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

5. Nadine

Chapter Five

NADINE

My brain is deprived of oxygen, and my lungs are barely able to do more than drag in small sips of air. My knees are liquid. I’m grateful for the table behind me and that Kayden stands strong in front of me. He still has one arm wrapped around my waist.

Even though I’ve just had the only climax I’ve ever had with a man—in this case, an alien man—my pussy clenches again at the filthy sight of him licking my arousal off his fingers. I have an ache in me that only he can fill. I want to be completely joined with him. The fusion of this connection has its own life.

Jane explained it, and Helene talked about it, but I didn’t quite understand it. Even now, I feel like I’m grasping for something. It’s ephemeral and almost otherworldly.

The sharp knock on the door startles me, snapping through this haze of passion and emotion. I take a shaky breath.

Kayden clearly hears it, but he doesn’t move away. He seems unbothered by it as he lowers his hand. He reaches to smooth my skirt down over my waist again.

I scramble mentally, trying to gather my thoughts. “Will I see you before we marry?” I ask as he steps back. My eyes flick down to see the hard length of his shaft pressing against the leather of his breeches.

“Oh, yes. When there’s this connection, we have to marry before we consummate fully. I will talk to Jane and Asher. Jane will help make the arrangements for our marriage. We will marry as soon as she says we can,” he explains.

I study him for a few seconds before nodding. I knew from Jane that she had married the very day she landed on this planet. I’m wondering if things are different when you’re not about to be a princess.

“Come in,” he finally calls with a glance over his shoulder.

I feel disheveled—physically, emotionally, and mentally. I try to collect myself, but I can barely push away from the table. I remain leaning against it as the door opens. Jane peers into the room.

Her gaze bounces between us. “Well?” she asks.

“I’m claiming Nadine,” Kayden says with a confident and clear tone.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to absorb everything. Maybe it’s the understatement of the century, but I’m on a new planet with an alien space cowboy. He’s kissed me to utter distraction and made me come all over his fingers. Now, he’s telling me I’m his, and we’re going to marry soon. I’m just going with the flow.

Jane steps into the room. “Okay, I’ll talk to Helena to start planning the wedding.” Her eyes shift to me. “Are you comfortable with this?”

She looks at me as if I have some say. As a woman born and raised on Earth, I’m not accustomed to having any say. I shift uncertainly on my feet.

Kayden turns to hold my gaze. “On our planet, women can refuse any man claiming them. It’s entirely your decision.”

As if , I think to myself when he gives me a smoldering look before turning and departing the room.

He leaves me alone with Jane. She steps farther into the room and closes the door behind her. Her gaze travels over me. “Are you okay?” she asks.

Okay? I can’t exactly tell her what just happened.

I swallow and nod. “Uh-huh.”

“Do you want Kayden?”

“I do,” I finally say. I can’t imagine being with any other man.

She smiles. “Good. As you know, I’m still new here. I know from Helena that we need a little time to plan your wedding. It will happen next week.”

“How come you didn’t have to wait a week?” I ask. I can’t believe it, but I want Kayden. Now. I want all of him as soon as possible.

Jane’s lips twist to the side. “They had the wedding planned before I even got here. Asher went to Earth to find me. The whole princess thing was really important.”

“Oh,” I say. A week feels like forever, and I’m impatient. “Will I keep staying where I am now?”

“Yes.”

Jane leads me out of the room. We pass by Kayden speaking with Asher in the hallway. I can feel the magnetic force when I walk past him. I turn to look, and his eyes hold mine. For the first time, I see him smile. His lips curl, just barely, when Jane says, “Nadine has agreed to be yours.”

My belly flutters, and I think this might be the longest week of my life.

That evening, I’m back at the house I’m sharing with the other women from Earth. Aside from Jane, I’m the only one claimed. Considering that I experienced the most otherworldly connection of my life the very first time I clapped eyes on Kayden, I want everyone who came with us to find the same thing.

We’re seated out in the courtyard with trees, flowers, and creatures like birds but a little different. This planet is what I imagined Earth was like before it got baked to a dry crisp.

A staff person pours us glasses of pink liquid. Jane smiles. “Did you ever have a lemonade back on Earth?” she asks, her gaze encompassing all of us.

“Oh no. All I’ve ever had is water,” Romi says.

“Water, and I suppose when I was a baby, I was breastfed,” Melody offers dryly.

I like Melody with her sly sense of humor. She has bruising on her arm that looks like a handprint.

“Just water for me,” I chime in. “My mom told me about lemonade. I hear they have it in the green zone.”

“Ha!” Romi says, her brows hitching up. “The green zone. My parents were on the list to move there, but then they both died in the fire in the old factory.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say, reaching over and squeezing her shoulder. “I know what it feels like to be alone.”

“Most women on Earth know that feeling well,” Melody says softly.

Jane fills the silence that follows. “Anyone who comes here through my matchmaking service has no family left on Earth. That’s part of the deal. Not because we want you to be alone. Helena explained that it’s really important for you not to worry about who you left behind.”

