Alien Conquest: A Science Fiction Romance (Celestial Mates) Read online

  Alien Conquest

  A Celestial Mates Story

  Lisa Lace

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Newsletter

  Coming Soon

  The Celestial Mates Series

  Also by Lisa Lace

  Your Free Audio Book

  Chapter One

  BETH

  My cheeks burned as I ducked my head, walking to the back of the line. I didn’t like feeling stupid, and I was embarrassed as well. I just wanted to see some sweaty, muscular athletes.

  “Don’t worry about it, Beth. We’ll just wait for a bit. We’ll get in eventually.”

  I pressed my lips together as I looked at the ground, trying to avoid Casey’s stare. I knew we should have waited in line in the first place. But I had let Casey drag me up towards Odin Sobota because she had insisted. Her words still echoed in my mind. “You’ll regret it forever if we don’t go up to him.”

  I regretted going up to him already. Watching the zero-gravity paraball match had been enough for me. I would have been quite happy to go home without meeting the star athlete. I loved paraball, of course. Everyone knew that. Yes, I had a bit of a crush on Odin Sobota, who was possibly the best paraball player ever to live. But I could have gone home content without meeting him, admiring him from afar, and looking at his poster on my bedroom wall. If I caught the odd gossip column about him or saw clips of him on the vids, that would be as good as meeting him, right?

  Maybe not. The alien was handsome and sexy as hell. His body was to die for. I had seen a few shots of him in magazines wearing his uniform shorts and nothing else. At first, my eyes focused on his crotch, of course, but I could only fantasize about a guy’s cock for so long. What stayed in my memory were his crazy purplish eyes. The writers liked to call them indigo. Okay. Maybe I had wanted to meet this amazing-looking, talented guy that I had been crushing on for years. But I hadn’t wanted this to happen.

  Casey had known Odin from her time in the league as a paraball player on Earth’s intergalactic women’s team. She said she would introduce me to him, knowing how much I loved paraball. And Odin.

  I had been willing enough at first. The people around him hadn’t looked like they were waiting to see anyone. They had been chatting in groups of two or three in a big clump around the star where he was talking with one other person. As the man walked away, Casey started to introduce me right before a security guard materialized, made a snarky comment about people who couldn’t wait their turn, and motioned us to the end, all in front of Odin.

  The people in front of the line gave us dirty looks, and I had blushed, suddenly realizing we had broken all rules of social etiquette. Odin looked at Casey and me briefly, then turned his attention back to his adoring fans. He hadn’t wanted to ignore an old friend, but he wasn’t going to show a preference in front of people patiently waiting for him.

  “Casey,” his deep voice rumbled. “Hang on, let me see what I can do. The game’s going to start soon.”

  “No, no,” I said, shaking my head and holding up my hand. My face felt like it was on fire. “It’s okay. We’ll wait.” I turned and speed-walked to the rear, forcing Casey to run if she wanted to keep up with me.

  “Beth.” She looked at me as we stood in what was in retrospect a pretty obvious line, impatiently waiting our turn. “I’m sorry. I had no idea all these people were waiting to see him.”

  “I know. It’s fine,” I said, smiling, even though I knew how fake it probably looked. “You know what, Casey? I’ll be right back. I need to go to the bathroom right now. I was holding it because I didn’t want to miss the game.”

  Casey looked at me skeptically. “You’re not coming back here, are you?”

  I didn’t have to answer. She already knew what I was going to say.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said again. I tried to give Casey an apology with my eyes before I took off.

  I went to the washroom and felt my face start to heat up again as I relived the experience. I should never have let Casey talk me into it. I wasn’t the type of person who wanted to meet a celebrity. I enjoyed watching paraball, and I was a big fan of the sport. I liked Odin and the whole paraball team from Dorsh. They were my second team, after Earth.

  If we had met naturally, like in a bar or something, it would have been fine. It’s not that I didn’t want to meet him, not at all. I would have loved to meet him. I had a long-standing crush on Odin. Meeting him would have been a dream come true, almost like I had died and gone to heaven. I just didn’t want to have to wait in line to talk to him, like he was a god and I was a lowly human.

  I knew I wasn’t anything special, but I respected myself. Even if Odin was one of the best players in the galaxy when it came to paraball, that didn’t mean that I had to bow down to him. I bet when he was at home, he was just an ordinary guy who watched virtual reality videos.

  As I washed my hands, I thought about what I should do, then decided to message Casey. I would send something simple.

  Hey Case,

  I’m tired and going to catch the early shuttle back to Earth. I’ll see you at the apartment.

  She contacted me again a moment later.

  Thought we were going out tonight?

  I didn’t feel like it anymore, and I messaged her back saying that I was too tired to go out, too. I had only agreed to go because she wanted to. It wasn’t Casey’s fault, but my roommate had been the source of a lot of embarrassment to me today. I needed a break.

