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  I nibbled on my bottom lip for a few seconds as I scrutinized Darbnix. His jaw line was handsome and strong. His dark skin gave him a mysterious aura that made my heart pound.

  We stood up at the same time. Darbnix gave me a saucy grin. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “Really?” I hated how surprised and desperate I sounded, but I only cringed at my private emotions on the inside.

  Darbnix laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll still pay you for your veterinary services.”

  “So, are you saying that the meal is like my tip?” I flirted.

  “Yes.” He nodded with a chuckle. “You could say that.”

  “How could I refuse such a charming offer?” I said. Why not? There was no harm in sharing a dinner and conversation with an attractive man with whom I had instantly liked. The evening was young, and I could always go back to lock up the office later. Everybody deserved a little leisure time now and then, including myself.

  Chapter 3

  Darbnix

  “It’s not very often that I get to entertain myself with dinner guests as lovely and educated as you,” I mentioned to Dr. Rand as we casually walked back up the steps into the main part of the palace.

  She blushed and tossed her long, silky, red braid off her shoulder and down her back. “Well, if we’re going down that road, it’s not every day that a charming prince invites me to dinner in his floating palace in the sky.”

  She giggled. The sound of her laughter was soothing to my soul. Her smile was genuine and her eyes were eccentric, warm, and kind. I’d never seen that color gray before, in her eyes. It was almost as if I could get lost in the way she stared at me.

  She certainly was witty and charismatic too, not like all the rest of those debutante women out there who fell all over their heels and each other, desperate to impress me and my brothers. Dr. Rand wasn’t looking for approval, and that made me enjoy her company even more.

  “I can assure you, we will have quite a feast tonight.” I chuckled and stepped aside to allow her entrance into the palace first.

  “Well it’s a good thing I skipped lunch today,” she playfully joked. “My appetite will be enthusiastic.”

  “Come with me,” I told her and dared to place my hand on the small of her back. I wasn’t trying to be overly flirtatious. I was merely coaxing her along.

  I did, however, have a slight ulterior motive. I wanted to feel the heat of her body radiating against my palm. I inhaled a deep breath. She was quite attractive, and I found myself getting turned on by the way she floated down the hallway.

  “Here we are,” I told her as we approached the great hall used for dining.

  I never came in here to eat alone. This room was reserved only for lavish gatherings and elite parties.

  But tonight, ah. Tonight, I would be willing to make a special exception for the guest who saved my beloved watch-lizard’s life.

  “We are eating in there?” Dr. Rand’s eyes grew huge as she scanned the room, clearly observing the events unfolding as if she were witnessing someone else’s life and not her own.

  I laughed at her adorable assumption that she wouldn’t be important enough for the occasion.

  “Please, Dr. Rand,” I beckoned her. I pulled out her seat next to mine at the head of the table. I intended to be a chivalric gentleman. “It’s the very least I can do for your services. Without you, poor Slith would still be whimpering miserably down in the basement while I fretted over his wellbeing.”

  There was a twinkle in her steel-gray eyes as she glanced up at me, sizing me up. It was clear that she was trying to determine my motives. Perhaps she had a stain on her past where she experienced some kind of heartbreak. She was hesitant at first, but with a little gentle nudging, I was able to get her to sit down at the expansive table.

  “The servants will be along shortly to bring us our courses,” I explained.

  “How many will there be?” She took a sip of ice water from a glass already waiting for her.

  “Five,” I told her with a grin.

  She spat a little of the water back into her glass and blushed, sheepishly setting it back down on the table. “Five?”

  I laughed. Her surprised behavior was too cute not to feed into. “I told you, princes eat well around here.”

  She chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

  It excited me when she blushed because her cheeks turned the same vibrant color as her hair.

  “So, have you always had a love for exotic animals?” I was curious to get to know her better.

  She smiled. “Yes. I know it might sound a little crazy, but sometimes, I feel like I can relate to animals better than I can to actual people.”

  My heart flipped. I touched my hand to my chest. “I share that same viewpoint when it comes to my own life.”

  She giggled and bit her bottom lip. She leaned over the table. “Really?” She stared at me as if she couldn’t believe I would say such a thing.

  “Absolutely.” I nodded as the butler brought in our first course, which was a special blend of plants and vegetables that came from my youngest brother, Prince Rawklix’s, nation of the Solarin Islands.

  “Wow.” Dr. Rand inspected the bountiful salad with amazement. She glanced up at me with her mouth agape. “What is all this?”

  “These fruits and vegetables come from my brother Rawklix’s islands. They grow wild there. It’s simply beautiful.”

  “It’s . . . edible?” she asked.

  I laughed. “Of course it’s edible, Dr. Rand.”

  She gave me an embarrassed look. “Sorry. This is all a little”—she trailed off and scratched her braid—“new to me.”

  “Please,” I said with a warm smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Thank you.” She grinned at me in earnest as she placed her napkin in her lap. “And please,” she added, “call me Rose.”

  I was truly honored by her friendly gesture. She was not only pleasing to the eye, but joyful company as well.

