Keeping her gaze glued to his, she reached over and hit the button, opening the maps onto the window in front of them.
“Thank you,” he said, then turned to study the map.
He punched in a route, then hit Engage. The engines roared loudly as they pushed the ship toward the planet he’d selected. Jack leaned forward to read the screen and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Meenose?” she asked.
“Home,” he replied.
Chapter Four
Haydrien watched Jacquelyn from the corner of his eye. Damn, she was stunning. He’d never seen anyone with eyes such an unusual shade of blue-gray. They were like storm clouds gathering in a summer sky. He’d noticed the angrier she became, the darker the gray would get. Definitely unusual and most definitely an enigma. He wasn’t sure he bought the old man’s story that she was his daughter. If she wasn’t, then who was she?
“You look nothing like your father,” he said.
Jack gave him a strange look. “I take after my mother.”
“And what race is she?”
She scowled as though she might refuse to answer, but she looked away and replied, “She’s from Earth. My father is Tilarian.”
“Has he been friends with the Marcones long?” Haydrien asked, genuinely curious.
He needed to find out everything he could about this young woman. The fewer surprises, the better.
She turned back to him, a look of rebellious hatred on her face. “Considering I’m named after one of them, I’d say awhile. Is it my turn to ask questions?”
“No. How long is awhile?”
She puffed out a frustrated breath. “He knew them long before I was born. He’s friends with Damon.”
Haydrien lifted an eyebrow. The patriarch of the Marcone clan? It would appear the old man had friends in very high places. “Interesting,” he murmured.
“So you see it’s not just Jack you’ll have breathing down your neck,” she said, then smiled a tight-lipped, sarcastic smile.
He leaned over and set his elbow against the armrest and supported his chin on his thumb, his curled fingers covering his mouth. “Do you think that should frighten me?”
“I think that should terrify you.”
Haydrien smiled softly behind his hand. “Good thing I don’t scare easily. How old are you, sub?”
She glared at him. “I have a name.”
“True, but who said I wanted to use it?”
Haydrien could see the muscles working in her cheek. She struggled to keep her temper in check, and surprisingly he found it very entertaining. So did his cock. The damn thing hardened behind the buttons of his pants, and he had to shift in his seat to find a more comfortable position.
He nudged her leg with the toe of his boot. “I asked you a question.”
“I’m twelve.”
He snorted. “Maybe mentally.”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“How old?” he asked again, this time more forcibly.
“Twenty-eight.”
She looked younger than that to him. “Unmarried?”
“Would that matter?”
“No.”
Jacquelyn sighed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I don’t know, but you didn’t answer the question.”
“Fine. I am unmarried. Happy?”
“Giddy.”
She snorted and stared angrily out the front window. He took a moment to study her profile, her pert nose, her full, kissable lips. If he kept looking at her and imagining her face flushed from pleasure, he’d end up starting their Dom-sub relationship here, and he didn’t want that.
When he’d taken her as a sub, he hadn’t really intended to play with her sexually, just let Marcone believe he had. Watching her now, feeling the way his body reacted to her nearness and her rebellious nature, had him rethinking that idea.
With a tired sigh, Haydrien stood. “We have eighteen hours until we reach home. What do you have on this ship that’s worth eating? I’m hungry.”
She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder. “Galley’s that way. Knock yourself out.”
He again raised an eyebrow. What the hell had she just said? “Excuse me?”
“It means get it yourself.”
He leaned down and brought his nose close to hers. “I don’t think so. Dom”—he pointed to his chest, then pointed to hers—”sub. Master,” he said, pointing to himself again, then back to her. “Slave. Now get up off your pretty little ass and take me to the galley.”
Anger flared in her eyes, and for a brief second, she looked as though she might refuse. He stood straight, put his hands on his hips, and waited. Some of the anger faded, and she lifted her chin in resignation.
“Fine,” she snapped and pushed herself out of the chair.
Haydrien almost laughed as she turned her back to him and started walking across the bridge, head held high. He took off behind her, keeping his gaze on her tight ass the whole time. He wasn’t even sure what halls they’d gone down or how many turns they’d made by the time they finally got the galley. All he knew was that his balls ached terribly.
This was going to be a very long eighteen hours.
“Here’s the galley. There’s the replicator,” she said as she pointed to the far wall. “I’m sure you can figure it out from here.”
She turned to the leave the galley. Haydrien stared in speechless surprise before finally finding his tongue just as she made it to the door. “Freeze, smart-ass.”
She stopped and spun around. Arms crossed over her chest, she stared daggers at him.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“My room. I’m tired.”
“Your room is now my room, and I’m not ready for bed yet. I want to eat first, and you’re going to fix it.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not sleeping in the same room with you.”
Lear walked around Jacquelyn as he came into the room. He grinned wickedly at her. “Well, you can always sleep in my room.”
“Dream on,” she snarled.
Haydrien chuckled. “Since Lear is here, you can fix dinner for him as well.”
