Touched by an Alien

didn’t hit the ground. “I hate it when you do that,” Martini said as his arms wrapped around me.
    “I’ll keep it in mind. Should you be standing on this stuff?”
    “Probably not.” He shifted me to one arm, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pulled my torso toward him and kissed me. “God, I love it when you do that.”
    “Focus. Spray the parts.” I did my best not to grind against his hip, but escaping death was something of a turn-on.
    He grinned but did what he’d been told to do. He sprayed my purse, too, then handed it to me and sprayed the bottom. “Guess that thing’s wrecked.”
    “Hardly. It’s cheap leather remember? It survives everything.”
    “Okay, all the parts are gone.”
    I looked down. “Jeff? Your shoes are starting to smoke.”
    He moved, and we were back to hyperspeed. He stopped the moment we were away from the Killer’s remains. He let me down and then dropped to his knees. “I don’t feel so good.”
    I grabbed an aerosol and sprayed the bottoms of his shoes. They stopped smoking. “It didn’t get through the soles. I think you’re okay.” He was leaning, his hands on his thighs, head down, panting. “Jeff? Are you okay?”
    “Overstrained.”
    “I’m not that heavy.”
    “No, you’re not. I’ve just pushed it well past my normal limits today.”
    My walkie crackled again. “Kitty, James found the last parasite,” Claudia informed me. “It was dead, but he sprayed it until it dissolved.”
    I dug the walkie out. Nothing inside was wet or even damp. I loved my purse. “Does that mean we can get out of here?”
    “On our way to pick you up,” Christopher replied. “Just stay where you are.”
    “No worries there,” Martini said. I stroked his head, and he leaned into my stomach. “Ouch. Can you put your gun away?”
    I tossed it into my purse and leaned his head back against me. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I rubbed the back of his neck. “He said it wasn’t over.”
    “I know. But it’s over for right now, and you learn to take the break when you get it.” He moved my shirt up and kissed my stomach.
    “Jeff, they’ll be here in a second.” Not that I actually wanted him to stop, but I didn’t think this was the place to get intimate.
    “Mmmm, right.” He ran his tongue around my navel and then slid my shirt back down. “Fine, I’ll behave.”
    “Nah,” I said as I moved his head and bent down to kiss him. “I like you just like you are.”
    The SUV pulled up next to us a few minutes later, and Christopher and Reader got out. “Jeff, is this really the right place?” Christopher sounded exasperated.
    “He’s exhausted.”
    “What she said,” Martini added, head back to resting against my stomach.
    Reader grinned, and Christopher rolled his eyes. They got on either side of Martini and hauled him into the front seat of the SUV. I crawled into the back, and they got in on either side of me. We started off. “What about the rest of the supplies?”
    “Already moved them to our vehicle,” Tim told me. “Took care of it while you were auditioning for Cirque de Soleil.”
    “She got my vote,” Martini said, head leaned back. He sounded as though he was going to collapse.
    Christopher spoke into his walkie. “We need medical ready for Jeff as soon as we get back. Standard procedures.”
    “Already waiting,” Gower replied. “How’s everybody else?” I could hear the fear lurking in his voice.
    “No one bothered to let him know James was okay?”
    “Been a bit busy,” Christopher snapped.
    Reader laughed. “I already talked to him.” He spoke into his walkie. “Everyone’s fine, Paul. I don’t want to go into a sauna for a long time, though.”
    “Where are the girls?”
    “They’re being taken back to Home Base. All the jets are going with them.” Christopher spoke into the walkie again. “We need massive cleanup out here. It’s unreal. Parts of it are definitely toxic.”
    “Roger that, Commander,” a voice I didn’t recognize replied. “We have our top disposal teams en route. They’ll be there before sunset, so plenty of time to set up. We’ll get it cleared overnight.”
    “Good luck with that.” Christopher shook his head. “If they can get it done before morning, it’ll be a miracle.”
    “Does it matter if they don’t?”
    “Only if Mephistopheles comes back,” he replied tersely.
    I thought about it. “He won’t. He’s scared.”
    “Of what?”
    “Of Kitty,” Reader