“About time you appeared.” Michonne rolled on the bed to face her husband, who looked rather displeased. Probably tired after working all day. With her wealth, that would change. Soon he could be a man of leisure.

“What are you doing here?” He entered the room but didn’t approach her. “Didn’t someone show you to your quarters?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because it’s my room.” She flipped back to her stomach and switched the interesting holoscreen of information she’d pulled up on her new husband to a meal menu instead.

“No, this is my room.”

“Our room,” she corrected. “We’re married, remember?” She certainly couldn’t forget the hotness of the kiss, the thrill as she finally marked a man as her own. Not the husband she’d expected, however she saw the raw possibility in him.

“About the whole marriage thing… Captain said it was binding.”

“It is.”

“Surely there’s a way to annul it?”

“No. The seal is permanent. Only your death will remove it.” It was to ensure no one could simply take the mark then murder her to inherit. The wealth only passed on through her—alive.

“We keep speaking of my death. What if you die?”

She cocked her head. “Thinking of killing me? That would be rude.”

“No ruder than this discussion.”

“Then to answer your question, if I die first, then you’ll die soon after. The seal I placed on you links our lives together.”

His lips flattened. “So, if you die, I die. If I die, you—”

“Marry again. I am the heiress, and until I have progeny of my own to cede my portion to, then I must survive at all costs to spread my family name.”

“Don’t you mean my name? You did, after all, marry me.”

“No, I meant my name. In the Dkar religion, the higher-ranked person is the one whose last name is taken. It’s how it works in my culture.” To which only the wealthiest of families belonged. Invitation was by net worth or marriage only.

Her husband blinked. He had incredibly long, dark lashes, the kind people paid to have. “I am not taking your last name, because we are not married.”

“Denial won’t change it.” And his arguing really dropped him a few notches in her esteem. Perhaps the reports she’d perused were mistaken about his intelligence. Pity. Good thing she could have their children bio engineered to take after her.

“There must be a way to stop this. I don’t want to be married.” Poor man sounded so disgruntled, which was intriguing. Michi was used to males doing everything they could to get tied to her.

“Complaining won’t change it.”

“I’m not complaining. I’m lamenting the lack of choice in this affair. I mean, come on, even you have to admit I’m probably not what you envisioned as a husband.”

She pretended to give it some thought, tapping her chin. Meanwhile, she’d already come to a decision hours ago. “While you weren’t what I’d planned for, I am ready to make sacrifices.” He had an intriguing honor, an excellent appearance, and a lack of a sycophant attitude or alpha male jerkiness that she liked.

“Sacrifices?” He practically choked on the word. “What have you sacrificed exactly?”

“I’d hoped for at least an admiral of a fleet. But you’re still young, which means we can arrange for promotion.”

“What if I like being a first mate?” He glared at her.

“Then you’ll like being a captain even better.”

“You can’t decide my future.”

Shutting off the holoscreen, she shifted to sit on the bed and fix him with a gaze. “Actually, I can. As my husband, there are now certain expectations of you.”

“Your expectations can suck it.”

She didn’t recoil at the words. She’d have to get used to her husband’s more profane manner of speaking. In some ways, it reminded her of Father when he forgot himself and reverted to his youthful method of speech.

“You will conform to your duties.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Or you’ll kill me, is that it?” He snorted. “Go ahead and try, princess.”

“Me? Attack you?” This time she giggled. “Don’t be silly. A lady doesn’t conduct violence herself. I have my own guard to fight for me.”

“I don’t see any guards here,” he remarked, stepping closer, his expression dark.

“Everyone on this ship is a possible soldier.”

“And you think they’ll kill me?” he queried.

“Make the right offer and people will kill anyone.” A lesson taught by her father.

“Not everyone can be bought, princess.” He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pants. “Captain says your father will probably be peeved about the wedding.”

“He’ll come around.” Eventually. She might have to convince her father to keep Damon alive. Which was why she’d worked on a list of reasons he’d make her a good husband. Thus far, other than being pretty, he wasn’t doing so great. “Just make me happy and I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“What if I’m unhappy?” he grumbled, spinning from her and suddenly displaying a lot of flesh as he removed his shirt. The broadness of his back captivated, as did the delineation of his muscles.

