Epilogue

Two weeks later

"Hot buns!" Don Juan announced, bringing in a tray of aromatic pastries. "Eat 'em while they're hot." With an almost prideful flourish, the android placed a plated sticky roll in front of each of them, along with juice and a hot beverage made of ground, roasted beans imported from Terra Nova.

Was it his imagination, or had the android been getting more animated lately? If so, it was no doubt due to his wife's influence. She'd certainly made him more animated. Krogan leered at her. "Nobody's buns are as hot as yours," he said in a low voice.

"Oh, yeah? Tell me more." Under the table, Hope caressed his bare shin with her naked foot. He'd taken the day off, and, after a leisurely morning spent in bed, they'd gotten up for breakfast. They wore only their robes.

"Keep that up, and I'll show you," he replied, only half joking. It wouldn't take much to reignite his passion. A glance, a touch, a smile from his wife was more than enough. Oh, how he loved her. And she loved him. He'd never known such happiness. "But then we'd miss the monuments." They'd planned to visit some of the sites he'd told her about. Although he felt capable of defending her should the need arise, Don Juan would be going, too.

The android never left Hope's side. Protests had decreased as the agitators were taken into custody, but Stervak continued to elude capture.

She stayed home most days, but occasionally she ventured out to the cozi, accompanied by the android. Krogan did not wish to restrict her freedom, but he was always intensely relieved when she reported in that she'd gotten home safe and sound.

Instead of returning to the kitchen, Don Juan remained in the dining room, his light dim but whirling. Was he waiting for further instruction?

He bit into a roll. Buttery sweetness exploded in his mouth. "Excellent, Don Juan. Delicious."

"Perfect! Just like the ones on Terra Nova," Hope said.

The light atop the android's head brightened and whirled faster. "I'm very pleased you enjoy them." He scurried into the kitchen. Had he been fishing for a compliment?

Krogan started to take another bite when his wrist comm chip buzzed with a series of shorts and longs. He grimaced. Not today. Not now.

"What is it?" she asked.

"An urgent communique from Blakk, my security chief." When wasn't it urgent? His staff didn't bother him with the mundanities or matters they could handle themselves. He only got contacted when there was a problem. And nothing from security was ever positive.

"You'd better take it, then."

"I promised you this day. I don't want to ruin it."

She covered his hand. "It's not ruined yet. You don't know what his message says. We have a lifetime of days. You'd better check the message."

He tapped his wrist. A hologram of the security chief appeared in the corner of the dining room.

Hope tightened her robe about her throat. "He can't see us, can he?"

"No. It's not a live two-way."

"Sorry for disturbing your day off, but I thought you'd like some good news for a change." His security chief broke into a big grin. "We arrested Stervak! Got him last night."

Relief swept over him. "Yes!" Krogan punched the air with his fist.

"Yay!" Hope cheered.

"Stervak returned to the scene of the crime," Blakk continued. "He vapped into the Stasis Pod Center, but we caught him before he could do any more damage."

Surveillance footage had revealed the pods in which the fifty women had died hadn't malfunctioned due to a manufacturing defect. Stervak had deactivated them, hoping the loss of life would turn the citizenry against Krogan. The man had become deranged in his hatred.

Krogan fired off a reply to his security chief praising him for his diligence. He couldn't have gotten a better staff, and the vast majority of the citizenry supported him and understood he was fighting for them. But the fifty women who'd perished continued to weigh heavily on his conscience. He sighed.

Hope covered his hand. "Those deaths weren't your fault," she said softly.

"Not directly. But Stervak murdered fifty women to strike at me…" He shuddered. If Stervak had gotten an opportunity, he would have killed Hope .

She slipped out of her chair and slid onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Nothing can bring the women back, but you saved the rest, you captured the criminal responsible, and you don't have to worry that more pods will fail. One day soon, your scientific team will develop a cure for the nano-virus, and all the women can be released from stasis. You're a good man and a caring leader. The people love you, and I love you."

Her love meant everything to him. He felt his burden ease. "I love you, too. My beautiful wife. How did I get so lucky?"

"My handsome husband. We both got lucky." She kissed him.

* * * *

Thank you for reading Escape Clause (Cosmic Mates 1) , the start of a brand-new series. Are you ready for Help Wanted: Wife (Cosmic Mates 2) ?

They have nothing to lose except their hearts.

The only thing keeping widower Larth from succumbing to grief is running the fledgling bakery founded by his late wife. He intends to make the business the biggest, best bakery in all of Caradonia. But he can't do it alone. Unable to find affordable help, he turns to Cosmic Mates and advertises for a wife in-name-only. It's a half-baked idea, and he can't imagine why anyone would accept the position, but he's desperate. He can't let his late wife's dream fail!

After her childhood sweetheart jilts her for another woman on their wedding day, Prudence McKenna is certain she'll never trust or love again. Worse, everyone in her small village knows the sordid details. When she spots a Cosmic Mates help wanted ad, it seems like the perfect solution to escape the personal and public humiliation. Sure, the position is for a wife, but alien Larth promises it will be a marriage of convenience, a business arrangement. He needs someone to help in his bakery. She has bakery experience. It's just what she needs.

But what starts out on a business footing soon gets…complicated. The human beauty stirs Larth's affection, passion…and guilt. Prudence is falling for the handsome alien man but fears he's still in love with his dead wife.

Will it take a message from beyond to settle the heartaches of the past and grant them a second chance for love?