Distant Desires: Part 3 Read online

  DISTANT DESIRES

  An erotic tale from beyond the stars

  Sophie Perez has never believed the stuff she reads online about possible life in space. Aliens are for the movies, for the weirdoes, and they most definitely are not real.

  One night on the way home from a late shift at work, her car breaks down. Stranded on the side of a country road, with a dead cell phone, doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.

  Until strange neon lights appear in the sky. She thinks it is her imagination.

  When an inexplicable circular ship appears overhead, she can’t deny what’s clearly right in front of her. Especially when moments later, she’s taken onto the ship, a human hostage among those who are most definitely not human.

  About to become a human guinea pig, possibly worse, the last thing she ever expects is to like the things these otherworldly beings subject her to. In fact, it is unlike anything she’s ever experienced.

  Will Sophie find her way back to her planet, or will she beg to stay where her pleasure is literally out of this world?

  DISTANT DESIRES PART THREE

  Copyright © 2014 CAMBRIA HEBERT

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Published by: Cambria Hebert Books, LLC

  http://www.cambriahebert.com

  Interior design and typesetting by Sharon Kay

  Cover design by MAE I DESIGN

  Edited by Cassie McCown

  Copyright 2014 by Cambria Hebert

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

  business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Other books by Cambria Hebert

  Heven and Hell Series

  Before

  Masquerade

  Between

  Charade

  Bewitched

  Tirade

  Beneath

  Renegade

  Heven & Hell Anthology

  Death Escorts

  Recalled

  Charmed

  Take It Off

  Torch

  Tease

  Tempt

  Text

  Tipsy

  Tricks

  Tattoo

  Tryst

  Distant Desires

  Part Three

  the conclusion

  by Cambria Hebert

  Table of Contents

  Contents

  the talk

  the choice

  the sex

  the relationship

  the visitor

  the unexpected

  the lie

  the friendship

  the bacon

  the confrontation

  the birth

  the end

  the talk

  I

  opened the door, preparing myself for whatever was about to happen. It was hard to prepare for this kind of conversation, especially knowing the kind of reaction Matt had the first time I told him I was pregnant.

  I sorely wished Tarek hadn’t taken his memory.

  Of course, maybe it was better this way.

  Better for Matt, because I could handle the conversation better this time. Now that he had seen Tarek and I knew Tarek was somewhat in the picture, I could say so. It would save Matt from offering to claim this baby and save me from having to tell him no.

  “Hey,” Matt said from the other side of the door. His eyes searched mine and swept over my face. His hazel irises were green tonight, reminding me of moss growing up the side of a mature tree. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Yeah,” I said, feeling the weight of his stare in the center of my chest. Part of me was sad, so incredibly sad. I’d crushed after Matt for a long time, so long he was the one I wanted, the guy I thought I’d never have.

  And now he wanted me.

  Only it was too late.

  I stepped back and he came inside with the familiar swagger that made all the ladies stare. It was startling when I realized he wasn’t wearing his usual preppy attire. He was wearing a white ribbed tank and a pair of loose gym shorts.

  It was totally distracting. Tattoos covered the majority of his arms, winding around his strong biceps and climbing up over his shoulders. The tattoo on his right shoulder stretched out near his chest.

  “You changed clothes,” was all I could manage, still unable to pull my eyes away from the tattoos he kept covered at work.

  “I spilled beer all over my clothes before I left so I just threw on what I had in my gym bag,” he explained, looking at me. I knew instantly when he saw the baby bump.

  His eyes dropped down, moved back up, then swiftly dropped back down to do a double take.

  “Sophie.” His voice was laced with disbelief and confusion.

  “I have been avoiding you lately, Matt,” I said, starting out with what I already knew he thought. My hand went to my belly and I took a deep breath. “But it’s because I haven’t wanted to hurt you.”

  He didn’t say a word, just stared at my rounded stomach.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  He seemed shell-shocked, so much so that he sank down on the sofa, leaning his elbows forward to rest on his knees.

  “I know,” I said softly, coming to sit beside him. He didn’t shy away from my closeness, and that was a good thing. “Trust me, I was just as shocked.”

  His eyes slid over to mine. “How long have you known?”

  “Remember that night you came over? When I was sick and you brought me food?”

  Light dawned in the depths of his eyes. “You weren’t sick.”

  “Well, yeah, I was,” I said, not wanting him to think I was a total liar (though wasn’t I?). “But it was kind of like morning sickness, the kind that lasts all day. I found out the next day.”

  He rubbed a hand over his face and blew out a breath. “I thought you were avoiding me because you were…” He glanced at me again. “Ah, hell,” he muttered, embarrassed.

  I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable for the way he felt about me or assuming I had felt the same, because I had.

  Before Tarek.

