by Cara Bristol
“Excuse me?” My fists came out of my pockets to land on my hips. “I work here.” I was the assistant manager of Barbie Q’s. I’d started with Barb back when the two of us slopped barbecue out of a food truck. She’d since turned it into the hottest restaurant in town.
“I eat here,” he said. “Barb is family.” His ready grin dropped off his face. “Why do you dislike me?” For a moment, there was naked vulnerability on his face. He looked like a little boy who’d been told the truth about Santa Claus.
Crap. I’d hurt his feelings. That shouldn’t bother me, but it did. From the very beginning, I’d tried to be honest. I couldn’t be responsible for his infatuation. Love at first sight, soul mates sounded nice in love songs, but they didn’t stand up to the test of real life. “I don’t dislike you. I just don’t like you the way you think you like me.” I skipped around the truth.
I had disliked him on sight. He hadn’t done anything or said anything, but something about him had me grinding my teeth. Why? I dug through memories of my first impression when he’d come into the restaurant last year. What was it I’d disliked so much, anyway?
The grin. The confidence. His refusal to take no for an answer.
So much like Addison.
Bingo. Braxx reminded me of my ex, Addison Rutherford Smythe III. The only things more pretentious than my ex’s name were the family and money he’d come from. I should have trusted my instincts. Addison of the winning grin carried the assurance of a man used to getting what he wanted because no one denied a Smythe anything. His reputation had preceded him, of course, so I’d shied away from getting involved. I turned him down when he asked me out the first time, and the second, and the third. After being surrounded by yes-men his entire life, encountering a no-woman had intrigued him. He’d pursued me relentlessly and worn me down. Finally, doubting my own wariness, I caved. I went out with him.
He created a fairy tale that swept me away. I fell in love. I believed in him. I trusted him. That’s when the train ran off the track.
First impressions, the certainty deep in your gut, rarely erred. I learned that the hard way, and I had no desire to repeat the lesson. Braxx was even rich like Addison. Richer. His planet, Dakon, was covered with illuvian ore, a mineral easily converted to a cheap source of energy. The Dakonians didn’t own a gold mine—they lived on the equivalent of a gold planet. You know what they did with that ore?
Built stone huts.
In coming to Earth, they exchanged their ore for currency. For them, a billion dollars amounted to pocket change.
No, I didn’t need a devilishly sexy alien rich boy who considered himself the “Fates’” gift to women.
“I don’t like you,” Braxx said.
I blinked. Well, uh…good. Maybe I’d gotten through to him. Finally.
“Like is too tepid for what I feel for you. You’re my life mate.” He pressed a hand to his buckskin-covered chest. Most of the Dakonians wore tunics and leggings fashioned from kel skin. The sleeve cuffs and hem of Braxx’s tunic were adorned with wooden, clay, and, if I wasn’t mistaken, bone beads. For a Dakonian, he was decked out to the max. Kord, Barb’s mate, never dressed this fancy.
Braxx looked hot.
I didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t admire an attractive man who dressed well.
“I knew you were the female for me the moment I saw you. You fill my days with joy and my nights with sweet dreams. You make my horns throb, and my heart race. I cannot imagine a life without—”
“Stop!” In the name of love, stop. I thrust my hand out like Diana Ross. “Don’t say another word.” Wasn’t it every woman’s dream to capture a man’s undying devotion? Once, I’d longed for it. I should have been more specific in releasing my request into the universe. I should have specified the feeling had to be mutual. Coming from the right man, such a declaration would be thrilling. From him, it was painful. Definitely not thrilling. My heart raced out of consternation. The heat of embarrassment flooded my face. Dismay brought tears too close to the surface and clogged my throat.
I had to end this, now. His behavior amounted to borderline stalking, maybe not even borderline. Whatever. It had gone on far too long. I had done nothing to encourage this guy. Nothing!
Ignoring the problem hadn’t made him go away. He’d progressed from watching to speaking of his infatuation. I prided myself on solving my own problems. I shied away from involving other people, especially my boss. Of course, Barb was my best friend, too, but friendship complicated matters. She and this guy’s brother had mated and married, making this guy part of her family. But I’d reached my wit’s end. I’d run out of ideas. I would have to ask her to get Kord to talk to Braxx.
I slapped my hands on the table right in a blob of ketchup. The table hadn’t been bused properly. Damn that Raul. Worst damn busboy we’d ever had. Ignoring the stickiness, I leaned forward and forced myself to make eye contact.
