Anyway, there she stood, ironing her underwear—being single left her with way too much time on her hands—when, suddenly, it appeared in the middle of her living room. It wasn’t a spectacular living room as living rooms went, outfitted with a second-hand, sagging couch and chair, a coffee table that wobbled, and some kind of Oriental print rug in bad need of a beating. A receptionist’s salary didn’t go far in the city.

Needless to say, when it appeared, it did so right on top of her flimsy coffee table, which under its weight collapsed, something her visitor absently noted when it looked down at its bare and fairly large feet.

Studying it in shock, Diana amended the ‘it’ part to ‘Holy Hunk’ because, if it hadn’t been for the fact that his skin shone a startling sky blue, she would have mistaken him for some super-hot underwear model, one who magically appeared in her living room, only sans the underwear.

Good thing he’s hung like a . . .

With flaming cheeks, Diana quickly averted her gaze, but his sizable endowment stayed with her, and flustered, she stammered, “Wh-Who are you?” Other than the most gorgeous naked man I’ve ever seen. She was so startled by her naked visitor that she accidentally left the iron lying on her underwear too long and a burning smell wafted up. Nose twitching, Diana quickly set the iron upright and looked down in dismay at the big burn mark on the ass of her favorite pair of undies. Damn.

So, of course, her blue alien chuckled. Yes, apparently creatures from space or alternate dimensions had senses of humor too.

“Greetings, earthling female,” said a voice, smooth as hot, melted chocolate with just a hint of an accent. “I come in peace. I will be your leader.”

Startled by her alien’s horrible B-movie speech, Diana said the only thing that came to mind. “Um, isn’t that supposed to be ‘Take me to your leader’?”

Brilliant white teeth that shone opalescent like pearls between darker blue lips appeared when he smiled. “No, you heard me correctly, earthling. I’ve come to be your leader.”

Diana laughed. She just couldn’t help herself. Of all the things she expected him to say, that had to rank as one of the dumbest. His face remained quite serious, though, so, of course, she continued to howl, even when she saw a tinge of annoyance draw his handsome features tight.

“I fail to see the humor, earthling female. I will be your leader. You will respect me as is my due.”

Diana cackled again, wiping the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand. “Oh, you are so funny. And just how is one naked alien going to convince the world that he’s now their new leader?” Diana giggled anew at the thought of him aiming that weapon between his legs. Given its size, he’d definitely intimidate the male population and make the female one swoon.

A frown met her answer, followed by a wide Colgate smile, which made Diana wonder, Do aliens brush their teeth?

“I never said I intended to rule the world, earthling. I’ve come to be your leader. You have been chosen by the oracle and the spirits of my ancestors to be my mate,” he stated with a self-satisfied grin.

That comment rendered Diana speechless. She could almost hear the thump as her jaw hit the floor. His mate? Diana knew, at this point, she had to be hallucinating. Super-hot aliens did not suddenly appear on a lazy Sunday morning to claim size-fourteen plumpers in their don’t-answer-the-door-clothes as their mates. Maybe she’d eaten some bad potato chips.

Shame about the mental lapse, though, because Mr. Blue could probably be found under the definition of gorgeous. After all, what wasn’t there to like on his six-foot-something frame with abs she could bounce quarters off? With short ebony hair that curled slightly at the tips, a tapered waist, muscled legs, bulging arms, and that club between his legs—which, shockingly enough, appeared bald—he also defined the word ‘yummy’. While she contemplated his perfection, he assumed her acquiescence.

“Now that you understand,” he said, gesturing to her impatiently, “disrobe that we may perform the bonding ceremony and be on our way.”

Make that the definition of arrogance. Just who does he think he is? “Excuse me? Did you say you wanted me to undress?”

“Yes, this is part of the ritual. Fear not. Your clothing will be replaced with something more appropriate for space travel. Besides,” Mr. Blue said, looking at her outfit disdainfully, “you cannot mean to tell me that you are attached to such unattractive garments.”

Diana drew her ratty robe more tightly around her and tilted her head regally. “Ugly clothes or not, they are staying on. And I never said I agreed to any bonding ritual. This is a joke, right? Some of the guys at work have paid you to play a trick on me. Ha! Ha! So funny. You can come out now. Where’d you hide the camera?”

“Do you babble often without making sense?” her alien finally interjected.

