Chains of Desire (17 page)

“So I am to be nothing more than your personal sex slave?”

He dropped his hand and stepped away from her. His dark
expression made her shiver. “You are twisting my words,” he growled.

“How else am I supposed to take them?” Then she remembered
that she’d never come out and told him what she wanted from their new life. “I
want to be a partner with you. Yes, I want to continue pleasuring you, but I
can help you with the business too.”

“You don’t know anything about running a trading post.”

“You can teach me. I’m smart. I’ll learn. I can stock
shelves. I can sell goods. I want to be useful.”

He glowered at her. His words came out slow, each word like
a nail through her heart. “I don’t want you in the trading post at all.”

She should have remembered what he’d told her before they
left Noria. He’d said the same thing then. How could she have forgotten?

“You will be very useful.” He hooked her collar with his
finger and yanked her up onto her tiptoes before him. “You will keep our home
and you will be ready whenever I want your body. There is nothing more you need
to do.”

So she’d be back to the same boring life she had on Vanya. A
few housekeeping chores and then she’d have nothing else to do but wait around
to do her duty. Didn’t he understand she wanted more than that? She needed more
than that.

“If I’d wanted to be a nothing but a sex slave I would have
stayed on Noria.” She sneered at him. She had to hold onto the anger so she
didn’t fall apart. “I could be living in a castle. Pleasuring a king. And I
wouldn’t even have to clean his house.”

Anger flared within Jarrod, making his body shake. How could
she say she’d rather have stayed on Noria? After all he’d risked to get her out
of there! She was ungrateful and spiteful and deserved to be punished.

He grabbed her wrists and hooked the cuffs together in front
of her. Then he dragged her over to the chair. She cried out as she stumbled
behind him. He sat in the chair and plopped her over his lap. Her bound hands
hung down to the floor in front of her, her round ass at the perfect angle for
his palm.

She screamed at the top of her lungs with the first hard
swat. He grinned. She could scream all she wanted. There was no one else to
hear her. She squirmed on his lap and his cock began to harden. As he rained
smacks over her skin, she continued to scream, kicking her legs and cursing at
him. He didn’t let up on the spanking, turning her skin a brighter red each
time his palm landed on her ass.

Her cries became softer as time went on. Turned more throaty
and needy. Her skin glowed and he knew it had to sting, just like his palm did,
when he swept it over her cheeks.

Now she continued to moan and simply pressed her bottom
harder up into his hand. As he rubbed one hand over the sore skin of her ass,
he slid the other over her pussy. It was so wet, his fingers slipped right into
her core. She moaned and her muscles sucked him right in. He didn’t realize how
close to the edge she was. One brush of a slick finger over her clit and she
exploded. Her body rocked on his lap as the orgasm took her over.

All her squirming had turned his cock to iron beneath her.
Her body hadn’t even stopped quivering when he pushed her onto her knees on the
floor and unzipped his pants. She took him deep into her mouth, sucking hard on
his rigid shaft. She raised her bound hands to the base of his cock and rolled
his sac between her fingers.

He came with a roar, sending his hot seed spurting down her
throat. After she’d swallowed all of it, she gently licked him clean. He
watched her tend to him so lovingly and hoped they’d both gotten their anger
out of their system and things could go back to the way they were.

When she was finished he helped her to her feet and unhooked
the cuffs. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “My bottom is sore. Could I have the Marvel
Cream?”

His heart sank. “Of course.” He grabbed the tube. “Lie down
on your stomach.” With trembling hands, he spread the cream gently over her
skin and watched it erase all evidence of her submission.

Why couldn’t she accept he wanted what was best for her? He
couldn’t bear the thought of her working in the trading post, on display for
all the unscrupulous characters that frequented Daybreak. They would see her
slave jewelry and think they would be permitted to enjoy her body. And most of
them wouldn’t even care if it was permitted or not.

If he hadn’t been so selfish, if he hadn’t wanted her with
him so badly, he would have insisted that Hanna stay on Vanya for her own
safety. The closer they got to Ceylon 7, the more nervous he got when he
thought about her living there. But she wouldn’t understand. She’d say she was
strong enough, smart enough. But she had no idea what it was like there. He’d
do whatever he must to keep her safe.

He hoped more people would settle there soon. He’d talked
with Micah about it as they made their plans. They hoped, as word got out, that
enterprising people would come to open more businesses in Daybreak. People who
were tired of the overcrowded planets. People with families who would take
pride in their town. Most of the settlers so far came into town for food, drink
and supplies before they went back out in the wild to hunt and trap in the lush
forests surrounding Daybreak.

