Invasive Species Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  About the Author

  Look for More Titles by Cassandra Chandler

  Invasive Species

  The Department of Homeworld Security

  Book Eight

  Cassandra Chandler

  Copyright Page

  You are a good person! You know that stealing is wrong. Remember, eBooks can’t be shared or given away. It’s against copyright law. So don’t download books you haven’t paid for or upload books in ways other people can access for free. That would be stealing.

  And you’re better than that.

  This book is pure fiction. All characters, places, names, and events are products of the author’s imagination or used solely in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any people, places, things, or events that have ever existed or will ever exist is entirely coincidental.

  Invasive Species

  The Department of Homeworld Security, Book Eight

  Copyright © 2017 by Cassandra Chandler

  ISBN: 978-1-945702-28-0

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, transmitted, or reproduced in any manner or form without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews.

  First eBook edition: March 2018

  cassandra-chandler.com

  P.O. Box 91

  Mission, Kansas 66201

  Dedication

  For everyone who has dreamt of the stars.

  Don’t miss out on any of the alien action.

  Subscribe to Cassandra Chandler’s newsletter now!

  Chapter One

  “This was a mistake.”

  The bartender pointed at the beer in front of Kyle. “That’s the drink you ordered, buddy.”

  “No, I was talking to myself,” Kyle said.

  The bartender shrugged and walked away.

  “And now I really am talking to myself.”

  Kyle looked over at the group of friends who had insisted he join them on their trip to the bar. Supposedly, Mitch was feeling down after his most recent breakup and needed moral support. Watching him chat up every woman who passed his table made Kyle wonder if that had been a ruse. Mitch had once said, “The more beefcake in the window, the more customers stop by to shop.”

  Kyle picked up his drink and turned toward the mass of people dancing or playing pool or just trying to get from one place to the other in the packed room. His skin crawled.

  Mitch wasn’t exaggerating about Kyle’s beefcake status. Navigating the thick group was going to be a pain in the ass just based on his sheer size. The messenger bag Kyle always carried would only make things worse. It wouldn’t be easy to avoid bumping into people with the narrow spaces they were leaving between each other.

  He watched the patterns of movement in the crowd, weaving in and out among them with only minor jostling and quite a few muttered apologies until he reached a corner that was a little quieter than the rest of the place. A couch filled the area, with a low coffee table in front of it.

  Unfortunately, the couch wasn’t empty. An auburn-haired woman glanced up at him from the book she was reading.

  He looked at the cover—a sleek spacecraft on a star field with two familiar characters’ faces superimposed in front of it all. Maybe not “unfortunately”.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi.” She smiled, her amber-brown eyes crinkling a little as if she really meant it.

  He glanced around, unsure of what to say. “I don’t mean to interrupt. If you’re at a really good part, I can go.”

  “A really good part?”

  He gestured toward the book. “You’re going old-school. It’s a special experience.”

  She laughed. “True. But I hate to send you back into that morass of humanity after you fought so hard to escape.”

  “I appreciate your compassion.” As soon as he could, he would head home for some peace and quiet.

  After he talked to the intriguing redhead.

  “How can you read with all this noise and…chaos?” he asked.

  “I have seven younger brothers and sisters. You learn.”

  “Wow, I can’t even imagine.” When she arched an eyebrow at him, he added, “Only child.”

  “There were days I dreamt of that. Not many, though. My siblings are cool.”

  He looked around at the empty seats, and said, “Are any of them here with you?”

  “No, I’m with…” She looked around, then sat up a little straighter. “Hang on.”

  Kyle caught a glimpse of a dragon on the bookmark she tucked into her book before setting it on the table. She pulled out her phone and read something that made her let out a little snorting laugh.

  “Apparently, I’m with a bunch of bailers who left an hour ago and didn’t bother to tell me because ‘I was busy reading’.” She picked her book up again and leaned back. “If they wanted me to pay attention to them, they shouldn’t have scheduled this outing on a release day.”

  Kyle scoffed. “I’m missing book club for this.”

  That same eyebrow arched on her forehead as she looked him up and down. He let out a sigh.

  “No, I wasn’t the High School quarterback, and yes, I do love to read. This ridiculous growth spurt,” he gestured to his torso, “happened in college. It’s genetic—according to my mother, who has a PhD in genetics—and it drives me crazy.”

  “How you must suffer from your amazing physique and movie star good looks.”

  He tried to ignore the sparks that crackled down his spine at her words. “Amazing, huh?”

  She let out another snorting laugh. “This is a really bad pick-up ploy.”

  “I just wanted to get away from the crowd. When I came over here, I couldn’t even see you. I wasn’t trying to pick you up.”

  “Sure.”

