Bride for the Space Cowboy (Match Made in Space #2)

1. Nadine

Chapter One

NADINE

“Come in,” I say when I hear the knock on my door.

I live in a tiny apartment. Really tiny. It’s all I could afford after I finally scraped up the nerve to leave my abusive boyfriend. He’s rich, and he lives in the green zone. I don’t care that he won’t help me. This one-room apartment is a breath of fresh air compared to my life with him.

Maybe I have a shitty job and live in a cramped apartment, but I’ve never felt more free in my life. There’s just that forever anxiety prickling down my spine that he’s going to come back.

I open the door, and a sense of panic claws around my throat. I stare at him. “What are you doing here, Chad?”

My ex, who, objectively speaking, is handsome, narrows his eyes. “I thought you would come to your senses a little sooner,” he says, brushing past me as he strides into my apartment.

He looks around the room with a sneer. It might be small, but it’s cute. I have my own phone for the first time since I met him. Life on Earth may be a hot hellscape, but we still have technology. That’s something.

I have a shelf on the wall where I keep my clothes. I’m standing in front of it beside the door. He moves so fast that I’m not prepared. He shoves me against the shelf, and the square metal edge digs in a line against my back. My breath is knocked out of my lungs for a moment.

I keep my wits and kick him in the balls as hard as I can. “Get out of here!”

Chad’s groaning on the floor. I step around him, my pulse thundering through my body as panic and fear give me an unexpected surge of strength. I swing the door open and shove him out onto the dusty ground.

I grab my purse, relieved I already have my phone tucked into it. Racing through the door, I step around him and walk quickly away. I don’t even feel the slightest twinge of guilt.

I’m so tired of Chad and his family. At this point, I’ll hide from them if I have to. As I walk down the sidewalk with the sand blowing around me, my eyes land on a little flyer sharing an announcement about an opportunity for women to move to a new planet. I don’t hesitate and start walking to the address listed. I have less than nothing to lose.

When I see the line gathered outside the office building, I pause and glance around. Aside from showing up for work and trying not to bake in the boiling-hot sun, there aren’t many crowds on Earth. Not these days.

I hesitate before I see the sign. Princess Jane invites you to Aphroditea. Let’s face it, life is hell on earth these days if you’re a woman. Come join us on a new planet. We need women. Bonus: women are revered on our planet. Hop in line, and you can learn all about it.

I have zero reasons not to take this chance. I stand in the line, fidgeting with my purse strap and wondering if anyone will care that I have a black eye.

Murmurs spread among the waiting women, wondering if this Princess Jane is some kind of joke. Although, if you read our news online and in the old magazines that we occasionally find, there’s tons of news about royalty on Earth.

It’s not all sturm and drang here. We have a lively world on our internet, which somehow runs despite the scarce power. What little power there is generates from the green zone.

Eventually, I make it inside the building. I’m interviewed by the alleged Princess Jane herself. She even has a name tag that says so.

Jane runs through an explanation, sharing that Aphroditea has had humans living there for centuries. Apparently, cowboys from back in the day from both the United States and France traveled there. They even have creatures similar to horses. “I know it sounds wild,” she adds with a smile. “They have mated with humans for centuries, like many other planets.”

“Except Earth,” I offer dryly. “Because we’re dumbasses, and we’ve been busy destroying our own planet.”

Jane rolls her eyes as she nods.

“So why do they need women there?” I ask.

“They host an annual festival to honor women. Two years ago, a storm struck the area during the festival, and many women died.”

“Are the men human?”

“There are some human men there, but those that have descended from the space cowboys?—”

“Are they really space cowboys?” I prompt with a sly grin. I like Jane enough to feel comfortable cracking a joke.

Jane flushes as she smiles. “Yes, they are. They are human-like but not entirely human,” she explains. “Since they’ve mated with humans for years, we are very similar. Their skin is more bronze, and some of them have tails, but not all of them. I’ll be honest, though, the tails are sexy,” she says with an enthusiastic nod.

