to his other shoulder.

“I just realized I never thanked you,” I say.

Strangely, this makes him scowl.

“You do not need to thank me,” he says.

“Dude, you saved my life. I may not like to admit it, but I was out of my depth when those giant gray tortoise guys were messing with me.”

A muscle jumps in his jaw, and I stare at him.

Men. I’ll never understand them.

“Anyway,” I continue. “You got hurt helping me, so I just wanted to say that I really appreciate it.”

Silence.

“What were you doing in that area anyway?” I ask.

His eyes glitter as he glances up at me, and I realize I’m leaning over, my boobs basically shoved in his face as I tie the sling into place.

“Uh, that should hold. We really need some kind of pin for this loose bit right here, but we can figure that out in the morning. You can have the bed, by the way. You should probably sleep sitting up so you don’t knock that arm.”

I’m rambling, and he stares at me.

“Take the bed,” he says finally, his voice hoarse. I open my mouth to argue, and he narrows his eyes in warning.

I throw up my hands. “Anyone ever told you you’re the definition of stubborn?”

He doesn’t reply, and I roll my eyes.

“Fine. If you feel the need to swing your dick around, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Just like that, his eyes heat, and it takes every drop of my self-control not to lower my gaze to where that fur is wrapped around his hips.

“I’ll just…go get ready for bed,” I mumble, and he nods.

I turn and make my way back into the bedroom. Other than the stamp of Vrex’s skill on the furniture, his home has nothing that points to him being the owner. Of course, I don’t expect to see framed pictures hanging from the walls, but the space is sparse and, for the most part, utilitarian.

His house is beautiful, and it wouldn’t take much to make it cozy.

So now you’re planning to fix up his bachelor pad?

I frown as I crawl into the bed. My eyes immediately get heavy-lidded as I pull the furs over my body.

I’m not that kinda girl. The one who leaves a toothbrush behind, and before the guy knows it, she’s living with him without any kind of conversation. In fact, my commitmentphobe ways were one of the main points of contention between Steve and me.

Don’t think of that asshole. He knew what he was getting into when he started dating you. You warned him for six months.

Honestly, that’s what hurts the most about the whole situation. I was as up-front as possible, making it clear that I wasn’t down for marriage and kids. My dad died doing the same job that I do, and I saw firsthand how it ruined our family. I was never going to put someone else through that.

But Steve thought he could change me. Men always do.

Chapter Six

Ivy

I wake to a knock on the door and blink my eyes open, automatically glancing to the left where my alarm would sit in my apartment in Brooklyn.

Nope, still on Agron.

“Come in,” I say, and the door swings open.

“I need to visit someone,” Vrex says. “You should come with me.”

I blink as he disappears.

Okay.

I haul myself to my feet, staring down at the shirt he handed me last night. It’s huge, but the material is thick enough that it can probably work as a dress.

Shoes may be a problem though. My feet have been ripped up after running through the forest and prexas, and while I cleaned them last night—along with the deep scratch in my thigh—I have no desire to add to my wounds.

I make my way out to the living room, where Vrex waits for me. He points at something near the fire, and I stare at the shoes.

They’re not fancy—closer to a pair of flip-flops than anything else. But they’ll protect my feet from sharp sticks and rocks. They also look roughly the size of my feet, which means Vrex must have made them last night or this morning.

The gesture makes the backs of my eyes sting.

“You did this for me?”

Vrex gives me an impatient look, and I almost laugh. Ask a stupid question…

“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”

I pick them up and examine them as I move toward one of the wooden chairs. The leather is soft and supple, roughly cut but still sturdy. The warrior made these with only one good hand.

I slide my feet into them, admiring the fit. Vrex moves closer and drops to one knee in front of me, showing me how to tie them to my feet. My mouth goes dry as he glances up at me through thick lashes.

My hand moves before I’m aware of it, pushing his hair back from his face.

He jerks back, and I realize I’ve exposed more of his scar.

He glances away as if ashamed, and I bite my tongue. He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. Silence stretches between us, and I almost wince. I’m the most awkward version of myself with this guy.

“Thanks for these,” I say finally. “I really appreciate it.”

He glances at me again and nods, and I realize he hasn’t spoken a single word to me yet this morning. Something tells me he’s used to going multiple days at a time without talking. Maybe he used up all his words yesterday.

I smile at the thought, and his gaze drops to my lips. He stares at them for one long moment and then gets back to his feet before opening the front door.

I stand as well, feeling slightly absurd in my new outfit but grateful to no longer be wearing those filthy pajamas.

“So who are we seeing? A friend?”

Vrex stiffens. “I have no friends.”

The first words he’s spoken today, and it hurts my heart to hear them.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

He gives me a look that suggests I’m not the sharpest knife in