Solan’s muscles tightened as he drifted awake. The previous night’s fight swam through his head. He shifted on the bed. Everything felt unfamiliar and strange. Where in the star system was he?

He winced as a stab of pain hit him. A groan filtered from his lips. Boros’s blade had pierced him, and his scheming guards had shot him with lasers.

Boros. That deceitful, cheating Galaxar. Solan felt his fingers curl, and traces of battle anger spread through him.

“There’s nothing to worry about. You’re fine, big guy. I’m right here.” A soft, cream light was switched on. Vegas sat on the edge of the bed, concern in her eyes.

“Where is Boros?” Solan noticed Vegas was clean and her arm injury dressed. He could smell no fresh blood on her.

“He’s gone. After Diadora kicked him in the butt, he decided he no longer wanted the services of My Single Alien. He’s left Prodigy.”

Solan gave a satisfied grunt. “What about his demand to have you?”

“He decided I was not of interest anymore.” Vegas smiled. “I’m not certain of the arrangement he made, but I’m guessing Diadora had to give him his money back. It’s a shame. If what she said was true, we would get some improvements to the station with that money.”

“That is not worth you being sold.” Solan’s fingers drifted down Vegas’s arm. She had been watching over him while he slept. She’d wanted to know he was safe. No one had done that for him since he was a squib.

She nodded. “I agree.”

“Padam? I saw him attack Boros’s guards.”

“You have a good commanding officer,” Vegas said. “He has a few wounds but nothing serious. He is fine. He protected Heather.”

“Your friend survived the fight?”

“She did. And she’s got a great story to tell everybody. Did you see her knight in shining armor come to her rescue?”

“I saw no one in armor.”

Vegas laughed. “Not actual armor. A Picar walked by just before security arrived. By the way she’s talking, you’d think he single-handedly speared each guard with his horns and then ate them. All he did was help her off the floor and wait by her side until the medical team arrived.”

“Picars do not eat Galaxars.” Solan scrubbed his chin. “I must have been unaware of the fighting for several seconds. Picars are hard to miss.”

Vegas laughed again. “Their horns do make them stand out.”

“I’m glad your friend is safe. I am also glad to see you here.”

“We are all fine.” Vegas traced a finger over the back of Solan’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

Solan took a moment to enjoy the sight of her as she smoothed down the sheet covering him. That strange, sick feeling grabbed hold of his stomach again. “I am recovering. But I’ve been meaning to ask, is there something wrong with the air quality in the station?”

Her brow furrowed. “Not that I’m aware of. If there are disparities in air quality, there is always an alert. Maintenance run a daily check. Why do you ask?”

“I have been feeling... unwell since arriving at Prodigy. I believe it is an environmental problem. Your air quality is different to my home planet.”

“Let me check and make sure there’s nothing in the atmosphere that might affect you.” Vegas walked over to the screen on the wall. “Computer, run a diagnostic check on the station’s air quality.”

“Checking now. Pressure and composition are at acceptable levels. Nitrogen is at 78%, oxygen 21%, argon 0.93%, and there are trace amounts of helium and hydrogen.”

“Is there a problem with the carbon dioxide levels?” Solan asked.

“Negative. The station’s scrubbing system is operational. There are no toxic levels of carbon dioxide present in the station’s atmosphere.”

Vegas turned and looked at Solan. “I know it’s not an ideal atmosphere for Galaxars, but you can tolerate it. It shouldn’t make you feel bad. At most, you’ll get light-headed if you do anything too physical.”

Solan nodded. “There appears to be no problem. I do not understand why I have not acclimatized. I have been in these conditions before.”

She walked back to his bed. “How do you feel? It could be a virus. We scan for illness when anyone comes on board, but we’re encountering new aliens at least once a month and struggling to keep up with all the exotic conditions. Perhaps you have something our scanners didn’t detect.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing serious.” Still, Solan did not appreciate the way his stomach twisted. It grew worse now Vegas was close to him. Could she be the problem?

“I’d like to know. I want to make sure you’re not unwell.” Vegas placed a hand on his forehead.

“You mean other than the stab and laser wounds?”

“Those are being dealt with. The nano-med patches will leave you with nothing but a few scars.” Her smile was cautious. “Tell me. I’d like to help if I can.”

“It’s mainly my stomach and my heart rate,” Solan said. “It doesn’t happen all the time.”

“What happens?”

“My heart rate increases abnormally. My stomach feels as if I have eaten something unpleasant. It churns.”

“What causes it to happen?”

“When I am around you.” Solan tilted his head. “Perhaps it is a perfume you wear. What lotions do you use on your skin?”

