Solan’s chest felt warm as he watched his mate work. Her head was bent over a tablet, and her fingers tugged at her bottom lip. She always seemed so content when processing applications for new potential matches. Vegas thrived on bringing people together, bringing love and hope into the lives of lonely aliens.

Over the last two weeks, he’d spent many hours with her, sampling the delights of her body. When they weren’t naked and sweating, he’d learnt how much she loved her work. He’d never take it away from her.

Solan’s experience of My Single Alien had been unusual. He’d come to meet a different match—a match he’d turned down and who was acing her pilot’s tests and would prove an asset to human space exploration.

He would most likely have been content with the female chosen for him. That was until he’d met Vegas Munro. The second he’d seen her, he knew his life would never be the same again. He was glad of it.

Love was a strange sensation. It still caught him unawares and did strange things to his insides, especially when he caught himself watching Vegas when she slept in his bed, her hair tousled around her face and those beautiful lips parted.

It was a feeling he could get used to. A feeling he was determined to get used to. This was his mate for life. He couldn’t wait to start breeding with her.

But he wouldn’t push Vegas for a squib. Solan had waited years to find Vegas; their squib would come when ready. And, when their squib did arrive, he would be the proudest Galaxar in the galaxy.

His heart raced as he noticed Vegas turn from her conversation with Heather and catch his eye. Her smile only made his heart pound harder. Solan grumbled to himself. He needed to work on controlling his newly discovered love emotion. Vegas only made them worse with her public displays of affection as she called them. His torrid feelings were a distraction. It was a torment he’d put up with, so long as Vegas remained in his life.

Solan strode into her office and wrapped an arm around Vegas’s waist, pressing a kiss to her neck as he did so.

“If Diadora catches you distracting me, she’s not going to be happy.” Vegas squirmed in his grip.

Solan drew in a deep breath of her heady pheromones. She was glad he was here. “I will chase her around the station if she complains.”

“That I would love to see.” Heather looked up and smiled. “Are you enjoying your extended stay on Prodigy?”

“Very much,” Solan said. “I trust you’re fully recovered from the unpleasant incident with Boros?”

“Heather is fine. She’s too busy thinking about Loka,” Vegas said.

“Who is Loka?”

“He’s no one,” Heather said, her cheeks glowing.

“He’s a Picar,” Vegas said, a teasing lilt in her voice.

“The alien who aided you after my fight with Boros?”

“That’s the one. He’s sweet on Heather.”

“He is not.”

“He brought you a lump of coal.”

“It’s a sign of friendship on his planet,” Heather said.

“You know it’s more than that. If you’re into horns, why not go for it?”

“Picars roar when they are happy,” Solan said. “And they scratch on their mate’s belongings to mark her as his. Has he been doing that with you, Heather?”

“He does not roar! And his claws retract. He’s scratched nothing of mine.”

“Solan is right, roaring is a good thing,” Vegas said. “Has Loka roared at you?”

“Once or twice.” Heather ducked her head. “It’s more a bellow than a roar. He’s very sweet when you get past the scary horns that could impale you with one wrong move.”

Solan smiled, happy to see Heather had not been damaged by her encounter with Boros. “Better a Picar than a dishonest Galaxar.”

Heather nodded. “Boros is long gone. He won’t be welcome back here. And his troop has lost the right to our services. He’s not going to be popular. That will teach him to be a bully. No one tries to hurt Vegas and me and gets away with it.”

Vegas grinned at Heather. “Quite right. Besides, we’ve got enough to keep us busy with this pile of applications. In fact, we’ve got enough to keep us busy for the next decade. If we make enough good matches, we might even hit Diadora’s ridiculous new targets.”

“If we do, she’ll only increase them again.”

Vegas wrinkled her nose. “Maybe we shouldn’t work so hard.”

“If you’re taking a break, how about you two pose for my latest PR stunt?” Ivy strolled into the room, dressed in a tight black jumpsuit.

Solan felt Vegas tense against him. Was this woman considered a threat? His hand went to the blade on his belt.

“Don’t worry, big guy,” Vegas whispered. “Ivy likes to push my buttons. She doesn’t want to fight; it would spoil her manicure.”

Solan’s hand slid to Vegas’s hip. The confidence in her voice assured him she could handle herself.

“I’m too busy to pose for your photos, Ivy,” Vegas said. “Find someone else. We’ve got plenty of matches who’ll be happy to take part.”

Ivy’s painted red lips pursed. “You aren’t all that photogenic. I don’t want to scare off potential clients by using you, anyway.”