  “But after talking to you…”

  She smirked. “My mastery of sarcasm and choice in mentally stimulating pastimes has captured your interest?”

  “That and your choice in authors. I set my alarm for midnight so I could wake up and read that book as soon as it downloaded.”

  This time, she all-out laughed. “You read Sci-fi Romance?”

  “I call it ‘space opera’ to avoid annoying conversations. And I read everything.” He waved his hand toward her book, and said, “Don’t think I didn’t notice that High Fantasy style dragon bookmark you’re using. I know another genre-hopper when I see one.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to look at him for the first time. At his face, mostly, which was a relief.

  “The only reason I’m here is because I already finished it,” he said. “I had to see how the author resolved the missing space station and find out whether Daphne and Boreal would find each other again.”

  “But it wasn’t resolved. They found the space station, but Daphne wasn’t there.”

  He lifted his glass. “And that is why this beverage has alcohol in it. It’s going to be a long wait for the next book.”

  She laughed again, but the edge to it was gone. Then she scooted over on the couch to make room for him.

  “Thanks.” He sat next to her, and said, “I’m Kyle, by the way.”

  “Tracey.”

  He leaned forward to look at her book again. “If you’re only half-way through the book, how do you know about the space station? We d
idn’t see what happened to it till close to the end.”

  “Second read-through. You weren’t the only one up at midnight reading a digital copy. Then I ran to my favorite bookstore as soon as it opened to get a paper version.”

  “That is dedication.”

  “Yeah. I bet you read yours on your phone at the gym.”

  He pulled off his bag and set it on the table, then reached inside and pulled out his pristine print copy of the book. “I was saving it to read tonight, but my friends dragged me here.”

  “What’s that?” She pointed at the table.

  His heart seemed to stutter, before it started pounding. “That’s my autoinjector.”

  He grabbed it, then turned it over in his hands, making sure it hadn’t been damaged when it rolled out of his bag. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t even noticed it. There were about seven hours till he needed his next dose, but after the last time he’d been late… He never wanted to go through that agony again.

  “You allergic to peanuts or something?” she said.

  Kyle placed the injector back in his bag and made sure it was sealed tight. “More like the planet. Ever read H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds?”

  “Yikes. You seem a lot nicer than those invading Martians.”

  “Thanks.” He let the word drip with sarcasm, since it seemed to be her native language.

  “On behalf of Earth, we welcome you,” she said. “And your allergies. As long as you’re not, you know… Trying to take over the planet.”

  “That isn’t on my agenda for tonight.” He leaned back against the couch, grinning at her as their banter put him at ease.

  A super-cute bookworm who knew classic Scifi as well as modern. He might not be after the planet, but he was seriously interested in the “Earthling” in front of him. This was the most fun he’d ever had flirting. How long could they keep up the jokes about him being an alien?

  ‘I wish,’ he thought. ‘It would explain a lot.’

  “Next time you’re sucked into an outing on a release day, you should download the audio version,” she said. “You can enjoy your book with headphones while you pretend you’re at least sort of listening to the conversation.”

  It took him a minute to remember what they’d been talking about. When he did, he sat back, struck by how much more tolerable that would make gatherings like this in the future. “That is a great idea. I can’t believe I never thought of it.”

  “Like I said, lots of siblings. You come up with coping mechanisms.”

  “When I came over here, I didn’t mean to interrupt your reading. But…”

  “But now that we’re talking…” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You don’t really want to stop.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Me either.”

  He didn’t try to mask his grin as he held up his copy of the book. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

  Chapter Two

  Tracey slammed Kyle against the wall just to the side of the door to her apartment, devouring his mouth with hers. Okay, maybe she didn’t slam him exactly, but she shoved him pretty hard, and he played along with it.

  She’d untucked his shirt from his pants…maybe somewhere in the stairwell. Which was good, because she wanted to touch more of him.

  His abs were rock hard—along with other parts of his anatomy. She ran her hands under his shirt, up to his chest. His pecs were just as toned.

  Damn, she’d never hooked up with a guy this hot before. And he was a bookworm.

  This might be love…

  She moved her mouth to his neck, biting and sucking on his skin as she explored the arcs and valleys of his back with her fingertips. The coarse stubble on his cheeks and chin scraped against her face, along with the softer hair of his sideburns. She imagined it scraping her breasts, her stomach, the insides of her thighs…

  He needed to be naked. They both did.

  He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back so he could land a crushing kiss against her mouth. His tongue stole her breath, dominating and demanding.

  As he spun them around, he lifted her by her ass, pinning her to the wall a lot more effectively than she’d tried to do with him earlier. It helped that he’d lined up their hips, letting gravity settle her perfectly against him.

