by Hart, Alana
“You had him bugged? But I searched for bugs!”
“Not well enough,” I continue. “On earth, we have tons of bugs. Bugs you’ve never even dreamed of. Why, I used to play with bugs when I was a kid.”
I wasn’t totally lying. I did play with bugs as a kid. Especially the butterflies that liked the flowers behind my house. I’d chase after them, pretending they were fairies and I was their fairy princess.
“Ugh!” the prince cries out, raising his fists to the heavens. “Why? Why! Is this how you plan to bring me down? Is this how you will turn my people against me?!?!?”
At that moment, there is a burst of bright white light. I shield my face as it flows over me. The prince does, too. And when we both look up after the lights have ceeded, I see a familiar blue hunk standing in the middle of the room.
“Darak!” I yell.
“You!” the prince screeches right before Darak punches him in the face. The prince raises his hands to his face, but not before a clump of blue blood splatters over the sparkling gold floor.
“Come on, Sally,” Darak yells, standing over his brother with his fists raised, ready to fight. “We need to get out of here.”
The prince looks up at Darak, eyes narrowing with hatred. “Well played, brother. Well played.”
Darak doesn’t move.
“Don’t toy with me,” the prince whispers. “Just finish me off. Or do you plan on doing that by shaming me in front of our people?”
“I am only going to say this once,” Darak whispers. “Leave me alone. I don’t want anything to do with you, and neither does Sally.”
“That’s easy for you to say when you know my secret!” the prince yells.
Darak frowns. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“That!” the prince says, pointing at me. “The thing she calls Teddy.”
Darak looks over at me. For a moment, his expression softens. “You still have that, Sally?”
I gulp as my cheeks suddenly flush pink. “Of course. You won it for me. How could I not?”
The prince looks at Darak, shocked. “You won it for her?”
“Yeah,” Darak says.
“You mean, you were the one to give it to her?”
“Yeah.”
The prince looks at the bear, then back at his brother. “Why?”
“Well, on earth—which is where mother sent me every Frucknack, because you kept trying to kill me—they have these things called fairs. And at these fairs, they have prizes you can win. Prizes like Teddy. And the girls go wild for them.”
“They have a lot of stuffies at earth fairs?” the prince asks, his voice suddenly giddy.
“Yeah.”
“And the girls like this?” the prince asks, excitement building.
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god,” the prince whispers, standing. “To think, all those years I spent thinking I was the one with the upper hand, sending you off to some backwards planet, you were the one playing in a world with fairs and stuffies.”
“Well, that’s not exactly what earth is known for—”
“I have something to show you!” the prince exclaims, rushing to the back of the room. There, he flips up a glass case that houses a sparkling orb. “This is my deepest, darkest secret, my most prized possession,” the prince whispers, rubbing the orb. “I have never shown it to anyone before.”
“You really don’t have to show it to me…” Darak begins.
The prince looks over his shoulder, his eyes welling with emotion. “No. I do. You are the only person who will understand.”
“Uh…” Darak looks back at me and I can totally read his expression. Get ready to get the hell out of here!!!
But it’s too late. The prince has already activated the orb, and the wall in front of us slides open.
Darak freezes, stunned.
I’m also speechless, because in front of me is a room full of...stuffies.
They’re all different shapes and colors. Pink. Purple. White. Black. Many have red bows. Some have tiaras. I don’t recognize most of the creatures. They are alien, of course. But even the ones that have five appendages and razor sharp teeth look at me with big, cute eyes that beg to be hugged.
“Oh my gosh!” I squeal, unable to contain myself as the little part of my heart that still wants to be a princess swells with glee. “Those are so cute!”
“I thought I was the only one,” the prince says, voice full of pride. “I’ve been collecting them since I was a child. Secretly, of course. I know what our kind would think if they saw me with these. And yet…” he looks over his shoulder, eyes lit with a frightening excitement, “I think that the knowledge of what would happen if I were caught makes collecting them even more fun.”
“Uh...that’s nice…” Darak says, inching towards me.
The prince then turns, staring at us as if he just realized we were in the room with him. “You didn’t try to kill me,” he whispers, staring at Darak with wonder.
Darak sighs as he stuffs his face in his palm. “No. I didn’t. Because I don’t want to kill you. I don’t want to be king. I don’t want to have any part in crazy Ta’aran politics. I just want to be with my mate.”
The prince’s frown deepens. “But why didn’t you try to kill me?”
“Did you not hear anything I just said?” Darak yells. “I don’t want to kill you! I just want you to leave me alone!”
The prince shakes his head. “I think I believe you.”
Darak throws his hands into the air. “Finally!”
“Wow,” the prince whispers. “Maybe I don’t need to kill you. Unless…” he glares at Darak. “If you tell anyone about this, anyone at all—”
“I’m not going to,” Darak says. “As long as Sally and I are free to live without interference.”
The prince nods slowly. “That can be arranged. But first, we must make your abdication official.”
The abdication ceremony literally consisted in Darak and the prince shaking hands in front of the assembled court. Darak turned to all the witnesses and declared that he had no interest in pursuing the throne. Literally, that was it. How hard was that? Clearly, diplomacy was nearly unknown in Ta’arakian culture.
Now that we were free to go anywhere in the whole universe, Darak asked me to chose our first destination.
And I did.
Earth.
