Alien Tango

chance I had to get to you in time was to give myself an overdose of adrenaline that would most likely kill me.”
    I reared back and stared at him. “You were willing to kill yourself?”
    “To save you? Yes.” His expression was dead serious. I figured ACE had to have known what the real drug reactions would be, so he’d been testing Martini. That wouldn’t go against what ACE felt was the prime directive, after all—Martini still had free will to decide what to do. I sent a thank you thought to ACE; I was pretty sure he’d hear it, though he might not let me know all the time.
    “I love you, Jeff.”
    Martini smiled. “I love you, too, baby. Now, let’s get cleaned up so I can rub sunscreen all over you.” I laughed and he grinned. “Oh, and, just to settle this now, we’re honeymooning in Cabo.”
    “You do know how to close a deal, don’t you?”
    He kissed me, then gave me an extra signing bonus.

CHAPTER 73
    “NONE OF THESE PEOPLE REALLY remember you,” Martini said in a low voice, as we slow danced to, finally, a song from the nineties, “How do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes. I was thankful they hadn’t played this the night before. “And most of the ones who do just sort of remember you, and Brian, as blurred images. Half of them think I went to school with you, too. Why?”
    “We haven’t seen each other for ten years. I remember Sheila, Amy, and Chuckie because I still see them and keep in touch with them. I mean, come on, Christopher had to tell me who Brian was, and Brian was more important to me than any other person currently in this room.”
    “I don’t understand it.”
    “I know, baby. But this is what it’s like for humans. I didn’t expect anything more. It’s okay, I’m having fun with you and Brian and Serene.”
    “Will your college reunion be like this?”
    “Maybe better. Keep in mind, Chuckie and I went to A.S.U. together, both majored in Business, and graduated the same year.”
    “He’s coming to our wedding. Like seeing him at the reunion would be worse?”
    “From what you both said, you two see each other all the time.”
    “Yeah, can’t wait for when we have to pull you in, which I’m sure he’ll insist on immediately.”
    “Maybe.” Chuckie hadn’t called me in for six months, after all. Which was proof he’d known what was going on and who I was involved with. And this was another reason he really was an awesome guy—he’d given me time to make the choice about Martini without outside pressure. Not that I was going to share a positive thought about Chuckie with Martini right now. We were having a good time, and I wanted to keep it that way. “It won’t matter.”
    The song finished, and the next one the deejay chose was “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks. Martini grinned. “Better make sure.” He swung me into a dance that was like the tango, only faster and sexier. Almost like the one Brian and I had done a long time ago, similar to the one I’d done with Chuckie the night before, but still unique, and far more erotic.
    I was in his arms, my chest tight against his, when the dance and the song ended. “What was that?” I was ready to go over the edge, and I knew Martini could tell, by the smile on his face.
    “How we tango, alien-style. It’s adaptable to any beat.”
    Another song came on. “Angel” by Aerosmith. “Can we do it to this song?”
    “Anything you want, I’ll do.” Martini kissed me, then led me again through the alien tango. All night long.

Coming in April 2011
The third novel in the Alien series from
Gini Koch

ALIEN IN THE FAMILY

Read on for a sneak preview
    CALIENTE BASE WAS THE SMALLEST of all the U.S. Centaurion strongholds. Located just outside Pueblo Caliente, Arizona, it was originally supposed to merely provide a safe access for Centaurion personnel into Arizona, which had a lot of activity.
    Until about six months prior, when I’d sort of led a second generation A-C uprising, declared the younger A-Cs who were of age to be political refugees, and had the U.S. government annex Caliente Base as the home base for our refugees. My way with people is legendary.
    This had worked out better than it sounds, since Christopher’s father, Richard White, the A-C Sovereign Pontifex and therefore reigning religious leader of their large and extended clan had, it turned out, been looking for a smooth political way to allow inter-species marriages, based on my firmly held belief it was going to be better for both humans