Her Pirate Master (Entwined Fates) Read online

  Desire began to build inside her, rising with each slap of his hand against her bare flesh. Without really intending to, she lifted her ass toward his hand.

  “Damn you. Stop!” she screamed.

  He smoothed his palm over her burning skin. The tenderness of his touch was like another slap, making her gasp in surprise. She could feel herself getting wet. Tears of humiliation threatened to spill from the corner of her eyes. How could she have let him do this to her? What kind of woman was she that this would make her hot?

  She could not let herself get this turned on by him. She refused to give him the satisfaction, but she had a sinking feeling that she already had, despite her best efforts, and the mere thought that he knew had her stomach sinking.

  “Please,” she said as she scrunched her eyes closed. “I’m getting dizzy.”

  And truthfully she was. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure it was entirely from her head and shoulders hanging upside down. She’d been spanked before, but she’d never felt like this.

  He released his hold on her back. She quickly pushed against the chair, forcing herself upright. Once straight, she dropped onto the cushioned seat with her legs curled under her and dragged a hand through her hair, pushing it off her eyes. The second her ass hit her calves, she winced in pain. She didn’t bother to pull her pants up yet, just lowered her shirt so that it covered her privates.

  “You damn Neanderthal,” she snarled.

  “Don’t pretend like that didn’t get you wet, sub,” he said. He stared down at her smugly. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I can tell when the pain begins to morph into something else.”

  “Go to hell,” she murmured.

  “Been there already,” he replied. “Damn son of a bitch spat me back out.”

  She scrunched her nose and twisted her lips. “I guess he couldn’t stand the sight of you either.”

  His lips twitched in amusement. “Your ass is red from a spanking, and still you spew venom as though you want another.”

  She sank farther into the chair and watched him warily.

  “Be thankful a spanking is all you got. As delectable as that ass looked, I was tempted to fuck you as well.”

  Jack swallowed. She noticed the trembling in her fingers and quickly fisted them in the hope he hadn’t seen. The way he watched her with that shrewd gaze, Jack doubted he missed anything.

  “I think I like you better defiant,” he grumbled.

  “Then perhaps you shouldn’t spank me like a misbehaving child.”

  He snorted. “I have no doubt that spanking will not be your last.”

  “Spank me like that again, and the first chance I get, I’ll slit your throat.”

  He tilted his head and studied her. “You don’t quit, do you?”

  “No,” she said softly but firmly.

  He walked over and leaned his elbows against the back of the chair. Staring over it, he grinned in such a way that Jack’s whole body flushed. “Judging by the way your body reacted to that spanking, my guess is you’ve played the sexual sub before. Am I right?”

  “None of your business.”

  His grin widened. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll soon find out.”

  Jack swallowed and turned her gaze out the window, deliberately ignoring him.

  He put his finger under her chin and lifted it. She met his stare and suddenly had to remind herself how to breathe. Even when she’d done the submissive thing, there hadn’t been one Dom who could make her heart flutter with just a look. Not one whose voice sent a current of lust to every pore of her body. Not until him.

  That thought was as disturbing as it was frightening.

  Despite his rough manhandling, or maybe because of it, she ached for sexual release. What did that say about her?

  “Let’s get something straight, sub. You’ll do what I tell you or get another one of those. Next time I won’t stop until you’re screaming from an orgasm. I don’t care how hard or long you fight me.”

  Jack swallowed at the sudden and undeniable burning that began in her womb.

  “Are we clear?”

  “Aren’t I supposed to get a safe word?” she asked.

  His lips quirked, and she had a strong sense of dread she couldn’t shake.

  “You’re my prisoner, sub. Why on earth would you get a safe word?” He let go of her chin and stood straight. “Any other punishments you receive will be done at home. I have much better toys there. Here I only have my hand.” He grinned wickedly, and Jack’s heart did a little skip of excitement. “And of course, my dick.”

