Axion cover

Red Rock Alien Dating Agency

Axion Red Rock Alien Dating Agency 2

A close encounter in time...

Leif is an emissary to Earth on a mission to find a human bride for his Leader. He’s depending on the Red Rock Intergalactic Dating Agency to identify a suitable prospect and is shocked when that woman is Nina Simms, an intelligent and beautiful female who gets under his metallic gold skin like no other.

Nina wants to find an alien mate so she can dive into the deep black of space and explore other worlds among the stars. She doesn’t expect a Leif from the future to stagger into her life with a message: not only is he her mate, but he must also use his skills as an assassin, his function during the last intergalactic war, to save the people of Earth.

The past and future collide, and as passions ignite, mission and mating take a turn for the dangerous.

Information

  • Axion is book two in the Red Rock Alien Mail Order Brides series
  • Release Date: October 19, 2016
  • Axion is part of the multi-author Intergalactic Dating Agency series.

Excerpt from Axion

CHAPTER ONE

Nina's stomach growled audibly as she shuffled in flip-flops and jammies from her little casita—correction, her parents' backyard casita—past the pool—super blue sky overhead, red rock mountains soaring—and into the main house to grab some quick breakfast. The perks of living at home.

"Morning, honey," her dad said from the breakfast table where he was squinting at his laptop. Looked like the vacation rentals spreadsheet, which he tended mercilessly. Sedona was a big tourist draw—the Red Rock Mountains were spectacular for hiking, but there were also the vortexes that lured wellness-seeking people with their peace and energy. Not to mention the aliens who knew the vortexes as wormholes and used them to jump distances in space. The aliens were an open secret to area locals, but most of the rest of the world were in the dark about the space invaders among them.

"My friends are still staying in the Larkspur house," Nina said as she hit the fridge.

Sophia and her alien supersoldier hottie, Raider, aka Stone, had been living there while Sophia went back and forth to the hospital to visit her brother Alex, who had recently been released and was now living with them.

Her dad looked up over the laptop screen at her, a scruffy brow raised.

"They're good for it," she argued back as she grabbed the orange juice.

"Get me a contract today."

"I'm on it," she said. Of course, Raider would be more inclined to steal the cash or try to pay in fudge, but Sophia would take care of it.

Mom came into the kitchen, looking pressed and perfect in an artsy, hand-dyed linen sheath dress. "Good morning, sweetheart. I'd love some company at the gallery today."

It seemed like an innocuous greeting, but it was actually loaded. Lately, to avoid arguments, Nina and her mom rarely spoke in specific terms. This was her mom's way of trying to give her money since Nina wouldn't take any outright. That, and trying to keep her close.

"Can't." Nina opened a cupboard and grabbed a glass. "I have an interview this morning." And she had no idea how long it was going to take or what it involved. Except for aliens. Aliens would definitely be involved. Finally.

Nina caught the quick look her mom gave to her dad, which had been Nina's intention: A gentle heads up to the parental units.

"Oh?" Her mom was trying to sound easy-going. "What's it for?"

"A local business," Nina said. Local usually meant something to do with the aliens. There were few places on Earth that had as many as Sedona.

She was meeting with Cindy, who owned the Red Rock Intergalactic Dating Agency. At first, Cindy had only been planning to handle Nina's dating profile, find her a good match, but, apparently, there was a special placement Cindy wanted to speak to Nina about.

"Is there travel involved?" Her mom was really asking if it had to do with outer space.

"Possibly," Nina answered.

Her parents had always known that her goal was to learn, to travel, to explore other worlds, which was why her mom had pushed for her to live at home now. Her mom had rationalized about all the money Nina would save by taking over the casita instead of sharing a place with her friend as she'd originally intended. Her mom had argued that living at home was the new thing among Millennials. And there was even that article in the Post about how kids, in general, were moving out into the world later in life. Plus, the casita was just sitting there empty.

Okay, Mom. For a little while. And thanks, that'd be great. Sure, I'll walk Astro.

Because Nina had always felt, all the way down to her bones, that her future was among the aliens. Which meant, someday, she'd be leaving. She knew it in her heart like she knew her own face in the mirror. Like she knew her own name. Per her agreement with her parents, however, she'd waited until after graduating college—albeit, a year ahead of schedule—before seeking out that future. But hey, Fate was calling. And she was ready.

"Well, I hope it goes well," her mom said.

Ai, the guilt.

"You'll make sure to tell us all about it," her dad put in. He was fluent in mom-speak, too. That meant no blasting off without talking to them about it.

Because they'd known she was meant for the stars just as long as she had. They still had her grade-school drawings of her holding hands with an alien next to a saucer-shaped UFO. Her favorite movie of all time? Escape to Witch Mountain. The original, of course.

