{"title":"Ride the Stars","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"interstellar-lover","title":"Interstellar Lover – Cozy Alien Romance with Humor \u0026 Heart","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA cozy, humorous alien‑next‑door romance full of heart and cosmic chaos\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay thought her upstairs neighbor was just a harmless nerd with a terrible hat and a suspicious relationship with brown‑tinted glasses. Then she saw him in black leather and realized two things:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col class=\"a-ordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehe’s definitely not harmless, and\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eshe’s in trouble.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay’s week has gone from “annoying” to “cosmic disaster.” She’s been kicked out of her band, her boiler has died dramatically, and she’s starting to suspect the things crawling out of her refrigerator aren’t from this planet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe’s right to be suspicious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd Fred? Fred is a whole new category of complication.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBehind the disguise is a man with silver eyes, a galaxy’s worth of secrets, and a job with the Galactic Federation that was never supposed to involve falling for the woman downstairs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen a rogue portal opens in Jay’s kitchen, Fred’s cover unravels. So does his plan to keep her at arm’s length.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFalling for a civilian from a low‑tech world wasn’t part of the assignment. Taking her home with him definitely wasn’t. But Jay has a way of knocking him out of orbit—and Fred has never been good at walking away from something worth keeping.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eA feel-good sci fi romance with no explicit scenes but plenty of romance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFor readers who enjoy:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlien‑next‑door romance with humor, heart, and cozy vibes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProtective alien hero with a secret identity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuirky musician heroine whose life is falling apart (and getting weirder)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRogue portals, interdimensional pests, and Galactic Federation chaos\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSweet, feel‑good romance with no explicit scenes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePerfect for fans of lighthearted sci‑fi love stories\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e✨\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRead a Sample now:\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\" align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003ca name=\"docs-internal-guid-d65dadcb-7fff-2451-71\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e CHAPTER 1\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay slammed her apartment door and kicked it for good measure. Rotten, rotten day.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt had started with her mail getting snatched out of her hands by the wind, scattered across two lanes of rush hour traffic. In seconds, envelopes were crushed under speeding tires, plastered to wet windshields, and whisked away into the gray afternoon. One soggy flyer had landed in a puddle at her feet. She'd picked it up, watched muddy water drip from the curling corner, then dropped it in a trashcan with a groan. She'd settled her gig bag on her back and taken off at a fast clip, hoping nothing important had been in that batch of mail.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe'd been late to practice, and the lead singer of their perpetually \"undiscovered\" band had been in a nastier mood than usual.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe bar they used was closed for the afternoon, chairs stacked on tabletops, the air stale with last night's beer. They had two hours before their opening act. Amber had been waiting, arms crossed, hair looking like it had been sawed off with a knife and doused with an entire bottle of peroxide. The thick rings of eyeliner around her narrowed blue eyes did nothing to soften the sour set of her perfect red lips.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"How nice of you to join us, Jaynie.\" Amber tossed her hair back as Jay ran in, dripping with rain. \"Let me guess—you finally found a boyfriend and you're recovering from a torrid night of lovin'.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer sister Red snickered from the corner, fingers working through a lazy chord on her guitar. \"Now, Amber. You know our Jaynie doesn't believe in sleeping around.\" Red—Reeda Baker—was a voluptuous, magnetic presence who had been the one to get Jay into the band in the first place, talking up Jay's \"awesome\" guitar playing until Amber relented. Lately, that enthusiasm had curdled into mockery. She had no patience for Jay's quiet attitude or her habit of going straight home after gigs instead of staying to bask in the bar lights.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKrystal, behind the drum kit, ducked her head when Jay tried to catch her eye. Not the type to rock the canoe, Krystal. Not when the water was this choppy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay shook her head and reached for her guitar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Oh, don't bother, honey.\" Amber's smile was pure satisfaction. \"We've decided to audition someone else. Too many guitars—I'm thinking keyboard, maybe a sax player. Sorry.\" Her expression was anything but.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRed snickered again.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA smile that wasn't quite real tugged at Jay's mouth. It was almost funny, it was so predictable. Almost. She tugged her guitar strap higher on her shoulder. \"Fine. Have a nice life.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt wasn't worth feeling humiliated. She told herself that firmly as she stepped back out into the rain. The angry breath she sucked in said otherwise.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer shoes squished against the sidewalk as she stalked home, head bowed against the downpour. She was half a city block from her building when a driver blew through a puddle and sloshed a wave of muddy water from her elbow to her soggy shoes. She swore in time to her stomping the rest of the way, focused entirely on the vision of a hot shower and a very satisfying pout.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was not to be.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNo one lingered in the downpour outside the tall, narrow old building she called home. The hallways of the four-plex were deserted. Drenched to the skin, she unzipped her gig bag and lifted her Fender out of the damp padding, setting it carefully on its stand to air. She stripped off her squishy socks and shoes, hurried to the bathroom, and cranked the hot water to the max.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe knew exactly how long it took for the water to get hot, so she stripped and didn’t bother to check the water for once. She needed heat! She hopped in, eager to be warm.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer scream rocked the building.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe leaped out of the shower and snatched up a towel, gasping. The boiler must be broken again—not a drop of hot water in the place. With a growl, she stomped to the stove and put a kettle on. A sponge bath and a hot cup of cocoa would do. Maybe a grilled cheese and a cup of tomato soup? She was hungry and could use some comfort food.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe had a spoon in one hand and a mug in the other when the doorbell rang.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe rolled her eyes at the ceiling, set down both utensils, and moved to the door. \"Who is it?\" she called, unwilling to answer wrapped in a towel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"It's Fred. I heard a scream. Are you all right?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay closed her eyes and breathed through her nose.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred was the nerdy artist from the apartment upstairs. She wasn't entirely sure what he did up there all day, but his ugly gray shirt was perpetually paint-spattered, and his baggy blue-and-red-striped pants held matching pizza stains. He might have been bald for all she knew—he always wore a large, floppy scrub-style cap that covered every trace of his scalp. It was an aggressive shade of red and purple. His square glasses had brown-tinted lenses and frames that had probably been fashionable in a decade she hadn't lived through. He smelled like chemicals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStill. He heard a scream and came running. That counted for something.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen she took a beat too long to answer, his voice came again, sharper this time. \"Jay? Are you all right?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe sighed. \"I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I'd like to check inside, please.\" His voice was firmer than she would have expected, and genuinely worried.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe did not want to let him in while she was wrapped in a towel, but he sounded ready to break the door down if she stalled—probably convinced there was an attacker in there with her. Worse, he might go away and call the police. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the throw off her secondhand couch, wrapped it around herself, and opened the door wide.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred blinked at her, then stepped inside and took a quick look around. He flattened himself against the wall like a cop, thrust the bathroom door open with one hand, and peered inside. He used the same technique on the rest of her tiny apartment. That took approximately ten seconds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay was fighting a smile when he strolled back out, looking sheepish. \"Cold shower,\" she offered to his questioning look. She glanced at the hissing kettle and gestured him out of the narrow corner that served as her kitchen. \"I was going to dump some warm water over my head and settle for cocoa.\" She hesitated. He'd sent interested signals her way before, and she wasn't trying to encourage anything—but the man had come to check on her without knowing it was only a cold shower emergency. \"Would you like a cup?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe looked at her carefully, the way a puppy looks at an offered treat after being kicked one too many times. \"If you're sure?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA small, guilty frown pulled at her brows as she filled two mugs. \"Sure. Go ahead and mix the cocoa. I like three scoops.\" She grabbed a big bowl and took it and the kettle into the bathroom, then collected some clothes from her room. \"I won't be long.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was strange having a man in her kitchen while she cleaned up, and stranger still that it was Fred. Her upbringing had been conservative, and she still lived by those values even at twenty-two—no sleepovers, no revolving door of visitors…as Red had so cuttingly pointed out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWell, there weren't many decent, family-oriented men to be found in smoke-filled dive bars. Not that she'd been looking too hard lately. Sadly, she’d kind of given up.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe reminder of her afternoon had her scowling when she came out of the bathroom. Fred took one look at her face and slugged down his cocoa—then hissed in pain as it scorched his mouth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Don't kill yourself!