Keeping Hanna tucked away in their little house for the time
being was the only way he knew to protect her.

* * * * *

It was a long voyage for Hanna to dwell on her heartache. It
was her fault for not having this conversation with him before they pledged,
before they left for a distant planet together. Yes, she’d promised to be his
slave, but she thought it would be only when they were having sex. Serena was right.
He wanted to dominate every part of her life and she knew she couldn’t live
that way.

Again, he kept her tied up in the cabin most of the time. He
still enjoyed her body often and she received her share of pleasure in return.
Her body still came alive whenever he touched her. She was certain she’d never
find anyone else to make her feel like that.

Even though the days seemed to drag, suddenly they were
closing in on Ceylon 7 airspace. Jarrod had released her from her bonds a short
time before so she could clean up before they landed. He’d brought her one of
his shirts to put on, but she pulled on her blue lace dress. The shoulder seam
on one side was partly ripped, so it slipped off one shoulder, but she didn’t
mind. She felt pretty in it. He would just have to deal with it.

He was concentrating on the control panel as she approached.
The planet, a whirling mass of green and white and blue, loomed large in the
huge window. She slid into the seat next to him, where she would have liked to
have spent more time.

He glanced over at her and frowned. “What are you wearing?”

“My dress. My only piece of clothing.”

“I want you to wear my shirt.”

“Too bad. I want to wear my dress.”

He flipped some switches on the panel and typed something on
the console. “I’m busy landing the damn ship, I can’t argue with you right
now.”

“Fine, because I don’t plan to argue about it.”

“Strap in. We’ll be going in soon.”

She nodded and pulled her seat belt tight. “Jarrod, I’m only
going to stay with you until you go back to Vanya for Micah.”

He whirled around to stare at her. “What?”

Her hands shook and she clutched her sweaty palms together
in her lap. “When I pledged my life to you, I thought we would be partners.
Equals outside the bedroom. You obviously don’t feel that way.”

A loud beep, like an alarm, sounded. Jarrod cursed and
brought his attention back to the control panel. “We’ll talk about this after
we’re on the ground.”

“There’s nothing else to talk about. You’ve already made it
clear that you think I’m not good for anything other than sex and the
occasional housecleaning.”

He typed something else in the console and the beeping
stopped. “I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did.”

He finally looked at her again, his eyes narrowed. “So what
will you do?”

She shrugged, trying to look casual. “I’ll go back to Vanya.
I’m sure I can find someone there who appreciates my mind as well as my body.”

“You pledged to me on Vanya. From what I was told, no one
else will touch you there.”

He was right. Vanyans took the pledge vows very seriously. “Fine.
I’m sure with all the lonely men on Ceylon 7, I won’t have any trouble finding
someone who wants to do more than tie me up and spank me.”

“Hanna.”

His voice was low and angry, hot sparks flashing in his
eyes. Hanna had to glance away from the heat and when she did, she looked out
the window and saw the ground rising rapidly toward them. “Jarrod!”

He cursed again and turned back to the controls. A button or
two later, they were slowing, gracefully landing on Ceylon 7. After the ship
settled on the ground, Hanna whipped off her seat belt.

Jarrod was already out of his seat. He yanked her to her
feet and crushed her against him, covering her lips with his. Her body burned
from his touch. He devoured her with his hungry lips. When he finally pulled
away, they were both breathing heavily.

“I don’t want you to go back to Vanya. I don’t want you to
look for another Master.”

She stepped out of his embrace when every instinct begged
her not to. “Then can I help you? We can be partners as well as Master and
slave?”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting! I need a man strong enough to let
me be his equal.”

His expression darkened again. He grasped her arm, his
fingers digging into her flesh. “You think you can find a man stronger than
me?”

“I
need
a man stronger than you.” She pulled away and
he let her go. “Can we get out of here? I want some fresh air.”

She walked away from him because she couldn’t stand to look
at him anymore. He didn’t understand what she was talking about and that made
her even sadder. How could they be so perfect when they were having sex, but
not fulfill each other’s needs outside the bedroom?

Jarrod opened the door to the ship, grabbed his weapon and
then they walked out of the
Galaxy
onto Ceylon 7. Hanna took a deep
breath and sighed. The air was so clean and crisp she could almost taste it.

Jarrod took a deep breath too. “This air. It’s why we picked
this planet.”

