older, his questions became odder. Eventually, I stopped going to him. I don’t like doctors. I haven’t been to one in years,” she said, raising her head to look him directly in his eyes. “I think I understand. If I were treated the way you were, I wouldn’t want to go to one either.” She flashed him a smile. “I can help you clean the dishes.” They made quick work of cleaning the kitchen. Nicolas seemed to find reasons to touch her. She smiled to herself and enjoyed the contact. “All clean. Would you take me back to get my car?” “Sure.” She followed him out of the kitchen. “Thank the person who lent me the clothes, I appreciate it.” “That was Rena. I’ll let her know. She likes to help.” She walked to his car feeling a little sad. “Thank you for helping me. I think I would’ve died if you hadn’t stopped them.” “You’re welcome, Janis.” She settled back into the upholstery of the car and took a deep breath, breathing in his scent. It calmed her, making her think life would be ok. “So what brought you to Earth? Did you come to simply rescue damsels in distress?” He gave a chuckle. It reached deep inside stirring her insides. How was she going to go back to her empty house? “I came here with my brothers. We wanted a new life. We hoped we could find one here.” “Have you? Found a new life, I mean.” “Yes, we have. Three of my brothers have found their mates. We have a business, homes, and a chance to live a relatively peaceful life.” “Is that all you want out of life?” She asked out of curiosity. “What more is there?” “Love, adventure, and beauty.” “Adventure plagues a life whether we realize it or not. Not all adventure is good. I know there will be no shortage of it. As far as love goes, I want it in my life. What about you? Do you want those things?” She nodded her head. “I know I have a rare illness that will never be solved, at least not in my life-time, but still I wish I could have those things and more. I would love adventure that didn’t include me needing to hide from others. As far as love, who doesn’t want someone special to have and to hold for better or worse? I know that’s not in my future and have accepted it. No children. No grandchildren. No one to remember my name when I’m no longer here. I won’t even be a foot-note on a page somewhere.” She blinked her eyes real fast. She hated this time of year. The dust was everywhere, attacking eyes and throats, clogging them up. The ringing of the phone disrupted the sadness she was falling into. He answered the phone making her smile. “Nicolas.” He agreed several times with whoever was on the other end before hanging up. “Janis, would you mind if I made a detour to my brother’s house first? He needs to see me.” “Will he be ok if I tag along?” “It will be fine.” “Ok.” She watched as they made a slight change in direction. He kept the car on the outskirts of the city until the area became as rural as his area. “How many brothers do you have?” “Five.” “Do you all live in rural areas?” “Yes, we like both the silence and the space.” “I guess it’s hard not letting people know you’re aliens.” “Not really. Actually several do people know. We just make sure they are the right people.” “Who would be the right people?” “People like you.” Janis sat back and closed her eyes. The image of Nicolas leaning over to kiss her blazed through her mind. Her lips tingled at the contact and her nipples hardened as she thought of him. She began to squirm in the seat at the thought of his mouth on her hardened nipple. The desire to reach out and run her hand over his hard thigh was making her fingers shake as she curled them tightly into her palm. “We’re here.” His voice pulled her out of her thoughts as exited the car in front of Aran’s house. He took her hand and led her to the porch. A shiver traveled