Cosmic Sex by Karen Kelley Page B

every time. Now she would have to admit who she really was.
    “We have companion units to see to our needs.”
    “Companion units?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.
    “They are mechanical men. It was the perfect solution. The companion units don’t argue or talk back, unlike what I’ve heard about the male of the species.”
    He snorted. “Us not argue or talk back? Your Elders have it all wrong.” Great, he was encouraging her again. He bet she was pretty good at interrogation.
    “But haven’t you argued that I’m not from another planet?”
    “That’s different.”
    He took the gun to the living room and stashed it away in a locked drawer. When he turned around, he noticed the floor lamp was back, minus his clothes.
    So maybe he couldn’t explain that, but he knew someone who could. He’d have Weldon look at her so-called phazer. Weldon worked for the police, and the man was a genius when it came to high-tech gadgets. He’d be able to tell Nick quick enough who’d made it.
    As he walked toward the bathroom, he wondered if she might have been in an accident—hit her head or something. It was possible. Maybe she wasn’t with the Russian mafia. She could have been a scientist and someone was trying to steal her invention and she’d been running away from them when she hurt herself. Hell, he’d grasp at any straw, but that one was really weak.
    But what if that was the correct explanation? If she had some form of amnesia, then she might even be married. Not good. The last time he’d been with a married woman, he’d almost gotten the crap beat out of him. She’d told him she was divorced. The ideal situation. He wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship and she only wanted a good time. When Hubby showed up, she’d smiled and said she’d meant “almost.”
    Women. He should wash his hands of the whole lot of them. He snorted. Find a planet with no women. He could have his own companion unit...
    He stumbled to a stop in the doorway of his bathroom.
    Jesus! What the hell had she done? There were puddles of water everywhere, along with foamy clouds of shaving cream. The lid was off his toothpaste and a runner of minty green stretched from one end of the counter to the other. Did she have some kind of masochistic streak? Was she getting back at him for not believing she was an alien?
    At least she’d left him a towel. He laid his clothes on the back of the toilet and jumped in the shower. He didn’t want to leave her alone too long. No telling what she’d do.
    When he was once again dressed, he went into the living room. He found Kia looking at his small collection of books. Thankfully, she was dressed in her black pants and top again. He didn’t know how much temptation he could handle. He was only human.
    She looked up when he came into the room. “What is this, Where The Red Fern Grows?”
    He could feel the heat rise up his face. Okay, so he liked dogs. No big deal. A lot of people liked them. “Just a book I read in school. I liked it.”
    She nodded.
    “I have to be at the station by nine. If you want to go, you can wait in the car. I shouldn’t be long.” He only had so much butt left the captain hadn’t already chewed. Besides, he had a feeling keeping an eye on her was a good idea and he couldn’t do it if she was alone in his apartment. “I don’t have anything to eat. We can stop at a Micky D’s for breakfast.”
    From the confused look on her face, he didn’t think she even knew what a McDonald’s was. His amnesia theory was starting to make a lot more sense. “I just have to get my wallet.”
    Nick hurried to the bedroom but there was a pop as he reached the place where his door used to be. His head smacked into a hard surface.
    His door was back.
    Great timing.
    He rubbed his forehead.
    “She is not an alien. She is not an alien,” he mumbled as he opened the door and grabbed his wallet off the dresser.
    On the way to the fast-food joint, he covertly observed her every