“Riley!”

Riley Parks glanced at her friend Henley calling from the third-floor balcony. “Ivy’s having a meltdown. We need you!” Henley gestured for her to hurry. “Meet you there!”

Riley watched her disappear through the doors leading to the royal apartment where her other friend Ivy lived with her mate. Things were crazy for Riley and her friends. Well, as crazy as it got visiting another planet with a matchmaker. She’d thought Gerri had lost her marbles when she said her friend Alivia was living in another galaxy with an alien shifter and invited Riley and Henley to go for a visit along with Ivy.

So far, Ivy had found her mate in the king of Galaxa. In the months they’d been on the planet, one thing had been clear: Ivy and Vander were made for each other. She wondered what was going on with the couple. Ivy’s husband must have pulled some sort of caveman crap now that Ivy’s belly bump was obvious to everyone. Since the moment he found out she was pregnant, he’d lost all reason. Not to mention his sense of humor.

A muffled crash jerked her attention to the corridor, and around the corner, she took a step and another clatter echoed in the dimly lit hall followed by a giggle. A hushed, yet distinctly female giggle.

Riley shook her head at the telltale noises. Closets and storage rooms on this side of the palace were worse than the on-call rooms on Grey’s Anatomy. All sex, all the time. Well, what did she expect? Galaxan men were horn dogs in the extreme. Of course, the men were all shifters, so their animal instincts didn’t help matters much. Not that she was complaining. What was any hot-blooded woman to do? They were very hot, very large shifters. Very large. As in all the right places with a capital L.

A hot flash took her and Riley sucked in a quick breath. She yanked on the front of her tank top and blew on her breasts. It was part weather and part sex in the air. Not to mention she was having the longest dry spell in the history of the world. The fact this side of the Galaxan planet was mostly sand and desert oasis made things even more ironic. She was surrounded by the sexiest men in three galaxies, no wonder her body was perpetually in heat. Yet, here she stood all by her lonesome listening through the walls to hot closet sex.

God, she really needed to get laid. Soon.

Another giggle followed the sound of a door opening and closing. She ducked behind a pillar and closed her eyes, issuing a silent prayer she wouldn’t get caught eavesdropping. At that point, a maid turned the corner, wearing a telling smile. She smoothed the front of her uniform and then hurried toward the back stairwell.

“Lucky bitch,” Riley muttered, sliding her eyes to see if the woman’s partner in crime followed. The last thing she needed was to be labeled some sort of auditory sex spy.

Closing her eyes, she exhaled. Sex spy. Gerri Wilder would get a kick out of that for sure. It had been months since the polished matchmaker brought her and her friends to Galaxa. Being here was still surreal, and the fact she, Ivy, and Henley were living and breathing on a distant shifter planet made Gerri’s description trip of a lifetime laughable.

Shifter planet. Yeah, another description that didn’t go far enough. She couldn’t turn around without bashing into one hotter than hell male or another. This place was off the chain sexy. She slumped against the pillar. Little mouse. That was what everyone had called her since she arrived. Not only because she was the smallest of her friends, but her voice managed to lock up whenever one of those hotter than hell shifters glanced her way. Especially Jag Kasaval. Prince of Galaxa.

“You’ve got to know what you want and grab it by the dick, Riley. This dreamy eye-fuck from afar you’ve got is getting you nowhere,” Gerri said calmly.

The matchmaker had a detailed set of ideas about sex and mates. Detailed and hot. From the top of her classy silver bob, to her polished stiletto heels, Gerri Wilder was class personified, so much so, you’d never suspect the woman’s mind was a triple X porn flick.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d better head back to Earth, Gerri. I’m not like Ivy or Henley. I don’t fit in here,” Riley said with a sigh.

Gerri poured herself a drink from the silver shaker on the tray on the sideboard. “Nonsense. You belong on Galaxa, Riley. Like Ivy and Henley. You asked me to find you a mate the first night we got here, don’t you remember? I do.”

Crap. She remembered that drunken request. “Come on, Gerri.”

“Do you think I let just anyone take an intergalactic leap with me? My transport system is proprietary and highly confidential, and I don’t offer accommodations to anyone unless I’m positive.”

“Positive about what?”

“You, for one,” Gerri responded. “You, Ivy, and Henley are as different as they come, but you all have very specific traits. Traits I look for in possible mates for my guys.” She smiled. “Galaxan men want women like you, Riley, and I’m not talking about what’s between your legs. They want brains and bravery along with rocking hot curves.”

“Bravery? Me? You know what they call me, right?” Riley shook her head.

“Again, nonsense.” The classy older woman tapped the toothpick with Spanish olives on the rim of her martini glass. “Do you know why I’m the only one on this entire planet enjoying a martini tonight?”

