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

8. Nadine

Chapter Eight

NADINE

Jane holds up a dress of navy silk. “What do you think?” she asks.

“I think it’s beautiful.”

Considering my options before arriving here—being forced to marry an abusive man—I don’t care too much about what I wear for my wedding. I’m relieved to feel safe.

My ex’s family had money and lots of it. Things had been so bad with him that I hadn’t even wanted the opportunity to live in the green zone. I would’ve gladly taken living in the scorched, dry, dusty town where I worked in a dreary job over marriage to him in the green zone.

“Nadine?” Jane prompts.

I shake my thoughts out of the past and back to the present. I study her quietly. “You know, anything is better than what I would’ve had on Earth. The dress is gorgeous. Do you think it will fit?”

Her eyes crinkle at the corners with her smile. “We’ll adjust it if needed.”

“I’m not royalty like you,” I tease.

She rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to be royalty here to be treated well.”

I try the dress on. The fabric is soft and silky against my skin, but the fit is a touch too tight. At Jane’s direction, a friendly seamstress helps make a few adjustments.

Jane explains the upcoming ceremony and tells me that I will stay with Kayden for a full week afterward.

“Okay,” I say, taking a quick breath in. “He mentioned that. But where is his home?”

“You’ll share a new home with him.”

“A whole week alone?” While I am very much looking forward to time along with Kayden, an entire week feels like a luxury.

Jane’s smile is wide. “I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

My belly flutters. I’m so impatient to finally take this next step.

That afternoon, Jane walks with me over to where the ceremony will be held. “Here,” she says, “Women give themselves away at their wedding. We have our own power and independence.”

We walk through a large office area that I’ve been with her before we go down a covered walkway to another building. It’s sort of like a church, but not really. It’s beautiful, like so many of the buildings here. Modern and airy.

My heart races before we even enter the main room. Even though I feel safe here and the idea of going back to Earth elicits a sense of sadness and weariness, this is also new and different.

I’m on a new planet, and I’m about to pledge my heart to an alien space cowboy. It’s definitely unlike anything I ever expected to do.

I take an unsteady breath as Jane leads me through a doorway, murmuring, “Wait here.”

I have become close to the women I traveled here with. They’re all waiting for me. Melody and Romi smile at me.

“Are you ready?” Melody asks, her voice soft.

I take an unsteady breath as I nod. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Melody’s honey-blond hair gleams under the sunlight coming from above. The entire roof of this place is glass. Natural sunlight shines through, casting a warm glow throughout the space.

I still can’t believe I’m the first one of us to be mated. What has happened with Kayden feels truly otherworldly.

Jane peers through the doorway again, gesturing for me to come with her. We walk down a short hallway into a large open space. Melody and Romi sit to the side near the front, where Jane gestures for them to go.

I follow her with my pulse drumming. Kayden waits at the front. My heart feels like it’s going to crack my ribs. I can hardly breathe.

Kayden is dressed simply in his usual breeches with a navy silk shirt open at the collar. His bronze skin shimmers in the light coming through the glass above. His gaze snags mine, and I can’t look away as I approach.

A moment later, I’m standing in front of him, and all I can see is him. Everything else fades away.

A tall woman leads the ceremony. Kayden pledges his heart, his protection, and his body to me. I repeat the vows back to him. I can feel the sizzle of electricity joining us as our pulses beat together.

His hands hold mine as the woman marrying us gestures above our hands, and light moves like an infinity symbol surrounding his wrists and mine.

I take an unsteady breath. I can feel the heat of the band of light joining us. I’m lost in his gaze when he bends low to kiss me, sealing our vows.

Time passes in a blur. The king and queen congratulate us on our marriage. Jane and Asher lead the procession out. While Kayden is usually one of the guards for Asher, he’s not for today. The royal procession surrounds us, and we walk outside along a path. It feels surreal to hear birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing.

We walk up a sloping hill and through a flowered archway into a walled garden. Long tables are set up with food piled high. Kayden and I are seated at a table with Asher and Jane and the king and queen. The queen is very kind.

The food is incredible, but I feel Kayden’s presence beside me the entire time. My brain is filled with static, a cacophony of the intensity of emotion and sensation of being close to Kayden, jumbled with the enormity of the event.

I’m married to an alien space cowboy. Mere weeks ago, I felt trapped on Earth.

Finally, the celebration winds down, and the crowd gradually breaks apart. Jane and Asher come over to walk us out.

