The calm stillness of the station at night always appealed to Karn. He’d often take a walk late in the evening to enjoy the peace. It was so different from the daytime when aliens rushed backward and forward, security drones checked to make sure everyone behaved themselves, and the constant throb of the engines pulsed through the floors.

Now, with most asleep or in their quarters, the systems ran on reduced power. The offices and stores were shut, their lights out. The only busy place was the Enchanted Captain. The music from there was muted, but the smell of beer and the throb of the bass seeped from under the door as Karn passed.

He didn’t worry about late night drinkers. They’d be too drunk to notice what he was up to.

After having his arm quite literally twisted by the Dackins, Karn had agreed to their job. It wasn’t a bad one. All they wanted was some Dackins bumped up the waiting list of My Single Alien. No big deal. No one would get hurt, no damage would be done, and some lonely aliens would get to meet their mate sooner than planned. He saw no problem with this job.

It was also handy he’d been able to grill Ivy, so he knew there’d be no unexpected guests dropping in on his break and enter.

The date had been more than information gathering. Ivy was hot and smart. He always came away from their encounters wanting more. When he’d kissed her tonight, he’d tasted her excitement. Not only that, but she was fertile. Any guy getting with Ivy would need to take care unless he wanted a mini version of himself running around the station.

Karn flipped the pen drive Til had given him over his fingers. This had all the information he needed. Karn was no hacker, but he could get into a basic system without breaking a sweat. Station security was red hot, especially after the recent breach by the Vincole and Banti.

All he needed to do was get into the office of My Single Alien, insert the drive, and then watch the magic happen.

Strolling along the quiet corridor, Karn reached the office door. As expected, it was locked. That was something he did excel in, getting into places he shouldn’t. He checked there were no station drones in sight, pulled out a palm-sized piece of metal, and pressed it against the access panel. It took a moment, but the code cracked, and he was inside.

Easing the door shut behind him, Karn kept the lights off. The office was empty and still. Chairs were tucked neatly under the desks, and everything was tidy.

He walked over to a computer and activated it. Again, he used his code breaker to get through the password security. Once he was in, Karn located the database where the alien and human matches were made.

He’d always been fascinated by the work of My Single Alien. He wasn’t interested in finding a mate until he’d heard about this place. On every newscast, there were happy stories about some lonely loser hooking up with a desperate human female and finding love.

Karn had been so intrigued, he’d submitted his own profile just after My Single Alien opened. He’d heard nothing back. He didn’t expect to. He’d been brutally honest with who he was and what he expected from a mate. There weren’t many women who lived up to his expectations.

He’d gotten several polite emails from the agency telling him he was still on the books and they were searching. They reminded him that finding true love took time and not to give up hope. His perfect match would be out there somewhere.

Karn smirked to himself as he pushed in the pen drive and activated it. He wasn’t sure he believed in love. Love was for losers. It was for individuals who couldn’t enjoy life without being glued to someone else and playing happy families.

He watched the screen for a few moments as the code spread through the database, picking out the Dackin candidates and shifting their position in the system.

Karn grew tired of watching the data. He spotted a file marked new matches. Clicking it open, hundreds of files appeared in front of him. He whistled through his teeth. That was impressive. All of these matches. All of these idiots looking for love.

It couldn’t be that easy. They must set their standards low in order to find someone.

Karn picked up a brochure from the desk. It smelt like it had come straight off the printer. He thumbed through it, snorting as he did so. It was full of case studies of all the successful matches. There were so many pictures of hybrid alien human babies. He had to admit, a couple of them were cute. The ones with the big eyes and goofy smiles even had him grinning.

Shaking his head, Karn tossed away the brochure. Love was hard work and a headache. Love meant shutting the door to all the offers from gorgeous females he had yet to meet. He’d bet they wouldn’t put that in any of these stupid brochures.

His gaze went back to the computer screen. The matches were filed alphabetically. He ran down them slowly. There was his file. Hold on. His file was in the matched folder. He couldn’t be matched with someone. He’d heard nothing about it.

Karn’s finger hovered over the file. Did he want to know who was inside? It couldn’t be a match for him. She wouldn’t be suitable. He shrugged and opened the file. There was no harm in taking a look. He might even get a laugh when he saw the desperate creature he’d been matched with.

He read through the first page of the file slowly. She sounded decent. His match earned a reliable wage and had almost a decade of experience in public relations. Karn glanced at the abandoned brochure on the desk. She was most likely some prim human looking for a bit of rough and had altered her profile to find some.

Not that Karn considered himself rough, but he’d left nothing off his profile. He’d even included the time he’d spent behind bars when a job didn’t go quite to plan.

He flicked to the next page. His mouth dropped open. “Ivy Blain. You’re my match?”

Karn grinned to himself. That gorgeous, uptight human who had just shown off her expensive love of brandy was supposed to be his mate. He shook his head again. She was as hot as the volcanoes of Jupiter, but she wasn’t for him. Ivy was all about having fun and committing to nothing. That was why he liked her so much.

He froze in his seat. The main door to the office opened.

Karn crept away from the computer and peeked through a gap in the door. It was Ivy. He watched as she closed the door behind her. She muttered to herself so low that he couldn’t hear her.

Karn gritted his teeth. He’d trapped himself. The only way out of this office was the door Ivy had come through. There was nothing for it. He pulled the office door open.

Ivy’s head shot up, and she jumped backwards. “What are you doing here?”

Karn grinned seductively as he leaned against the door. “Waiting for you.”