"I promise I will," Nina told them. "And I'll get on that contract for the Larkspur house."

She'd never leave without telling them. And besides, the vortexes were wormholes. There was every possibility that she could travel back to Sedona from...wherever faster than if she were moving to, say, Japan.

But okay, there were risks involved.

Until now, the only opportunity to get out there that she could find was through the dating agency, where she'd get to know an alien here on Earth and become his mate, or even riskier, agree to be an intergalactic mail order bride, just like during the westward frontier expansion...but this time into a decidedly freakier frontier.

Special placement. What did Cindy mean by that?

Nina lifted her OJ at her parents. "Got to get ready."

And she let herself out the back door again to shuffle back to the casita; this time, her heart a thousand pounds heavier. Exactly how bad of a daughter was she to make them worry? On a scale with a basic wild child on one end and, say, an international arms dealer on the other, where did she fall? Because she thought she was closer to the wild child, but she felt like total scum.

And that was just for hoping to go into space, not actually doing it.

She took a sip of her OJ, but she'd brushed her teeth already so the taste was super bitter. Just like her selfish, black soul.

A strange buzz in her nerves had her attention swinging to the right just in time to see a big man vault over the concrete wall that surrounded her parent's property and land silently on otherwise crunchy-loud pink gravel. When he stood, she tried not to laugh at him.

Leif. As in layf. Yet another of the alien supersoldiers—grown in pods to fight for some Pact army or something. She knew three of them now. She wasn't clear on the particulars of their background; she'd have to get the deets from Sophia. Leif was the solemn, solitary one. He was also hot as hell—whatever DNA soup had been in those pods was primo—but, too bad, so sad, he seemed to barely tolerate her presence whenever she was around Sophia and Raider.

Today, he was out of his stuffy uniform and sigh-worthy in jeans, a big belt buckle, a tight black tee, and cowboy boots. All he needed was a cowboy hat.

Howdy, Mr. Leif. What could he possibly want here? He had to be desperate to come speak to her.

This wasn't like him at all.

She put a finger to her lips—quiet; no need to worry Mom and Dad even more—and pointed toward the casita.

Leif's constant bad mood seemed to darken—maybe his attitude had been baked into him with his mad fighting skills—but he made for the little house. She glanced over her shoulder toward her parents' place before ducking inside after him.

He'd already moved to the other side of the room, facing her, but braced as if he were holding up the wall behind him.

Yep. Something was definitely off. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. And his face looked a little too lean. The whole effect made him seem like a stranger, and even more unsettling, was the feeling blooming in her chest. Not quite alarm. But definitely concern. She had no reason to care about him beyond human decency, but she found herself seriously worried.

She decided to go light in tone since he seemed so uneasy. "You trying to blend in with the locals?" she asked. Because he'd failed miserably. He looked as if he'd stepped off a romance cover. Dark, sandy hair falling over brooding black eyes. His skin was just a little too gold to be straight up...human.

"Nina." His voice was husky.

"Leif?" She debated reaching for her mobile phone to call for help. Not for her, but for him. Her gaze slid to the right. Yep. Her cell was still on the little entry table.

"Would you let me touch you?"

The desperate way he asked confused her even more, because while his question might seem like a come-on to most people, most people didn't know Leif. His motives and thoughts and sense of humor were pretty much impenetrable.

"What do you mean by touch?" Best to be specific.

In three long strides, he staggered across the room to stand, wavering before her as if he couldn't find his balance.

Uh oh. Cowboy Leif was going to fall.

"Whoa..." She put her OJ down on the entry table so she could try to catch the six-foot-five-inch, muscle-bulked, two hundred plus pounds of him. She lifted her arms, ready.

But he grabbed her—so strong—and his mouth came down to crush hers. The heat that roared out of him and into her stole her breath and fuzzed her brain. The kiss was raw. His hand went into her hair, which he gripped at its roots. His groin was hot and hard at her hip. Every cell in her body felt as if she'd ignited and was now glowing. How could she not catch fire? He was one hell of a huge match.

Touch, as in sexy times. Too bad she was not available for random alien hookups.

She pushed at his chest. He broke away and backed up a step. Again, wavering on his feet.

"What's the matter with you?" she demanded.

"You held your arms out," he said.

"To break your fall!" But she forgave his sudden kiss because, yeah, an alien might interpret body language a little differently. And he'd stepped back when she'd pushed.

This was officially not the Leif she knew, not that she knew him very well, but still. Not Leif.

"And I missed you," he said harshly.

Again with the drama. Who the hell was he? And why did she want to run into his arms?

"I saw you a couple of days ago," she told him. "In town. With Raider. You didn't even talk to me."

"It's been years since I've seen you."