Epilogue
Bonnie met us at the fairgrounds. She had brought a big bottle of Alien for me to wear for Darak. Apparently, anything that turned off his brother, the prince, was a big turn on in his book.
““SALLY!” Bonnie shrieked, running at us with open arms. “I was so worried about you!”
“It’s only been three days,” I laugh as she pulls me into a clench.
“I know, I know, but we were all told about the Ta’aran special mate thing. I almost never expected to see you again.”
I escape her bear hug with a smile, “This is Darak.”
She frowns and purses her lips. “I’m trying hard to forgive you for leaving Sally for ten years.”
“Darak is the strong silent type.”
Darak gives Bonnie his nicest smile. I start to feel a little grumpy that he’s paying attention to her. He’s only supposed to give me that special smile and then he reaches over and brings me in for a hug. I can’t help but melt and feel like warm chocolate poured over an ice cream Sunday. Random, I know, but all I want to do is to kiss him over and over.
“Why did you want to meet me at the fair?” Bonnie asks.
“Oh right, we have an obligation to fulfill.” I raise my eyebrows and give Darak a pointed look.
“Right. I have a bear to win.”
“What?” Bonnie has a perplexed look on her face.
“Darak is so romantic. He wants to earn me another bear like Teddy. But this time its for his brother,” I tell her.
“That’s so sweet. So his brother isn’t afraid to embrace his soft side. I love guys like that,” Bonnie sig
hed.
I make a mental note never to introduce Bonnie to Darak’s brother.
“So, really guys, where are you going for your honeymoon?” Bonnie asks.
“We haven’t totally decided yet,” I say, looking up at the blue sky with an eager smile. Exploring the universe after all, had turned out to be the best cure for my broken heart. I had found my one true love and we were mated for life. Madam Venus had been right about my palm and my DNA and my future. Life with my hot blooded blue alien promised to be out of this world.
About the Authors
***
Alana Hart
Alana Hart is an American romance writer who decided that writing with friends is better than writing alone. Hartfelt Books brings together a huge group of sweet and steamy romance authors, collaborating on a new line of books that will have your heart pounding.
When she’s not skyping and sharing her latest collaboration on googledocs, she’s typing away in her local coffee shop with a hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and extra whipped cream, on hand. She claims it makes her happy ever afters that much sweeter!
Alana Hart’s newsletter is the absolute best way to stay up to date with new releases, free books and special offers from Alana Hart.
Sign up here – http://eepurl.com/bwJayz
Contact Alana at [email protected]
Follow her on social media.
www.facebook.com/AlanaHartBooks
www.twitter.com/AuthorAlanaHart
Would you like to receive Alana Hart’s new releases for FREE, in exchange for an honest review of 20 or more words?
Sign up here for Alana Harts Review Team – http://eepurl.com/bwMfI5
Calista Skye
Website: http://www.calistaskye.com
Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/bpXN31
***
You can find all of Calista's Books on her Amazon.com!
http://www.amazon.com/author/calistaskye
Romance collaborations from the Hart
Also in the SECOND CHANCES series.
Kiss Me Again
A twist of fate ripped them apart. Can a second kiss make them whole again?
For over five years, Lucy Rivers has been estranged from her family. Heartbroken after her mother’s death, she was unable to forgive her father’s betrayal for remarrying so soon after the tragic event that shook up their lives. And not only that, the marriage put a stop to her budding relationship with her high school sweetheart, Cole Kent, as he was now her new stepbrother. Lucy sought a new life, leaving her family behind.
However, unwilling to let her go, Cole hunts high and low for years to find Lucy again. And just when Cole’s about to give up, by chance her face pops up on a dating app he’d reluctantly signed up to.
Can Cole get Lucy to trust him again? Will Lucy be able to forgive her dad before it's too late?
Buy it now from Amazon.com!
http://amzn.to/1KJWDY1
***
Taken In by the Pack
Secrets left her broken. Can the truth make her whole?
In high school, Adalyn Royse thought she'd met her one and only, until he vanished without a word and broke her heart.
Now she's in college and he's back, more gorgeous than ever, and stalking her around campus. Bryson and his pack of friends are obviously keeping secrets. When Adalyn is shown that the world she lives in -- including her past, and even herself -- are very different than she thought, will they have a second chance at happily ever after?
Buy now from Amazon.com!
http://amzn.to/1Khhj7C
***
The Swap
When Jenna Stuart married Will, she thought she was living her happy ever after. But then she interviews for a job at the newly opened paper mill and things are suddenly not so simple. Her new boss, Darnell Pickens, is smoldering and sexy but it’s that fact that was her first love, and is married, that makes everything complicated.
Torn apart by their parent’s years before, Jenna and Darnell never had a chance to find out if their love would have stood the test of time. And now it’s too late.
Or is it?
As two couples struggle with passion, betrayal and heartbreak, they discover that the route towards hope and love is sometimes something that only second chances can bring.
Buy now from Amazon.com!
http://amzn.to/1KdWZzO
***
Coming soon…
The next series from HARTFELT BOOK is HALLOWED LOVE
Sign up for Alana’s newsletter here to be notified of the exciting new releases.
http://eepurl.com/bwJayz
Table of Contents
Alien Prince Seeking BBW Bride: First Love
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About the Authors
Romance collaborations from the Hart