  I put a hand on his arm. He looked down at it. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t avoid you because I was scared to be with you. You don’t scare me.”

  The corner of his mouth tilted up. “Even with my rep?”

  “Well, you are a ladies’ man.” I teased.

  He fell silent. “I waited too long,” he whispered and lifted his eyes to mine. “With you.”

  “Matt,” I said, pulling my hand back as this achy feeling encompassed my chest. Almost like on a day so cold and windy it made it hard to breathe.

  “How far along are you?” he asked, dropping his hands down between his legs and clasping his fingers. I wanted to lay my head on his shoulder. I felt like we needed to comfort each other about what would never be.

  “A little over four months.”

  “The guy from the bar tonight,” he said.

  I nodded. “He’s the father. His name is Tarek.”

  “What the hell kind of name is that?” he grumbled.

  “It’s unique, just like him,” I said, wondering where he was right now and what kind of talk he was having with the other Sapiens that came for him.

  “Is he British or something?” he asked. “What’s up with that accent?”

  I stifled a laugh. “Something,” I said vaguely.

  “So is he…?” He paused and cleared his throat. “Is
he gonna be around for you? For the kid?” Matt sneaked a glance at my stomach.

  “Yes,” I answered, my stomach twisting just a bit as I thought of before when he offered to be there for me and the baby. “He’s a good guy.” I finished, praying to God Tarek wouldn’t prove me wrong.

  It didn’t escape my consciousness that he never answered the question I’d asked—if he was going to try and take my son from me.

  “Why am I just hearing about this guy?” Matt asked and stood up to pace around the other side of the coffee table.

  I had to think a second. I wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, we were sort of casual at first. Off and on,” I said. “But since I told him about the baby, he’s been there for me.”

  Matt stopped his pacing and stood before me, looking down. “Sophie, if you don’t want to be with him…” Vulnerability shone in his stare. “If you don’t have feelings for him—”

  I held up my hand, not wanting him to say it. “I do.”

  Matt was silent for long moments, like the fact I had feelings for another man bothered him. “My timing sucks,” he said somewhat sheepishly. He started to walk away, across the room.

  I couldn’t take the pain in my chest anymore. I stood up and grabbed his hand. “Your timing was perfect,” I said. “It’s just that our timing isn’t very good.”

  “I should have kissed you sooner,” he rasped, his fingers tightening around my hand. “Then this guy wouldn’t have had a chance with you.”

  My, he was confident.

  And before Tarek, I would have agreed. No guy would have had a chance against Matt. But Tarek was different.

  I belong to you. I heard his words like an echo in my head, like a vibration in my heart.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered to Matt, turning away.

  Still holding my hand, he yanked me back. I stumbled a bit and fell into his chest. His arms came around me. In between us was my baby.

  His lips swooped down on mine, capturing them in an aggressive kiss. An angry and passionate kiss. I was caught off guard at the amount of emotion I felt in that brief touch of our lips.

  I say brief because one moment he was crushing me against him, and the next he was flying across the room and hitting the wall. Beside him a picture fell to the floor, the glass making a sharp cracking sound.

  I shrieked and watched him slide down the wall, slightly disoriented.

  “Matt!” I said, starting to move toward him when a rush of warm energy stopped me.

  I swung around at the familiar feeling. Tarek was standing in the open front doorway, his eyes flashing, looking like an angry stormy sky.

  the choice

  I

  was caught. Standing between two men, knowing Tarek would take it wrong if I rushed to Matt’s side, but wanting to be sure he was okay.

  I stared at Tarek for a few moments. His eyes were hard when he stared back. It kind of made me angry. I wasn’t doing anything wrong, not really.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have been kissing Matt, but technically, he kissed me. Tarek told me not to let him touch me, but who was he to boss me around? We weren’t together; there was no promise between us.

  Matt made a sound and I made a split second decision and rushed across the room to him and grabbed his arm, helping him stand. “Are you okay?” I worried.

  “Geez, man,” Matt said, looking at Tarek, who had moved farther into the room. Then his eyes narrowed. “How the hell did you do that?”

  Great. The last thing I needed was Matt being all suspicious of Tarek.

  “Why are you here?” Tarek asked, offering no explanation. He acted as if he didn’t owe one.

  “He came to talk,” I answered for him, trying to will Tarek to understand with my eyes. “I told him about the baby, about our baby.”

  “After what just happened, I wonder what the hell kind of father he’s going to be,” Matt said, his voice taking on a hard edge as he straightened and drew up to his full height.

  “So you accept that this is my child?” Tarek asked, completely ignoring the insult.

  “Sophie doesn’t lie,” Matt replied.

  “Then you must know there is no room in her life for you.”

  I gasped and stepped forward. “Tarek!”

  Matt shook his head. “Possessive and jealous.”