Solan growled. “Vegas is perfection.”

She patted his hand. “Don’t you forget that.”

Ivy’s eyebrows quirked up. “I guess it’s true what they say; love really is blind.”

Heather shook her head. “Ignore Ivy. She’s jealous because you’ve got Solan.”

Ivy shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind some muscled alien looking out for me. Perhaps I should throw my name into the breeding ring. What do you reckon, Vegas. You think I’d make a good match for some horny alien?”

Vegas gave a choked sounding laugh. “You’re not bad looking, but you need to work on your personality. I’ve never seen anyone list uber-bitch as a quality they want in a mate.”

Ivy smirked. “You bring it out in me. It must have something to do with your own character.”

“Whatever you say.” Vegas leaned back against Solan and let out a contented sigh.

He took pride in knowing this sharp-tongued female could not rattle Vegas when he was around.

“Let me know when you find someone suitable for the PR photos.” Ivy’s gaze drifted to Solan. “If you ever get bored with her, I’m available.”

Solan pressed a kiss to Vegas’s cheek. “I shall never get bored. I am in love.”

Ivy’s smirk slipped. “That can fade.”

“It won’t,” Solan said. “I am keeping Vegas.”

Vegas tilted her head back and grinned. “You don’t need to keep me.”

“I mean I’m your mate. I will provide for you, whatever you need. That is what a bonded pair does, is it not?”

Ivy folded her arms across her chest. “Yuck. You two make me sick.”

“You don’t have to stay and watch. It will only get worse.” Vegas waved goodbye to Ivy as she stalked away. She turned and kissed Solan on the lips.

“What was that for?” His hand curled around the back of her neck, already wanting more of her kisses.

“You did a good job.”

“My public show of love for you was suitable for this occasion?” He’d messed up a few times, either pulling back when she’d kissed him or by going to too many bases in public. He wasn’t certain what the different bases were, but slipping a hand into your mate’s pants in public was the wrong thing to do.

“It worked for me. You can declare your love for me to everyone and I won’t mind.”

“Ha! Poison Ivy looked like she was sucking on a lemon when she left,” Heather said. “Solan, you should drop by more often if you can rile her up like that.”

“I’ll be happy to if she annoys Vegas.”

“Ivy annoys everyone.”

“Why do you keep her here if she’s so annoying?”

“Because she takes the greatest photographs on this space station. And, when she wants to, she can charm the pants off anyone and get them doing all sorts of things, all in the name of making My Single Alien look good.”

“Her photos aren’t that great,” Heather said.

“She made that three-toed Gallip with one eye look hot,” Vegas said. “She knows her stuff.”

Heather sighed and shook her head. “I’ve had another request for a discount on a bulk order of females. Anyone would think we grow them on trees and hand our ladies out to anyone.”

“Tell them politely we don’t do discounts.”

“I’m always polite,” Heather said, “even when the client is rude.”

Solan released his hold on Vegas’s delicious curves. “I should leave you to your work.”

She turned and pressed another kiss to his lips. “Thanks. It’s not that I don’t love having you around, but these aliens get anxious if they don’t get a match.”

He smiled down at her. “I know the feeling.”

“You’re not anxious anymore?”

“Not for a second.”

Vegas’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’ll see you later. We can have dinner. Then I’ve got something to show you that involves no clothes.”

Solan grunted in delight before walking away, happy to see Vegas so contented. That was how his mate should be.

He slowed as he reached the entrance to the station store. There was something else that would make her happy: chocolate. Vegas loved anything sweet. He would treat her tonight before she showed him what she wanted to do that involved wearing no clothes.

Heading into the store, he grabbed two boxes of chocolates. As he left, he spotted Vegas standing at the entrance to her office. She grinned at him when she spotted the chocolate boxes and blew him a kiss.

Without thinking, he grabbed the air kiss and planted it on his cheek. Glancing around, suddenly self-conscious, he saw Vegas laugh and shake her head.

He returned her grin as she gestured him back to her office. Maybe it was the chocolate tempting her. Solan didn’t care. He also didn’t care who saw how he’d fallen for this female. Finding his mate had completed him.

As he wrapped an arm around Vegas’s waist again and handed her a box of chocolates, his heart warmed. It was a bizarre feeling, but he knew this was love. He’d never felt it before, but it was a sensation he intended never to lose.

He had his mate. He had found love. Solan had a purpose greater than himself. It was pure, confusing, glorious bliss.

“Come on, big guy. Let’s see if I can’t give you a sweet tooth.” Vegas led him into her office and closed the door.