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Thanks to his secondary human form, he was far more accepted here on this planet than he’d ever been on Strazan, yet still he was alone and lonely.
Not that it was hard to get an Earth woman, they flocked to him even without him manipulating their minds and commanding them to do what he asked. The trouble was his influence leaked out of him like a balloon losing air, drawing women to him. The knowledge left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wanted someone who truly wanted him in return, without influence.
Still, it was something of a novelty to be liked. Heaven only knew he’d been snubbed from enough of the opposite sex on his own planet, despite his rare powers. Orange was a lower caste, rock-bottom, really. At least here on Earth his darker skin tone was considered normal. He could be who he wanted to be...though perhaps a haircut would improve that outlook.
So you’re still not quite at the top of the heap, even here.
He flinched, his steps faltering before he paused on the sidewalk, his dark emotions threatening to consume him.For fuck’s sake.What was he doing on Earth, anyway? He really wasn’t living here, he was barely even existing.
And what was the point ofthat?
Life was meant to be celebrated...to be lived. He was just going through the motions. He ate, drank and slept. Then he spent every waking moment evading the Dronians, the same enemy who had annihilated his species.
That he was only one of seven Strazanians left in the universe, all of whom had been saved explicitly because they were rares with unique powers, made his gut churn and his heart race, his skin too tight while his true, primary form wanted out.
He took a deep, pained breath and closed his eyes. He was wallowing in self-pity because his low caste coloring had seen him treated as less than an equal. And yet, thanks to his rare abilities, he’d been one of the very few Strazanians who’d been sent to Earth to continue his species existence.
For once, his coloring hadn’t meant a thing. Every Strazanian, including the blue-scaled elites, had been left behind on their planet, all but sacrificed because they weren’t rares. It hadn’t mattered to their people what skin-color any of them had, all that’d mattered was if they were a rare.
Giggle.
The tinkling, feminine laughter jerked him out of his introspection and sent a tingle up and down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
He twisted to follow the sound, suddenly aware he was standing in front of a car dealership with sedans and SUVs of all colors and sizes vying for his attention. Except, his attention was already claimed by the woman behind the glass walls of the dealership.
Her blood-red hair was caught up in a clip, her pale skin made even paler by her dark pencil skirt and navy blouse with its gold lettering on its pocket that announced her name.
Suzy.
He stood transfixed by her energy, her aura of magnetism. That she was laughing at something a balding, suited man said to her while she sat on the edge of a desk shouldn’t send a burn of something too close to jealousy through him. He didn’t even know this woman! Yet nothing could stop him from stepping toward the glass and chrome building.
Nothing could prevent him from meeting her.
*
Suzy Grant laughedfor the first time in way too long. Her single life wasn’t anywhere near as grand as she’d imagined it would be. Her loneliness was so great she was actually second-guessing her decision to leave her unfaithful ex.
She sobered.No.That was lunacy. What was loneliness compared to the constant fear of being cheated on again by an untrustworthy boyfriend? Better to be bored with life and its monotony than being a doormat.
She wasn’t over the hill yet, she was only thirty-seven, still young enough to find a man, fall in love and marry, and even have children.
Her manager cracked another joke, but this one fell on deaf ears. All she managed to give him was a half-hearted smile before he grimaced and headed back to his office, leaving her alone with her morose thoughts.
Her co-worker, Havana, was the only other saleslady in this section of the building, and she cast Suzy a long look and said, “I think Bran is really into you.”
Suzy snorted. The manager would flip a mannequin over his desk if he thought he could get away with it. “He’s just trying to cheer me up. Honestly, I think he feels sorry for me.”
Havana shrugged, clearly not ready to reassure her either way. “Whatever.” Her gaze swung to the glass walls and she let loose with a long, slow whistle. “Check out the hunk of spunk coming our way.” Tossing her platinum blonde ponytail behind her back, she wiggled her slender hips as she pulled the waistband of her skirt up higher, managing to better show off her pins.
Then the phone on Havana’s desk rang insistently and she glowered before she answered the call in her sweetest, saleslady voice.
Suzy tuned her co-worker out as she hurried toward the young man with his gorgeous afro hair. A sale with a side of flirtation might be just what the doctor ordered.
She pasted a sunny, bright smile on her face, swiping her suddenly damp hands on her ample hips and wishing for the slender figure she’d had in her youth. Either way, she’d never come close to competing with the stunning looks of her co-worker, Havana. She cleared her throat and focused on her sales pitch voice. “Welcome to Zimm’s new and used cars. How can I help you?”
The young man’s dark eyes seemed to see right through her, like he knew all her secrets, all her deepest, darkest desires.
She shivered, a round of goose bumps pebbling her arms.