“No, but what has that to do—”

Gerri lifted her hand, cutting her off again. “What it has to do with is want. I wanted a martini, Riley. A dirty martini. A cloudy, salty, scorch my throat as it goes down, martini.” She angled her head. “It’s an acquired taste. Kind of like sucking a dick.”

The matchmaker paused, taking a sip from her glass. “I know what you need, girl, but in the middle of the night when your skin crawls with desire and all you’ve got is your tangled sheets and your handy-dandy dildo, what would you swap if you could?”

Riley burned from her chest up at the memory, and she blew on her tits again. Since they arrived months ago, Gerri had worked her matchmaker magic on Ivy. Now her friend was mated to the sexy, panty-melting shifter king of Galaxa with an ancient lion lurking inside giving him even more sex appeal. Not that he needed it. None of the shifter men on this planet needed help in the set your body to sizzle department. Not King Vander Kasaval and not the man Gerri had lined up for her. His brother. Jag.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Riley coughed to hide her embarrassment.

Gerri took a sip from her drink. “Of course, you do. You forget, I know when people are meant. Jag is meant for you. He asked me to find him a match, too, Riley.” Gerri stared at her pointedly. “You. He asked me to find you and you asked me to match you. I’ve brought you two together, and trust me, Jag will rock your world no matter what galaxy it’s in.”

“Trust you?” Riley scoffed. “Trust me! He calls me little mouse, Gerri!”

She eyed Riley with a spreading smile. “Then it’s about time we taught the mouse to roar.”

Footsteps brought her back from her memories, and with a quick inhale, she stepped from her hiding place and started along the hall again. She’d never live it down if her friends knew she’d ducked for cover because two people were fucking somewhere nearby behind closed doors.

Riley glanced over her shoulder at the empty stairwell. The maid was gone. Funny, she’d never seen the woman before, but that didn’t mean anything. The Palladian Palace at the heart of the Galaxan capital was made for prime hunting, and the golden penis award for Most Maids Bagged Within Earshot went to the same man Gerri said was certain to rock her world. Jag.

She groaned as her body heated from the mere thought of him. The man was just as gorgeous as his brother the king with the same mane of thick dark hair and a panty-melting body, but nowhere near as serious. Then again, weren’t all younger princes given license to be a playboy?

She shook her head. Okay, girl. You need to stop thinking about him. The man chased more tail than anyone in the castle. Dragging in a breath, she turned the corner, but jerked to a stop in her tracks.

Oh, hell no.

“Riley.” Jag angled his head as a playful grin tugged at his lips. “What brings you to this side of the castle?”

His hair was slightly mussed, and his cotton shirt lay open almost to his navel. Hard bronzed pecs peeked from the split in the soft material.

“Ivy,” Riley croaked in response, surprised she could find her voice at all, “she’s having a hard time with all of Vander’s new rules.”

“Ah,” he replied. “You three girls are so close. It never ceases to impress how you’ve got each other’s backs.” He leaned in with a smirk. “A dirty mind might wonder what else you do together.”

Even with a fresh post-sex flush on his skin, he was still a flirt. “Don’t you have better things to do with your time than wonder what kind of kink me and my friends are into?”

“Nope. Can’t think of a thing.” A slow grin spread on his gorgeous mouth. “In fact, I can’t think of anything better than thinking up fantasies involving you, unless of course, I got to act on those fantasies.”

He took a step closer, and Riley backed up on instinct. With a grin, he walked her backwards until her butt hit the sandstone wall.

Nervous tension clenched her stomach, making her breath catch. He was close enough for his body heat to send her temperature soaring. “Jag Kasaval, your games might work on palace maids, but they won’t work on me.”

“What?” He feigned surprise. “I’m merely trying to have a conversation with you, Riley. You’ve been on Galaxa for months, yet you barely acknowledge me.” He paused. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you didn’t like me.”

She pursed her lips with a huff. “Just because I choose to keep my distance doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re—okay. You’re Vander’s brother. Ivy’s my best friend. What else am I supposed to think?”

Good lord, he was much more than okay. He was the star of every dirty fantasy she had conjured since meeting him. Was it hot in there, again?

He leaned closer, letting his mouth hover close. Too close. Riley’s already adrenaline-soaked head went fuzzy, and she had to swallow back the butterflies winging around her stomach.

“You know what I think?” Jag’s nostrils flared slightly, and he smirked. “I think I make you nervous.”

She lifted her chin in response, the voice in her head wishing he’d shut up and kiss her already. “And what am I supposed to be nervous about? That you’ll lure me into the nearest linen closet like a string of housemaids and god knows who else? Or maybe this time you’d prefer a supply room? Well, I’ve got news for you, lover boy. I don’t need a scrub cart to clean a man’s pipes.” She swallowed back on her sudden bravery, not knowing where the hell it came from.

“Ooh, talk dirty to me, baby.” He grinned. “I love how feisty you get when you’re angry, little mouse.”

