Page 81 of The Pilot

“I love you too. Come on. Let’s get you fed so you can go read that new alien romance book you downloaded.”

“You don’t think I’m weird for liking that genre?” she asked.

“Nope. Don’t give a shit what you read, as long as it’s relaxing for you. And as long as you enjoy it.”

“Cool. Because it’s so good! It’s book three in a series where six women have been kidnapped from Earth and rescued from the bad aliens who wanted to sell them in an auction. But now they’re trapped on another alien planet, where they were all separated and are trying to find each other . . . with the help of the big, hunky male aliens whose long-buried instincts are triggered and they realize the female humans are actually their fated mates.”

“Sounds good,” Linc said.

Harper was surprised to realize he wasn’t patronizing her. “They are,” she said firmly. “The women are like, ‘Dude, slow your roll because I’m freaking out. I have no idea where I am and there are five-legged lionlike things trying to kill me.’”

Linc chuckled. “Yeah, I can see why they’d be less than excited about the alien guys wanting to shag.”

“Shag?” Harper said, giggling.

“Yup. And I’m assuming their tails can do some freaky stuff.”

“Of course they can.”

“Right. So . . . food, bath, book, then sleep. Work in the morning for you, and then I’ll see if I can manage to get creative, and be just as good or better as aliens with tails.”

Harper loved this. Loved being able to talk about things she enjoyed with another adult. And not be mocked for it. She was more than tits and ass, which was all she’d ever felt she was in New York. She was judged for her looks and only her looks. No one had cared about whether or not she had a brain in her head.

Being with Linc was refreshing, and it made her regret how much of her life she’d wasted in the city. Thank God she was done caring what others thought. She was living her life the way she wanted. With the man she loved, and enjoying each and every day.

There was no guarantee of happiness in life. You had to take each day as it came. Because you never knew when things could change. Harper was aware of that more than a lot of people. For now, she was deliriously happy, and she was determined to do whatever she needed in order to stay that way.

Chapter Seventeen

“We’re going to die out here!”

Kash did his best not to roll his eyes at Ginger’s dramatics. He, for one, was actually relieved. Ultimately, Donny and his friends had dropped them off at their current location and left. And that sucked. But all they really had to do now was wait to be found.

However, Ginger was acting as if they’d been left on an island with man-eating dinosaurs or something. Of course, their situation wasn’t great . . . but it could’ve been worse. A lot worse.

Scott had driven them to a run-down dock way outside Rockville. Kash had no idea where it was, and Ginger wasn’t any help, because all she’d done was cry and beg Donny to let her go.

During the drive, he’d watched as Donny used his phone to text Brad, telling him that he was puking his guts out and wouldn’t be able to go to Portland. He’d asked him to tell their club adviser, so they wouldn’t wait for him after school.

Then he’d used Ginger’s phone to text her friend, Heather. Basically telling her the same thing. That she was sick and couldn’t come over for the weekend anymore.

But the thing that hurt the most was when Donny smirked and told Kash that he’d text his mom later, to let her know everything was good and how well the robotics competition was going.

Kash had to give Donny points, he’d thought this out pretty well. And it would probably work. For a couple of days. Until Sunday came around, and he didn’t show up back at school. Until Ginger didn’t come home from her friend’s house. Then people would start to wonder.

Would the police think they were runaways? That Kash couldn’t handle the bullying and had just fled? Would they think the same of Ginger? That she’d run away? He highly doubted anyone would think they ran away together . . . that was, if they even connected the dots that they’d disappeared at the same time.

All he knew for sure was that he only needed to hang on for a little while, and then surely people would come looking for them.

The first thing Kash had noticed when Donny shoved him out of the car was a motorboat, tied up to the little dock. There were no houses around, no one who could’ve witnessed what was happening and wondered what was up. It was the end of March. And cold. No one in their right mind would be taking a tiny boat like the one at the dock out onto the water at this time of year.

Donny had grabbed Kash’s arm and Owen took hold of Ginger, and they force-marched them down to the dock. They were shoved into the boat, and Owen started the engine while Donny sat on the seat, grinning at him and Ginger, who were left to sit on the bottom of the boat.

Scott untied them and said he’d be waiting when they got back. Then Owen had gunned the engine, and they flew over the water.

The ride was freezing, and Kash had leaned down to try to stay out of the wind. He hadn’t watched where they were going, simply attempted to preserve whatever warmth he could and tried to brace for what was to come.

It took forever for them to get where they were going. How long exactly, Kash had no idea, but at least an hour or more. When the boat slowed, Kash had glanced up to see another tiny dock. Everywhere else he looked, there was only water—except for straight in front of them. He’d assumed they’d reached one of the many islands around Rockville, but had no clue which one.