\" Jay winced and handed him a cold glass of water. \"Let it cool first.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Sorry,\" he muttered, after he'd recovered. \"You looked annoyed. I thought I should probably leave.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay glanced at the door—still wide open—and relaxed onto her bar stool. \"I am annoyed, but not at you. It was nice of you to check on me.\" She nodded toward the radiator. \"Any idea when the boiler will be fixed?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe accepted the subject change without blinking. \"No telling. I already called the landlord.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Thanks. Maybe he'll get to it in the next week or two.\" Their old building was constantly on the fritz, but the rent was low enough that the tenants put up with it. Jay had a gas space heater and had long since mastered the art of warming water on the stove. She was good at creative solutions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred stared at his steaming mug, occasionally shooting her a nervous look, clearly at a loss for neutral conversation—until his eyes landed on her Fender. \"I hear you playing sometimes. I like it.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay looked fondly at the cherry-red electric guitar propped on its stand, still airing out from the rain. \"Thanks. I try to keep the volume down when I know people might be sleeping.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I don't mind. You could bring it up to my place sometime, play while I work. The acoustics are better up there.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe looked at him doubtfully, wondering if he could tell an acoustic from a screeching cat. \"Er—thanks. I'm pretty comfortable down here.\" She caught his disappointed expression and winced. She was not good at letting people down easy, and Fred was the kind of man who would fall in love and stay that way forever. He needed someone else. Someone who appreciated berets. Someone who would introduce him to the color black—a significant improvement over his current, colorblind wardrobe. The image that formed in her mind made her grin, and she quickly hid it behind her mug.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"What?\" Fred asked, suspicious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe grabbed an idea out of thin air. \"I was just wondering if you liked poetry.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA small knot formed between his brows. \"Not really.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Too bad.\" She shrugged. \"There are a couple of really interesting poets who meet at the library on Wednesdays. I met one when I was browsing the music theory section—she was pulling books on classical art. Rainbow Star, or Red Star, something like that. She invited me to join. Said they discuss music lyrics, feminism, and the role of the female musician in modern culture.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis raised eyebrow was eloquent on the subject of her matchmaking skills. His lips twitched. \"I'll go if you come along and introduce me.\" It was a challenge, delivered with a slow, knowing smile.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay blinked. She hadn't expected him to step out with guns blazing. A thousand internal lectures about not judging people by their fashion sense immediately began to niggle her conscience. She looked around for something to focus on and came up empty. \"All right,\" she said reluctantly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe surprise on his face was priceless.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA glance at her calendar confirmed her fear. Wednesday. Of course it was Wednesday.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"You'll go out with me tonight?\" he asked, the disbelief in his voice almost endearing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe raised both hands quickly. \"As buddies. Friends. Just so you can meet the poet.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I won't be comfortable going alone,\" he said, stubborn. \"You know what those feminist types are like. All in black, death-staring any guy who doesn't have pierced eyebrows. Please say you'll come.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe hopeful look in his eyes was her undoing. There went her peaceful evening of moping. She sighed. \"Okay. But if you don't get her phone number, you owe me a full pint of Stone Cold's cookie dough ice cream. I don't work cheap.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe grinned. \"Deal. What time do I pick you up?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe blinked. \"I'm five seconds from your door, and we'll be taking the bus—unless you've been hiding a moped in your apartment. I don't think they make skateboards for two.\" His usual mode of transportation would have her flat on the pavement in under a minute.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Cole will let me borrow his car.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay laughed. She couldn't help it. \"Cole is not going to lend you his baby.\" Their neighbor was a massive man with long dreads, a deep bass voice, and a '63 Impala he treated like a member of the family. She didn't know him well, but she seriously doubted he was going to hand over the keys. If Fred was very lucky, Cole might drive them himself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFriday nights, you could set your clock by the sight of that low rider pulling away from the curb, full of laughing women headed somewhere with a good sound system. Cole had a quirky sense of humor and a build that seemed to make women temporarily lose their minds, though he spent most of his time in his apartment. Jay had been meaning to work up the nerve to knock on his door and borrow some of his CDs for months. The deep drumbeat that seeped through the wall was exactly the kind of thing she wanted to play along to.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred just grinned. \"We'll see.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred left Jay's apartment walking on air.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe'd been trying for months to get his green-eyed darling to notice him, and the best he'd managed were a few doubtful looks and polite refusals. At least he knew he wasn't alone in that—she rarely had guests, and none were male, except for the occasional door-to-door salesman who clearly had no idea what he'd stumbled into.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was hard to figure out why a trim, quietly pretty brunette didn't have a line out the door. Well—she spent long evenings playing with her band, then went home instead of lingering for the after-hours glow. He'd snuck into a bar or two to listen to her play, lurking in the back where she wouldn't notice. He always waited up until he heard her come in, sometimes at two or three in the morning. Then there was the part-time job at the coffee house. Maybe it made sense that her social life was thin. That didn't make it easier to watch someone as worth-knowing as Jay go unnoticed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe wasn't kidding himself, though. She was sharp and warm and quietly funny, and it wasn't going to be long before some other man figured that out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred intended to win her first.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy sheer luck, he caught Cole in the hallway, just locking his apartment door.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole took one look at Fred's expression and smiled slowly. \"You look like you stumbled out of a fever dream. Did you get hit on the head, or did our little chili pepper downstairs actually spare you a smile?\" His voice was a deep, unhurried bass.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred's chest swelled. \"She invited me to a poetry meeting at the library.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole stared for a full beat—then burst out laughing. \"There's a girl she wants you to meet, isn't there.\" It wasn't a question. His grin turned wicked at Fred's scowl. \"Scrawny, pale-faced, man-eater. I can feel it. She's trying to unload you, man! Novel strategy, though. I'll give her that.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred crossed his arms. \"Laugh it up, Casanova, but loan me your car first.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole stopped laughing. \"No. Fred. No!\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"You owe me.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Don't do this,\" Cole said, looking as stricken as if Fred had asked for a kidney. \"I'll rent you a limo. Yeah! Let me find my phone.\" He turned, genuinely prepared to flee.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Cole.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe didn't have to spell it out. The favor owed was significant—large enough that a car loan wouldn't come close to settling it. Cole's shoulders sagged. He stood there for a long moment, one hand on his doorknob, then slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He looked at them with real grief before placing them in Fred's palm. \"Ride her easy. She's temperamental. She needs—\" He stopped. Looked at the keys one more time. \"My poor baby.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I'll take good care of her.\" Fred's hand closed around the keys. He had a date to get ready for.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"western\" align=\"left\"\u003eCHAPTER 2\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay opened the door without checking the peephole, recognizing Fred's jaunty knock. The sight before her made her blink.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was an improvement. Sort of.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor once, his famous hat was missing. She discovered, to her genuine surprise, that he had long, straight hair that fell to his shoulders. The dark, slightly greasy locks were clipped back with a plain barrette. He was wearing a baggy white t-shirt printed with \"Elvis Lives\" in bold black letters, and an extra-large black fanny pack strapped over it, making the shirt bag out. In honor of the occasion, he'd changed his pants—out of the stripes and into a pair of paint-stained jeans that looked like they'd been stomped on, left out in the rain, and then handed to a pair of junkyard dogs to finish off. They slopped over his unlaced sneakers and pooled on the floor around his feet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Hi,\" she said faintly, her eyes locked on his shoes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Hi.\" His voice cracked on a high note. He dug in his pocket and jangled a set of keys on a dice keychain. \"Cole let us have the car.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe dragged her gaze up to his enormous wraparound sunglasses. Pure willpower kept her from choking. \"Yeah. Great.\" She turned to lock her door and took her time with it, breathing steadily until she was reasonably confident she could face him again without insulting him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred held the building door for her and offered his arm with a flourish as they descended the concrete steps. Cole's pink low rider sat at the curb with the top down, gleaming under the streetlights.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe full absurdity of the situation hit her all at once. Jay started laughing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred stopped and looked at her, smiling. \"What?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I feel like a princess in a very strange fairytale.\" She tried to tailor it, but there was only so much tailoring to be done.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis lips quirked. \"Hello, Rapunzel. Let down your hair tonight.