Jane seems familiar to me, but I can’t place why. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her before. When she’s finished explaining this whole, honestly, wild situation, I say, “You seem familiar to me. Do I know you?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure. I’ve only been away from Earth for a little while. About a month ago, I saw the online ad for a princess. I was tipsy when I was reading it and applied.” She pauses, her eyes going wide. “Now, I’m actually a princess there.”

“No joke?” I ask, almost dumbfounded.

“No joke. Trust me, I thought it had to be a joke too.”

“Where did you work when you were here?”

“At one of the offices in the main factory.”

We have three factories in town, one of which is the largest. We make products for the green zone. I work in one of the smaller ones. I’m also a fighter, but that’s a whole other story.

“Wait a second,” I say. “Were you engaged to Kyle Smith?”

Jane lets out a sigh. “I sure was. My not-so-best friend screwed around with him. Because she really wanted to go to the green zone.” Her lips twist. “I thought I was going to get to go. Even though that whole thing sucked, I’m glad it happened. If I hadn’t caught them, I wouldn’t have applied to leave the planet, but trust me, life is so much better there. Do you have family or anything? Because that would be an issue. We don’t want anyone leaving family or children behind.”

I shake my head, my heart twisting. “Nope. My parents died. It’s just me. And my ex-boyfriend beats me.”

Jane’s eyes narrow. “Well, then, I think you’re perfect for this.”

“When does this happen?” I ask, experiencing a surge of relief followed by anxiety.

“Today. Do you need anything from your apartment?”

I shake my head quickly. “Nothing at all. I can leave from here.” Relief washes through me, and tears sting my eyes.

Jane reaches out and clasps one of my hands in hers. Her comforting touch is grounding. “I promise. This will be a better life.”

Just then, the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and a prickle of awareness sizzles up my spine. I’m instantly drawn to look toward a door opening on the side of this large room. There are several tables where other women are being interviewed. A man enters, tall and imposing, his presence feels as if it fills the space.

I know instantly that he’s not from here. His eyes narrow as his head whips around, his gaze locking with mine from across the room.

It literally feels as if a flame leaps through the air between us, leaving a wake of sparks across the room.

My pulse is pounding, and my breath becomes short. I’ve never felt anything like this.

Flustered and unsettled, I glance back toward Jane. “Who is that?”

Her eyes are warm. “He’s second in command to Prince Asher. There’s this thing…” She considers her words. “Their people believe in a true mate, but they don’t all find one. They call the connection an infinity pulse. When I met Asher, it was the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced. Maybe that’s what you’re experiencing.”

While I’m trying to absorb that crazy idea, the man in question walks straight over to me. His bronzed skin is almost shimmering. He looks at Jane and nods. “Your Princess.”

I almost burst out laughing at that. Kayden’s golden eyes hold mine, and I cannot look away. He studies me before reaching for my hand. “Follow me,” he says.

I’m pretty sure I’d walk through fire for this man. I put my hand in his and stand. “Can I go with him?” I belatedly look back at Jane.

She smiles, waving us away. “Please go.” She glances at Kayden. “Be nice.”

I follow this imposing man who I know is not quite human. I’m drawn to him as though a magnetic force connects us. I don’t understand it. I hope the bruising on my cheek isn’t too bad. I’m tired, and I want to be anywhere but here. Well, not specifically here at this moment, but here on Earth. This could be my chance to truly escape.

After we walk through a doorway, he stops. I glance around the narrow hallway before my eyes lock with his. He studies me. Under the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights, his skin shimmers. It’s deep bronze and almost looks woven with a shiny substance. I’m nervous. I shift on my feet, and my fingertips tingle. I want to lift a hand and stroke his skin.

“What is it?” I finally blurt out.

His tiger-like eyes coast over my face. My belly feels ticklish and tingly.

“What happened?” he asks.

Even though he doesn’t specify, I know he is asking about my bruised cheek. I take a shaky breath and will my heartbeat to slow its pounding.

“Someone hit me,” I finally say. It’s the truth without being too specific. I don’t want to explain the whole story, and I hope he doesn’t ask.

“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’s why 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 protest in 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.