Jane congratulates me and murmurs something, but I don’t even register it. Somehow, I manage to be polite and say my goodbyes as we prepare to leave. Kayden’s hand is warm around mine. Moments later, we walk outside down a street with flowers and trees flanking it.

I’ve walked through the town daily since I’ve been here on the planet. I take in the familiar sights as we pass through the main part of town. Kayden leads us down another street. Life carries on around us, with some people zooming around on those hovering transport vehicles and others walking. A soft breeze gusts through the air, and I savor the freshness.

“This way,” Kayden says as we turn along the path. We walk through a flower-lined arch that leads us into another walled compound.

“Where are we?” I finally ask.

The small garden is beautiful, with more trees and flowers. I’m still adjusting to living somewhere that isn’t just dry, baked dirt with dust blowing.

“This will be our home,” he says.

I glance ahead to see a home that blends beautifully into a hillside. It’s low with a roof that angles up. Kayden leads me through the entryway, and I quickly take in the airy space. Light comes in through windows that run the length of the house.

This is the first time Kayden and I have been alone today. The day has been so full that I almost haven’t been able to think. I take an unsteady breath and glance up at him as he turns to face me.

I’m instantly ensnared in his gaze. His golden eyes bore into mine.

I try to take a breath, but I can barely get any air. Heat blazes through me as my pulse rampages. “We’re married!” I suddenly blurt out.

He studies me for a beat. “We are.” He’s still holding one of my hands, and he lifts his other hand, his fingers trailing through the ends of my hair where it falls over one of my shoulders. “How do you feel?”

“Good.” My voice is breathless. I swallow nervously.

His lips quirk slightly at the corners. “It’s been too long since we kissed.”

My eyes lock onto his mouth. I manage a shaky breath as I nod.

He takes a step closer, and his palm lands on the side of my neck. His lips brush over mine once and then again. He pauses, lifting his head incrementally. When he speaks, his words are moving against my lips. “I don’t think I can wait.”

“I don’t want you to wait.” I’m trembling with need.

The heat of his body is like a force field surrounding me. My arm slides around his waist. Even though I know he has a tail, I’m a little startled when I feel the twitch of it. We are pressed together from head to toe.

Kayden fits his mouth over mine, his hand gripping my hair as he angles my head to the side. His kiss consumes me completely.

It’s as if we are melting together, his tongue tangling sensually with mine, his kiss bold and masterful. All I want is him. All I want is more.

I shift on my feet as my need rapidly builds. His kiss kindles the fire inside me, the flames licking higher and higher.

We break apart, breathing raggedly and deeply. I look up at him, feeling nearly wild inside. My control has snapped.

He is the only thing that anchors me and keeps me from completely losing control. Kayden is the very source of my need and intense desire.

He lifts me in his strong embrace and carries me. I hear the echo of his footsteps on the floor as he strides quickly out of the entryway. My senses take in bits and pieces of our surroundings. The light streaming through a skylight. A room with a bed. He sets me down on the end of the bed, his palms resting on either side of my hips as he stares deep into my eyes.

“I want you. Now.” His words are a gruff command.

I can’t even speak as I stare at him and nod. I’m frantic and needy in a way I’ve never experienced. I tug at the buttons on his shirt. He’s kissing me as he deftly unlaces my dress.

Cool air strikes my skin as my dress falls to my waist. His touch is warm. One palm slides down my side, and the other curves over my belly. My pussy clenches, my arousal soaking my panties.

His lips blaze a hot trail over my skin. He murmurs something against the hypersensitive skin of my breast just before I feel the hot shock of his lips closing around a needy, taut nipple. I arch into him, crying out as I feel the graze of his teeth.

A moment later, he releases it. His gaze burns into mine.

“Kayden…” I gasp.

I’m impatient, and I want so much, all of it, all at once. I’m yanking at the laces on his breeches as he shrugs out of his shirt. I take in the warm surface of his bronze skin that shimmers under the skylight above.

He’s strong and fit. My palms trail over his muscled chest before my eyes dip down to where I see the hard ridge of his shaft. I need to see him; I need to touch him. His cock springs free a moment later. It’s swollen and proud, his arousal glistening on the crown.

I can’t help myself. I curl my palm around it, sliding my thumb over the tip and swiping his cum away. I lift my finger to taste him. He lets out a little growl when I lick it, tasting a salty flavor.