She went to a black market auction looking for profit. Instead, she accidentally claimed a space pirate. Tessa Vane knows how to survive. She is a sharp-eyed salvage broker, a scrappy fighter, and more than capable of handling herself in the rougher corners of the galaxy. What she does not need is to get tangled up in alien traditions, dangerous men, or any situation that smells remotely like commitment. So of course, one impulsive bid at a station auction leaves her holding an ancient relic that is far more than it appears. Because the glittering artifact she just bought is no trinket. It is a sacred betrothal token... and it belongs to Captain Rhaek Vorren, a devastatingly handsome pirate with a deadly reputation and a ship full of loyal crew who now believe Tessa has claimed their captain as her own. Vorren is powerful, possessive, and entirely too calm about the fact that Tessa has accidentally bound herself to him in front of witnesses. Tessa wants the bond undone before it wrecks her freedom. Vorren insists the choice is hers. But the longer she remains aboard the Nightshade , the harder it becomes to ignore the tension simmering between them. Then someone on the ship decides Tessa needs to die before the bond can be sealed. With danger closing in, sparks flying, and desire turning impossible to resist, Tessa must decide whether this accidental betrothal is the worst mistake of her life... or the beginning of something she never knew she wanted. Accidentally Betrothed to the Space Pirate is a steamy sci-fi romance short story featuring a scrappy heroine, a dangerously charming pirate captain, forced proximity, flirty banter, action, heat, and a happily ever after.