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She’d seen a different side of him. When he’d challenged Ivy, she’d felt a pang of something she hadn’t experienced for a long time. Faron had looked out for her. It had been ages since anyone had done that.

Kendra shook her head and puffed out a breath. What was she doing? They were so wrong for each other. These dates with Faron were about making My Single Alien more successful, nothing more. She was doing this to keep Ivy and Diadora off her back. Kendra had no interest in experiencing more dates with a hot, nearly naked Tolong or feeling his protective arm around her shoulders when he sensed she was uncomfortable.

“It’s about to go live.” Sinead hurried into the room with Nell and Avril.

Kendra glanced up. “What’s that?”

“You know what it is.” Sinead grinned at her. “Your date is about to be broadcast.”

Kendra grimaced. “So soon?” She hadn’t had time to prepare for seeing herself on camera. It was not an idea she relished.

Everyone gathered around the large screen in the office.

The footage started with a view of the restaurant and cut to a nervous looking Kendra sitting in the booth waiting for Faron.

“I can’t watch.” Kendra covered her eyes, but Sinead pulled her hand away.

“Don’t be daft. You look amazing.”

“I look ridiculous.”

Everyone gasped at the first glimpse of Faron wearing very little clothing as he strolled into the restaurant.

“Wow! How did you keep your hands off him?” Avril asked.

“I was too shocked to do anything other than stare,” Kendra admitted. “I hadn’t expected him to dress like that.”

“You mean forget to dress,” Sinead said. “You’ve got one super-hot alien on your hands.”

Kendra forced a smile. “I did feel overdressed when he appeared.”

“You look good together,” Avril said.

Kendra watched as the artfully edited footage revealed the date in all its romantic glory. It showed them laughing and talking then cut to Faron on his knee, holding her hand.

A shiver of pleasure ran through Kendra. It really did look like a marriage proposal.

Sinead’s head shot around, and she stared at her. “Oh my stars, is he doing what I think he’s doing?”

“Absolutely not. But for a second, I wondered what he was up to. Faron was apologizing. He thought he’d offended me and wanted to make amends.”

Sinead arched an eyebrow. “By getting down on one knee?”

“I don’t think he realized what it signifies to us,” Kendra said. “It scared the hell out of me.”

“He looks cute, so vulnerable holding your hand,” Avril said. “I’ve never seen a Tolong behave like that. It’s sort of sweet.”

“He’s anything but sweet, but that’s because of the way he was raised. I saw lots of scars on his body. His family was brutal when he was young.”

“Tolongs are never gentle with their children. They want them to be free of the weaknesses of emotion,” Avril said. “They are very much ones for logic and sensibility. They consider humans to be too emotional. That’s why we have so few Tolongs on our books. They struggle to overcome the differences between us.”

“We are definitely different,” Kendra said.

“I bet he still kisses amazingly.” Sinead nudged her and grinned.

“He’s not bad.” Kendra shrugged and looked away. Every time she thought about those kisses, she felt a warm glow inside her. She’d never been kissed like that before. Despite what was said about Tolongs being all about calmness and logic, when Faron had kissed her, there was nothing calm behind it. All she’d felt was raw energy and passion. There was a hidden fire inside that alien. It was a fire she was afraid to touch in case she got burned.

“So, what next?” Sinead asked as the footage faded.