  “I suggest you keep your dick in your pants unless you want it cut off.”

  Haydrien laughed. He actually laughed. “Oh, yes. I definitely like you better defiant. Get some sleep, Jacquelyn, and don’t worry. I won’t do anything to you that you won’t eventually be begging for.”

  Jack’s first instinct was to stick her tongue out at him. She resisted the urge and watched him leave the room, shutting the door behind him. The lock slid back into place, and she frowned. Had he disabled the interior locking mechanism?

  She got up, fixed her pants, and walked to the door. She waved her hand before the motion sensor to the side and scowled when it beeped, indicating the door wouldn’t open.

  She hit it with her palm, then winced at the sting of flesh meeting cold steel. “You damn prick,” she shouted.

  Silence was the only response.

  Had he been serious? Or had he just been trying to scare her? She had no idea. Normally she could read people pretty well, but this guy she couldn’t read at all.

  She didn’t doubt what he’d said was true. If he’d kept spanking her tonight, she might’ve had an orgasm. She liked being spanked, but there was a big difference between being spanked by a Dom she knew would stop with a safe word and one who would never stop no matter what she said.

  But he had stopped when she’d told him she was dizzy. Had that been a fluke? Or was his threat just bluster? Jack turned and leaned her back against the cool metal of the door. Should she push him? Or should she play it safe and never do anything to make him angry?

  She cringed, realizing she was never one to play it safe. She knew her personality. She knew she would never be able to keep her mouth shut.

  “Oh, God. I’m in so much trouble.”

  Chapter Six

  Jack hadn’t slept. She sat in the chair, watching out the window as the ship moved into an orbit pattern around Meenose’s moon. Would he offload the ship in space, or would he land it on the planet? And why did Meenose seem so familiar to her? She knew that name from somewhere; she just couldn’t seem to remember.

  Shivering from cold, she wrapped her jacket tighter around her chest. It felt as though Haydrien had lowered the environmental controls, or maybe it was just her nerves more than anything.

  As she watched, the ship worked its way around the moon and then headed toward the planet itself. So much for her question on landing. Looked like he was going to land first, then offload.

  She frowned and pushed upright. Did he know to compensate for the weight of the cargo during his descent? If he didn’t, the angle would be wrong, and the load would shift.

  She stood and walked to the door. Was it still locked? She tried again to wave her hand before the motion sensor. It gave two quick beeps in response, and she sighed. Still locked in.

  With her hands on her hips, she studied the panel. Could she do what he had and unlock the door from inside the panel? She’d never tried, but surely she could figure it out.

  She popped the cover off and began to move wires around. With each failure, she became more and more frustrated. She had to get out of this room. She would go nuts if she didn’t.

  Finally, she found the right wire, and the door slid open. She breathed a sigh of relief and headed quickly down the hall. The doors to the bridge opened, and she stepped inside.

  “Good morning, sub,” Haydrien said without turning around.

  “You’re not going to be
rate me for leaving my room?” she asked as she moved forward.

  Haydrien was in the seat to the left. Lear was in the one to the right. Haydrien watched the controls carefully but pulled his gaze away long enough to glance at her through the reflection in the glass.

  “We’re not home yet,” was all he said before turning his stare back to the controls.

  Her mind went back to what he’d said last night about her spanking being her only punishment until they returned home. The beating of her heart increased tenfold, but she cleared her throat and pushed her unwanted excitement down.

  “Did you compensate for the weight?” she asked.

  He nodded. “This isn’t my first landing, Jacquelyn.”

  “Well, I don’t know that, now do I?” she replied sarcastically.

  Haydrien again met and held her gaze through the reflection as she stood behind him. “That’s two. Wanna make it three?”

  Jack inwardly shivered. “You’re so full of it,” she snarled.

  “And there’s three,” Lear said with amusement.

  Jack bit her tongue. She never could learn to keep her smart mouth shut.

