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Finally the ship slammed down across two parking spots with a shuddering groan. How could she look like a proper pilot in space and likethatin the landing dock?
He didn’t have time to ponder it. The pilot’s cab popped open and Kaia jumped out onto the roof of the craft with a pair of gloves between her teeth. A helmet dangled by the chin strap from one hand, and she used the other to descend the rusted ladder leading from the cockpit to the floor.
She looked like she’d worn the hell out of that faded orange flight suit. Orion was so impressed by the evident wear, he barely registered the nice way it hugged the curves of her little ass.
“Orion.” Bretton delivered a rough shove to his shoulder, but Orion paid him no mind.
But still he hesitated, second-guessing his decision. Was he being too impulsive? He didn’t know this woman. What was he getting himself into here? Wouldn't he have enough to deal with once he was back onColossal?
And then she looked at him. Her green hawk eyes slid to his, then flicked away with not even a hint of recognition.
Was she… ignoring him?
Fuck that.
“Orion!” Bretton growled as Orion strode toward Kaia, intercepting her path.
For a moment she looked like she might run. Which would be very, very bad for her. Maybe she had the same thought, because after a few seconds she faltered, then stopped. Her gaze flicked to the needlefin, then to Orion.
“Oh, hi. How’s it going?”
“Yeah, good. Look.” Orion didn’t intend to waste any time. “Kaia. Come with me.”
She stiffened. “What?”
“I want to take you back toColossal. I thought it all through. I don’t want whatever shitty rich brats my parents picked. I want someone exciting. Someone different. A littlecrazy. Like you.”
She froze like a cryocorpse as he delivered his invitation, not looking as grateful as he'd have expected. Which was preposterous, of course, because no sane woman would turn down this offer. Not from him.
Orion realized this was perfect. Kaia wasn’t sane. That what was so alluring about her. She’d needconvincing.
“You won’t regret it,” he spoke fast, glancing back at Bretton, who was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring. “You'll have whatever you want. No more scrounging for parts on some shithole chunk of metal. Your ship?” Orion swept his arm at the heap of junk she flew into the dock. “I’ll get you a new one. We can fly together. Go anywhere. Do anything.”
He was blabbering, but there was no time to do this properly, slowly, convincingly.
“Look, I swear to you that you’ll love it. I’ll make you love it.”
“It?”
“Our marriage!” Orion blurted, exasperated. She was tapping her helmet against her thigh, panicked eyes roaming. Her gaze turned to the needlefin, which was already humming as the engines warmed.
Her mouth was a thin line, chin working forward and back as she rubbed her lips together. She was considering it, and she needed to consider it fucking faster. Orion bent his head closer. “But I have to go, Kaia. Now. So you take it or leave it.”
CHAPTER9
KAIA
Marriage?What the fuck was he thinking?
It wasn’t supposed to be that easy. When she stumbled into him on her return to the dock, she couldn’t even meet his eyes, pretending to ignore him like an idiot. She was sure she’d blown it.
Turns out she was wrong. Her heart raced as she stood before him, her lungs full of coffee and mint. How could her “seduction” have worked so fast? How could it have worked at all? She was just a scavenger on a rundown station. A nobody. The whole plan, even if she did want to go through with it, was meant to start with a simple invitation to accompany him to his colony, not a fuckingproposalhours after they met. What was wrong with him? He was clearly unhinged.
It was all about whathewanted.Hewanted to marry someone exciting. Someone “different”. Someone he could shove into his parents’ faces. That he’d use her like a pawn in his little twisted family game told her everything she needed to know about him. Orion Halen was colony royalty, but he was no better than Loran or any of the other thugs on this station.
Her hand twitched with the slap she was itching to deliver, but she caught herself. Orion didn’t need to be a good person for her purposes—in fact, him being an asshole would just make everything easier.
She watched the monster, the mark, breathing down on her, waiting for her answer.