Her mouth dropped open, and Haydrien had to look away to keep from laughing out loud.
“Dinner sounds great. I’m starving,” Lear said as he set a box on the table and pulled out a chair. The small piece of furniture creaked under his weight, and Haydrien half expected it to collapse, but it appeared to be holding up for the time being. “Have a seat, boss,” Lear said with a grin.
Haydrien winced and shook his head. He was bigger than Lear, so if the chair struggled with his first officer’s weight, it would collapse under his. “I think I’ll stand. Besides, I might have to take off after this one. She has an obvious desire to flee.”
“Where would you go, little one?” Lear asked her.
Jacquelyn ignored his question and walked to the replicator.
“Make something good, sub. Don’t order up some ridiculous concoction,” Haydrien said.
Jacquelyn’s shoulders slumped, and her fingers froze on the keyboard. Haydrien shared a grin with Lear before turning his attention back to his sub.
“Order something for yourself as well,” Haydrien commanded.
“I’m not hungry,” she replied.
“Eat anyway.”
She sighed and turned to face him. “Are you going to tell me when to go to the bathroom also?”
He frowned at her impertinence, but it did nothing to soften her scowl. “I might,” he growled.
Lear snickered. “I have a feeling the two of you are going to be immensely entertaining. You shouldn’t be so angry with him, little one. The subs usually love him.”
“Don’t count on me loving you.”
“You don’t have to love me, sweetheart. Just obey me,” Haydrien said firmly.
She grumbled under her breath as she turned to work the replicator. Several seconds later, she set a plate before Lear, then set
one before Haydrien. What was on the plate smelled good but looked strange. Haydrien used the tip of his fork to lift something long, wide, and white.
“What is this?” he asked warily.
“It’s lasagna,” she replied.
Haydrien lifted his gaze to hers and frowned. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s food,” she snapped. “Stop being such a baby and try it.”
He and Lear shared a wary look. Lear shrugged and placed a forkful of the dish in his mouth. As he chewed, he smiled and nodded. “Not bad. What’s in it?”
Jacquelyn poked at the food on her plate and sighed. “Pasta, tomato sauce, meat, onions, cheese, spices.”
Haydrien took a bite as well and almost sighed at the unusual flavors that filled his mouth. This was good. “You should give the recipe to Gora when we get home,” he said around his mouthful.
She looked at him through her lashes, and anger pierced through the tiny slits like daggers. “We are not going home. Meenose is not my home.” She dropped the fork onto the plate, where it clanged loudly. “I’m going to my room. If you want to punish me for that, then so be it.”
Haydrien swallowed and watched her stalk from the galley. He didn’t stop her this time. Instead, he just let her go. “You’ve locked out all the escape pod controls, right?” he asked Lear.
Lear nodded. “You just going to let her leave?”
Haydrien shrugged one shoulder and took another bite of food. “Where’s she going to go? We can track her by her life signs, so she can’t hide.”
“She could get a weapon.”
Haydrien sighed. Lear was right. When he went to her room later, he would have to approach her carefully. “If she kills me, then her crew dies. I don’t think she’s that stupid.”
“Do you believe the old man’s claim that she’s his daughter?”
Haydrien snorted. “No.”
“Who do you think she is, then?”
“I’m not sure. See if you can find something in the computer about the crew.”
“I already did,” Lear replied. “The original crew is still listed.”
“What about your contact on Rhinari? The man who sabotaged the ship? What does he know about Marcone and his crew?”
“Not much. He’s never met him.”
Haydrien set his fork aside and sighed. “Nothing ever comes easy, does it?”
“Not in our life, anyway,” Lear agreed. “Are we doing the right thing?”
Haydrien didn’t miss the worry in Lear’s eyes. “Provoking Marcone?”
Lear nodded.
“This is my battle, Lear,” Haydrien said.
“But you represent our people. You take care of our people. We haven’t recovered from the war your father led. The last thing we need right now is another one, especially with the Marcones. I have a feeling when our senate representative finds out about this, we’ll be in a battle with him as well.”
“I’m not worried about our senator, and as for the Marcones, I doubt very seriously they would start a war over one woman. This battle is between me and Jack. No one else.”
“Then I’ll stay out of it. Now what are you going to do about her?”
“For starters, bust her ass for leaving after I told her not to.”
Lear chuckled. “Man, to be a fly on the wall.”
Chapter Five
Jack paced the small room she’d used as her own for the duration of her trip. She’d been offered the captain’s quarters but hadn’t felt comfortable taking over someone else’s room, so she’d taken one of the guest quarters that lined level three of the ship.
She liked them for the massive windows. Unfortunately, there was no view, only darkness as the ship sped through space toward Meenose. The ship had finally warmed back up, but inside, she still felt cold. She shivered and wrapped her arms over her chest as she paced.
Her nerves were tingling and rattled. She’d left the galley, just walked out. Would he show up to punish her? Would he know where to find her?