  I wasn’t fair to her, and I knew she hadn’t done anything on purpose, but I couldn’t help feeling like an idiot and a bad person. Was my reaction overly dramatic? I had to admit it was a little over the top. But in my imagination, I had fantasized about Odin remembering me as a gorgeous Earth girl who he couldn’t stop thinking about. Now he would always remember me as the girl who cut in line, if he remembered me at all.

  Well, I wouldn’t care if he did or not.

  The return flight to Earth was quick and as mundane as space travel could get. I went up to Mir Stadium once every couple of months whenever I could afford it, and always found money to make the trip when Dorsh was playing. I loved getting off Earth, even if it was only into orbit. But I knew I would never have enough money to visit another planet. Interstellar travel wasn’t in the cards for a low-paid lab assistant like me.

  I had a degree, and I was good at my job. From the exterior, my life looked fantastic, but there was something missing. All I had ever wanted to be was a mother. That would be enough for me. I longed for a baby with every fiber of my being but it looked like that wouldn’t be in the cards. You needed a man to help make the baby. I might never have a man again, not after what my ex did to me.

  After an uneventful landing, I took a car to my sister’s. I keyed in the coordinates on autopilot, as I replayed the moment of embarrassment in my mind. I couldn’t let it go. Why hadn’t I made a different choice and told Casey that I didn’t want to go up there? I realized now that I should have stood up to her.

  I always seemed to say yes to everyone, even when I shouldn’t. Everyone except the few guys who asked me out. There weren’t many, but when a guy did ask for a date, I usually came up with an excuse why I couldn’t go with him. The thought of dating again made me want to run screaming to my bed and hide under the covers.

/>   I hadn’t always been like this. But my ex had changed everything with his lies.

  The car stopped, and I got out at my sister’s place. I sent a quick message from my computer, then made my way to her door. She had it open before I arrived, holding Noah in one arm.

  She took one look at me and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, Sarah,” I said. “Um...I want to ask you something. Can I hold the baby?

  “Of course! You’ll be doing me a favor. I need two hands to make dinner.”

  “Jack should be helping you. When does he get home?”

  “He’s working late again tonight. This evening, it’s just you, me, and Noah.”

  “I see.” I smiled down at the tiny boy and felt the heavy feeling in my chest lift when I saw him smile. I was made for holding a baby. A child of my own was something I wanted more than anything else.

  Was it wrong if I just wanted to be a mother?

  I knew my desires were different than many of my friends. They thought women should have lofty goals and pursue careers and other things. But what they wanted wasn’t what I wanted, and I was honest enough to admit it to myself. I needed a tiny baby in my arms and a little hand to hold as we walked into a paraball game together. I wanted to clean off sticky faces and snuggle next to a warm little soul until they fell fast asleep.

  I didn’t think that was too much to ask. A nagging voice at the back of my mind said, that’s not exactly true.

  There was one more thing I wanted. It was the man that usually came along with the baby. I didn’t want to be a test tube mother. I wanted a family so I could enjoy the entire package.

  My sister and I separated when our parents died. We grew up in different homes, but now we were as close as two people could be. Right now she was giving me a look that said I should start spilling my guts.

  “What happened, Bethany?” Sarah was living up to her role as a big sister. She only used my full name when she wanted the truth, and wanted it immediately.

  “Nothing important.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t, but I know you’re upset, just the same. Don’t you want to tell me? I won’t pester you if you want to keep everything to yourself.”

  I cut her off. “No, it’s okay. A silly thing happened at the game today.”

  “The paraball game?” she said. “Between Dorsh and Earth?”

  “Yes. I went up there with Casey, and it was fantastic.” I tried to smile but felt my face fall.

  “I sense a ‘but’ coming somewhere around here.”

  “But then she wanted to introduce me to Odin Sobota.”

  Sarah let out a gasp. “The Odin Sobota? You’re talking about the paraball player, right? The hottest zero-gravity athlete in the galaxy?” She started to fan herself.

  “Yes, that one,” I said, waving my hands like I could brush aside her nonsense. “Casey took me up to him, and I swear it didn’t look like there was a line, Sarah.”

  She nodded her head. She had a sympathetic look on her face as if she knew where this story was going. I bounced Noah gently, turning away from Sarah so I wouldn’t have to look her in the eye.

  “But there was a line, and we cut in front of a bunch of people, and they were giving me dirty looks. Odin didn’t know what to do. I didn’t care about the people so much, but I was embarrassed in front of Odin.”

  “Oh no. So what did you and Casey do?”

  “I raced out of there as fast as I could. Casey wanted to wait, but I made a stupid excuse to get away, then messaged her that I was tired. I never went back.”

  “You saw the game, right?”

  “Eventually. I was thinking about what happened with Odin the entire time. It was a dumb situation, but I can’t stop thinking about how stupid I was and wishing that I hadn’t gone to see him in the first place.”

  “You’ve got to chill out, sweetie.”

  “I can’t help who I am. Sometimes I wish I was someone different.”

