Dark Matter — C.S. Chatterly

Two weary veterans of an intergalactic war find common ground aboard an earth-based, interstellar cruise ship.

Captain Rorcan Darr fought in a galactic war lasting many years. Now that Armistice has arrived, he's taking a well-earned break aboard an Earth-based cruise ship. All he wants is to put the past behind him. But going home again isn't the pleasurable task he'd once believed. Because of his family's royal lineage, he's expected to take a mate of his father's choosing, and breed a family for political empowerment. Outwardly, he's always acted agreeable - the epitome of patriotic discretion. However, the war deeply changed him as much as it altered everyone else. His future behind a bureaucratic desk seems more like a prison than a life choice.

When he meets a beautiful songstress aboard the cruise ship â€" one who is a veteran like him and who shares so much sad history â€" Rorcan is torn between his duty and her lovely body. She's everything he's always wanted, all rolled into one desirable package. Now, all they need do is reconcile their differences. She's from Earth…he's from Vega. Though allied in war, neither planet's authorities will tolerate interspecies mingling. He must make the choice between his sworn duty and his family…or a life in deep space with a woman he craves.