As Vair’s powerful arms closed around me, drawing me against his muscular body, my breathing turned fast and irregular. I could feel his warmth, smell his clean masculine scent, and a wave of heat spread through me, making my inner muscles tighten with need.

Shocked and embarrassed by the potency of my reaction, I attempted to pull away, splaying my palms on Vair’s chest to keep him at a distance. “Wait, I’m not good at dancing—”

“You don’t need to be.” He smiled down at me, ignoring my weak attempts to push him away. “I’ll lead.”

“But—”

“Just relax, darling,” he murmured, beginning to move to the pulsing beat. The steely muscles in his chest flexed under my fingertips, and his thigh brushed against my legs, causing my heartbeat to spike. “Isn’t this what you came for?”

I drew in a shaky breath, my mind racing as I stared up at his dark, sensual gaze. No, I wanted to scream. No, it wasn’t.

“I just wanted to see how things were,” I whispered instead, hoping the half-truth wouldn’t get me kicked out. My voice sounded breathless, as if I’d sprinted a mile. “I’d never seen one of you in person, and I was curious, like I told you…”

“Ah, yes, that infamous curiosity of yours.” His smile took on a mocking edge. “You do know what this place is for, don’t you, little human?”

I moistened my lower lip, willing my frantic heartbeat to slow. “Of course. But I’d like to just observe this first time. I hope it’s not a problem.” If it was, I’d have to leave, as I had no intention of sleeping with anyone to get a story.

I wasn’t that dedicated to my career.

At my response, Vair’s eyes darkened, and the smile faded from his lips. “I see.”

I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept his hold on me, leaving me no choice but to move with him to the music. His hands were gentle on my waist, yet every time I tried to pull away, his grip tightened, making it clear he wasn’t quite ready to let me go. After a couple of attempts to discreetly extricate myself from his embrace, I gave up, not wanting to cause a scene.

Just a dance, I told myself. It’s only a dance. I was fine with a dance if he didn’t insist on anything more—and he didn’t seem inclined to, for now at least. He held me at a careful distance, close enough for me to be acutely aware of his warm, muscular body, but not so close that I’d be plastered against him. A couple of times, I thought I felt something hard brush against my belly, but I couldn’t be sure as the contact was brief.

Still, the idea that it could’ve been his erection—that he wanted me like that—was nearly as exciting as it was scary.

Article. Focus on the article, Amy. “So, Vair, tell me a little bit about yourself.” I kept my gaze locked on his face, hoping that talking would distract me from the growing ache in my core. “What made you decide to come to Earth?”

He smiled, his eyes gleaming. “I was bored.”

“Bored?” I hadn’t expected that. “Why?”

“Because I ran out of ways to amuse myself on Krina. I require a lot of amusement, you see.”

I wet my lips again. I had a feeling we were once more venturing into dangerous territory. “What did you do on Krina? Professionally, I mean?” Did the Ks even have jobs? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a safer topic than whatever it was Vair did to “amuse” himself.

“Professionally?” His smile turned sardonic. “Not much. Or too much. Depends on your perspective, I guess.”

“Oh.” I stared at him, puzzled. “You mean you changed your career?”

“You could call it that.” He laughed softly, looking down at me. “What about you, little human? What is it that you do… professionally?”

“I’m a grad student,” I lied. “I’m getting my Master’s in English Literature.”

“Your Master’s?” He lifted his eyebrows.

I felt myself flushing for some reason. “It’s an advanced degree one gets after college,” I explained, unsure if Vair was messing with me or if he was genuinely unfamiliar with the term. “One step above a Bachelor’s degree.”

“Ah, okay.” His eyes glittered as he shifted his grip on me, his hands moving lower to rest on my hips. “One step above a bachelor. I get it.”

He was messing with me. “Yes, that’s right,” I said smoothly, trying to ignore the fact that his large palms were essentially on my ass. “What kind of degrees do you guys have? Do you have college and such?”

He shook his head. “No, we don’t. We learn throughout our lives.”

“But how do you train for work?” I persisted. “Surely you’re not born knowing how to do everything. And what about math, science, history? How do you learn all that?”

“You are a curious little creature.” He regarded me with a strange half-smile. “You want to know everything about us, don’t you?”

“Of course.” I gave him a bright smile. “Who wouldn’t?”

“Most humans who come here,” he murmured, looking at me. “Nearly all of them, in fact. They’re interested in only one thing—and that thing has nothing to do with our educational system.”