She looked away. A Dkar follower practiced modesty even amongst members of the same sex. Staring at an unclothed male was wrong.

Was wrong being the key thing here.

I’m married. He’s my husband. Which meant she could stare as much as she wanted—and even touch.

“Did it ever occur to you to use this marriage to your advantage?” she asked, rising from the bed. Because she’d sure as hell thought of a few ways it would work for her.

“Excuse me if I don’t see one.” He turned around as he pulled a softer shirt over his frame, hiding his luscious skin and the toned ridges of his muscles.

She drew closer to him, drawn despite his prickly words. “You don’t seem to realize that you now have access to a fortune. To connections. You can become anything you want. A man of leisure. Business. Power. Even the admiral of your own fleet.” With her at his side, a first lady of the galactic skies.

“What if I don’t want to? What if I’m happy serving on this ship?”

Her nose wrinkled. “You’d rather work under someone?” What an odd concept. Everyone wanted to be on top. The person everyone else bowed to.

“I happen to enjoy my position. I like seeing new places and things. I get to go on adventures. Meet people. Why the fuck would I give that up?”

“You could still have those things as captain of your own ship. Wouldn’t you like to have your own command?”

“Don’t you mean headache?” He grimaced. “No thanks. You should see the stupid shit Jameson goes through with the crew. Let someone else deal with the headaches.”

This complete lack of motivation flummoxed her. “Don’t you have any goals?”

“Yup. At the moment, my goal is getting some sleep. If you’re done yapping, I’m going to bed.”

He brushed past her, not close enough to touch, and yet the heat of his passing touched her skin and sent a shiver coursing through her.

He crawled onto the bed, grumbling something about, “Fucking bonbon blanket.” Then he snuggled under the covering and said, “Lights out.”

The room went dark, and there she stood, on her wedding night, clearly not about to be deflowered. Not exactly how she’d pictured it.

“Lights on.” Brilliance illuminated the room. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear before—”

“Lights off.”

Pitch-black. “I am not done talking to you. Lights on.”

“Lights off. And computer, only allow verbal commands by me in this room.”

He had not just done that. “You can’t do that. I am your wife.”

“According to you. I didn’t sign anything.”

“You said the words.”

“Do you have a witness?”

“The seal witnessed.”

“I am pretty sure I can find a lawyer who knows someone who does auditory emotional forensics to say I sounded coerced.”

Why was he being so stubborn? “This marriage is binding.”

“We’ll see what a judge says.”

The mere fact that he didn’t want her firmed her resolve to keep him. “You can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

He didn’t reply.

“Damon?” Logistically, she knew he was still in the room with her, yet the lack of light played tricks on her mind. Perhaps she was alone in the room. She couldn’t even hear him breathe. “Damon, you can’t ignore me.”

The silence stretched, and she took a step in the direction of the bed. Hit something hard enough to draw a yelp and send her tumbling to the floor.

Tears stung her eyes. Why had her life gotten so difficult as of late? All she’d wanted was a nice abduction by a halfway decent power-hungry male. A nice palace. Maybe a vacation place on a tropical planet.

Nothing was going according to plan. Especially the part where her husband hated her. Which meant he’d have to die and she’d have to tempt a new husband, and yet she’d had the hardest time getting one in the first place. Damn her father for being overprotective and ruining her marital chances. Sniffle.

“Ah for fuck’s sake.” Hands gripped her and yanked her onto the bed, tucking her under a blanket warm from a body. His body.

“Does this—”

“Sleep, princess. Or I’ll shove you out of this bed.”

Given the bed was warm and soft and exciting, even if a certain male body moved to the other side, she elected to shut her lips.

She also closed her eyes and managed to sleep.

What she didn’t expect was how she woke up. Splayed across Damon’s body, wantonly pressing herself to him. Her leg draped over his lower half. Her palm flat against his chest. Her head tucked against his shoulder. His hand stroking her butt.

About time he acted as he should.

With a pleased grin, she flung herself onto her back and exclaimed, “I’m ready.”