“Tiberius, stop taking my bras out of the bag!” Ryan commanded.

Her insatiable mate grinned at her unrepentantly. “I assure you, mate, you will not need them.”

“We’re going to a tropical island, not a nudist colony!”

“What is this nudist colony you speak of?” he asked her curiously.

“If I may, my prince,” Quintus interrupted from the doorway of Ryan’s bedroom. “A nudist colony is a place where the inhabitants forego clothing, preferring to remain in their natural state.”

When Tiberius turned his attention back to her, her body warmed under his lascivious gaze.

“Sounds intriguing.”

Ryan shook her head and waggled her finger in front of his face. “No. Besides, do you really want other men to see me naked?”

Tiberius growled his displeasure. “No one shall see you bare except for me.”

She pointed her finger at him. “Quid pro quo, buddy. I don’t want any woman looking at what’s mine either, so keep your pants on until we get where we’re going.” Ryan grabbed the bra out of Tiberius’s hand and put it back in the bag.

“Since we shall be enjoying our—what did you call it? Ah, yes, vacation—on my private island, that shall not be an issue.” Tiberius reached in the bag and removed the bra, tossing it across the room. “In fact, you will require nothing beyond suitable traveling attire.”

She gaped at him. “You have your own island?”

“Yes. Did I fail to mention that?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Oh. Well, I do. Or rather, we do. There is no place better suited to acclimate you to the true beauty of the ocean and all it has to offer. Or to have my wicked way with you whenever I so desire,” he added.

“Again, I say, quid pro quo.” She sat down on the bed. There was no sense packing clothes she wasn’t going to wear. “Any more big surprises I should know about?”

Quintus laughed. “Princess, you have no idea.”

“Princess?”

“Well, you are the mate of an Aequorian prince.”

“Right.”

Tiberius had tried explaining all that between marathon sessions of sexing her up, but it was so easy to get distracted.

“He’s a prince, and you’ve both been exiled from some water world planet in another galaxy.”

“Technically, only Tiberius was exiled,” Quintus clarified. “I just came along for the ride.”

“Uh-huh.” She turned back toward Tiberius. The fact that she was neither shocked nor surprised spoke volumes. “And exactly why were you exiled again?”

Tiberius reached out and tugged her onto his lap. Despite the fact that they had made love less than an hour earlier, she felt the hard press of his arousal beneath her bottom. Apparently, Aequorians were not only super strong and fast and able to breathe under water, they also had incredible stamina and remarkable recovery time.

She wasn’t complaining.

“Because Fate needed me here. To meet you.”

She wiggled her bottom, enjoying the bolt of lust that seared through her. “Good answer. You are going to explain everything once we get there, right?”

“Everything.”

Reassured, she kissed him back before pulling away to gather the rest of her things.

“It’ll be good for us to get out of town for a while anyway. My former boss is driving me crazy. He’s even gone as far as to threaten me with a subpoena.”

Tiberius cocked his eyebrow at her. “This does not worry you?”

“No. He’s got nothing. No witnesses. Plus, no evidence means no case. Getting rid of that surveillance footage was a brilliant move, by the way.”

“It was Sugar’s idea. She can be quite devious when it comes to protecting those she cares about.”

“I know just how she feels. Remind me to thank her when we get back, will you?”

“Speaking of that; when do you expect to return?” Quintus asked from the doorway.

“Not for several weeks, at least. We have much to discuss, and much to discover.” Tiberius rose. “You should come with us. The human authorities may continue to prove troublesome.”

“I can handle them.” Quintus shrugged. “You and your mate need this time to strengthen your bond.”

“Does that mean you approve?” Ryan asked.

“All I wish—all I require—is that Tiberius is happy. You make him happy.”

“Wow, that almost sounded like a compliment.”

“I almost meant it as one,” he shot back.

Tiberius sighed, but he was smiling. “You will oversee everything?”

“I will,” Quintus promised. “The new and improved club should be completed by the time you return. In the meantime, everyone has been relocated to the luxury hotel you purchased.”

Ryan smirked. “Including Betty?”

“Ah, yes, well, I admit, I have become rather fond of her company.” Quintus’s lips curled up at the ends. Ryan was sure there was a lot more going on there than either Quintus or Betty would admit.

“Ready, mate?” Tiberius asked.

“I guess.” She slipped her hand into his as they walked toward the door. “I just can’t believe I’m mated to an alien, you know? It’s like something that happens in some fabulous, romantic sci-fi movie.”

Quintus chuckled. “And what would this movie of yours be named, Ryan Winslet?”

Tapping a finger to her chin, she thought about everything she and Tiberius had been through since the moment they had met. All the uncertainty, the adventure and, of course, the best sex of her life. More importantly, he had become the one man she would willingly give up everything for.

Tiberius squeezed her hand, making her aware he had heard her thoughts.

She gazed up into those dark eyes so filled with love, and for the millionth time, she thought about just how damn sexy he was.

And that was when she knew.

She winked at her mate, then turned back to Quintus with a smirk and said, “Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind!”