Vegas grinned and patted his hand. “Big guy, I don’t think it’s anything I’m using. What you’re describing are symptoms of a powerful emotion.”

Solan didn’t like the sound of that. He liked to be in control of his emotions. “What particular emotion?”

Vegas sat on the edge of the bed again and took hold of his hand. “I think you’re in love. This is how love feels, especially when you first meet someone you like. Your heart races and your stomach flutters. You’re not sick.”

“That does not seem correct,” Solan said. “Why does an emotion that’s supposed to make me feel good, make me feel so terrible?”

Vegas pressed a kiss to his cheek. “If you stop fighting it, you won’t feel so bad.”

“I am not fighting it. This is not normal for a Galaxar.”

“It’s hardly normal for me.” Vegas ducked her head. “I didn’t mean to fall for you.”

“You have fallen for me?” Solan’s fingers traced over the bare skin on her arm again. His tiny, fragile human did want him.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Vegas said. “You’re different to how I imagined. It took some getting used to.”

“You imagined me before I was even here?” A slow smile spread over Solan’s face. “You admired me from a distance?”

“Don’t get all cocky on me.” Vegas grinned. “But what’s not to admire?” Her hand skimmed over the sheet covering his bare chest. “Although, there’s room for improvement. You need to work on your stubbornness.”

“I am not stubborn. I know my own mind.” One thing Solan knew for sure was that he wanted this human in his life. The strange feelings that had worried him. He didn’t want to be without her, but he did want those to go. Love was an odd feeling.

“What’s troubling you?”

“The lack of control I have over these sensations. Galaxars do not like to be vulnerable.”

“Being in love makes you vulnerable,” Vegas said. “That’s part of the problem. You have to trust the other one isn’t going to break your heart.”

“Is that why you are alone?”

Vegas stiffened. “I’m not alone. I have my work.”

“You do not love your work.”

“I do sometimes.”

“It is not the same as loving me?”

A delightful flush of pink crossed Vegas’s face. “It is different. Loving you will be a challenge.”

“We present each other with unique challenges,” Solan said. “It is a challenge I will conquer.”

The touch of her fingers on his bare chest made his muscles tense. “How do you intend to win this challenge?”

“By doing this.” Solan grasped the back of Vegas’s head and pulled her down. Their lips met and their tongues collided. Ignoring the ache in his side from the stab wound, he pulled her down on top of him and melded her soft, sweet body against his.

She pulled away from their kiss, her breathing sounding ragged. “You’re supposed to be recovering.”

“I feel much better.”

She smiled at him. “If you’re certain I’m not hurting you.”

“This will aid in my recovery.” Solan pressed kisses across her face, tasting the sweetness of her skin and delighting in the way her coloring changed as she grew aroused.

Solan resisted the urge to flip Vegas onto her back and cover her body with his. She had also been injured; he needed to be careful with her.

The bucking of her hips against him muddled his ability to think. He bucked up against her. The force almost knocked Vegas off the bed.

She braced herself against his chest and gave a startled laugh.

“I did not mean for that to happen,” Solan said.

Vegas laughed again and kissed him softly on the lips. “It’s fine. We’re getting used to each other.”

“I want to get used to you.” Solan traced his tongue down her neck and wrapped his fingers into her hair, grinding himself against her. He was more restrained this time, wanting to get a feel of her body and not scare her.

“You know, this is only going to make your symptoms worse,” Vegas said as he continued to kiss her.

Solan’s hands slid down her sides before he discovered the zip on her jumpsuit and eased it lower. “My symptoms?”

“Your love sickness,” Vegas said. “Doing this isn’t going to help. You won’t be able to do this once and think you’re cured.”

“I don’t want to mate with you just once. I want to mate with you every day. Several times a day. We will mate until you are unable to stand and I have to carry you everywhere.” He bucked his hips against her again.

Vegas’s eyes widened. “Let’s start slow. One mating at a time until we figure out how everything works.”

“I know what works.”

She grinned. “I mean, we’re both different. You’ll have turn-ons, just like me. There will be parts of you that you don’t want me touching or licking or sucking.” Her tongue slid over her bottom lip. “We need to experiment and see what works and what doesn’t.”

“I agree to this experiment, providing there is lots of licking, touching and sucking.” His hands cupped her breasts, and he heard Vegas gasp.

“If you insist.” Vegas lowered her head and tugged on his ear with her teeth.

Solan growled. He wanted this feeling. He needed Vegas’s love to consume him. Now that he’d accepted his symptoms, they could develop into something so much more.

He was ready for everything Vegas would give him. He would take it all.