Page 34 of The Alien Who Saved Christmas

Xane collapsed to the side, so he didn’t crush her. “That was…” He trailed off and gave an incredulous laugh. “ Phlarge , that was fantastic.” He rubbed a palm over his eyes. “Sadie… My wife… You are the best at having sex. Anywhere. Ever . It is a talent beyond imagination.”

Damn, his post-coital game was on point. “Yeah?”

“You are a creature of luminous, gods-given power. I have never been more certain of your magnificence. You are one-in-a- billion . I am the luckiest man in the universe.”

Sadie preened a bit at his praise. “It was us together who made it incredible.”

He rolled onto his side, so he could brush back her hair. “I am determined to lengthen this activity to hours. Possibly days. Possibly, we will do nothing else but this. Next time, I will certainly make it last longer than this time.”

“Next time, you should do it exactly the same way as this time.” Sadie assured him, still breathing hard. “Because it was kinda perfect.”

“Better than with a vibrating machine?”

“Yep.” She grinned. “Better than with a robot?”

“Oh, yes.” He beamed. “ Much better.” He sat up, pulling her half on top of him. He was humming with energy and unable to keep still. “But I’m sure I can make ‘perfect’ even better, with some practice.”

“Might as well practice, right now, then. Your sheets are already kind of really messy.”

Xane kissed her. “I was thinking the same.”

“We’re such a good team.” She murmured against his lips.

“That reminds me.” He pulled back. “I should do this first.” He leaned over to search around the dresser/closet/lamp thing next to the bed.

“We can do whatever it is after .” Sadie assured him, because nothing was more important than round two.

“I put this here when I left.” Xane pulled out a shiny strongbox.

“I did not understand what it meant. I thought Hathgarr was marking me as weak when I wore it.” He punched a code into the lock, opened the lid, and removed a big round pendant.

It was covered in sparkly red and green stones.

“I did not understand that Rtaharions could feel care.” His eyes met hers. “I know better now.”

Sadie’s lips parted. “Is that the necklace your family awards to the most valuable player?”

“The 1 Medallion. Yes.” Xane held it up so it caught the light. It spun on its long chain like the universe’s most expensive Christmas tree ornament.

“It’s pretty.” She watched it twirl. “Don’t the other people in the 1 clan get jealous when it’s given to someone who’s not them?”

“No. We always know who it should belong to next.” He said quietly. “It’s given to the person the previous owner cannot live without. It designates that they should be protected above all others.”

“And your brother gave it to you.” Under the grousing, Hathgarr was clearly a big softy. “That’s sweet.”

Xane smiled slightly. “I am very important to him.” Shifting his hand, he looped the chain around Sadie’s neck. “But you are even more important to me .”

She blinked down at the fortune in gold. (Or whatever the hell precious space metal the pendant was made of.) “Whoa! Hang on. Xane, you don’t have to…”

“I want to.” He interjected softly. “You are the one I cannot live without, Sadie.” He lifted a hand to her hair, brushing it back from her face. “I told you I would get you a gift before the end of Christmas. The 1 Medallion belongs to you and no other.”

She met his eyes, overwhelmed.

“Your father gave your mother a necklace one Christmas.” Xane reminded her. “I follow your family’s traditions, as well as my own.”

“Yeah, but this is a little bit fancier than a silver locket.”

“The sentiment behind the gift is the same, I believe. We both want our wives to know they make our hearts go boom .”

She pressed her lips together, trying not to cry. “Thank you, Xane.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “It’s the best present I ever got.”

He held her tight. “You’re welcome, Sadie Malone.”

“It’s ‘Sadie 1,’ now.” She corrected, running a hand over his horns and enjoying his shudder of pleasure. “I’ve decided to take my husband’s last name. Or I guess number . It kind of makes me sound like a pop star.”

Xane’s smile grew into a grin.

She gave a lofty shrug, like it was no big deal. “I’ll mostly just go by ‘princess,’ of course. Princess Sadie of Rtaharion. Her Royal Highness, Sadie. Sadie, the Great and Powerful. The One and Only…” She broke off with a laugh, as Xane rolled her onto her back, covering her with his body.

“Sadie 1, Xane’s permanent wife.” He finished for her.

“Yeah, that sounds good, too.”

“It sounds perfect.”

“Well, I did mention we were close to sexual perfection, so that tracks.” She gave a teasing shrug. “We’re just awesome at being married.”

“Thank you for choosing me as your husband.” He whispered and bent his head to kiss her. “It is the best gift I ever received.”

Sadie laid a palm against his cheek and met his beautiful eyes. “Merry Christmas, big guy.”