“Listen. To. Me. I don’t want to hurt you, but you have not been getting the message. You and I are not a couple. We are not mates. We never will be. Please find yourself a nice girl who will love you the way you deserve. I’m not her. Do I make myself clear?”
Dark eyes flashed and horns twitched. “Perfectly.”
I straightened, held my head high, and marched out of the dining room into the hall, whereupon, out of sight, I sprinted for the women’s room, charged into a stall, and burst into tears.
Why did it feel like my heart was breaking?
* * * * *
Braxx: Dakonian Alien Mail Order Brides #6
She’s given up on love, but love hasn’t given up on her…
If there’s anything Holly Hansen has learned it’s that falling for a persuasive charmer is a sure a way to get your heart broken. It happened once before when her fiancé abandoned her just when she needed him most. Everything about the smoking-hot alien, Braxx, reminds her of her ex: his good looks, his confidence, his persistence. He won’t take no for an answer and shows up night after night at the restaurant where she works. It’s enough to wear a girl down, make her doubt her convictions, maybe hope that love can conquer the heartbreak of the past…
Dakonian Braxx is a simple man with simple needs: find a good woman and have a big family. With females in very short supply on his planet, he heads for Earth through the Intergalactic Dating Agency. The instant he meets Holly Hansen, his horns begin to throb, and he realizes she’s the ONE. His Fated Mate. He can’t wait to settle down with her and make beautiful babies together. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to recognize they’re meant to be together. But he didn’t come this far to give up easily, and he hopes that with patience and baby steps, he’ll win her heart.
Just when it seems he’ll succeed, Holly’s past comes back to haunt them. Can a heartbreak be too deep for love to fix?
Get Braxx: Dakonian Alien Mail Order Brides from your favorite online bookseller. For even more Dakonian hotness, check out my Alien Mate series in which Earth women go to planet Dakon as mail-order brides. The series books are available as single titles or as a boxed set.
Get your FREE book here: https://carabristol.com/get-your-free-book/
Read on for a list of more great books!
Titles by Cara Bristol
Alien Mate series
Alien Mate (Book 1)
Alien Attraction (Book 2)
Alien Intention (Book 3)
Alien Mischief (Book 4)
Alien Mate Complete Series (Boxed Set)
Dakonian Alien Mail-Order Brides
Intergalactic Dating Agency
Darak
Aton
Caid
Sixx
Kord
Braxx
Cy-Ops Cyborg Romance series
Stranded with the Cyborg (Book 1)
Married to the Cyborg (Book 1.5)
Mated with the Cyborg (Book 2)
Captured by the Cyborg (Book 3)
&nbs
p; Trapped with the Cyborg (Book 4)
Claimed by the Cyborg (Book 5)
Rescued by the Cyborg (Book 5.5)
Hunted by the Cyborg (Book 6)
Breeder sci-fi romance series
Breeder (Book 1)
Terran (Book 2)
Warrior (Book 3)
Alien Dragon Shifters
Under Fyre
Under Fyre Prequel
Other titles
Destiny’s Chance
Warrior’s Curse
Longing (A Vampire Romance)
Naughty Words for Nice Writers (A Romance Novel Thesaurus)
Audiobooks
Stranded with the Cyborg
Mated with the Cyborg
Books in Print
Alien Mate
Captured by the Cyborg
Claimed by the Cyborg
Naughty Words for Nice Writers
Looking for love that’s out of this world? Strong, smart, sexy aliens are seeking mates from the Milky Way. Just hop on board with your local Intergalactic Dating Agency and become an alien mail-order bride! Join the IDA authors as we explore the friendly skies and beyond with trilogies of astral adventure and otherworldly lovers. Warning: abductions may or may not be involved.
Meet your alien hunk here: Romancing the Alien.
About Cara Bristol
USA Today Bestselling Author Cara Bristol writes character-driven science fiction romance with humor, heart, and heat. She loves introducing new readers to science fiction romance, and likes to say she writes sci-fi for readers who don’t like sci-fi. When she’s not writing (ha ha ha – she’s almost always writing) she enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and chillaxin’ with her favorite reality TV shows. Cara lives in Missouri with her own alpha hero, her husband.
Cara’s Website: http://carabristol.com/
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the many people who helped get this book ready for publication. I couldn’t do it without my team: Kate Richard, editor; Nanette Sipe, copy editor; Celeste Jones, proofreader; Croco Designs, cover designer; and Janet Seavey, beta reader.