\" Before she could object, he snatched her hair stick.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Hey!\" She reached up, but it was too late—the long mass had already tumbled down around her shoulders. \"It's going to get in my way.\" She reached for the stick and watched, frowning, as he tucked it into his belt pouch.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"One night won't kill you,\" he teased, opening the car door for her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe rolled her eyes, straightened her cropped leather jacket, and settled her jean-clad self into Cole's white leather seat. The floor mat showed a shadow print of African dancing girls with wild drummers. A pair of fuzzy white dice dangled from the rearview mirror.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred grinned as he flexed his fingers and gripped the pink leather steering wheel cover. \"I've been looking forward to this.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe started the engine and threw it into gear. The car lurched forward—and slammed to a stop.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay gripped the seat and stared at him, grateful for her seatbelt. \"You do know how to drive a stick, don't you?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Sure.\" He frowned in concentration and lurched forward again, narrowly missing a fire hydrant. \"I've had a couple of lessons.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay opened her mouth. But by then he'd pulled out into traffic, and it was far too late to make a break for it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy the time they reached the library, she had a white-knuckled grip on the doorframe and the edge of the seat.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Are you all right?\" Fred asked as he came around to open her door.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Fine. I'm fine.\" She gave him a smile that was all teeth and carefully pried her fingers from the leather. Hopefully Cole would forgive her for the permanent nail marks. If not, she was referring the bill to Fred.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHow was she ever going to find this man a date? A steady girlfriend seemed like an optimistic goal—though maybe if she aimed him at the metaphysical stacks and stood back..? She was fairly certain she'd seen her life flash before her eyes twice on the way over.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe was either driving or catching a cab on the way back. No exceptions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRainbow Star—as it turned out—was delighted to see Jay. She looked rather more doubtfully at Fred. \"Oh, is this your boyfriend?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"No. Just a friend,\" Jay said quickly, with perhaps more force than was strictly flattering. Her nerves were too frayed for tact. \"He's an artist.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRainbow pursed her bright red lips and studied Fred with open skepticism.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred returned the assessment, taking in her head-to-toe black outfit with poorly concealed misgiving. Then, with a smooth dismissiveness, he turned aside and helped Jay off with her coat and pulled out her chair.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThrown off balance by the courtesies, Jay sat down and surveyed the rest of the group. Five other women, counting Rainbow. She catalogued one caftan with a matching turban, one nose ring, two anti-men t-shirts, and a quasi-military blonde in army boots, orange-and-black camouflage pants, and a skimpy black halter top. The fabric was doing its absolute best and losing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe blonde gave Fred the most hostile look of all.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo his credit, he averted his gaze and managed not to make a scene. Jay began to think he might actually get somewhere with this crowd, if she could get them to stop looking at him like he'd personally wronged them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRainbow tilted her head toward Jay. \"Tell me—as a female musician, do you encounter a lot of opposition from male artists?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Dare we even say oppression?\" the blonde cut in.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay laughed. \"Honestly, the guys have been pretty supportive. I don't think they're any more competitive with women than they are with each other. Most of them genuinely respect a woman who knows her way around a guitar.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Amen,\" Fred said heartily, with an admiring glance her way.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRainbow frowned. \"So you don't feel pressured out of the business by your male counterparts?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\"The only people who've pressured me out recently have been my female band members. Thanks to them, I'll be playing for loose change on a street corner if I'm not careful.\" Jay registered Fred's surprised look but didn't elaborate. She recognized the shape of this gathering—a rotating chorus of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ewoe is life, men are the cause of all doom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003eand she had no patience for it. She believed in equal rights, full stop. What she couldn't get behind was the version that treated grievance as a lifestyle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe slouched back in her chair and continued, \"I can't say I'm any more oppressed than the person stuck in a nine-to-five office cubicle. I can buy a beer and drink it in public. I can wear what I want and skip marriage entirely if I feel like it. Nobody's stopping me. I have a hard time finding anything worth complaining about, really.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs the others worked to argue her out of her complacency, Jay and Fred exchanged a look. Behind his enormous dark glasses, his expression was hard to read—but he caught her dry glance and held it for a beat longer than necessary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe made a show of looking at the cartoon mouse on his wristwatch. \"Oh, no! I'm going to miss Diving for Dollars if we don't leave now. They've got the supermodel and the car salesman in this episode. I've been waiting all week.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay fought a reflexive frown at the mention of the tacky reality show—then caught on. She stood quickly and made their excuses. \"He's my ride, so I should go too. Great meeting everyone.\" And probably never again.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOutside, she stepped in front of Fred and planted her hands against his chest to stop him. She'd misjudged the distance—she actually made contact, and to her surprise he was firm and solid under her palms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStartled, he stopped. \"What is it?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Fred…I need to drive.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe looked down at her, the dark glasses lending him a gravity he probably didn't feel. \"You do?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Yes.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe took her hands off him and stepped back, but he moved forward, so she braced again. Had he always been this tall? He had a solid six inches on her, easy. She squared her shoulders. This was a matter of survival.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Fred, give me the keys.\" She kept the tips of her fingers pressed warningly to his chest and held out her other hand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSlowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled them out. Instead of handing them over, he dangled them just out of reach. \"You want them? Race me.\" He made a sudden break and sprinted around her, his long legs carrying him to the low rider in seconds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay ran after him and flattened herself against the driver's door. \"Fred, this is serious! I cannot let you drive. Somewhere out there is a group of very angry motorists with your name on a hate list. Don't make this difficult.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe corner of his mouth turned up. \"You think I'm going to kill us, don't you?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Was I that obvious?\" She held out her hand again.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis smile deepened. \"It'll cost you.\" He leaned forward slightly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor a moment she was almost certain he was going to kiss her. Her eyes dropped to his mouth—actually a rather attractive mouth—and the firm line of his jaw. The feel of his chest was still fresh in her hands. But this was Fred. \"What will it cost?\" she asked, and her voice came out higher than she intended.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe straightened and handed her the keys, then reached around her to open the door. \"You have to let me buy you ice cream.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIce cream. She could handle ice cream. She climbed in and started the car, nearly wilting with relief.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCold Stone had a big neon sign and a gleaming sixties exterior. Jay finally let her shoulders drop once she'd parked the still-immaculate Impala in front of the wide front windows. Her own driving skills were rustier than she'd like, and city traffic had done her no favors, but at least they were alive.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred came around to open her door. \"My lady.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe laughed, a little shakily. \"Something about this is backwards.\" She let him hold the ice cream parlor door and chose the booth directly in front of the parked car, where she could keep an eye on it. The red vinyl benches and newsprint tabletop were spotless, the black-and-white tiled floor respectably swept even at this hour.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA waitress in a pink poodle skirt and demure blouse appeared to take their order, a small earring winking incongruously in her left nostril. \"What can I get you two?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay ordered a parfait when Fred waved for her to go first, and listened as he requested a banana split with everything on it. \"And separate checks, please,\" she added.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"No, don't.\" Fred's enormous sunglasses turned toward her with an air of quiet disapproval. \"My treat.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Fred—\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I'll let you two work that out while I get started on the order,\" the waitress said, making a smooth exit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"It would be rude to let you pay,\" Fred said, firmly. \"I promised.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Ok…but we're here as friends,\" Jay said cautiously, trying not to squirm. She wasn't accustomed to this kind of thing, to letting a guy down easy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Then as your friend, I'll treat.\" The matter, apparently, was closed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003eJay frowned. She'd been thinking of him as—well, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eneutered\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ewas probably the most accurate word. She wasn't proud of it, but there it was. Sex and Fred weren't words she'd naturally string together. Since she wasn't going to win this argument without being rude, she picked at something else instead. \"Why won't you take off your sunglasses?\" It was making her restless. She couldn't read half his expressions with a third of his face hidden behind those enormous things.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Can't. Photosensitive.