She frowned. “Don’t call me that. Not unless you want to lose one of your nine lives, kitty-kitty.” Fake bravery or not, she went with it, shifting against the wall to find a spot where his body wasn’t too close for comfort.

Did the man have to be so rock-hard and smell so good?

“Jag, you’re making me claustrophobic.” She exhaled and wished she could strip him of his clothes and rub her hands over his body. Maybe that would cool her down. “I knew I should’ve stayed in my room and watched reruns of Charmed. This is what I get for trying to be polite,” she mumbled. “I should’ve stormed past the linen closet and risked interrupting your…your…fun instead of waiting for your sex-toy-du-Jour to leave first!”

“Wait. What?” He laughed, his eyes flashing with stunned humor. “You think that was me in the linen closet?”

She shoved at his shoulder. “Don’t play innocent with me, Jag. Your little friend left and then poof, you magically appear seconds later. Who else could it be?”

God, she hoped it wasn’t him. Just seeing him coming out of that closet had killed the buzz of listening to something sexy.

He stepped back, thoroughly amused. “Is my reputation so bad that you really think I solicit sex from the female staff?” He shook his head. “Jeez, Riley. I thought you were too smart to believe palace gossip. I’m a prince of the realm. I certainly don’t look for satisfaction in a closet. As for whoever or whatever you heard, it wasn’t me.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it. The idea of Jag as nothing more than a tease was easier to handle than thinking there was more to him than just a fuck boy. Especially with his sexy face this close and personal. And those big arms. And those washboard abs. Her fingers itched to slip inside his open shirt and feel for herself. Why was it always her luck to run into this man in compromising positions? At least when it happened before, no one was the wiser. Still, Jag’s body was probably the best unexpected nudity she’d ever been lucky enough to accidentally gawk.

The first time, she’d opened the wrong cabana door at the royal hot spring only to find a very wet and very naked Jag. Thankfully, his back was turned at the time and she closed the door before he saw it was her. That was the start of many sleepless fantasy-filled nights. Thank God for Gerri and her secret adult novelty stash or she’d be the most frustrated human on an alien planet.

The man flirted endlessly, but never really with her. So what was he doing now? Despite her earlier protests, it was all she could do not to slip inside the nearest closet and rip his clothes off. Except with Jag, that kind of submission came at a price. The playboy prince wasn’t interested in anything long-term, much less a serious relationship like Vander had with Ivy. Not with every available female within fifty miles with a fuck story to tell.

Riley squelched the images in her head. If she kept thinking of him as this funny, relatable man, she’d end up with her ass on a linen closet shelf and his hard body between her legs before you could say Earth girls are easy. With him this near, she was in real trouble of doing something she’d totally enjoy, but totally regret.

“Riley—”

Jag saying her name pulled her back and her eyes snapped to his, but before she could say a word, his hands were on her hips. He pulled her close and let his lips brush hers. Riley’s breath caught in her throat. The hard bar of his cock pressed against her lower belly, and the thin fabric of her dress was no match for the feel of him.

“Jag—” Her throat went dry. What could she say with the hard length of him pressed against her mound?

“God, Riley,” he growled softly. “I love how fucking good you smell. From the first moment I met you. Tell me you’re hot for me, love.”

She gasped at what he just admitted, and her lower body clenched. Fuck, she was so pent-up, he could probably make her come with just words. She should stop this. It was wrong.

“You can’t deny it,” he continued. “I smell how much you want me. I know you’re wet and swollen, yet I’ve barely even touched you.” He pressed another kiss to her mouth, letting his tongue trace the curve of her bottom lip. Nothing more than a whimper left her.

“I’ve wanted you, too. For a long time.” His warm breath caressed her throat as his mouth trailed from her lips to the soft tops of her breasts. He fisted the material of her skirt at her thigh and inched it higher. “Let me touch you, baby. Isn’t that what you want? My fingers stroking your slick flesh?”

Baby? Reality hit like ice water, snapping her out of her aroused haze. Goddammit to hell. Is this what she wanted? Playing with the prince in the middle of the hallway like some sordid little plaything he kept along with others?

It took everything she had, but she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back. “Jag—” She looked him in the eye. “No.”

The stunned expression on his face said it all. The Kasaval Casanova was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted. Too bad.

“I have to go. Ivy’s waiting.” With a deep breath, she slipped out from under his arms.

“Riley—” He reached for her hand. “This isn’t what you think. Please. We need to talk.”

She dodged his reach and took a wobbly step to give herself enough space not to rush back into his arms and do what her body begged her to do. “I’m not going to be another notch on your bedpost. You know where to find me, Jag.” Her eyes drilled his. “And not in the hallway.”

She walked away, resisting the urge to turn around.

Talk? Yeah, right.

Not with him so close she could barely think.