“Oh, please. How gullible do you think I am? I’ll admit you might have had me fooled there for a second ’til you asked me to take my clothes off.”

Mr. Blue sighed in exasperation. “I assure you this is quite serious. Now, stop your pointless arguing and disrobe that we may get the ritual over with and be on our way.”

Did this alien live on some kind of caveman planet, ordering her about like some harem girl? Hmmm, now that had some interesting visuals. Reining in her naughty thoughts, Diana glared at the source of her frazzled mood. Did he really think that he could simply materialize into her life and she’d become his willing love slave? Hadn’t he heard of women’s lib?

At his impatient look, she replied sarcastically, “Yeah, well, good luck with that. You might be hot for an alien guy, but I am single and staying that way, and the clothes are not coming off.”

Although, on second thought, maybe I should get naked. After all, it’s not like I’m a virgin, and to be honest, when will I ever get another chance to play alien probe with a hottie like this?

Blue’s ebony brows drew over his clear violet eyes, and when he spoke again, he’d lost some of his arrogance. “You don’t wish to be my mate?” The idea seemed to flummox him.

“Look, I appreciate the offer, but even though this must be some kind of weird hallucination or joke, come on, your mate? That sounds like a long-term commitment to me, and well, I just don’t think that’s going to work. We’ve just met, after all, and I know nothing about you, not even, for example, your name.”

“Kor’iander Vel Menos, but you may call me Kor. I am descended from the Third Moon clan, the primary line, of course, and I have the post of first warrior to the Third Moon regiment,” he said with a bow, marred only by the swinging appendage between his legs, which made her blush crimson again.

Gathering her composure, Diana looked him in the eye—no lower. “Nice to meet you, Kor, but I’m still not going to be your mate. Now why don’t you go back to where you came from and meet some nice blue-skinned girl and get married? You’ll be much happier.”

“This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen,” he muttered darkly.

“Sorry, but that’s how it’s going to be,” Diana said primly. Although her shameless side was screaming, Take my clothes off and have your way with me, you big hunk of stud!

And then Diana wondered if he’d read her last thought, for, with a curse—or at least she assumed he cursed, as he spoke in an odd guttural language—he strode all six-foot-something of blue nakedness over to her and grabbed her by the arms. Diana, stunned, didn’t even think to scream. She gaped up at him, utterly distracted by the tingling his closeness created in her body, and she wondered if his lips would taste like blue raspberry.

“Now,” he barked.

Now what? Diana wondered. But as it turned out, he wasn’t speaking to her.

And her lack of action, caused by her overactive hormones, was what led to her being on board her very first alien spacecraft.

Not that she admired it for very long because she felt a prick in her arm and fell—make that crashed—to the floor in a dead sleep.

Chapter Two

Kor’iander Vel Menos stared at the slightly snoring form of his soon-to-be mate asleep on the floor and shook his head in disbelief.

The Oracle had to be wrong. Of course, that had never happened before, but in this instance, Kor really had to question the Oracle’s choice.

Surely, this feisty, argumentative female could not be his life mate? Docile. He’d specifically written docile when he’d filled in his request for a mate. And this is who the spirits of his ancestors had chosen? A celestial jest on their part perhaps?

Her looks at least seemed passable. Perhaps once she groomed herself, she’d even be attractive. The kogi nest that currently adorned her head made him want to shave it for fear of unsavory little critters. As for her shape, the ugly garment she wore did not give a proper indication, although she did seem plump and healthy. Thank the Three Moons. His poor childhood companion Rex’Anor had been given a very slim mate for bonding, and it had taken him many moon cycles to plump her up ’til he’d found her attractive enough to bed.

Kor sighed. And to think he’d been so excited when he’d been called to see the Oracle. He’d felt honored and thrilled to be chosen. What a joke, he thought, staring down at his chosen’s limp form.

Well, at least there was no one here to witness his ignoble attempt to go through with the mating rituals of his people, somewhat adapted to take in the new reality that they needed to mate with females from outside their species.

The problem with being alone, though, was who in the silvery moons did he ask for help?

“Alphie, please search archives for anything on the subject of reluctant earthling females.”

Kor could have sworn he heard Alphie—Alpha 350, the ship’s artificially intelligent computer who someone mistakenly had given a sense of humor—snort.

“This is not entertaining. My chosen refuses to acknowledge me as her leader and won’t bond with me.”

