Page 3 of Bride for the Space Cowboy

“I understand men don’t treat women very well here,” he replies.

His voice is low and rough on the edges. It sends sparks scattering through me, and my belly swoops. I take another unsteady breath as I nod. It’s not a secret that women are practically second-class citizens on Earth.

The man tips his head to the side. “Who hit you?” he asks.

My chest and throat feel tight. Just talking about it brings up the fear I’ve lived with for too long. “My ex. I’m leaving. That’swhy I applied for this.” Curiosity rises in the wake of my anxiety. “Are you called men on your planet?”

He nods. “You will come to our planet. No one will hurt you.”

“How can you be so sure?” I press.

“We revere women. I will keep you safe.”

Emotion rises swiftly inside, startling me. It’s a mix of relief and gratitude and an almost-stinging sense of belonging. I don’t really understand it.

I don’t realize I’m crying until this man, whose name I don’t even know yet, takes a step closer and lifts his hand to palm my cheek. His eyes on mine, he swipes his thumb across my cheek, catching the tear rolling down.

“I will keep you safe,” he repeats.

I nod, whispering, “Okay.”

My heart pounds so hard I can feel its echoing drumroll through my entire body. I’m filled with a sensation I don’t recognize. An undercurrent of desire is threaded within it, but more than that is the intense sense of connection.

“I don’t know your name,” I blurt out.

“Kayden,” he says simply. “And yours?”

“Nadine,” I whisper just before he takes another step closer.

It’s like a magnetic force field surrounds us. I can feel the heat emanating from his body. I’m startled to yearn for his lips on mine. It’s as if we’re speaking silently to each other.

Yes.

I hear his voice in my head as he steps closer, leaning down. There is some distance for him to lean. I’m short, and he utterly dwarfs me with his height.

I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until I feel the brush of his lips over mine and let it out in a soft shudder. He angles his head to the side and claims my mouth.

His kiss is commanding and gentle. His tongue teases in to glide sensually against mine, so briefly that I let out a protestin whimper when he lifts his head. It’s not enough. It’s the very definition of a tease.

I’m bereft when his hand slides away from my cheek, his fingertips brushing lightly across the sensitive skin of my neck. I want to yank him back to me. I don’t even recognize this part of myself. I clapped eyes on this alien man mere moments ago, yet I feel as if I know him on an elemental level.

“I must go,” he says. “I will take you to Jane. She will take care of you.”

I follow as he reaches for my hand and leads me back into the room filled with women applying to leave Earth. He leads me to Jane.

“Nadine will come to Earth,” Kayden says.

He releases my hand, coaxing me forward where his other hand rests just above the dip at my waist.

Jane smiles at me. “Excellent.”

I watch as Kayden walks away, my eyes lingering on his broad shoulders. Only then do I notice he has a tail.

Chapter Two

KAYDEN

A few days later

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