  I crossed the room to stand before Tarek. “Matt is my friend. We’ve been friends for years. Just because you and I…” I faltered. I didn’t know what to say. I decided to skip that part. “Me being pregnant doesn’t change the fact that Matt and I are friends.”

  Tarek’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t like him.”

  Behind me, Matt snorted. “I don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings about you either.”

  I sighed. Men are idiots.

  “You don’t have to like him. I do. End of story.”

  Tarek regarded me for a long moment. “Okay.”

  I wasn’t really prepared for him to just give in. “Okay?” I asked.

  He nodded and reached for my hand. I wasn’t sure if it was some kind of ploy to show Matt that I was his or if he genuinely wanted to touch me. Before giving over my hand to him, I studied his face, searching for the answer, looking to see some kind of motive behind his action.

  I didn’t see anything there. There was no gleam of spite, no hard edge of jealousy. And he stared at me openly. His eyes weren’t shuttered in the least.

  He waited for me to make up my mind about him, leaving his arm outstretched and his hand in an open invitation. I couldn’t say no. I wasn’t able to deny myself the pleasure of his touch, the simple act of holding hands. I wanted him too much for that. I felt too much for him for that.

  When my fingers slid between his, closing around him and linking us together, I thought I saw the merest sigh of relief behind the purple depths of his gaze. Even after I surrendered my touch, he didn’t look at Matt. He didn’t smile in victory. His eyes stayed with me.

  Like I was the only person in the room.

  Perhaps to him, I was.

  Warmth and energy flowed through me, making me feel full inside.

  Behind us, Matt cleared his throat. “I should probably go.”

  I turned, not letting go of Tarek. “Matt,” I began, not sure what else to say. I was standing here in the middle of them, and it occurred to me that I had just made a choice. Maybe it hadn’t been intentional, and maybe it had.

  But, either way, I’d chosen.

  I was with Tarek, whatever that meant for me. He wasn’t the safe choice. Hell, he probably wasn’t the right choice, but he was my choice.

  “It’s okay, Soph,” Matt said, his eyes sweeping over me in a way that soothed the worst of my guilt. “You have a baby to think about now.”

  I pulled my hand free and trailed after him as Matt went to the door. He stopped and turned before leaving and gave me a little smile. “If you need anything, you know where to call,” he said softly.

  My eyes watered with unexpected tears. “I do,” I replied with a nod. I didn’t want to give him the whole “can we still be friends” speech because I didn’t feel like I had the right to ask. It seemed like the rest of our relationship—whatever that may be—was going to be up to him.

  “I’m still here for ya, Soph,” he said, brushing some hair back behind my ear. It made my breath catch. Behind us, Tarek said nothing, and I was grateful he was letting me have this moment. “Still friends, right?” Matt asked, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

  I sniffled. “Definitely.”

  He gave me a quick grin and yanked open the door. Matt didn’t glance back at Tarek as he left the apartment. I just stood there near the empty doorway, wondering if I made the right choice.

  In front of me, the door slowly swung shut, latching fully, and then the echo of a turning lock brought me out of my turbulent thoughts.

  I spun and looked at Tarek. “You’re telekinetic, right?”

  Either that or I was freaking insane.

  He nodded.


  I placed a hand over my stomach, wondering if this baby would be too.

  “I didn’t expect you to come back so soon,” I said.

  “This is where I belong now,” he answered simply.

  “Tell me what happened while you were gone,” I implored. Tell me what the others like you wanted.

  “After,” he replied.

  There was a clear question in my eyes at his word.

  “There’s something I need to do first,” Tarek said and then closed the distance between us.

  the sex

  I

  knew we needed to talk. But as Tarek reached out and pulled me close, I realized something about him.

  Tarek was a less talk, more action kind of guy.

  Who was I to complain?

  His touch was like one of those giant pink erasers I had in kindergarten; it totally erased everything on the page. He made me feel like nothing else mattered when we touched, that he was the only person in my entire universe.

  I liked the feeling; never had I ever known such complete bliss.

  Tarek’s very long, pale, and smooth hands cupped my face, turning it up so he could stare down at me. “When I was gone, I only thought about touching you.”

  “I thought about you too,” I told him, not because it was the correct thing to answer, but because it was true.

  He frowned, his thoughts turned inward. I could almost see his concentration leaving my face. But then he refocused and said, “I’ve never wanted to touch anyone before. I’ve never missed the presence of someone when they weren’t at my side.” He swallowed, a pained expression crossing his remarkable features.

  One of his hands slid away from my face to reach for mine. He brought it up between us and laid my palm flat against his chest.

  “I felt this sort of hollowness,” he said, pressing my hand against him. “Right here.” He looked up at me, like he was trying to understand, like he wanted me to explain it to him.

  How the hell could I explain something like that when I could barely breathe?