\" He said it with the cheerfulness people use when they don't want to discuss something.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003eShe let it go and let her gaze drift to the glossy ice cream photos lining the walls—until Fred got up and wandered over to the jukebox. He read through the listings, fed in some quarters, and came back. The first song that came up was \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eIs This Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003eby Whitesnake.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of her favorites.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"How did you know?\" she asked.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe shrugged. \"I hear you sometimes. When you're not singing, you're playing CDs or running through scales. Anyone who paid attention would know.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe observation left her unexpectedly self-conscious. She was relieved when their order arrived and gave her something to do with her hands.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Do you have family in town?\" he asked.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe shook her head. \"My parents are gone. I have uncles, but we don't talk.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe nodded. \"Did your mother teach you to cook? I catch some pretty good smells coming from your apartment.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"No. Self-taught. Though it's not much fun cooking for one.\" She bit her lip the moment the words were out. When he didn't jump on them, she said carefully, \"If you promise to leave your hat in your room, I might be persuaded to share a meal sometime.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe laughed. \"You don't like my hat?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"What's to like?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe silence that followed stretched into something she hadn't quite planned for. Her offhand invitation sat on the table between them like an invisible gauntlet. She hadn't intended to get involved. She was lonely—fine. He was funny, and she wasn't out to break his heart. She needed to be clear about that. \"Just as friends, you know.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEven through the dark glasses, his gaze was steady and intent. \"I'd like that.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay pushed the last of her parfait around the glass and let it melt.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole was waiting when they pulled up in front of the building. He visibly relaxed when he saw Jay in the driver's seat, his eyes making a quick scan of the paint job.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Just thought I'd say hello,\" he said.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay smiled and tossed him the keys. \"I filled the tank on the way back.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe caught them cleanly, running a thumb over the keychain. \"You're welcome. Good time?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay stepped in before Fred could say anything damaging. \"He didn't get her number, so he bought me ice cream instead. Not a date.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA slow smile spread across Cole's face. \"Okay.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay nodded her goodnight and slipped inside before Fred could offer to walk her to her door.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFred leaned back against the car and watched her go with the boneless satisfaction of a man who knew exactly how his evening had gone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole raised his brows slowly, asking without asking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"She invited me to share a meal with her,\" Fred said. \"Her apartment. She didn't specify lunch or dinner.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCole grinned. \"You breached the wall! Well done.\" He slapped Fred on the back hard enough to shift his grip on the car. \"Go lie down, man. You look punch drunk.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Excellent plan.\" Fred pushed off the car with good humor, leaving Cole to his reunion with the Impala.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe backslap had knocked his shades loose. As he walked away, Fred shot one last, wickedly amused look over his shoulder—then pushed the glasses back into place. But not before a flash of silver caught the streetlight.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe was going to have excellent dreams.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Autumn Dawn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48057410027748,"sku":"ILover_Ebook","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0661\/9771\/7220\/files\/SpaceRomCovers.jpg?v=1773076417"},{"product_id":"interstellar-lover-cozy-alien-romance-with-humor-heart-sample","title":"Sample Interstellar Lover – Cozy Alien Romance with Humor \u0026 Heart","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA cozy, humorous alien‑next‑door romance full of heart and cosmic chaos\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay thought her upstairs neighbor was just a harmless nerd with a terrible hat and a suspicious relationship with brown‑tinted glasses. Then she saw him in black leather and realized two things:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col class=\"a-ordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehe’s definitely not harmless, and\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eshe’s in trouble.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJay’s week has gone from “annoying” to “cosmic disaster.” She’s been kicked out of her band, her boiler has died dramatically, and she’s starting to suspect the things crawling out of her refrigerator aren’t from this planet.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe’s right to be suspicious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd Fred? Fred is a whole new category of complication.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBehind the disguise is a man with silver eyes, a galaxy’s worth of secrets, and a job with the Galactic Federation that was never supposed to involve falling for the woman downstairs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen a rogue portal opens in Jay’s kitchen, Fred’s cover unravels. So does his plan to keep her at arm’s length.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFalling for a civilian from a low‑tech world wasn’t part of the assignment. Taking her home with him definitely wasn’t. But Jay has a way of knocking him out of orbit—and Fred has never been good at walking away from something worth keeping.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eA feel-good sci fi romance with no explicit scenes but plenty of romance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFor readers who enjoy:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-vertical\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlien‑next‑door romance with humor, heart, and cozy vibes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProtective alien hero with a secret identity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuirky musician heroine whose life is falling apart (and getting weirder)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRogue portals, interdimensional pests, and Galactic Federation chaos\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSweet, feel‑good romance with no explicit scenes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePerfect for fans of lighthearted sci‑fi love stories\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Autumn Dawn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48059180155108,"sku":"SampleILover_Ebook","price":0.01,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0661\/9771\/7220\/files\/I_Lover_2026_ebook_sample.jpg?v=1773076417"},{"product_id":"ride-the-stars","title":"Ride the Stars – A Slow‑Burn Sci‑Fi Romance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShe didn't ask to be kidnapped. She definitely didn't ask to fall for the man who did it.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide Calanarre is one of the best ship mechanics in the system — which is exactly why the Draconians want her, and why they're not taking no for an answer. Hustled aboard an alien warship with her partner, she's got plenty of reasons to be furious and zero reasons to trust the infuriatingly compelling soldier assigned to watch her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut someone wants her dead. Her partner is falling for the wrong man. And the longer she stays, the harder it becomes to tell whether Skye is the danger — or the only thing standing between her and it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe's spent years making sure no one could get close enough to hurt her. She didn't count on a Draconian who doesn't know how to quit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRide the Stars\u003c\/em\u003e — a slow-burn sci-fi romance with sharp wit, real heat, and a heroine worth rooting for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e✨\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRead a Sample now:\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 align=\"left\" class=\"western\"\u003e\n\u003ca name=\"docs-internal-guid-d65dadcb-7fff-2451-71\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e CHAPTER 1\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLunar Base, 2785\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe control panel beeped. Jaide shot it a look of pure dislike and closed her eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Your turn,\" she told her companion. Arms crossed, feet propped on a supply crate wedged beneath the console, she drifted in that grey nowhere between waking and sleep. Murderous shifts and a skeleton crew had drained them both. She had no energy left to care who wanted access to the shuttle bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe flight control computer beeped again, unanswered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide cracked one blue eye and nudged the sleeping Sesame none-too-gently with the steel-tipped toe of her boot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame grunted, half-awake. \"It was my turn last time. Don't try to con me.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide sent her a dirty look but dropped her feet to the floor and sat up anyway. Her tea had gone cold. She grimaced at the taste and set it aside, staring at the blinking blue light with the glazed focus of someone running on caffeine fumes and vending machine ramen. The control room's emergency strips threw everything in a flat, greenish cast — the kind of light that made everyone look slightly unwell, which tonight was accurate. After working two full shifts straight, going on three, she wasn't confident she could find her own numb backside without a map, let alone run traffic control for the entire lunar base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, thanks to a particularly nasty run of Yabidian flu, there was no one else. Everyone who wasn't flat on their back was either hanging over a toilet or sitting on one, moaning. Pure luck — and an antisocial streak — had kept her and Sesame upright, but she wasn't feeling like a prizewinner after twenty hours of caffeine and junk food. She was ready to tell this captain to get lost just for having the nerve to call.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Base control,\" she snarled into her headset, flipping the toggle like she had a personal grudge against it. \"What do you want?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame muffled a snort. At least one of them still had a sense of humor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pause. Then a surprised male voice answered doubtfully, \"Permission to enter.