  I sat down on one of the chairs and gazed into my nephew’s eyes. Before I knew it, tears started to fall.

  “Beth?” Sarah came over to me. “What’s the matter?”

  “I see something that I’m never going to have,” I whispered. Sarah took the baby, and I covered my face with my hands. “You have Noah and Jack, but I’m never going to have a family. I don’t even remember the last time I had a date.”

  “You’ve had dates before, and you will have more in the future. Don’t talk like that.”

  I took my hands away from my face and wiped my eyes.

  “You know what he did. Men always lie to me.”

  Sarah looked at me patiently. In her eyes, I saw a faint echo of my pain as she searched for any words that would make me feel better.

  “Do you know what the worst thing is?” I was trying to control myself, but more tears splashed down my face.

  She shook her head.

  “I’ll never be able to have a family.” I looked at her holding the baby. Sarah was the picture of maternal bliss. The yearning almost suffocated me as I longed for a small, sweet child of my own to hold in my arms. “And it’s the only thing I want.”

  “I’m sure there’s something we can do for you.” Her voice trailed off. “We’ll fix you up with someone.”

  “What are you talking about, Sarah? I’m not going on a blind date.”

  “You’re right. You’re not going on a blind date. I have something much better in mind for you. I have a friend who used their services and she’s very happily married.”

  “Sarah, what are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about skipping dating, Beth. There’s this marriage agency. Celestial Mates. It will be perfect.”

  “How can an arranged marriage be perfect? I won’t even know the guy.”

  Sarah frowned. “Do you want a baby without dating, or not?”

  I stared at her. Yes. I did.

  “I know you. Come on, let’s look them up. This is what you’ve been waiting for!”

  I didn’t know if it was something I had been waiting for, but it gave me a sliver of hope. Maybe that would be enough.

  Chapter Two

  ODIN

  On the shuttle back from Earth, I tried to relax and focus my mind. An image of the quiet brunette Casey sought to introduce to me popped into my head. It was too bad she hadn’t returned.

  I wondered if she was too embarrassed to come back after Casey cut in the line. I should have talked to her or gotten her contact information. She was cute and looked a lot more fun than the fans who had been waiting patiently to get my autograph. I supposed Casey could get us in touch with each other if I wanted to meet her. She was just a random Earth woman, right? She shouldn’t be a big deal.

  But I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  I needed to focus. Another paraball game was coming up in less than two weeks. Space travel between Earth and Dorsh took three days, only leaving eleven days for practice. Next month our team was headed into the playoffs. Our defense was solid, our offense was killer, and we had the best player, me. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m the best at what I do. I put in the most hours at the gym, in the zero gravity chamber, and on the court. You don’t rise to the top of any field if you slack off.

  Unfortunately, on the ride back home there were limited opportunities to train. I got in a few gym workouts, but I was forced to take some time off.

  It would have been easier to relax if Kasiel hadn’t been calling me at least two times a day. Her voice was always purring through the computer as she tried to convince me to take her back. I didn’t know what I had ever seen in her. I couldn’t imagine that I had ever found her attractive or interesting.

  In retrospect, I realized she had put on an act when we first met. When I found out what she was really like, I dropped her as quickly as I could. I had overheard her talking to a friend on her computer, saying that she had snagged me and that I was famous and rich. She had only wanted me for my status as an athlete. The bitch didn�
��t care about me at all.

  Now she was in my life again. She had already contacted me three times this month, trying to get back together with me. One time she even showed up outside the paraball game against the Susohnnan team, trying to get into the family and friends box. She screamed at security, insisting that she was my girlfriend.

  Fortunately, no one gets inside without a pass from an athlete, so they hadn’t let her in. Her behavior crossed the line from jilted to obsessive. I wondered if I needed to get a restraining order.

  I had never had a real girlfriend. Kasiel was the longest relationship, and she was only four days. I don’t know why she thought we were exclusive. I went on a date here, had a one-night stand, flirted, and fucked.

  Finding an escort to professional functions was easy. That was enough for me. I didn’t need a girlfriend or a wife. I liked my freedom, and I liked having the bed to myself.

  In fact, I had never brought my one-night stands back to my place because I wanted to be able to leave and go home. That way I could sleep alone. I wasn’t lonely. I liked my carefree lifestyle. Nothing was going to change it.

  I felt like I was going to throw up. “I think you’re going to have to repeat yourself. What did Kasiel say, Loki?”

  “Pay attention to me this time.” Loki, my public relations agent, sounded urgent as his voice barked out of the communications unit. I instinctively pulled my head back and moved the speaker away from me. His shouting was starting to hurt my ears. “She’s claiming that you knocked her up and forced her to have an abortion.”

  “So what? Anyone can make up a lie, and it’s easy to prove she’s not telling a truth. Make her submit to a medical scan.”

  “I wasn’t finished yet.”

  “What more could there be?”

  Loki dropped his voice. The volume change warned me that something bad was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for what he said next.

  “She claims she saw you taking erythropoietin.”