“Could it be because you demanded instead of asking?” came the computer’s smooth voice.

“Why would I ask? I’m doing her a great honor and following ritual. I think maybe I didn’t get the right female.”

“The coordinates were exact. But perhaps you should have done a little more reading on earthlings, their women to be precise, before ordering her about. On their planet, the concept of arranged marriages is almost nonexistent, especially in the area she resided in. As a matter of fact, many of the Earth women choose to not enter into a pair bond.”

“What? But that’s preposterous,” said Kor, appalled at the thought of thousands of females roaming around without the guiding hand of a male.

“Preposterous or not, that’s this planet’s custom. And furthermore, I did recommend you read the file on your future mate. But what did you say to me?” reminded Alphie.

Kor grumbled. “I said it would be fairer if we met at the same time without preconceived notions about each other. You could have warned me.” When he’d made the decision at the time, it had seemed like the right choice and still would have been had his intended been docile like he’d asked for. But a feisty mouth might mean a feisty bedmate. Her bed skills, though, would become apparent only once he convinced his earthling she had no choice but to bond with him.

“You should have listened better,” continued Alphie in a matter-of-fact voice. “What’s the point of having access to a supercomputer like myself if you don’t take advantage of it? Now stop your complaining. What’s done is done. There’s still time for you to catch up a bit before she wakes. Now, are you ready for the decontamination process? Might as well get it done now while she’s still unconscious.”

Kor straightened his intended’s limbs then sighed and braced himself for the low-level laser cleansing. The process, accomplished painlessly—actually, truth be told, it could be quite arousing—was necessary to ensure that alien microbes did not survive and cause havoc back on his home planet. During the course of the voyage, his soon-to-be mate’s body would be cleansed and prepared to adapt to life on his planet, something he just knew she’d argue about too.

Unmoving, she lay as he’d positioned her on the floor, and he decided that perhaps it would be best if he gave her the first of the several inoculations she’d need to ensure her body adapted to the slightly different atmosphere and consumables of his planet. He injected her quickly with only a slight red pinprick left behind to show he’d even touched her. With that done, he also decided he’d better relocate her just in case the sedative wore off sooner than expected and she awoke on the hard floor.

Picking her up, Kor found himself pleased at the soft curves that pillowed against his body, making his blood pound faster through his veins and other places, creating an erection that was impossible to hide in his still undressed state. But with no one to see him except a machine, Kor relaxed and decided to enjoy holding his chosen female without her haranguing him.

The cruiser, thankfully, had a well-appointed cabin, one with a large bed that took into account the new service the males of his planet required. The cruiser’s primary use now consisted of fetching female mates from around the galaxy so that the males of his world could mate with them and make sure his people did not die out. A pleasant task for most, or so he’d heard, he thought with a disgruntled look at the still sleeping female who had refused to do as he told her.

Kor laid the earthling on the covers and stood back, looking at her again pensively. The garments she wore were truly awful, and given her earlier stance about keeping them on, with a mischievous grin, he stripped them off her. When he’d disposed of them—permanently—he looked at her again, interest making his violet eyes glow and his body firm up in arousal.

Lush curves met his gaze, her smooth, unblemished skin tempting his hands to touch. She had a very full bosom, heavy handfuls with light pink areolas that puckered as if sensing his interest. She had an indented waist, a rounded tummy, and a thatch of ebony curls that hid pinker delights, which he’d explore and taste later when she finally accepted her fate.

Kor found a brush and painstakingly combed out her messy hair, the texture so silky between his fingers that it made him shiver as he imagined her dragging it across his sensitive skin. With her dark hair fanned across the bed’s pillows, sensuous full lips slightly parted, and serene face, Kor found himself mightily attracted to his future mate. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so horrible after all.

Tempting as he found her, though, he would wait ’til she awoke and completed the bonding ritual with him. He wanted their first joining to be mutually pleasurable, something he’d trained for with great success, according to his teachers. Now if only he could get her to feel the same attraction when she awoke. Then they could mate properly and satisfy the sexual urges that now consumed his body.

However, the sedative he’d given her would last a few more hours still unless she proved resistant, so with time to waste, Kor dressed in loose slacks and a billowy shirt before going to check on their travel status and other ship functions that needed tending. But while he worked, his mind strayed often to the lusciously obstinate female in his bed.