“I guess I’m an exception then,” I said, my heart jumping at the odd intensity in his gaze. Was it possible he suspected me for some reason? “I’ve always loved learning about other cultures—the more exotic, the better.”

He laughed softly and stopped, letting me go. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, I saw that we were standing in front of one of the bars. Somehow Vair had maneuvered us there without my noticing.

“A drink?” he asked, reaching for a glass filled with a purple liquid.

I hesitated. “What is it? Wine?”

“No, just a special type of fruit juice mixed with mild alcohol. It’s safe for human consumption.”

I considered that for a moment, then accepted the drink from him, trying not to react when I felt his fingers brush against my own. But I couldn’t control a slight hitch in my breathing, and I saw the corners of his lips lift in a knowing smile.

Vair could sense the impact he had on me, and he was obviously enjoying it.

Seeking to hide my discomfort, I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip. My taste buds exploded at the sweet yet zesty flavor. I could feel the bite of the alcohol, but it was too subtle to detract from the unusual taste of the juice. “What fruit is this made from?” I asked, and Vair grinned at me, sipping his own drink.

“You wouldn’t recognize the name if I told you. It’s a plant we brought from Krina.”

“Oh, wow.” I tried the drink again, attempting to memorize the complex flavor so I could describe it in my article later. It made my mouth tingle and my throat feel warm, though that could’ve been from the alcohol. A part of me wondered if I should’ve been more careful about trying an exotic drink—or drinking with Vair in general—but I could see other humans in the club holding similar glasses, and it would’ve been suspicious if I’d refused to so much as take a sip.

Especially given my act as a party girl interested in all things Krinar.

Casting a quick glance around the room, I spotted Jay dancing on the other side. This time, in addition to the K Barbie—Shira—there was a male Krinar there. The three of them were grinding against each other, and the expression on Jay’s face left no doubt that my friend was in seventh heaven, his earlier worries gone.

“Are you involved with him?” Vair stepped in front of me, blocking my line of vision. His tone was casual, but there was an odd expression on his face. “With that pretty boy human?”

I blinked. “With Jay? No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “We’ve just never connected on that level, I guess.”

I’d met Jay during our internship at the newspaper, and gotten to know him better when we’d both ended up working there full-time after college. For some reason, Jay—who did his best to have sex with anything that moved—had never tried to hook up with me, and as time passed, I’d found myself soliciting his advice on everything from vacation destinations to boyfriend troubles. In return, I’d lent a sympathetic ear whenever he’d needed to gripe about his overachieving family, and offered him a woman’s perspective on clinging one-night stands. Over time, we’d become surprisingly close friends—and all without the attraction that typically accompanied such male-female relationships.

“That’s good,” Vair murmured, placing his empty glass on a nearby table. “I’m glad to hear that.”

I, finishing my own drink, nearly choked on the sweet liquid. There was something almost possessive in the way Vair was looking at me. His stare spoke of heated male intent and something more.

Something that disturbed me greatly.

Placing my drink on the bar table, I gave him a cautious smile and took a couple of steps back. “Thank you for the drink and the dance, but I think I have to get going now.” My voice sounded steady, even as my heart hammered in my throat. “It’s getting late, and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

“I thought you were a student.” Vair stepped closer, ignoring my obvious desire to maintain a distance between us. “Getting your Master’s, isn’t that right?”

I swallowed. “Yes, of course. I just meant that I have a lot of work to do on my thesis.” Shit. He did suspect something—or else he simply enjoyed toying with me, making me nervous. Either way, I needed to get Jay and get out of here.

I was starting to have a bad feeling about all this.

“I don’t think your friend is quite ready to leave,” Vair said, glancing at Jay—who was happily sandwiched between the Barbie and the male Krinar. “In fact, I’m pretty sure he’d prefer to stay.” Vair’s voice was filled with amusement, but his eyes gleamed darkly as he turned his attention back to me and said softly, “You should stay as well, darling—learn some more about us.”

I opened my mouth to decline his offer, but at that moment, the lights dimmed further and the music changed, becoming twice as loud. I could no longer see my friend on the other side of the room; the dark red glow barely allowed me to discern Vair’s features, and he was standing right in front of me.

“Wait—” I began, unnerved by the sudden change of atmosphere, but Vair was already pulling me into his arms again and maneuvering us back into the dancing crowd.