  “Sit down, sub,” Haydrien commanded. “This ship is big, and the landing will be rough.”

  He looked at her over his shoulder. A wicked sparkle filled his eyes that made Jack’s stomach knot. Unfortunately it didn’t come from fear. Damn, why couldn’t she have met this man somewhere other than here?

  “While you’re sitting there, you can think about what your punishment is going to be later.”

  Just as he said it, the ship dropped into the planet’s atmosphere. It shook as though it had been hit, then began to creak and moan as it descended through the thicker air.

  She moved quickly to a seat off to the side and anxiously watched out the window as the planet’s surface began to come into view.

  Mountains were everywhere. She frowned, wondering where he would land such a large ship. There wasn’t a flat piece of ground within miles that would be big enough.

  She started to say something, then remembered his remark about punishment. She’d probably opened her mouth enough this morning.

  Sunlight peeked over the mountains in the distance, and Jack stared in awe at the bright colors that flooded the valley floor below. Shades of orange and yellow bathed the green and brown mountains, forming a kaleidoscope of colors that left her breathless.

  The ship flew closer to the mountains below. Jack sat forward to better see out the window. Below them was a town nestled within a deep valley. High above the valley, one of the mountains had been leveled, creating a massive landing pad plenty big enough for this ship.

  Haydrien hovered the ship above the pad and spun it so the front of the ship faced a massive structure built into the side of the mountain. Jack gasped at the holes evident in the walls. A tower that had half collapsed hung precariously to the side.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Same thing that happened to the city below. Greed,” Haydrien replied.

  She frowned. “Greed?”

  Lear stood and stretched. “A war with another planet. We lost.”

  “We both lost,” Haydrien grumbled as he stood and scooted around Lear so he could get to the door.

  “What was it over?” she asked.

  Haydrien shrugged. “We had what they wanted, and we didn’t want them to have it. In the end, it was lost to both of us.”

  Jack frowned at his cryptic answer. “Oh, I see,” she said sarcastically. “That makes total sense.”

  Haydrien sighed and stopped by the door to the bridge. He turned to scowl at her, and Jack was tempted to slink down in the chair. Damn, the man could scowl like a pro. No one would dare say anything when he looked at them with that angry expression, including her.

  “Don’t you think you’re in for enough of a punishment later? Do you really want to just keep adding to it?”

  “Oh, give me a break,” she said before she could stop herself. She rolled her eyes and stood. “Whatever it is you want to dish out, bring it on.”

  Haydrien took a couple of steps toward her. Her heart raced at the flare of heat in his eyes, the way his cheek jerked as he ground his teeth. Wow, he looked incredible angry. She refused to show fear and lifted her chin in defiance.

  “Haydrien,” Lear said in warning.

  To Jack’s surprise, Haydrien stopped and clenched his hands at his sides. He closed his eyes briefly and took a slow, deep breath before letting it out. Jack imagined he was silently counting to ten, just like she’d seen her brother, Jonah, do.

  He opened his eyes. Some of the anger had gone. “Take her to my quarters,” he said to Lear. “Have the doc examine her. I’ll take the meds to Gora.”

  “Meds? And what do you mean have the doctor examine me?”

  Haydrien ignored her and walked off the bridge.

  “Hey!” she shouted.

  “You’re just asking for it, aren’t you?” Lear asked, his voice laced with amusement.

  “Oh, shut up,” she snapped.

  HAYDRIEN OPENED THE exterior door to the ship and stepped out into the warm Meenose sunshine. It felt good to be home. Unfortunately, even the sunlight couldn’t diminish his aggravation with Jacquelyn. She definitely had a stubborn streak. He didn’t want to hurt her. Hell, who was he kidding? He would never hurt her. Not really, but she certainly made it tempting.

  What the hell was he going to do with her? It was obvious scaring her with punishment wasn’t working. Haydrien had no doubt she would continue to use her smart mouth. She had spunk and more bravado than common sense. Tonight he’d have to up the ante on the punishment. Push her limits, get her to come. He had a feeling finding release would be more of a punishment than anything else.

