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“I’ve got a solution,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows. “Have you got time to talk about this solution over breakfast?”

She didn’t, not really, but she’d be a little late to work if she could get this sorted. “Sure, why not?”

“This way.” Talyn led her back to the table they’d sat at last night. He brought her a mug of coffee. “It’s nothing like you gave me in the dining hall, but it should do the trick. What do you want to eat?”

She waved away his offer of food. Her stomach churned too much to consider eating. “Listen, I know how we can fix this. On Earth, when two humans join, they can get their partnership annulled if they don’t meet certain expectations of the marriage. One of those being a lack of intimacy after they’re married.”

“A lack of intimacy?” Talyn eased into the seat opposite her.

“We’ve not been intimate,” Sinead said. “It means we can get the contract dissolved.”

Talyn twisted his mouth to the side. “I understand what you’re saying, and it makes sense that you have these conditions when you join with a human male, but it’s not the same for us.”

“It has to be.” Panic spun through Sinead. “You haven’t met my needs.”

A smile played across his lips. “This is the third day of knowing you. I’m not that fast a mover. But even if that was an issue, and a couple is not happy with their mating, we don’t get it annulled.”

“What do you do?”

“An unhappy couple goes through a twelve-month resolution process before dissolution can be considered.”

“It takes you a year to separate?” Sinead groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “Why so long?”

“We mate for life. We find a partner and remain with them.”

Sinead sighed. She knew that. She’d learned about Lillips and their mating behavior at work. It was surprisingly common that most aliens sought one life partner. It was so different from what her mom did, jumping from guy to guy when the next sexy set of muscles came into her life.

“Relationships must break down,” she said.

“It’s rare,” Talyn said. “It’s because we have the empath bond. If any party is unhappy, the other knows there’s a problem and works hard to resolve the issue.”

“You can’t have a one hundred percent success rate,” she said. “It’s impossible. People change. They move on. Their goals shift.”

“We have a process if issues arise. If there is a breakdown, the couple goes through extensive counseling. That’s followed by a new courtship. They basically figure out what the problem is, solve it, and fall in love with each other again.”

“No! That won’t work for us.” Sinead’s hope for a swift resolution was dashed. “We can’t be joined for a year. I won’t be able to keep that off the record for so long. You’re officially signed to My Single Alien. You’re supposed to look for a mate.”

“I picked you. You signed the agreement. My Single Alien has done what it needs to do. I’ll still pay the sign-up fee.”

A sob flew from Sinead’s mouth, and she covered the noise with a hand. She hated anyone seeing her upset, but this couldn’t be happening.

Talyn jumped from his seat and sat next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “Please don’t be distressed. I promise you I’m not a horror to live with. I’ll give you time and space, and you can get used to me. You can get used to us being together. Don’t you enjoy spending time with me? You said yourself, you feel much calmer when we’re together.”

Sinead let out a shaky sigh but only lowered her hand when she was convinced she wouldn’t continue to cry. “I do. Your touch feels incredible.” She could feel it now, that comforting wash of peace as Talyn touched her.

“We’ll use that as a basis for our relationship.” Talyn’s fingers traced along her arm. “I didn’t get things right yesterday when I tried to explain it, but you feel everything so strongly. It’s sort of amazing and terrifying. I’ve never been around someone with such vivid emotions. It blocks out everybody else.”

She blinked up at him. “I’m your personal shield?”

Those big dark eyes stared solemnly at her. “You are. So long as you’re near me, life is bearable.”

Her laugh sounded watery. “I hope I can make your life more than bearable. Everyone deserves to be happy.” She was glad to hear she helped Talyn, but this had gone on for too long. It had to end.

“They do. I want us both to be happy. I don’t want to trap you, but the contract you signed is binding. If you want to break that contract, it’s a difficult process.”

“What if I ignore it? We can pretend the contract was never signed.”