When she’d first arrived in the room, she’d searched for something to use as a weapon, but then changed her mind. What good would it do to hurt him or even kill him if she couldn’t rescue Agnus and the others? She didn’t know where they were or how to find them. She knew where they were going, but would she be able to get to them before they realized something had happened to Haydrien?
What the hell was she supposed to do?
Normally, she could think herself out of most any situation, but this one had her stumped. This time the lives on the line weren’t with her. Her crew was now speeding through space, probably already thousands of light-years away. For the first time in her life, she was afraid to try something for fear she would screw it up. Then it wouldn’t just be her death, but the death of three others on her hands.
Could she stand being with this man for two or even three weeks before her father and brother arrived to rescue her? What would happen when Haydrien realized she was the captain he was looking for? That she’d been under his nose the whole time?
She sighed and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. She hadn’t even allowed herself to think about what Haydrien might do to her during that time. She’d played at being a submissive before. Liked it a lot. That didn’t mean she wanted to be his sub, despite how handsome he was.
The man was a thief—handsome, arrogant, dominant… She closed her eyes and sighed. He’d stolen her ship, taken her hostage, threatened her crew, and all she could come up with when she thought about him was how good-looking he was, how his eyes made her want to melt into a puddle, how his voice sent shivers of awareness to parts of her body she had forgotten existed.
“This is some sort of cosmic joke, some sort of cosmic punishment for forcing my way into a man’s world, isn’t it? I swear if I get out of this, I’ll stop being a ship captain and wear dresses just like Miya, curl my hair, and paint my face. Whatever it takes. Just let me get us all out of this in one piece. Oh, and it would be nice if I didn’t have to have sex with him.”
The distinct sound of footsteps drew closer and stopped just outside her door. She froze, waiting. She’d locked it in the hope of keeping him out, but when she heard the unmistakable sound of the panel being pulled free and the ding of the door being unlocked, she knew her hopes had been for naught. He’d unlocked the door from the outside.
The door slid open, and Haydrien stepped in. His tall, broad frame practically filled the room and made her feel very, very small. Not many men did that to her, and the thought unsettled her much more than she wanted to admit.
Anger flashed in his whiskey-colored eyes, and his lips were set in a firm, tight line. She lifted her chin. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to leave the galley?” he bellowed.
Jack flinched despite herself.
“I think it’s time you finally suffered the consequences,” he growled.
Jack took a step back. “Don’t you dare.”
“Come here, Jacquelyn.”
The way he said her name, making the -lyn sound like lean made the butterflies in her stomach flutter, especially when he said it in such a deep, resonating voice.
“No,” she said.
“Don’t make me come get you.”
She frowned. He made her feel like a child who tried to run from a spanking.
“If you think I’m going to just lie across your lap so you can slap my behind, you’re nuts!”
“Who said anything about laying you across my lap?” he snarled.
Haydrien took a step toward her. Jack easily dodged his outstretched hand. He reached out again, but this time when she jumped to miss his grip, he anticipated her move. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and pulled her toward him.
Jack struggled to get out of his hold to no avail. He was just too strong, and she winced at the pain his hold on her wrist caused.
“You’re hurting me,” she snapped as she tried to jerk her arm free.
“I haven’t even begun to hurt you yet, sub.”
Jack’s stomach dropped. What the hell did he have in mind?
She didn’t have to wait for an answer long. He walked her backward toward the chair by the window. He turned her, facing her away from him. Without any warning, he shoved her onto the chair so her stomach was against the back.
“Bend over,” he ordered.
“What?” She squealed as he put his hand between her shoulder blades and pushed, forcing her over the back of the chair.
Jack struggled to get upright, but Haydrien kept one hand between her shoulder blades, holding her down. She shoved against the chair, but Haydrien’s hold was too strong. With a growl of aggravation, she began to yell obscenities at him.
“Yell all you want,” he said just before jerking her pants down and exposing her bare ass to the flat of his hand.
“Wait! What the hell are you doing?”
She tried to turn her head, but the way he held her down, she could hardly move. Her heart raced as the cool air of the room hit her naked behind. The first slap of his palm against her ass caught her by surprise, and she cried out as the sting burned all the way down the backs of her legs.
“You son of a—”
Another slap cut her off, and she moaned at the pain that raced up her spine. Mortification tightened her chest. Tears stung her eyes.
“Damn it! Let me up!” She screamed, then groaned as he again slapped against her sensitive flesh.
She was going to kill him for this. A slow, painful death.
He slapped her once more, this time, landing his palm against the other ass cheek. She didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief he hadn’t hit the first one a third time or cry out at the sharp sting to the other side.
“Okay. You’ve made your point,” she snapped.
“Not yet,” he growled.
He hit her again, this time harder, and Jack’s whole body jerked with the pleasure-pain that snaked up her spine. Oh, God. This couldn’t be happening.
Her Pirate Master (Entwined Fates) Page 3