Wanted: Handsome Alien Abductor by Myra Nour Page A

stopped to sit in a small park, since the stores were closed. There was a gazebo and kids running around their parents. It was as if they'd transported back to the 1950's.
    Amber mentioned this observation to Ryja and they discussed the world as it'd been in a more innocent age. Malt shops, girls in pony tails, bobby socks, and boys with pompadour hairdos. How the “bad boys” smoked cigarettes and drove hot rods. How parents told their children to be home by dark and never worried about perverts.
    They talked about different aspects of the 50's, even the bad, like discrimination. But scattered throughout their discussions Amber began to notice a pattern in Ryja's questions.
    When they observed how people had more children in the past, Ryja asked, “Do you have any siblings?"
    She didn't, and a thoughtful look came on his face after she answered. Later, she mentioned how moms stayed home and the dads worked. Ryja slipped in with, “Are your parents still together?"
    "They both died in a car accident before I graduated college."
    "I'm sorry."
    She could tell he was, but also that a concentrated look came over his face again. Probably she wouldn't have noticed, but he asked her other questions as well, brilliantly couched in conversational observations.
    He might as well have asked her if anyone would miss her if she disappeared. It was a subtle unasked question, yet Amber figured it out anyway. Was he planning on kidnapping her? A chill ran through her. She glanced sideways at him while he watched two children playing tag.
    No, that didn't make sense. Everything she'd learned about this strange, fascinating man pointed to an honorable character. Sitting on a park bench surrounded by a nice representation of the human race, Amber realized a great truth. She loved an alien. A man from a far away world. It had been there for days, seething just below the surface, but she kept pushing it down into her unconscious.
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Chapter Ten
    Sensible Amber wouldn't let herself believe until that moment she could fall so quickly. But then, Ryja was everything she could have hoped for in a real list of partner qualities, not the sarcastic one she'd thought up in her hotel room.
    She blushed. Ryja fit that list as well, as silly as it seemed at the time. He was handsome like a Viking warrior, loved history, enjoyed captive fantasies, and was an alien. Amber smiled. Somehow the fates knew she'd be a good fit with this hunky alien. Ah, now she realized what number five should be—for the man to be intelligent. Ryja definitely fit that bill, even though he was almost childlike in his joy of exploration.
    Or, perhaps it wasn't fate, but Stanley. Of course Ryja had explained how the pink psychic slug searched for his perfect match. If, somehow, this all worked out, she would have to thank Stanley. He'd invaded her mind during her tirade at the hotel, but just this once she would forgive him.
    Would this work out? She didn't know. They hadn't even finished their ten dates yet. They had not made love a second time. Ryja hadn't made a declaration of love either. Amber sighed. Was she making too much out of her curiosity?
    "Tired?"
    "A little.” Amber really wasn't, but she was confused. Later, after they crawled into bed she wondered if it'd just been her imagination, or her own love that sprang to life demanding recognition.
    Each date was torture and excitement combined. Every date was romantic in its own way and built memories she would cherish. Her heart raced as she thought about tomorrow. He was taking her to Paris, the most romantic city in the world.
    The next morning they dressed in dress pants, paired with and athletic shoes. Though not sure of the agenda, Amber was positive it would include a lot of walking. Ryja looked handsome in his Polo shirt. It clung to his muscular chest and his biceps popped below the short sleeves. She felt pretty in her blue blouse and saw by Ryja's look he thought so too. Amber