“A test? What kind of test?”
“There are tests we can do to determine if you are compatible with the three of us,” Tem told her. “Simple things, really—if only you’ll agree, my Lady.”
“My name is Terra,” Terra said, realizing she hadn’t offered it to them when they were introducing themselves. “And what do we have to do? I mean, is it some kind of written personality test to see if we all, uh, match?”
She was thinking of the myriad of questions the dating apps all asked to try and match you to the right person. Though she couldn’t for the life of her imagine how she would match with three such very different men. They might all belong to the same “colony” but it was clear they had extremely dissimilar personalities.
So far Tem seemed to be the peaceful, sweet one—she was already charmed by his good manners. V’rone, on the other hand, appeared to be one of those uber-masculine types. Terra didn’t know him well enough to label him a jerk, but she was only a hair away from it—his intensity was kind of scary, which put her off.
As for Rive, the “Brain” of their group, he was the quietest but also very intriguing to Terra. She had always had a thing for smart guys, though it remained to be seen if Rive’s silence was due to shyness or an aloof feeling of superiority which a lot of very intelligent men seemed to carry around with them like a shield.
Don’t be silly, she scolded herself. Like you’re going to spend enough time with them to find out if Tem is as sweet as he seems or if V’rone is really a jerk or if Rive is shy or superior. They’re too young for you and you’re not ready for a new relationship—especially not one with three men at once—men you don’t even know! That’s just crazy.
“This test is not written—it has nothing to do with writing or reading or anything cerebral at all,” Tem said, breaking her train of thought. “It’s purely physical.”
“Physical? Uh…maybe you’d better explain it to me before I make up my mind,” Terra said cautiously.
“It is actually quite simple—we call it the Touch-test,” Rive said, speaking up again. “You must touch each of us in turn and see if you feel a spark of attraction.”
“Touch you where exactly?” Terra demanded. She couldn’t help it—her eyes slipped down to the crotches of their tight leather trousers. Every single one of them looked like they were packing an anaconda in their pants—no way was she going there.
Rive shrugged, as if the question was unimportant.
“Anywhere you like. Hand…arm…face—anyplace with exposed skin will work. Then the four of us will all hold hands and see if the attraction grows.”
Well, it seemed simple enough. And if it would get them to realize that she wasn’t the one for them, it was worth it in Terra’s opinion.
“All right,” she said at last. “And if I do this, uh, ‘Touch-test’ then you’ll leave me alone?”
“It’s our hope that the Touch-test will prove to you that you belong to us, my Lady, and that you won’t want us to leave you alone,” Tem said softly.
“I’m sorry, Tem, but that’s not going to happen,” Terra told him firmly, though she had to admit she felt a little flutter of excitement somewhere deep inside at the idea of touching each one of the hot, muscular alien men.
“But will you just try, my Lady?” he pleaded. “Please—we have been waiting so very long for our Queen.”
“Well…I guess it can’t hurt. How do I start?” Terra raised her eyebrows as she got off the bench and stood in front of him. She was glad she was wearing a respectable looking business suit with a blazer that covered her chest because her nipples suddenly felt tight under the white silk blouse and lace bra she was wearing.
“Just…touch me.” The longing in the blue warrior’s voice was unmistakable and the way he looked at her made Terra’s stomach do a little flip-flop.
“Um, all right.”
He was still kneeling before her, though he was so tall they were almost at eye level. Tentatively, she reached out and cupped his cheek in one palm. She could feel the roughness of his stubble and the warmth of his skin but there was something else as well—something that felt like a tiny tingle of electricity flowing between the two of them. It didn’t hurt but it felt very strange and it seemed to do odd things to her body—like making her nipples tight and achy.
“Oh!” she gasped and jerked her hand away.
“You felt it, didn’t you? As I did,” Tem murmured, never moving from his kneeling position. “Oh, my Lady…”
“I, um, I’m not sure what I felt,” Terra said uneasily. “But maybe we should stop now.”