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The Intergalactic Duke's Inconvenient Engagement Page 16


  As he took her hand and whirled her back into his embrace, one of the moons of Azthronos peeked into the ballroom from above. The luminous gold light caught in the ring and flared between them in an everlasting fire. And Rayna knew, whatever challenges might arise from loving an arrogant alien duke, she’d always have her rock—not the Eye of Zalar but Raz himself. And he’d have her.

  “Are you ready for what happens next, Your Grace?” She smiled up at him.

  His answering smile was charmingly crooked. “Do we even know what that is?” He tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear.

  She tilted her cheek into his cradling palm. “I imagine the Octiron crew will return to cover the real engagement,” she teased. At his groan, she poked him again. “And your mother will gloat that you have control of the space station now.”

  “I only wanted you,” he said in a commanding voice.

  “And you have me.” She tightened her grip around his waist. “As I have you.”

  “We’re in this together.” The soft note of wonderment in his voice nearly broke her heart. In all the universe, could there be a being more perfect for her?

  She canted up to her tiptoes to feather her lips over his. “Together,” she wished whispered. “That’s a promise.”

  Epilogue

  They sealed their private deal in his penthouse apartment at the top of the estate, where the ceiling in the bedroom was wide open to the stars.

  “A reminder to the duke as he sleeps,” he told her wryly. “His duty to the duchy is always right out there.” He flattened her hand over his naked chest, the ring poking up into his palm. “But my oath to you comes first, here.”

  “I never doubted it.” She nudged her hips into his where they were still joined.

  His grin was devilish. “I’ll remind you at regular intervals, as inescapable as the rising and falling of all those suns.” He rolled her onto her back and loomed above her, his celestial gaze fierce. “I’ll always be here for you, Rayna.”

  Her eyes sparkled with tears that she’d never shed before. “I believe you,” she murmured. “But remind me again anyway.”

  After they came together in an explosion as silent and beautiful as a distant supernova, they settled side by side, breathing heavily, as they stared upward.

  “Look at it,” she mused. “There’s so much to do.”

  “Nah,” he sighed gustily. “I’m done.”

  She rolled to her side to pillow her head on his broad shoulder, and he tucked her close with a kiss to her crown.

  “We need to figure out what Blackworm was doing with the singularity,” she said. “And I think we should talk to my new intergalactic accountant about some long-term investments for Azthronos. And we need to talk about what happens to my friends next.”

  “All that lies ahead of us,” he said. “But I rather think the captain of my dreadnought flagship has become enamored with one of you Black Hole Brides.”

  “I don’t belong to any black hole,” she said firmly. “Only you. Nothing else holds my heart.”

  He gave her another kiss that she knew would always rock her world. “Just as you have all of me.”

  The astral adventure continues in...

  Intergalactic Dating Agency

  Black Hole Brides

  The Interstellar Rake's Irresistible Kiss

  In the darkest hour of the night, Trixie Boudreaux crept through the Azthronos ducal estate. She counted the turns carefully, not missing a one despite the deep, quiet shadows. She better not miss one; she’d been down these hallways a dozen times since being rescued from the singularity-orbiting space station where Blackworm had imprisoned her and a handful of other Earth women.

  The Black Hole Brides.

  How she despised that name. It sounded…romantic. Everyone loved brides. And while black holes were probably technically kind of scary, they were nerdy cool, right?

  But she wasn’t any of those things, never had been, never would be. Not scary, not nerdy, not cool. Definitely never a bride. She knew what happened to women who let themselves be sucked into those starry-eyed fantasies of white and lace and forevermore.

  Speaking of stars… She stopped at the beautiful arched doorway that were the closest escape to her bedroom. If she went outside, under those stars, she knew she’d find herself on an beautiful balcony overlooking the estate’s beautiful side courtyard. A beautiful decorative trellis framed the balcony, providing support for a beautiful alien flower. Everything here was beautiful—well, everything except her—but she was mostly interested in how the trellis reached all the way to the ground three stories below.

  Of course, if she had to run, she’d still be stuck on this alien world, but it helped her sleep at night to know her escape route was clear.

  Now, just to confirm that the door wasn’t locked and she could go back to bed.

  She pushed the beautiful—of course—latch and peeked out to catch a glimpse of the stars.

  And saw a full moon instead.

  Tight, muscled buttocks revealed by dark pants still in the process of dropping.

  She gasped and recoiled in shock, yanking the door closed with a bang.

  Someone was about to get banged…

  See all the stories from Elsa Jade in the INTERGALACTIC DATING AGENCY

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  About the Author

  Elsa Jade, author of sexy shapeshifting romances, also writes paranormal romance, urban fantasy romance, and science fiction romance as Jessa Slade and sexy contemporary romance as Jenna Dales. In all her incarnations, she believes in the transformational power of love and is thrilled to share her stories with like-minded readers.

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