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrumbling, knowing she was being unreasonable and not particularly caring, Jaide scanned the readouts. There'd been a rash of terrorist takeovers and sabotage lately, and the lunar governments had cracked down hard on safety protocol, even at remote postings like this one. The regular controller, Rob Jayckson, had drilled them to the point of tedium on the procedures — which meant, mercifully, she could run them half-asleep. Given the state of things, that was probably exactly what she was doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA blip crossed her screen and vanished.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe pushed a couple of buttons, but couldn't get it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Great. Now I'm seeing things,\" Jaide muttered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame rolled her head sideways and fixed her with bloodshot eyes. \"What?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I thought I saw an abnormality on the readouts. It's gone now.\" A quick sweep of the data turned up nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore alert now, Sesame sat up and double-checked. \"I don't see anything.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ship's name and registry were unremarkable — a run-of-the-mill transport, a scheduled one at that. Still, the faint possibility of something interesting left Jaide fractionally more awake.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Are we clear, control?\" the voice asked, impatience sharpening its edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Keep your shorts on,\" she snapped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"What? Who is this?\" the voice demanded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide swore under her breath. She was volunteer help. He could live with it. Her hand reached for the release switch. Something stopped her. She closed her eyes, argued with herself for two seconds, then opened a channel to security. \"Whoever's on duty — I had a blip on my screen. Might be sleep deprivation, but I'm covering myself. Send someone to check it out.\" She toggled off, changed her mind, flipped it back on. \"And send someone to take over up here. We're no longer competent.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatic hissed back at her. \"We don't have anyone qualified! Everyone's still too sick to come back on duty. We're all just volunteers!\" The voice on the other end had a recognizable whine to it — the base commander's pampered med-tech girlfriend. Gissie thought running low on nail polish qualified as a hardship situation. They were in serious trouble if she'd been assigned to security.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Then let them rot outside the doors! I'm going to bed,\" Jaide roared. A click cut off Gissie's sputtering protests. Another code opened the shield doors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide rolled her neck, popping out the kinks, then rose as the massive bay doors ground apart overhead, letting the ship bleed through the particle field that separated the lunar bay's breathable atmosphere from the void of space beyond. It settled onto the landing deck with minimal thruster use, showing the pilot's skill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a moment she watched from the control window, fatigue softening her brain at the edges. The emergency strips threw their flat greenish light across the bay below — illuminating nothing particularly, making everything look like it was waiting for something.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ship was sleek and black, military in design, and it absorbed the bay's dim light rather than reflecting it. Whoever was hitching a ride in that thing had serious connections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe blinking blue light on her console kept blinking. She hadn't answered it yet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen it clicked, and she swore silently at her own stupidity. \"That's not a transport,\" she muttered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame heard her and glanced out the window. Her oath was considerably fouler. One agitated hand shoved the brown hair out of her eyes. \"Another military ship.\" She shook her head in disgust. \"That paranoid governor is burning through taxpayer money, sending ships out to sniff around a dinky backwater posting like this.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide's answer was a grim nod. Their visitors had jammed the port's instruments to gain the element of surprise — same as the last two had done. Good thing she hadn't been on duty for those. Both captains had chewed out everyone on shift. As if anyone on a base this size had the equipment to detect a military-grade vessel running dark!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"We'd better move while we still can,\" Jaide said, snatching her jacket from the back of her cracked synthetic leather seat. She shrugged it on over her ratty t-shirt and helped lock down the controls. \"I'm not sitting through a dressing-down for volunteering my time.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Why do I feel like a guilty kid sneaking away from a lecture?\" Sesame complained, digging through the pockets of her long-sleeved shirt, then her work pants. Both hands and the rough brown fabric were equally stained with engine fluids. They'd come straight from the shop to man the shuttle doors. Suckers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGum located, she popped the spicy stick into her mouth and punched in her shutdown code. \"No good deed goes unpunished,\" she muttered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs she finished, Jaide squinted through the plasglass separating the second-floor command center from the concrete-and-steel cavern below. A sneezing volunteer soldier in brown was already making his somewhat unsteady way toward the ship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA stab of sympathy caught her. The poor volunteer was clearly somewhere in the lingering tail of the flu — not bad enough to be bedridden, just bad enough to look like he was navigating on autopilot. One of the walking dead, only he'd drawn the short straw and had to go deal with whatever was on that ship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a hiss of compressed air, the ramp descended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame and Jaide reached the bottom of the grated steel stairs at nearly the same moment the guard reached the new arrivals. The leader turned his head in her direction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMurky light shivered off his standard-issue blast glasses. His black uniform ate the light, and he had a blaster at his hip. The way he carried himself left no room for doubt. Definitely military. The dark glasses nagged at her memory, tugged at something she was too exhausted to pin down. It didn’t matter, though. If he wanted to wear shades inside a docking bay lit only by emergency strips, that was entirely his business.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMuzzy with exhaustion, she shuffled in the direction of her room. She needed to be unconscious in the worst possible way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSadly, it wasn't going to be that easy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGissie lurked at the bottom of the stairs, and she lit into them immediately. \"Don't think I'll forget this,\" she hissed, jabbing a finger at Sesame's chest. Her lips were twisted into a snarl, her long nails curved like claws. She couldn't make a fist without impaling herself, but the shriek of her voice was assault enough. \"This is dereliction of duty, and I'll see you written up for it! The commander won't stand for this kind of behavior.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame's sneer was slow and deliberate. \"Look, sweetie, sleeping with the commander doesn't give you rank. You've got no authority here, so why don't you go find someone else to screech at?\" She tried to walk on, but Gissie stepped directly into her path.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Who do you think you are? I will not be talked to this way!\" she shrieked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide groaned and flicked a glance back at the shuttle bay. Any moment now Gissie was going to get backhanded, and she genuinely wanted to be able to say she hadn't seen it happen. Sesame would handle it for her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou'd think that being two of the most sought-after ship mechanics in the system would earn them at least a crumb of professional respect. Unfortunately, people like Gissie didn't move in those circles, wouldn't recognize Sesame as the engineering celebrity she was. To her, celebrity meant glitz and press coverage, not stained jeans and a contact list full of high-profile racing clients and military contracts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA reality check was long overdue. If Jaide had known today was the day, she'd have sold tickets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe only reason they were on this isolated rock in the first place was research — Sesame had turned down a lucrative military contract to be here, no less. If they'd been somewhere more populated, they might not have to put up with the Gissies of the galaxy, who were currently making a lot of noise about turning them into scapegoats for the latest security lapse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide narrowed her eyes at the spot-faced young soldier who'd gone to meet the new arrivals. He looked uneasy, and she couldn't blame him. This group radiated trouble the way a reactor radiated heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe captain spoke in what was probably, for him, a pleasant tone. It sounded like rock dragged across concrete— not quite soothing, but not hostile either. \"Is there a problem?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"N-no. No, sir.\" The soldier straightened, squared his thin shoulders, and immediately ruined the effect by sneezing hard enough to stagger himself. He rallied. \"I mean, \u003ci\u003eyes\u003c\/i\u003e, sir. You were supposed to be a freighter. You jammed our sensors, so I need to inspect your ship. Standard policy. Sorry,\" he stuttered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe looked sorry, but it was to his credit that he'd come out at all. Under normal staffing, a full security squad would be deployed for exactly this kind of situation. If these visitors had been what they looked like, the boy wouldn't have stood a chance. The captain alone — menacing and fit in his light-eating black — could have put him down, and he had two grim-faced companions who looked equally capable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGissie would have done better to back the kid up with a blaster than to waste time tearing into Sesame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"At your convenience.\" The captain gestured to the ship, encompassing his two crewmates and the cool spectral glow of white light bleeding down from the open ramp. He smiled — and showed teeth that were slightly too sharp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soldier took one look and swallowed. \"Ah. Right.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA meaty smacking sound pulled Jaide's attention back to Sesame. She looked at Gissie sitting on the floor with a hand pressed to her cheek, expression cycling rapidly through shock and outrage, and felt not a single flicker of surprise. \"Finally.\" She stepped over Gissie's legs without breaking stride, ignoring the stream of invective that followed. Sesame had already moved off. Jaide gave Gissie a small wave. \"Bye.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Felt good,\" Sesame muttered as they walked toward their rooms. She massaged her hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Probably shouldn't tell me that. I want to be as ignorant as possible when the commander tries to charge you,\" Jaide said, amused despite herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame just grunted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide had her hand on the keypad to her room when a gravelly voice called out, \"Sesame Calais.