  She picked up her fork and waved it in the air. “Well, lucky for you, Prince Darbnix, I came with an appetite and I am open-minded when it comes to trying new foods.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” I told her with a smile. “You’re going to absolutely love the little red fruit there.”

  She took a dainty bite and began to chew, pondering the taste. “You know what?” she said as she gulped down the bite. “It’s actually delicious.”

  I gave her a sultry wink. “I told you.”

  She cleared her throat and batted at her mouth with her napkin. She had full red lips that fit her facial features to perfect proportion. It was a sexy balance to her cream-colored skin and her red hair.

  “I have to confess something,” I told her as soon as we were finished eating the salad and waiting for the next dish, a soup of something or other, to arrive.

  Rose gave me a guarded glance. “Uh-oh.” She chuckled nervously. “That is never a good sign.”

  I laughed. I felt as if we’d already broken the ice back down in the basement when she’d brought back Slith from the grip of death.

  I took a deep breath. “I am supposed to be using this . . . gadget.” I downplayed the function and use of the genetic compatibility scanner.

  Rose laughed, though I noticed the tone was laced with a thread of distaste as well. “I know all about those devices.”

  “To be honest,” I mentioned, “I am having a difficult time with it.”

  “Why is that?” Her eyebrows rose. Her interest was curious.

  I shrugged. “I question its reliability, for one.”

  “But your brother—” she started.

  “Was lucky,” I scoffed, unintentionally cutting her off.

  She smiled. “So, the grass is not always greener?”

  I paused and frowned. “I’m sorry. I don’t follow.”

  Rose waved her hand in the air. “Forget it. Just a ridiculous Earth expression.”

  Language barriers were just part of
the territory in dealing with different races from various planets, but for the most part, I prided myself on being able to communicate throughout the galaxies.

  “The technology is new,” I explained. “Therefore, there are cracks and flaws still being discovered.”

  “Do you have the device with you right now?” Rose glanced around curiously, as if she were waiting for the object to float out of some kind of orbit and land on the table in front of us.

  “It’s up in my private quarters,” I said bitterly. “I don’t like to have it with me unless I absolutely have no other choice.”

  The soup course came and was set in front of Rose. She eyed it hungrily, as if she wanted to devour it. “It kind of reminds me of potato soup,” she said as she brought the spoon up to her mouth for a taste.

  I gave her a quizzical grin. “Is that a good thing?”

  “Oh, yes.” She nodded vigorously. “I love potato soup. Especially on a crisp fall day.”

  Everything she said was making me more intrigued by her. I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to know her likes and dislikes. I wanted to pick her brain about her exo-livestock veterinary career. Sometimes, my excited imagination got carried away and I had to remind myself to calm down and take things slowly. I found humans interesting, and the one sitting next to me was particularly captivating.

  “It’s very beautiful on the continent I rule over,” I mentioned as my lips cracked with a nostalgic smile.

  Rose’s eyes lit up. “What is it like there?” she asked with enough enthusiasm to power the palace.

  I wiped my mouth with my napkin. “On Noor?” I perked up. “You would love it. Especially if you have a love of farm animals.”

  “I really do.” Rose gave me a dreamy stare as if she wanted me to elaborate and continue.

  “There are vast hills and plains that stretch as far as the eye can see.” I glanced at her with a mischievous grin. “And the sunsets? They are to die for. A particularly spectacular event each night.”

  Rose’s eyes gleamed. “It sounds magnificent.”

  “It is,” I said with pride. “The farm land is heavily cultivated, but unlike here on Earth, the rural parts are laced with beautiful ponds and streams.”

  “Do you visit them often?” Rose asked. She had hardly touched her soup because she was so deeply engaged in conversation with me. I found her compelling as well, but her attention to detail about my life really amped up my ego.

  “Ah, yes.” I nodded. “Absolutely. They are so refreshing.”

  “I noticed that you have lots of pictures of watch-lizards around your palace.” Rose gestured around. “You must be quite fond of the species.”

  “I am, indeed,” I admitted. “In fact, as a hobby, I breed and raise watch-lizards. I have a couple of them that I keep with me here in the palace, but back home, I have far more.” I smiled proudly.

  “That’s very interesting.” Rose nodded as her eyes studied me.

  “Slith is my sidekick,” I confessed. “I appreciate what you did for him back there more than you know.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She blushed again, making me harden in my pants. “I can tell you have an enormous affection toward him.”

  “I just need to make sure that I keep him out of the food pantries,” I teased lightheartedly.

  Rose erupted into laughter that sounded like windchimes. “That will be a great start.”

  “I’m really enjoying our private meal together,” I confessed. I wasn’t afraid to be honest with Rose. If anything, she probably enjoyed the compliment from a rich prince.

  “Me too.” She glanced down at her soup bowl and sighed. “I don’t know how I’ll ever get through three more courses of food though.”

  “We can always just skip the rest and go straight for dessert,” I crooned in a borderline flirtatious way.

  Rose met my gaze and my bones tingled with unrecognizable pleasure. “Life is short. Eat dessert first. That’s what my grandmother always used to say.”

  “A very wise expression. I will have to agree.” I chuckled.

