Chapter 4: The Cabin Bargain

"Take that bag off your shoulder."

Alec kicked the heavy cabin door shut. The brass lock clicked into the frame.

"Where are we going right now?"

"We are forty minutes from my family estate. Drop the canvas bag on the floor."

Sienna stayed near the small round table bolted to the wooden deck. She clutched the rough strap with both hands.

"You said we were just traveling to the island."

"I said we had business to finish before the boat touches the pier."

Alec tossed his suit jacket onto the leather couch. He pulled his silver cufflinks free and set them on the desk.

"Why are you taking off your clothes?"

"You stood in front of the magistrate two hours ago, Sienna. You signed your name on the state paper."

"I signed because you told me to."

"You signed because you asked for a baby in exchange for four lives. Do you think babies arrive by mail?"

Sienna backed up until her hips hit the wooden dresser.

"Not like this. Not on a moving boat in the middle of the sea."

"Once we hit that dock, fifty people will watch every step we take. My mother, my sister, the domestic staff, the dock hands. We will have zero privacy."

"We do not need privacy if we do not do this today."

"I pay my debts immediately. I do not let obligations sit on my desk."

"I am a person, Alec. I am not an invoice."

"You set the price, girl. Not me."

He stepped across the rug. He took the strap of her bag, peeled her fingers off the cloth, and dropped the bag to the floor with a dull thud.

"Take off the gray sweater."

"No."

"Take it off, Sienna. You are sweating through the fleece. You can barely pull air into your throat."

"I am cold."

"You have a fever from the gas fumes. Pull the hood off."

She stared at his chest. Her jaw shook. Slowly, she caught the hem of the faded gray sweater and yanked it over her head.

The oversized hoodie dropped to the rug.

Underneath, she wore a sleeveless white ribbed tank top. Her frame filled out the thin cotton completely, her skin pale against the fabric, dark purple bruises showing along the curve of her collarbone.

Alec went completely still. His eyes stopped on the mark near her neck.

"Did a beam hit you there?"

"Yes."

"Why did you keep that quiet at the field clinic?"

"Because the doctor had to stitch your head first."

"You are reckless."

"You were bleeding to death on the floor plates, Alec."

"That was my problem. Not yours."

"I pulled you out anyway."

"And now I am paying for it. Lie down on the bed."

"Are you going to be this cold every single day?"

"I am not your boyfriend. I am a contract partner."

"You are a very bitter man."

"I had a wedding planned for next month. Now I am on a boat with a cleaner from sector four. Lie down."

She climbed onto the mattress, keeping her back straight against the wall.

"I don't even know your middle name."

"You don't need to know it."

He sat on the edge of the mattress. The springs creaked under his weight. He reached out and touched her arm. His fingers were rough, calloused from inspecting site machinery, but his grip remained gentle near her bruise.

"Does that hurt?"

"A little."

"Tell me if I press too hard."

"Why? I thought this was just a job for you."

"I pay my debts, Sienna. I don't torture people."

He leaned in, his broad shoulders blocking the sunlight from the round window.

She turned her face toward the wood paneling as his hands found the hem of her shirt. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye, hitting the pillowcase.

Alec stopped. His hand stayed flat against her side.

"Are you crying?"

"No."

"I can see the water on your cheek."

"Just finish what you started, Alec. Don't look at my face."

He stared down at her for three long seconds. His breath was hot against her jaw.

"Look at me, Sienna."

"No."

"Look at me."

She turned her head slowly. Her gray eyes were wet, red around the edges from smoke and tears.

"I am giving you what you asked for," Alec said, his voice dropping low, gravelly and rough. "Don't look at me like I am stealing your life."

"You are not stealing it," she whispered. "You are just reminding me that nobody ever wanted me for real."

Alec clenched his jaw. He didn't answer. He lowered his weight onto the mattress, pulling the wool blanket up over both of them as the engine slowed its rhythm.

Ten minutes later, the boat hit the rubber dock bumpers with a heavy thud.

Alec stood up, buttoning his navy shirt with fast, precise motions. He didn't look back at the bed.

"Put your sweater on. We are at the private dock."

"Is your mother out there?"

"Yes. And she does not like surprises.”