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlready at her own door, Sesame stiffened, then dropped her head against the cool metal with a soft, miserable clunk. Jaide heartily agreed with the sentiment. Within seconds of falling into bed, fate was already conspiring against them. Resigned, she glanced at the newcomers — and stiffened.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Uh, Ses?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Whatever it is, the answer is no,\" Sesame mumbled into the door. With a huff of effort she straightened and punched in her security code, not even glancing at the men behind her. Jaide opened her mouth to warn her, but the leader of the arrivals beat her to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"It's about a job.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide knew how Sesame operated. Right now she was betting that if she didn't turn around, she wouldn't have to deal with another arrogant captain demanding her services. Unacknowledged, the irritation would simply dissolve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt didn't.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs Sesame stepped over her threshold, so did the men behind her. Alarmed, Jaide slipped in after the trio and moved to position herself behind her friend. Using Sesame's body as a screen, she palmed her stinger. The small laser gun wasn't as imposing as a blaster, but it could drop a man just as permanently. Her eyes locked on the leader. One wrong move and he'd be regretting it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame still hadn't looked at them. Grimacing at what she'd apparently decided was Jaide's paranoia, wearing an expression of monumental annoyance, she turned to boot them out. The door hissed shut at her back. She got her first proper look at the intruders and stopped cold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbout time, Jaide thought, a touch exasperated. Spiky fingers of alarm walked up her spine. She hoped it didn't come to a direct confrontation. Soldier she was not. Even if she were, three Draconians were long odds — and her luck had never run that hot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey were clad in light-eating black, riddled with weapons, their large bodies carrying the easy, coiled stillness of men who didn't have to work to look dangerous. They stared through dark glasses that concealed their telltale eyes. One of them raised his upper lip slightly, showing the tip of a white fang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust the sort you'd want to bring home to meet the family, Jaide thought drily. Come see my charming new friends, they've only bitten a few people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame, apparently unimpressed by all of it, crossed her arms and stared up at the coldly handsome leader. \"I'm listening.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I'm in need of augmentation for my ship,\" he informed her in the deep, gravelly voice that was his people's trademark. \"You are the best. Therefore, I require you.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide managed to keep her expression neutral. Barely. Mentally, she sneered. \u003ci\u003eOf course, your Greatness. We'll just drop everything and scrub your hull on command, shall we?\u003c\/i\u003e It was the attitude more than anything — that absolute, unquestioned assumption that the universe would arrange itself around his schedule. She was sick of it. Jerk captains never learned to ask.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame stifled a jaw-cracking yawn and blinked her bloodshot eyes. \"Come back after I've had a day's sleep, all right? I'm in no mood to discuss—\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"There is nothing to discuss. I understand you have a standard contract. Produce it and I'll sign it.\" He pulled off his glasses and stepped into her space. \"We're pressed for time.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis eyes were vivid topaz, sharp with purpose and absolutely unmoved by the possibility of refusal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame didn't seem cowed by the evidence of his race. If anything, her expression soured further. Maybe she didn't believe the rumors. Maybe she was simply too exhausted to care. Either way, she wasn't backing down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide turned the newcomers over in her mind. What were three Draconians doing this far from Antarctica? Unless they were rogue. She sincerely hoped not. A rogue Drac was a uniquely unpleasant problem, and she'd heard enough stories to know she didn't want to be in the same room when one finally lost patience. Her pulse ticked too fast in her throat — a beacon, she was certain, to those gleaming fangs. She steadied her breathing and braced herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSensing Jaide's unrest, Sesame reached behind her and gripped her arm without looking — a quiet signal. She had it handled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adrenaline was already fading, her body running on fumes. Fear was quietly ceding ground to plain grouchiness. Fatigue dulled her focus, and she had to fight a yawn of her own. Trying to stay sharp, she shifted her attention to the others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first was a little shorter than his companions, though still striking. His short black hair curled like fleece but gleamed like silk, and a gold ring caught the light in his earlobe, matching the warm amber of his Draconian eyes. She blinked. When had he removed his glasses?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe looked to the second — and stopped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRuthless topaz eyes with amber facets stared back at her, lit with an inner glow that had nothing to do with the bay's fluorescents. He was the same height and build as the captain, but she couldn't have explained why she'd stopped looking at his superior entirely. Sure, the man was sinfully attractive, all clean angles and dark coloring. Unlike the others with their close-cropped cuts, his midnight hair fell freely to his shoulders, unbound. His jaw and cheekbones were carved with masculine precision, and his lips held the ghost of an amused curve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe yanked her gaze back to his eyes and fought down the flush rising in her face. Some bodyguard she was.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe seemed amused by that. His eyes flicked briefly to her hidden hand, acknowledging the gun with a knowing ease that said he'd known it was there the whole time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnnerved, she took a half step back, then held her ground and set her jaw. So he knew. Fine. She needed to stop letting him get to her. She was not a flustered teenager.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame was still holding her ground. \"I have five captains already standing in line—\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I'll double your fee.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat got Jaide's full attention. He was talking about an amount of money that didn't fit comfortably in her head. Even with the generous rates their clients paid, figures like that still had a way of making the room tilt slightly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame studied him with a long, hard look. \"It's not pocket change, pal.\" His expression didn't shift, didn't offer anything to read. Sesame finally glanced away. She moved to the desk jammed in the corner of her small living room and called up the contract on the terminal screen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide frowned as she was left holding a gun against three men and finally slipped the stinger back into her pocket. It didn't seem like she'd need to cook anyone today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Draconian captain barely glanced at her. His gaze swept past, dismissive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe long-haired one's lips twitched.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide returned a cool look, entirely unbothered by the judgment. She was not embarrassed to have been prepared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame stepped back from the desk and gestured to the captain. \"Look it over. It's non-negotiable. I'm going to get cleaned up.\" She headed for her room, Jaide on her heels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs soon as the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, Jaide rounded on her. \"Are you out of your mind?\" she demanded, keeping her voice low. \"You watch the news. You know what they say about Draconians — so why are you standing there like they're a minor inconvenience?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSesame grabbed clean clothes and headed for the shower. \"Well, I asked them nicely once, but they just didn't leave,\" she retorted. Through the hollow door she added, \"Besides, I smell like Igerian cheese. I doubt even Dracs are desperate enough to bother with that.\" The water turned on, and a moment later came Sesame's long, heartfelt moan of relief as the hot spray hit her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince she'd managed to sneak away for a quick shower earlier, Jaide had other things on her mind. She shuffled to the bed, settled with her back against the headboard, and set her jaw. Sesame might be too wrecked to care what their visitors got up to, but Jaide wasn't taking chances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe room was as lived-in as a rental unit on its first day of occupancy — not a sock on the serviceable grey floor, not a stray mug on the desk. The resin furniture sat in its correct positions, undisturbed, offering exactly zero distractions to someone trying to stay awake on a flat mattress in the quiet hum of a lunar base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn enormous yawn crept up on her, and she smothered it with her fist. Something nagged at her — some half-formed thought about the Draconian captain, something she ought to be connecting. Whatever it was refused to surface through the fog.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClosing her eyes and making herself comfortable — just for a minute — she turned over what she knew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Dragon Lords, as Earth had taken to calling them when their ship had crash-landed on Antarctica roughly twenty-five years ago, were a complicated proposition. Named for their glowing eyes and rough voices, they had set up camp on the ice-locked continent and declared themselves permanent residents without consulting anyone. The Earth governments had been appalled, and thoroughly unable to do anything about it. They'd been forced to abandon their southern arctic outposts, leaving behind vast reserves of oil and methane hydrate — a frozen form of methane locked beneath the ocean floor — along with immense mineral concentrations and fishing rights that had been generating revenue for decades. The loss of the arctic tourist trade hadn't helped the mood either. Human authorities and big business had been hostile at best ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe general population was a different story. The press found the Draconians' desperate voyage across the stars quietly romantic. Scientists were hungry to learn everything they could about the new species and its origins. And a few sharp-eyed entrepreneurs had been studying the situation from the first moment, looking for the angle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor their part, the Draconians had no intention of being moved. Their home world had been rendered uninhabitable by an asteroid the size of a small moon, and they had arrived with nothing to spare. Bartering technology for food and supplies, they had transformed their commandeered chunk of ice into a beehive of activity. Reclusive and indifferent to human politics, they had proven to be surprisingly tolerable neighbors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo long as they weren't riled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJaide jerked awake with a start, annoyed with herself. She listened, catching the low, sibilant tones of their guests' language seeping through the door from the living room.