Page 12 of Solan

“You are in love?”

Vegas looked at the floor. She’d never felt love. She thought she’d found it a couple of times back on Earth, but Heather was right. Earth men were terrible at everything. They were bad at communicating, making love, being emotionally stable, listening to what she had to say. At least with aliens, you could teach them how things worked. They were willing to change to get what they wanted.

“Your lack of response suggests you aren’t.” Solan’s voice was surprisingly soft. “How can you teach something you have never experienced?”

Vegas grudgingly admitted he had a point. Who was she to talk about love? But she did know about matchmaking. Her dating agency back on Earth—Hopefully Devoted—had an excellent reputation. She knew how to get a spark going between people. Vegas had just never managed to do it for herself.

“As you said, this isn’t about love; this is about finding you a match. You need a successful partner to reproduce with. That’s why I’m here.”

“You don’t want a partner?”

Her eyes narrowed. Why was he suddenly so chatty? Galaxars hated small talk. He was delving into her private life like it was something to do with him. “I don’t. My job is to make sure this business is a success. To do that, I need to complete your induction and then you can meet your match.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to offer me a practical demonstration?” A glimmer of a smile crossed Solan’s face. “It will be worth your while.”

Was this Galaxar making a joke? A flash of heat rose in Vegas’s chest. “I assure you, in order to mate with someone, I need to be in love or extremely drunk.”

“I can’t offer you love,” Solan said. “But didn’t you say there’s a bar on the space station?”

Their gazes locked.

The air around Vegas felt thin again. Solan was so much hotter in the flesh. Would it be so bad to give this Galaxar a practical demonstration? If she could get past him being an arrogant jerk, she might be tempted.

“Miss Munro?” Solan’s smile was cautious. “What do you think? Not love but something almost as fun.”

Chapter 4

Desire flowed through Solan as he inhaled Vegas’s pheromones again. Even from this distance, he could tell she was fertile. Her body was showing she was lying to him. She wanted him.

Surprise hit Solan. She wasn’t his mate. Why should he want her? “What if I don’t approve of the mate you have selected for me?”

“You will need a valid reason why you don’t approve of your chosen mate.” Vegas’s voice sounded husky. “If she is fertile, then there is no reason not to want her.”

“What if I have set my sights on somebody else?”

Vegas swallowed. “You have a potential mate on your home planet?”

“Not on my planet. I have searched for a fertile Galaxar without success.” The few remaining fertile females were for the exclusive use of retired generals. No one else could touch them unless they wanted to be sliced into tiny pieces during a public execution.

“This female would have to be a member of My Single Alien for us to match you. Has she registered an interest in our service?”

Solan watched Vegas’s chest rise and fall beneath her fitted jumpsuit. Her curves would be pleasing to almost every eye. He would like to explore them when they weren’t covered. “I am not certain.”

Vegas took a step closer, seeming to do it without realizing. “You cannot request any woman. That’s not how our business operates.”

“I expect she will want me to declare my love for her.” Cynicism traced through his words. Galaxars had no time for love. Love was a problem, not a solution. It made people do ridiculous things. It made them weak.

Vegas turned her back on him and lifted the tablet from the desk. “If you did, at least she would know you cared for her.”

When Vegas turned to look at Solan, he could see she had her emotions back under control, her breathing calmer and her cheeks less flushed. How easy would it be for him to let those emotions loose again? He wanted to test her boundaries.

“Love is not needed.”

“So you say,” Vegas said. “Tell me about your past successful relationships.”

His spine stiffened. Her words sounded like an insult. “I have had numerous successful matings.”

“I’m not talking about your one-night stands or the women you fuck and then forget. I’m talking about the emotional connections you have formed with members of the opposite sex. I want to know about those.”