Shay Leviticus loves blowing shit up; hence her job as a Retreat Mining Engineer for InterGalactic Mining Conglomerate. She also has a little side job that's hush-hush, but it's not supposed to initiate for a couple revolutions. Plenty of time to enjoy some well-deserved R&R on the fleet ship. Except the last shuttle off-planet is shot down ... while she's on it. And Mining Planet 13 is scheduled to operate at limited life-support while it enters its winter season when the entire planetoid will freeze solid under sheets of ice; it's no place for a human. Stranded and under seige by unknown enemies, Shay's side project is in jeopardy, not to mention her life. She's ready to fight for everything by herself, but an unexpected ally arrives just in time to need rescuing. Shay's up for the task, but her ally isn't exactly grateful. It turns out the Svai alien race takes life-saving pretty seriously, and now Drail is Shay's reluctant debt-mate. She takes her new role in stride because honestly, she could use this hunky reptilian male's help even if the conditions seem awfully strict. How bad could it be? There's plenty of danger to go around; Drail can just save her life, too, and then they'll be even. Life for a life, right? Certainly no need for all this mate talk. And MP-13 isn't exactly the place to find love, either. So it's not like her rock-hard heart is in peril of falling for the grumpy alien. Just because he follows her orders. Respects her wishes. Listens to her ideas. Compliments her intelligence. And is sexy as hell. Nope, no peril at all. It's fine. Everything's fine.