  His dick was pressed tight to her core, making her core clench with need. She dug her fingers into his back to let out some of the tension building in her body.

  He let out a little grunt as he turned his attention to her neck. Between his kisses and bites, he said, “Where are your keys?”

  “In my bag. I’ll get them.”

  He made a sound that was half growl, half moan as he let her slide down his body. Tracey turned toward the door, digging through her mini-backpack purse. The keys were barely in her hand when Kyle grabbed her hips and pulled her back against him, grinding against her ass.

  She let out a moan. Her hands were shaking. Why the hell were her hands shaking? He was just a guy.

  Just a smart, funny, gorgeous, amazing guy who seems as into me as I’m into him and—Oh my God, what is he doing to my neck now?

  He’d started up some sort of suction action that was more stimulating than any necking she’d ever been part of. And the swirling with his tongue…

  She fumbled with her keys against the lock, her fingers losing the battle to communicate with her brain as her body sent shockwaves of pleasure battering against her thought processes. His huge, strong hand in her hair, his hot lips against her neck, his dick thrusting against her, giving her a hint of what would happen as soon as the damn door would open.

  Her core was already pulsing. Every little shift in her legs as he thrust against her made her tight jeans rub against her clit with delicious pressure. She wasn’t sure she’d make it inside without climaxing.

  “Kyle.”

  He tightened his grip on her hair and raked his teeth lightly against her neck. But he used his free hand to grip her shaking wrist and help steady her enough to unlock the door. She let out a breath when the mechanism clicked.

  Then he dropped his hand to the front of her jeans, pressing the heel of his palm against her clit and his fingers tight to her core.

  “Oh God!” She fell against the door to her apartment, sparks skittering across her vision, body alight with pleasure that exploded from everywhere.

  He kept thrusting, sucking, pressing, pulling as the fireworks continued. Her neck, her core, even her scalp screamed at her to get naked now and draw this amazing man into her.

  This is how he can make me feel with all our clothes on…

  Just as the climax ebbed, he turned the doorknob and opened the door. She half-fell into her apartment, but he held onto her, guiding their descent as he landed on top of her in the entryway.

  Hurray for carpet.

  The door slammed behind them, then his weight pressed more firmly against her. He must have kicked it shut or something.

  She didn’t care that her keys were still in the lock or that they were about to have sex in her foyer. She just wanted this. More of it. More of him.

  He squeezed her ass, pulling her hips against his as he thrust against her.

  “Too many clothes,” she said.

  “You get your jeans. I’ll get a condom.”

  “Right. Condoms.”

  Shit. She’d been more than a little carried away. Normally, she was the one who brought up protection.

  Kyle rolled off of her and yanked his messenger bag over his head. She kicked off her shoes as he started digging through it. With a frustrated grunt, he dumped it on the floor. Books and notebooks scattered across the carpet. There were little bits of paper sticking out of them and the edges were worn from use. And so many different colored pens…

  Part of her had wondered if the bookworm thing was a ruse, even after their amazing several-hours-long conversation. He looked like a jock, with his short-cropped dark hair, square jaw, and massive physique.

 
; She really needed to give some thought to her biases. Later.

  He found the box he was looking for and tore it open. She managed to keep herself from saying, “Yay!” that he had so many condoms. There were many things she wanted to do… But she’d need to get out of her jeans first.

  The fastener stuck, but she managed it and the zipper. Shimmying out of them wasn’t going to be the sexiest thing ever, though. He must have seen her distress, because he grabbed the waistband, peeling them down her legs for her and tossing them aside.

  “Thanks, that was—” Her train of thought derailed. He’d already opened his own jeans and… “Oh, wow.”

  How was she going to manage that huge dick? Sure, she was more worked up than she’d ever been, but there were still limits. He was already unrolling the condom over it. Technically, that was all the clothing they needed to remove, but if he was planning to just plow into her, that would be a problem.

  She could give him a blowjob while her body grew used to the idea of that pounding into her. The thought sent a jolt of pleasure straight to her core. She could even reach down and get herself warmed up. She’d been with guys who liked to watch that.

  When she reached for him, he grabbed her by the wrists and pushed her back down, laying on top of her again. It was hot and it was sexy and it was also not happening.

  “Kyle, there’s no way I’m ready for you.”

  “I know.” He raked his cheek against her neck, as if he’d noticed how much she liked his stubble in the hallway before. “But I’m way too ready for you. Just tell me if you want me to stop.”

  Stop what?

  His dick was pressed against her thigh, not poised to get things started. He was able to grasp both of her wrists in one of his hands, freeing his other. Another jolt of not-nearly-as-pleasant energy shot through her.

  “You’ll let me go if I ask you to, right?” she said.