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shower clicked off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last thing she registered before her eyes gave up entirely was Sesame, dressed in pajamas and toweling her hair, gloating that tomorrow would be soon enough for the Drac to discover that a signed contract didn't obligate her to move quickly. After all, she had priorities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately for Sesame, Draconians had very sharp ears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNemesis' eyes narrowed as Sesame's words filtered through the cheap door. The hollow resin concealed nothing; they'd been able to hear her perfectly well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSkye had been conducting a quiet inventory of the apartment's barren interior when he stopped to consider the closed door. They had no time to waste on delays — lives were depending on the swift conclusion of their mission. Even now, Draconian families were suffering. He said, \"We have no time to indulge her preferences, Nemesis. I say we take the women and go. We have a contract.\" In Draconian law, and given their orders, the argument would hold. Human governments might see it differently, but that was rarely a priority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNemesis considered him. A slow, roguish smile curved his mouth. \"Women? Our orders concern \u003ci\u003eone \u003c\/i\u003ewoman. What exactly would we do with the other?\" He had the particular smugness of a man who had been patiently making a point for some time and finally saw it landing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was baiting him, of course. He wouldn't actually suggest Skye had any interest in an alien.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSkye let his gaze drift across the sterile room — a tough sell as a distraction. For the fees she charged, you'd think she could be bothered to hang something on the walls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe faintest haze of electric blue flickered at the periphery of his vision as his thoughts turned, without quite meaning to, to Jaide. It was novel enough to give him pause. He had no memory of ever registering the remotest pull toward a human woman before — not toward any woman not of his own kind. He turned the fact over with detached curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe was attractive, but not outrageously so. Latin coloring, good skin, nothing that would have stood out to him under ordinary circumstances. He'd always been drawn to taller women, dark-haired and built on a generous scale. Jaide Calanarre's slight frame and quiet curves had no business holding his attention, and yet here they were. Something about the directness in her gaze — blue as the cold Atlantic — and the intelligence in her expression. Her nerve hadn't hurt either. He'd come close to laughing when she'd been caught with the blaster; she’d thought she was being so sneaky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The orders did say to secure her assistance by any means necessary,\" he said, in a tone calibrated to sound bored. \"She might cooperate more readily if her helper comes along. They work as a unit anyway — it'll move faster with both of them.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNemesis and Lore exchanged looks of barely suppressed satisfaction, as if some long-running wager had just paid out. \"Solid reasoning,\" Nemesis said pleasantly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Autumn Dawn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49244828401892,"sku":"RTS_Ebook","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0661\/9771\/7220\/files\/2_b40dd0e9-4bee-4d53-9e71-6537a1d3f571.jpg?v=1782748511"},{"product_id":"careful-he-bites","title":"Careful He Bites – A Slow‑Burn Sci‑Fi Romance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEver kissed a Drac? Careful, they bite.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBali Itara survived her father's laboratory. She never escaped what he made her — and now the price is coming due. Her engineered body is failing fast, and the only cure strong enough to save her runs through the fangs of an alien race that doesn't do anything halfway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe finds Domino — Draconian, golden-eyed, and the boy she once freed from her father's chains. He owes her a debt only his bite can pay. But for his kind, healing and claiming are the same act. One bite, and she's not just cured. She's his.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat bite will bind her to him — no second chances, no walking away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToo bad Domino never planned on paying his debt by falling for the woman he swore to save.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe came to Tantalus looking for a cure. She's about to find a husband, a war, and a family she never knew she had.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eContains no graphic love scenes. Expect sizzling chemistry, fangs with consequences \u0026amp; a mad scientist.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e✨\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRead a Sample now:\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1 align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePrologue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eEarth, 2765\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Daddy?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe word came out smaller than Bali intended. The stairs down to the laboratory were concrete, unpainted, and each flight was colder than the last. Somewhere below, machinery hummed on a frequency she felt in her teeth. There was a smell, too — chemical-sweet with something underneath it, something that lifted the fine hairs on her arms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eSomething was wrong down here. She was nine years old, and she knew it the way animals know weather.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eRudriv Itara patted her hand. His white hair fluffed the way it always did, and his cheeks were pink with pleasure. \"Don't be frightened, my child. I promised to show you something wonderful, and so I shall. You're a very lucky girl.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThey stopped at a heavy door. He rose on his toes to look through the small barred window set into it, and whatever he saw made him smile.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThat smile had always warmed her. Her daddy loved her — hadn't he always taken care of her? But the moment they'd passed the first landing, something in him had shifted, like a picture hung one degree off level. Same face. Different man.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe unlocked the door. It swung without a sound, and the silence was worse than any creak would have been.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe room was dim as a cellar. The first thing she saw was the glow: an elevated tub, glass-covered, lit green from within. She drifted toward it despite herself. Inside, a thick, transparent gel turned over in slow motion, fat bubbles rising and breaking at the surface, the holes they left behind sealing over like wounds healing in reverse.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"It's a genetic pool,\" Rudriv said, cheerful as a man showing off a new toy. \"Ordinary life forms go in. Extraordinary beings come out.\" He touched her shoulder. \"It's for you.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali turned to look at him — and froze.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThere was a boy chained to the wall behind him.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eNot chains for a boy. Chains for a monster — links thick as her wrist, cuffs bolted to rings sunk deep in the floor. Shaggy hair hid half his face, but nothing could hide his eyes. They burned gold in the dark, and a low sound came from his throat that never quite stopped.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe stepped back. Rudriv's hand closed on her wrist.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Don't be shy, dear. He's one of the finest examples of my work.\" His voice dropped, confiding, teacher to favorite student. \"The pool works best on the young, I've found. My prisoners of war have mostly been older — but this fellow is big for his years. I suspect he lied about his age to enlist. Didn't you, lad?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe boy lunged. The chains snapped taut with a crack that echoed off the concrete, and Bali flinched into her father's grip.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Don't worry. He's Draconian. They can't bear a cage — more animal than reasoning being, really, which makes them ideal subjects. I made certain to perfect the procedure before trying it on you.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Daddy—\" Her voice cracked. He couldn't mean it. Not on her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe walked her to an upright frame beside the pool and buckled her wrists and ankles into it with the same gentle efficiency he'd once used to tie her shoes. She fought. It didn't matter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Don't cry, child. It's no worse than having your teeth cleaned. A little discomfort, and then — think of it. You'll heal from almost anything. You'll live longer than anyone you know. You'll thank me.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"No—\" She twisted against the straps, and for one instant her eyes found the boy's. Something moved in that golden stare — something that might have been pity — and then it was gone. He couldn't save her. Nobody was going to save her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eRudriv flipped a switch. The frame hummed, lifted, tilted her onto her back, and carried her out over the pool. The glass cover slid aside with a soft breath.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe platform began to lower.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Daddy, no—\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eWarm gel touched her back and climbed. \"The pool is oxygen-rich,\" he said, patient as ever, as if this were an ordinary thing to do to a child. \"You'll be able to breathe. Just relax.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe green closed over her face.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eIt burned her eyes first, then her throat as the gel forced its way into her lungs. Then it was everywhere — an itch that became a crawling and then a searing, sunk past skin, past muscle, all the way to her marrow. She strained against the straps and screamed into the glow, and the pool swallowed the sound. She kept waiting to black out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe never did.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eWhen the platform finally lifted her clear, she was a lifetime older. Rudriv unbuckled the straps and she fell to the floor and vomited gel until her ribs ached. He reached to steady her; she shoved him off with the little strength she had left. Fever rolled through her in waves, and in the end she couldn't fight him as he helped her to a cot in the corner.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Rest now, while I run a few tests.\" He smoothed her wet hair back from her forehead. \"You're a very lucky girl, you know. Not every child gets to experience this.