Page 14 of Alien Dragon's Bride

She swallowed. Her mouth dipping into a sad smile that made his chest hurt and he wanted more than anything to see her laugh. “I-I…you know I work at Sal’s, right?”

When he nodded, she continued.

“He’s closing the place down at the end of the month.” Her hands clenched her knees and her words tumbled out of her mouth so fast he’d have thought she was a chrinnt. “Mitch, he’s my boss, gave me today off to find another job. Which I’ve tried everywhere. But I can’t wait until next month to find employment. I need something now. Actually, I need money…a lot of money.” She hiccupped a cry. “It’s not for me, it’s my dad. He’s in the hospital in the next city, the big one with the funds to care for him, but I can’t afford it anymore. They’ve given me until this evening to pay off the debt we owe but there’s no way I can get the money in time. Cynthia, my friend, told me she did surrogacy here and that she was able to quit her job. So I came here hoping I could do the same. I mean, I don’t know how much you pay or the rules or anything, but I’d hoped I could get a partial payment upfront.” She licked her lips, her body slightly trembling. “I promise I’d be good for it. And I’d signup for two pregnancies if that’s what it took. Please…I have to get the money somehow.”

Her sweat, mingled with fear and anxiety, spiked.

He chewed on the idea of accepting her plight, giving her the money to pay for her father’s medical bills, and doing the surrogacy. It would please his father if he went through with this. And Levx liked her more than any candidate he’d come across before. But he didn’t like the idea of tricking her. Coming right out and telling her that he was an alien from another planet whom her people called dragons didn’t seem like a good idea.

First, he’d get to know her. Make her think the surrogacy was a longer process than she realized. That he wanted to get to know her and what kind of person she was before he committed to her carrying his child…their child.

“Of course. My firm is taking surrogate moms and I’m happy to help you. Let me draw up a contract and you can review and think about your decision.” And he’d tell his brothers to back off if she did sign. He didn’t want anyone else touching her. “You may take it to any of the law firms in the building or anywhere else you’d like.”

She paled but leaned forward. “W-What about my advance? I haven’t even said how much money I need to—”

“Leave me your dad’s name and the hospital, I’ll take care of it.”

“Just like that?” She shook her head. “I’d like to have time to review the contract before I sign up for anything.”

Was she getting cold feet now that this was a reality?

In order to keep his hands busy and not cross his arms, he typed into the computer, bringing up the standard contract. He’d have to tweak it for her.

“May I meet the potential couple?” Her question drew his attention but he continued typing.

“My mate—spouse died before we could have children. It was our hope to have a child and I’m one of the clients here, if that’s all right with you. Or I can locate another family for you to work with.” Okay, so it wasn’t a complete lie. If the Tryns hadn’t attacked and wiped out over half the population, Levx would be married to a female by now regardless if he chose or his father picked for him. As one of the princes to the realm, it was their duty to have offspring and continue the line. Now, fugitives on another planet, even more so.

“I’m so sorry.” She crossed her legs, swallowing hard, her cheeks paling. “But I’d rather review the contract and get to know you better before I make a decision.”

He winced at her sincerity and felt a pang of guilt in his heart like someone had hit him with a pike. “Before she died, we had our embryos frozen. I vowed to her that I wouldn’t settle on just any woman to bare our children, but someone I liked.” He stopped, watching her reaction.

Her soft brown eyes were wide and her mouth agape before she snapped her lips closed. Emotions warred on her face but she nodded. He wanted to comfort her. Ease her worries. Give her time to get to know him before following through with her having his child.

All his life, he’d hated falsehoods, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. What he could do was mix lies with partial facts and hope she agreed. The thought of her calling him crazy and run screaming from the room made his lungs constrict painfully.

“I’ve never gotten the feeling that I wanted to follow through on my promise with anyone until I met you at the diner. I can’t explain why. I just…would you be willing to spend time getting to know one another before we follow through with the insemination?”

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