  Just thinking about the spanking he’d given her made his cock twitch. Her ass had been so firm and round, so delectably smooth, and there at the end when her ass lifted slightly toward his hand had made his heart race with excitement.

  She’d screamed and yelled, but her body didn’t lie. Deep down, she’d liked it. He wondered what else she might like.

  “Haydrien,” Gora exclaimed as she rushed forward, pulling him from his thoughts.

  He grinned as he watched the older woman run as fast as her rounded body would allow. Gora was like his mother. She’d practically raised him after his real mother died. The war had been hard on Gora, aged her just like it had all of them.

  He’d give anything if he could’ve stopped that war sooner, convinced his father that it had gone on long enough. Haydrien’s father wouldn’t listen. He was positive that if he backed down, if he surrendered, his enemies would take control of the planet.

  In truth, their enemies were in just as bad a shape as they were. Both planets had been decimated, physically and financially. It was so bad, his people were starving, they were sick, and he’d had to resort to stealing what he needed to take care of them. He’d lost enough of them over this war. He refused to lose any more.

  He bowed and handed Gora the box. “For you, my love.”

  Her smile beamed as she took the box from him. She stood on tiptoes and cupped one of his cheeks. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  His happiness faded slightly. “Have we lost anymore?”

  She shook her head. “They are hanging on. This is what they need. I swear, Haydrien, I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  He placed a kiss on her forehead, then gave her gentle shove. “Go.”

  She ran quickly to the shuttle craft that would take her to what was left of their makeshift hospital. He would go there later and check on everyone. For now, he needed to get the rest of the supplies offloaded and dispersed.

  He waved several men over. “Get everything you think we can use unloaded and divide it up between the provinces.”

  “What about what’s leftover?” one of the men asked.

  Haydrien shook his head. “I don’t want anything leftover. Give it all out.”

&
nbsp; The men nodded and headed to do as ordered. Lear emerged from the ship and squinted up at the blue sky. “It’s going to be a hot one.”

  Haydrien didn’t answer. Instead, he kept his gaze on Jacquelyn as she stepped outside and stared at the surroundings. What did she think of his home or at least what was left of it?

  He frowned, wondering why it even mattered to him. She would be gone as soon as Marcone showed up to rescue her. He hadn’t been able to catch the son of a bitch any other way. He just hoped this worked and didn’t backfire in his face.

  He would have to plan carefully and really watch his back. He had no idea how many men Marcone would bring with him, so he would need to be prepared for any contingency. He was hoping for a trade, but would Marcone be willing to give himself up for his namesake?

  Jacquelyn walked over to the edge of the landing pad and studied the city below. The wind caught the tendrils of hair that had fallen from the clip and blew them around her cheeks. She absently brushed one aside and pushed it behind her ear.

  Haydrien’s fingers flexed at his side. What would her hair feel like sliding through his fingers? Did it curl? Or was it straight? The small pieces that had escaped curled. He imagined one wrapping around his finger.

  Shaking his head, he dislodged the thoughts and walked over to join her.

  “So much of it is…” she murmured.

  “Is what?” he asked.

  He knew what she was about to say. Destroyed. He sighed sadly as he stared down at the once vibrant city now in ruins.

  “It doesn’t really even look livable,” she replied.

  “It looks better than it did.” He pointed to the north end of the city, the section that had the most reconstruction. “We’re slowly working our way south and east.”

  “What about west?” she asked.

  “West was the most damaged. It will be the last repaired, I’m afraid.”

  “That’s so sad,” she whispered. “All those people without homes.”

  “We’re managing.” He shrugged and turned away from the edge. “People moved in together. We took care of each other. We believe it will get better and refuse to accept anything less, so when you see my people, do not look upon them with pity. They’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.”