Love Is Alien

Chapter 6: The First Ally

Wyatt ignored Gwen for the rest of their walk to the obstacle course.

I'll never say it out loud, but the lady has a valid point. First things first, I need to wrangle Eve.

As they stepped through the double doors together, they saw a small figure sprawled out in the middle of the floor. He rushed over as Eve popped up.

"Wyatt!"

Some things never change

, crossed his mind as he quickly examined Eve for injury. "Are you hurt?"

An amused chuckle escaped Gwen's lips without her permission. Throwing her hand up to block the sound, the two didn't seem to notice her mirth.

Eve has him wrapped around her little finger, but she's just as much his -- it's sweet.

"No. I had a feeling the board would take you away again, so I staged a little protest," Eve replied and kissed him passionately.

Wyatt let out muffled laughter and grinned. "We'll need to make a deal if I am to fulfill this morning's promise."

With any luck, they'll see our arrangement isn't unhealthy, as odd as it may be.

"I trust you," Eve told him and gave him another kiss.

He turned with Eve securely between his arms to address Gwen. "She'll run the course for you if you let me spend the night with her."

Gwen gave him a sly look. "Alright, wait a minute." She picked up her phone from the lanyard around her neck and dialed the Director's extension. Relaying the message, she nodded. "You have their word. If Eve runs the course, at least three times, you can stay the night."

Eve squealed with glee. Wyatt kept a straight face but internally jumped for joy. They allowed themselves a moment to celebrate, and then Eve separated to take her place at the starting line.

As Gwen and Wyatt watched, Eve took off like a bullet. Scaling the rope wall, she struggled several times as she climbed but descended with ease. Next, she hopped through the tire section, finding a rhythm to the course.

"Go, Eve!" He cheered, hoping to ease any doubts she might have.

Hearing Wyatt, Eve tripped and fell flat on her face.

Ouch!

"Sorry, lovely! I'll stay quiet!"

Eve waved at him as if to say, don't worry about it while she ran to the next part consisting of a rope swing. The swing made her gain confidence as the breeze from her movement whipped at her raven hair. Drops of sweat began to appear on her amethyst skin, proving her effort. She swayed through the remaining Monkeybars as if born in the air, landing with the agility of a cat. "There, how'd I do?"

"Not bad at all," Wyatt called as he and Gwen appeared to congratulate Eve.

As they patted her on the back, her eyes narrowed as Gwen neared Wyatt. "Find your own mate," Eve hissed.

Gwen stepped back and put her hands up in surrender.

With as serious a tone as he could manage, he tilted Eve's head up to capture her attention. "Eve... lovely, Gwen isn't interested in me. Even if she did like me, I'm here for you as long as you want me -- and the board allows it."

A bit ashamed of herself, Eve squirmed under his gaze. "I understand," she muttered, only just getting a handle on the idea. "I take back what I said. As long as you don't want him, we don't have a problem."

Gwen looked terrified. Opening her mouth to speak, she found she couldn't.

"Ok, lovely, stop torturing the poor woman. Let's start your second run. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can reward you." Wyatt gave her an encouraging smile and a kiss on the cheek.

Eve let out a slight whine but returned to the starting point.

"Well, you just saved my life," Gwen whispered, still pretty scared.

He gave Gwen an imperceptible nod. "She's learning, but her aggression toward others needs work to put it nicely." His low voice remained loud enough for Gwen to hear but not Eve.

Gwen shuffled her feet, feeling anxious. "Should I do something differently?"

"No, I'll talk to her," Wyatt waved to Eve, and in her excitement, she tripped but caught herself before falling. He bit his tongue to keep from laughing.

How am I going to prepare you for the world, Eve? Maybe the better question is how do I prepare the world for you?

Having completed her second run, Eve jogged over to them. A bit winded but otherwise fine, she fidgeted close to him with a pained looked etched across her face. "I want a kiss so bad, but I'm gross!"

Laughing, he stepped up to Eve and wrapped his arms snugly around her. "I'd kiss you no matter what you're covered in," Wyatt teased. A man of his word, he lifted her with a hand on her ass into a full-body kiss.

Eve melded her body to his, and for a few seconds, they both forgot they had an audience. Gwen blushed while shuffling her feet until they finally broke apart. Sheepishly, Wyatt turned his gaze to the floor and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hm, I should do the last run. I don't think I'll hold out much longer," Eve purred, taking his blush as a compliment. Smiling like a cat that ate the canary, she wiggled in his embrace to move his hands along her curves.

Once Eve jogged away, Gwen whispered, "I'm starting to see why you can't do your job without sleeping with Eve. I think it took all her self-control not to rip your clothes off."

Wyatt lost it. He bent over laughing so hard he started crying.

From Eve's position on top of the rope wall, she spotted Wyatt doubled over and panicked. Launching herself off the wall, she landed and sprinted through the rest of the course without a second thought. As she crossed the finish line, she didn't stop until she reached Wyatt. "What's wrong?!"

Hearing Eve, Wyatt's eyes grew wide, and he stood up feeling embarrassed. "Nothing's wrong. Gwen made a hilarious observation, and I laughed so hard I lost my breath a little."

"Don't scare me like that," Eve swatted his chest but pulled him closer by his lab coat anyway.

"Eve, how would you like to meet the Director in charge of your project?" Gwen tried for cheery, but only half succeeded.

This woman is scary smart. I'll do anything to stay on her good side.

"Do you think it's a good idea, Wyatt?" Eve asked, unsure if she should meet someone with such power. She studied his perfect lips and sighed, knowing she would have to wait even longer.

"You can explain our case to the Director far better than I ever could. By the way, lovely, you did amazing on that last run." He beamed as the three of them headed out of the gym and into the hall.

Eve clenched and unclenched the hand, not holding his.

I remember Wyatt telling me about her. What can I say to convince her -- I don't understand!

Catching the conflict on Eve's face, he stopped for a moment. Gwen took a few extra steps ahead to give them privacy and took out her phone. He took Eve in his arms as he leaned down to rest his lips against her ear. "You'll do fine -- don't worry. Just be yourself. Keep in mind this woman can end our relationship. Honey will get you more than vinegar."

Eve nodded her understanding as all three of them entered the conference room with Gwen leading the way. Director Stone looked up from her tablet and, upon seeing them, put it right back down. "Is this the infamous Eve?"

"Yes," Eve answered, now clutching Wyatt's hand with both of hers.

Susan Stone dismissed Gwen with a wave of the hand as she studied the humanoid alien before her. "I hear you've done well with your lessons, and your physical activity report from your runs is well above average."

Eve is far more robust and faster than the average human, but I'm not going to tell her that.

Eve beamed and loosened her grip some on Wyatt. "Thank you, Director. Is there anything else?" Anxious to get her reward, Eve gave Wyatt a lustful look.

"One moment, please," the Director held up a foreboding finger. "Can you tell me why you won't do anything without Dr. Thornton?"

"The answer is personal, Director." Eve's voice dropped uncharacteristically. Wyatt shot her a surprised look, and she shrugged.

Frowning, the Director thought for a minute. "Why did you initiate sex with Dr. Thornton the first day you joined us?"

"We as a people are sexually adventurous. I wanted to have sex with Dr. Thornton as soon as I saw him, so I did. Knowing what I know now, I realize he treated me kindly and without malice. Over the past week, our bond has developed into something different, and I trust him. I hate to tell you, but I'm as well behaved as our species tends to be in the sexual department."

Wyatt and the Director stayed quiet as they digested everything Eve revealed. He squeezed her hand gratefully with a small tentative smile.

I'm probably crazy for hoping, but I'm going to anyway.