  “Who needs that high-tech device tonight, right?” she said bravely.

  I appreciated her confidence. “Exactly. I’d rather choose a mate based on the chemistry between us rather than whether we have genetic compatibility.”

  Rose wrinkled her nose. “It just sounds so . . . scientific.”

  “Tell me about it,” I scoffed.

  Rose pointed to her chest. “And that’s coming from a scientist!”

  I laughed. She was cute and sassy, but she was also extremely intelligent. It was a charming combination that had me hooked for the moment.

  “It’s not romantic to stick a metal device in someone’s face to determine whether they have the DNA capabilities to bear you genetically perfect offspring.” I chuckled.

  Rose roared with impulsive laughter and clenched her belly. “Stop.” She waved her hand as she chuckled. “You are too funny.”

  “Thank you.” Now it was my turn to blush. Rose had an effect over me that I couldn’t pinpoint, but I was having a blast getting to know her and bantering back and forth.

  Once Rose’s laughter subsided, she gave me a seductive stare. “I think it’s important to find someone based on personality compatibilities,” she mentioned.

  My eyes narrowed with intrigue. “I couldn’t agree more, Dr. Rand.”

  She frowned and playfully pouted. “I thought I asked you to call me Rose?”

  I shrugged and gave her an evasive grin. “Dr. Rand sounds very attractive, you know.”

  She groaned but her lips curled at the edges. “I hate being so official and formal sometimes.”

  She had natural beauty that I admired, both inside and out. I was full, but it wasn’t the food in front of me that was satiating me for the moment. Before Rose’s arrival tonight, I’d harbored some kind of internal thirst that I was having difficulty in quenching.

  If things could work out for my brother Gardax, then why couldn’t I have the same lucky streak and find a woman who really made me happy? I knew it was just a pipe dream and that I’d eventually have to pluck that device out of the bottom of my drawer where I’d tucked it away for now.

  Part of me just wanted to be able to enjoy and live a normal life. Unfortunately, as a prince, I was always going to be in the limelight. I didn’t care what that damn genetic scanner told me. I wanted a strong, respectable woman to stand by my side. If I was going to be able to rule my continent, I needed to know I had someone always at my back, and that foundation could only be built on natural mutual trust.

  “You are quite young to have your own animal hospital,” I said with praise.

  Rose looked delighted with my compliment. “I did work hard, but I just have such a love for the animals that need help that it helped me get through the grueling parts.”

  “You mean, like the studying all night parts?” I chuckled.

  “Exactly.” Rose rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t always sunshine and roses, but I somehow got through it.”

  “I have to admire someone who has the discipline to get through medical school,” I told her. I raised my glass. “To all the exo-livestock doctors of the world,” I toasted. “But you are the most important one.”

  “I saved your watch-lizard.” She laughed, going along with the game.

  “And I will be forever in your debt,” I told her with a light bow.

  “Nonsense.” She frowned. “I was just doing my job.”

  “You have a very important job.”

  She laughed and absentmindedly twirled the stem of her glass in concentric circles on the table.

  “To be honest, I haven’t treated very many watch-lizards. I guess now, I can add that to my resume.” She smiled up at me. “I still have a lot to learn about them.”

  “They are a very interesting species,” I admitted.

  “I love their colors.”

  “One of their best features.”

  Rose yawned and then imm
ediately apologized. “I’m so sorry.” She blushed. “I have been up since five o’clock this morning. I had to perform an emergency surgery on a Quambat. It’s a tiny little rodent that looks like a bunny. I forget what planet it hails from.”

  “What was wrong with the poor little bugger?” I asked.

  “It had gotten its leg stuck in a tiny metal rod. When it tried to free itself, it broke its leg and the bone was poking through.”

  “Oh, dear.” I frowned. “Did he make it through the surgery?”

  Her expression brightened. “Like a champion.”

  “That’s wonderful.” I smiled, truly touched by her talent.

  “Anyway,” she said with a regretful shake of her head, “I hate to dampen our lovely night, but I really must be going back home now.”

  I was disappointed, but I couldn’t deny her request to go home. I didn’t want to exude any type of domineering behavior.

  “Of course,” I said politely. “Again, thank you for accompanying me for dinner. It would have been dull without you.” I pointed to my staff, pretending to be bored by their company. The joke worked, and Rose giggled.

  I tried to hide the loneliness I was feeling but I was afraid it escaped through my eyes anyway. To quickly recover, I stood up and walked her to the door.

  “The shuttle will bring you back to the ground,” I assured her.

  She gave me a hug, which I wasn’t expecting, but I welcomed the touch of her body pressed against mine.

  “Thank you again for a wonderful evening, Prince Darbnix,” she whispered.

  “You are welcome,” I croaked and swallowed hard.

  As I watched her walk through the door and close it behind her, I tried to fight off the empty void that sat like a bowling ball in the pit of my stomach. How was it possible for me to already miss her when I hardly knew her?

  Chapter 4

  Rose

  Once I was safely back on solid ground and at the veterinary office, I climbed into my car in the parking lot with a grin on my lips and a rosy blush in my cheeks. I was giddy, floating on the clouds.