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali closed her eyes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eAcross the room, the chains shifted, and the boy's low growl went on and on. She understood him now.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e* * *\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eEarth, 2786\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"How do you feel about your father's assassination?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali stopped on the courthouse steps. Rain dripped from the edge of her hood; wind pulled at her coat. The reporter held the microphone close enough to kiss.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eOf all the questions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eEncouraged by her silence, the woman pressed on. \"It's well known you and your father were estranged for years. Now that he's dead, would you care to comment on the reasons?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHer lawyer would tell her not to answer. \"He thought he was reinventing the human race. I thought he was a fanatical psychopath.\" She made it two steps.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"What about the lawsuit against his research company? If the mutant faction wins its case, you stand to lose a substantial inheritance — yet you've refused to align yourself with the company. Why?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali looked straight into the camera. \"As far as I'm concerned, they deserve everything they can get.\" And then some. She kept walking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"And the rumors about you?\" More microphones swung her way, lenses crowding in. \"They say you're a mutant yourself.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eSweat prickled under her collar despite the cold. That one was new. Years of practice kept her face smooth as she turned, spread her hands, and smiled. \"Do I look like a mutant?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe left them shouting at her back, and only when she'd driven a block did her breathing come easy again.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eRudriv Itara had gotten more than he'd bargained for with his prisoners of war. Once the treaties forced him to release them, the world had nearly gone back to war over what came home. He'd shredded his files, burned what he could — but the military had moved faster, and too many of his experiments had walked out of that lab alive and talking. He'd fled ahead of the war-crimes tribunal, leaving thirteen-year-old Bali parked at an exclusive boarding school like luggage.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe'd been grateful. There had been more sessions over the years — Rudriv forever tinkering with his favorite creation. He'd rebuilt her eyes for darkness and left her flinching from daylight; the implant helped, but a sunny afternoon without her protective contacts still ended in a migraine like a spike behind the eye. In the end his legacy came to this: night vision, a body that healed almost anything, nightmares, and a terror of green water that no amount of reasoning could touch.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe'd seen the chained boy exactly once. She still wondered what had become of him. She'd never learned the fate of most of her father's subjects, and what little she had learned made her grateful he hadn't done worse to her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThere had been rumors — amphibious men, men with several times a soldier's strength and speed. Military funding explained that much. But Rudriv's dream had been bigger. In the lab, in his other voice, he'd told her what she was for: someday she would mate with one of his creations. A new race, superior, and every drop of it his blood.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eNot in my lifetime. Her grip tightened until the wheel housing cracked. She hissed at the damage, hit the freeway, and accelerated until she was one more blur in the traffic.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe needed out.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBlue lights flickered at the edge of her vision. She slowed to watch a ship settle onto the spaceport tarmac, vapor curling off its hull, the city glare drowning whatever stars it had come from.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eThe idea lit small and grew by the heartbeat. Why not? She had her pilot's license and money enough to buy a ship. Nothing held her here. Somewhere out there were whole worlds that had never heard the name Itara.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eCould she build a new life? Adrenaline hit her bloodstream, and with it the first clean surge of joy she'd felt in years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe swung the transport around and floored it for the spaceport, honks and shouted insults scattering behind her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe had a ship to launch.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter 2\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"What you need is a man.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali's head came up. Icki's exam room smelled of antiseptic and the floral tea he was never without, and she'd been staring at her own hands while the diagnostic bed hummed through its cycle. Her friend and personal doctor had always had a wicked sense of humor, but this was a stretch even for him. \"Unless he can pass my flight physical for me, a man is the last thing I need.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eIcki snorted and picked up one of her hands, holding it between them like an exhibit. The fine tremor that had gotten her grounded was still there, pending further testing. \"You have your father to thank for this. Your genes are coming apart, kid. Think of your body as a building he renovated too many times — knock out enough load-bearing walls, and eventually the whole thing starts to lean.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Can you fix me?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe shook his head — then reached for a stack of magazines and binders and dropped the pile in her lap. He tapped the glossy cover on top. \"This is what you need.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali stared at the golden-eyed alien looking back at her. Black hair to his shoulders, a stylish goatee, and a wicked smile. Behind him, red cut-glass letters spelled out a club's name: DOMINO'S. She was a little breathless just holding the picture, which annoyed her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"I've been researching this for a while, anticipating today. The binders cover the other therapies — experimental, dangerous, failure rates you don't want to read. This man — his race, rather — is the only treatment I can recommend.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"I don't follow.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eDraconians. The only true aliens in the human sphere — they'd crash-landed on Antarctica and promptly declared it theirs. No Earth government had argued. Nobody had been using it, and every attempt since to dislodge the Dragon Lords had ended badly enough that nobody tried anymore.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eAnd then there were the rumors. Men muttered that Dragon Lords were secretly vampires who devoured their women — it would explain why they had so few. Women swore that Draconian wives must die in bed, of pleasure, and pursued the males with a zeal that infuriated human men. Doomsayers warned they'd out-breed humanity inside a century, because Draconians always bred true.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBali had seen exactly one, ever — a boy in chains — and the guilt of it had never let her go. Somewhere in the back of her mind lived the conviction that any Draconian would take one look at her and know what she was, what she'd witnessed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eBut Icki said they could help.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"So what do they have? Better medicine?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"They have fangs.\" He grinned wide, showing his own unimpressive canines.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"What?\" She frowned, wondering if he was messing with her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe slid a slim binder from the stack. \"This report says it all — and I promise you, it was hard to get. Don't worry, I charged it to your account.\" He smirked at her eye-roll and flipped the cover open. \"Hollow fangs. Needle-fine spines inside, loaded with a compound called adaptogen. When a Draconian male is sufficiently moved, the spines fill, and instinct takes over — he bites his mate. In a Draconian woman, the bite triggers... completion. In an alien woman, it delivers the adaptogen and rewrites her to be compatible.\" He closed the folder.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"Freaky.\" Bali had no desire to be bitten, and even less to be rewritten. \"Why do we care?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe sighed as if the answer were obvious. \"Because your genes are killing you. Slowly — and painfully, if you want the hard truth. Adaptogen is the most powerful adaptive agent I've ever seen in a report. It might be strong enough to override everything Itara did to you. You won't come out fully human, but you'll come out alive.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe hated her options. Either she charmed a Drac into biting her, or she died by inches, maybe mad at the end of it. She rubbed her arm nervously while she thought. \"Can you give me something to hold the line until...?\" She couldn't finish the sentence. Probably lacked the nerve to finish the plan, either.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003e\"I've ordered you a drug that will settle things down, buy you time. I hate the side effects, but it'll hold until you find your man.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe scowled. \"You don't know that I will.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe snorted. \"Speaking strictly as a man — you've got what it takes. The hair, the eyes, the figure. You're a catch, kid.\" Then he frowned and looked her up and down. \"We've just got to do something about the granny clothes.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe glanced down at her brown sweater and tan slacks. \"What's wrong with my clothes?\" No one had ever complained before. Come to think of it, no one had ever noticed, one way or the other.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eHe winked. \"Nothing — if your goal is attracting your better grade of computer nerd. For this project, you need clothes that say jump me.\" He sighed with theatrical burden. \"It's a tough job, but as your personal physician, it's my duty to help. We'll go shopping. Don't worry, I'll bill you for my time.\" He always said that. He never did.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eGrunting with ill humor, she eyed his tailored jacket and slick hair and conceded that the man probably knew what he was doing. Guaranteed, he dressed better than she did.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial, sans-serif;\"\u003eShe surrendered to the inevitable with all the grace she had, which was none. \"Fine. Do your worst.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Autumn Dawn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49489754980580,"sku":"CarefulHeBites_Ebook","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0661\/9771\/7220\/files\/1_1f614439-a43d-4730-9141-fcf6307e3b8c.jpg?v=1784821766"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0661\/9771\/7220\/collections\/2_f13d0e95-01ef-4346-883b-3bea24e53443.jpg?v=1728325389","url":"https:\/\/www.autumndawn.com\/collections\/ride-the-stars.oembed","provider":"Autumn Dawn","version":"1.0","type":"link"}