I would have downsized him, but….why? It’s a freakin’ hot cover and I love it. :giggle:
I wrote this story in 2003. It remains today one of my favorites. If you haven’t tried it yet, I hope you do now.
TRUE LIES by Jaci Burton
Available Now from Ellora’s Cave
Buy here
(Previously Released in the Mesmerized Anthology, now available as a single novella)
Mia Logan is a hypnotist with futuristic Earth’s Alien Crime Enforcement Unit. Her specialty—hypnotizing suspects into confessing their crimes. Ric is a M’Loran who hunts down alien criminals. Ric and Mia are hot on the trail of the notorious Vad, a ruthless killer who has escaped his Earth prison.
While hunting for Vad, Mia gives in to her secret desire for Ric and challenges that she can hypnotize him. Her ulterior motive – having the sexy M’Loran under her control.
Ric knows he can’t be hypnotized and lets Mia believe he’s under her control. He’s completely mesmerized by Mia without benefit of hypnosis and caters to every one of her sexual desires.
As their feelings escalate, so does their guilt about the lies they’ve told. The truth catches up to them at the same time they find Vad. They must fight to capture and subdue Vad, and face the truth about their feelings for each other.
Excerpt after the jump
“You’ll have to remove your clothes.”
Mia’s head shot up at Ric’s comment. “Excuse me?”
He motioned to her jumpsuit. “Naked. You can’t travel in clothing, they’ll burn up.”
Naked. Great. First she couldn’t pack anything, then she arrived at tunnel seven only to find this tube-like thing that she was supposed to travel light years through the galaxies in. And now she had to do it with her ass bared? “I don’t think so.”
Ric crossed his arms. “You have no choice. Either travel naked or die.”
Well, those were rather limiting choices, neither of which she cared for. This trip was becoming more and more dismal by the second.
“Fine. Let’s get naked then, and get our show on the road.” She grabbed the zipper, then noticed him just standing there watching. “Well? If I’ve gotta strip, so do you.”
He smirked. “I’m not undressing.”
“Why not?” Was this some kind of sexual come on? If so, she wasn’t in the mood.
“I’ll become gaseous in flight.”
Mia placed her hands on her hips. “Look, I don’t really care to hear about your intestinal problems with space flight. I have my own worries.”
He laughed then, rich, dark and tripping along her nerve endings. She resisted the urge to shiver at his husky tone.
“Not that kind of gas, filor. I will shift into gaseous state for the trip.”
Oh, shit, that’s right. M’Loran’s were shapeshifters. Where the hell had her brain gone today? “What’s filor mean?”
“Woman.”
“The name’s Mia and I already know my gender.”
“Time is of the essence here,” he continued, ignoring her. “Undress so I can cocoon you.”
She really hated her job some days. Grabbing the zipper of her jumpsuit, she yanked it down, stopping halfway. “Do you have to watch?”
His lips curved in a sensual smile. Her body reacted with puckering nipples. Traitorous damn female hormones.
“I will be placing you in the cocoon. I’ll see you completely naked then. It seems that your modesty is a little unwarranted, don’t you think?”
“Whatever, let’s just get this over with.” She unzipped the suit and stepped out of it, feeling exposed in more ways than she wanted to think about. His eyes roamed over her body as if he were assessing her in depth. She resisted the urge to cover herself and stood still, hands on her hips. “Look, M’Loran. Don’t get any funny ideas about having your way with me in my sleep, okay? Because I’ll know it if it happens.”
“Indeed, you certainly would,” he said, mirth evident in his laughing voice.
He directed her to a transparent, upright tube. She was no scientist so she didn’t have the slightest idea what the M’Lorans used for space travel. It looked like an old fashioned tanning bed to her. “You’re overly confident in your sexual abilities, aren’t you?”
“No. Just honest.”
“Quit staring at me. You might as well give up any notions that you’re going to fuck me, because it isn’t going to happen.”
“I don’t want to fuck you.”
“Good.” She slid into the chamber, but before he could close it she grabbed his wrist. “Why not?”
He tilted his head. “Why not what?”
“Why wouldn’t you want to fuck me?”
“You’re not my type. I’m going to close this now, and when I do—“
“You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet don’t you? And what do you mean I’m not your type?”
He leaned against the chamber. “Why do you care? You just said you weren’t going to fuck me.”
She shrugged and said, “Just curious, that’s all. I’m not repulsive, you know.”
“On M’Lora you would be.”
Wonderful. Now she was really looking forward to the trip. Would she have to be enshrouded in veils to hide her hideous face and body? “Why am I repulsive?”
“You’re not like our women. You’re too skinny. M’Loran men like their women to have some substance-curves, flesh, a little meat on them.”
“I don’t have time to eat much. I’m very busy,” she said in defense of her too-skinny body. Damn him for making her feel inadequate. She’d never cared before what men thought of her appearance, so why now?
“Perhaps on M’Lora you’ll eat better and add some curves. Although there’s no hope for your tits.”
He closed the door, shutting out the stream of curses she flung at him. No tits, indeed. Asshole. She flipped her middle finger in the universal sign of fuck you, but he smiled and waved his hand over the controls.