“Ohhhh,” I say slowly. “That makes sense. Our bad luck on Earth can be good luck here.”

Jane lifts one shoulder in a slight shrug. “I suppose. I don’t know that there’s any good luck these days for women on Earth. It’s not as if things are perfect here either. I haven’t had a chance to tell you what happened to me.”

“What happened?” Romi prompts.

“You mean Aphroditea is not an idyllic oasis in space where nothing ever goes wrong?” Melody teases.

Jane takes a quick breath as she shakes her head. “It is beautiful here, and they do revere women, but it’s not perfect. On the other side of the planet is another much smaller town. A faction has taken over leadership who oppose their people mating with humans. They kidnapped me.”

We collectively gasp. “Oh no! What happened?” I ask.

“As you can see, I’m fine.” She lifts both of her hands in the air, letting them fall. “Before I get into the scary part, have more lemonade.”

I take a swallow, and the tart and sweet taste is unlike anything I could’ve even imagined.

“This is amazing!” I exclaim.

We take a few moments to savor it, but I’m impatient for more on what happened to Jane.

Jane jumps in, explaining, “They grow lemons here, but they were imported from Earth before they were gone. They have a garden program dedicated to cultivating plants from other planets, in addition to what is native.”

“I heard about a seed storage place on Earth,” Romi chimes in. “No one’s ever found it, though.”

“From what I understand, seeds started being transported here centuries ago. Asher knows the whole history. Earth is so bad, but it’s not like that everywhere. They import and sell goods all over the galaxy,” Jane explains.

I circle my hand in the air. “The kidnapping? You’re kind of freaking me out.”

“Oh, yes. I promise I’m fine. Asher had to get married and consummate his marriage officially.” She rubs her hand over her belly. “As you can see, I’m expecting. While they are essentially a democracy here, their people believe in the lineage of their royal family. In each generation, the first heir, male or female, must mate by a certain age. Asher had not found a mate here on the planet, so he decided it was time for another expansion trip in the galaxy. Considering that Earth is so…”

She pauses, and we all chime in with descriptions, including unpleasant, miserable, awful, shitty, and more.

Jane nods in agreement. “All of the above. After so many women here died from the space storm during the women’s festival, they decided to actively find mates on Earth. Humans have traveled here for centuries, so that’s not new, but they formed a plan to expand their lineage with matchmaking. Asher had to marry quickly to prevent an uprising over the royal succession. The small group of men opposed to this in another town kidnapped me to try to prevent me from having Asher’s baby with him. Asher and a team of fighters saved me within the first night. You needn’t worry about your safety. New security measures are in place to protect everyone here. I feel safe,” Jane says confidently.

“You have security,” Romi points out.

“And isn’t Kayden, Nadine’s guy, one of Asher’s bodyguards?” Melody asks.

Jane nods. “He is, but I’m safe. The opposition is much weaker now, and their plans are exposed. Since the dawn of time, I suppose, politics has been a problem all over the galaxy. This small group is currently in power in that town, but the people they’re trying to rule over don’t agree with them. Kidnapping me was a big mistake on their part. Asher says he hopes it’s weakening what little influence they have.”

“Do any of us need to worry about getting kidnapped?” Romi asks.

Jane shakes her head. “I don’t think so. To be honest, that event for me was no worse than what I went through on Earth. There are kidnappings all the time there. Sure, there’s a government”—Jane uses air quotes for this— “but it’s every person for themselves. Women are second-class citizens there, literally. Here, they revere women. Mating among people from different planets—human, alien, and more—is widely accepted all across the galaxy. We would know all this if Earth wasn’t so miserable to live on.”

Melody nods vigorously. “Maybe it’s a little disconcerting to learn that Jane was kidnapped, but it’s no worse than anything I’ve already been through. My parents died in that fire, but before that, a man kidnapped my mother for several weeks. He was trying to steal her from my father because he didn’t have a family. Women were practically slaves there, as far as taking care of things for men.”

“I know!” Romi chimes in. “Just not being looked at like I’m nothing feels good here.”

Melody glances at me. “What does it feel like with Kayden? We see Jane, or Princess Jane, with Prince Asher.” She winks as she casts a teasing smile in Jan’s direction. “But is it as intense as it looks? Those two look like they’re about to start a fire when they’re together.”

Heat swirls inside at the mere thought of Kayden. “I don’t know how to put it into words. It feels like attraction, but it’s so much more.”

As I ponder, Jane chimes in, “It’s hard to explain. Until I experienced it with Asher, I would’ve thought the whole idea of the infinity pulse was ridiculous.”

I nod vigorously in agreement. “Absolutely. It’s much more than I ever imagined. Honestly, it feels so good to have someone treat me well and to feel safe.” Abruptly, tears sting my eyes. When I swipe at my tears, I feel the lingering soreness from where Chad hit me.

Melody leans over, curling her arm around my shoulders and squeezing. “We all understand. We hope for the best, but the bar is so low on Earth that we could trip over it.”

Jane’s eyes catch mine. “Maybe we didn’t go through the same things, but life on Earth isn’t good. No matter what happens here, it will be better,” she says softly.