Hanna nodded. After years being imprisoned underground, she
could see why Jarrod and Micah would think this was a wonderful place to live.

This glimpse of the planet she got from the landing pad was
beautiful. The sky was a brilliant blue, darker than what surrounded Vanya. She
saw rich green forests in the distance. A golden meadow to her right. And
straight ahead, down a hard-packed dirt walkway, was a group of buildings.

Hanna pointed in that direction. “The trading post is this
way?” He nodded. “Let’s go.”

He glanced around, as if he expected them to be attacked. He
grasped his weapon and slid the strap over his shoulder. “I’m going to get a
blanket to wrap around you.”

“I’m not cold.”

He growled. “You must trust me.”

“I’m not wrapping up in a blanket.”

“I don’t want anyone seeing you like this.”

“What’s wrong with the way I look? Don’t I look pretty?”

He rolled his eyes. “You look beautiful. I don’t want you
tempting any of the rough characters around here.”

“Now I’m a temptress?” She laughed bitterly. “Guess you
should have let me grab some of my clothes before we left Vanya.”

“Yeah, I guess my mind was on only one thing that night.”

She laughed. And then stopped as quickly as she started.
“It’s not all about sex. It can’t be.” She turned away from him and headed down
the path toward town. Her bare feet were soon covered with dust from the dirt
road.

Daybreak was larger than she thought it would be from
Jarrod’s description. She stopped at the edge of town to look it over. She’d
pictured a few ramshackle shacks, but the ten buildings were sturdy and clean.
She saw a saloon and a bank and a lumber mill. “Builders must be in high
demand.” She looked down at her feet. “You should put the word out for some
pavers.”

Jarrod put his hand on her shoulder and glanced past her.
“Walk.”

She followed his gaze and saw a few crude-looking men
sitting in chairs outside a saloon. Now that she knew they were there, she
could practically feel their eyes burning off her dress. They must have been
what Jarrod was worried about when he wanted her to dress differently. Maybe
she should have listened to him. She stayed a little closer to him as they
walked on.

They continued until they reached a large building with a
long front porch and a trading post sign. “Looks like you could use some help
around here.” Boxes were stacked on the porch, some of them opened. “I could
help you. Unless, of course, I go back to Vanya.”

“You’re not going back to Vanya.” He grabbed her hand. “And
you’re not working here.” He led her around the back of the trading post to a
small house sitting in the middle of a green field that reminded Hanna so much
of home. There was a large front porch on the house too and Hanna could picture
them sitting here together, relaxing, at the end of the day. “This is our
home,” he said. “This is where you belong.”

She couldn’t forget Jarrod didn’t have the same picture of
their life in his mind that she did. “I’m not going to be locked in this house
forever.”

He slid the weapon strap off his shoulder. “Let’s go inside
and we’ll talk about it.”

He just wanted her off the streets and away from the eyes of
lecherous townspeople. It was a lovely house but she was afraid once she got
inside, she’d never get out. “You go ahead. I’ll be right there.” She took a
step away from him. “Just give me a minute, please.” She stared at him until he
turned around and walked up the porch steps.

Jarrod didn’t like leaving her alone out there. Spears and
Larkin could decide to wander over and have a look. Longdecker or Toombs could
walk by on their way to the tavern and see her. She could decide to take off on
her own, she was that upset with him. But he figured he had to show her that he
trusted her too.

His mind was so occupied, the fact that the door was
unlocked didn’t register until he’d opened it and stepped inside. His weapon
was wrenched out of his hand before he knew it. He whirled around and came
face-to-face with Gaylock.

Fuck.

“It’s about time you got here,” he said in that slimy voice
that always crawled up Jarrod’s spine like a mammoth worm. Gaylock motioned him
away from the door with the barrel of his own weapon. “Good thing you had all
those supplies delivered. I would have been starving by the time you got here
and been in an even worse mood than I already am.”

Jarrod brain worked furiously to figure out how to warn
Hanna. Once she walked in that door, she’d be at Gaylock’s mercy. But if he
called out to her to run, he knew she wouldn’t. She’d barge right in here to
try to help him anyway.

“Where’s your buddy?” Gaylock asked. He sat his fat ass down
in an upholstered chair he’d dragged into the middle of the room. Jarrod would
have to burn it if he got out of here alive.

“He didn’t come this trip. It’s just me.”

“Too bad. I’m here to take you back,” Gaylock said, his tone
deadly. “I’m going to ink the hell out of your body when we get there.”