Chains of Desire (4 page)

“Jarrod is your friend?” She shouldn’t be surprised. They
worked here, catching slaves together.

“We’ve known each other a long time.”

Longer than they’d worked on this ship? But she didn’t ask
that question. “What’s your name?”

He stared at her for a moment as if deciding whether to
answer her or not. As if knowing his name would make a difference somehow.
“Micah.”

“So, Micah, have you been any slave’s Master?”

“On many occasions.” His gaze swept over her, but even
though she could read his appreciation of her body, it didn’t feel as if his
fingers were tracing the path of his gaze along her skin, as it had with
Jarrod. Still, her body reacted. Her breasts tingled beneath his gaze. Her sex
moistened. Her heart pounded a little faster. “But I assure you,” Micah went
on, “that any slave whose body I enjoy receives much pleasure in return.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better about my future? I’m
still a slave. A slave has no freedom to go where she wants. Do what she
wants.”

Micah shook his head. “Who of us is free in the universe? I
can’t go wherever I want. I have to stay on this ship. I have to guard
frightened women and believe me when I say I take no pleasure in that.”

But it was more than that. “A sex slave doesn’t have the
freedom to decide who will be her Master.”

A sly grin spread across his face. “Perhaps not at first.
But an intelligent—and beautiful—slave like you will soon find a way to benefit
from the situation.”

She wished she could believe him. “You think the king of
Noria will give me a choice as to who can enjoy my body?”

He took a step closer to her. Appreciation flashed in his
eyes. “I think you will be the one to captivate the captor. Being the submissive
doesn’t mean you are powerless.”

“Being a slave does.”

“That depends on you.”

“So I should accept my fate? Please my Master and make no
complaint?”

“Sometimes you have to make the best of a bad situation and
find a way to make it work for you.”

He’d said that before. And Jarrod had said something similar
too. But how could she do that?

She studied the huge man before her, noticed the bulge of
his arousal. Physically, she was no match for him, but as she shifted on the
mattress, watched his gaze snap to her parted thighs, she realized she might
hold some power after all.

The need to test that power brought her to her feet. She
slowly crossed the room, her hands clasped behind her back, essentially
offering her breasts to this man. She held back a grin as he backed up as she
approached.

“I see desire in your eyes, Micah. Would you like to touch
me?”

His hands clenched and unclenched. He swallowed before he
spoke. “You have a desirable body, it is true. I am certain I would find much
pleasure with you.” His expression shut down and she no longer saw desire
there, but determination. “But you are the king’s slave. To enjoy your body
without his permission would be to suffer great consequences.”

So Jarrod had broken the rules when he touched her. When he
pleasured her. What did that mean? She couldn’t think about it right now.

She gathered up a little more courage and took another step
forward. “The king wouldn’t know,” she said smoothly, softly. “No one would
know.” She backed him up against the wall and brushed the tips of her breasts
across his muscular chest. The rough fabric of his tight shirt scraped her
nipples. “If you want to touch my soft skin, I won’t tell. If you want to feel
the weight of my breasts, I won’t breathe a word.” She grabbed one of the chains
dangling from the wall beside the guard. “Maybe you’d like to chain me.” She
swallowed hard, then continued. “Take me. Dominate me.”

She knew she was taking a big chance and her heart raced. If
the guard called her bluff, she’d have to accept it. Let him do what he would
with her. She’d have to consider it the beginning of her training.

As she’d hoped, Micah shook his head and stepped around her.
“You learn quickly, Princess Serena.” She dropped the chain and it clattered
against the wall. He nodded toward the bowl still sitting on the mattress. “Are
you done with that?”

She nodded.

Without another glance her way, he scooped the bowl into his
big hand and disappeared through the door to her prison, just as Jarrod had
done. Quickly. Desperately. As if trying to avoid temptation.

“They sure grow beautiful women on Vanya.” Micah tossed back
half a glass of moonbeer in one long swallow. The weak substitute for the real
thing was the only drink allowed while in flight. Jarrod and Micah sat in a
dark corner of the tavern bay, well away from the other guards who were
relaxing after their shifts were over. “That princess is going to be fun to
train. Wish I was the one doing it.”

Jarrod nearly growled, surprising himself. What was wrong
with him? He and Micah had shared women often in the past. So why did the
thought of his friend touching the princess kick him in the gut? She was
dangerous. To his peace of mind. To his aching cock.

“There’s something about her.” Micah signaled for another
rounds of drinks. “She gets under your skin.”

Jarrod glared at Micah over the top of his glass. How had
she gotten under Micah’s skin? Had he touched her during his guard shift? Had
she touched him? Jarrod knew he shouldn’t care. She’d be out of his reach and
in a royal bed soon enough.

“Those eyes,” Micah went on. Jarrod groaned. Micah’s talk
about women had never bothered him before. “So big and green. And her skin
looks so soft and pale.” He rubbed his giant hands together. “I’d love to see
my handprint on her ass.”

Jarrod nodded. He’d spent the last few hours fantasizing
about spanking that ass until it glowed red. And then soothing it as he
smoothed on the Marvel Cream in long strokes. He grabbed his new drink from the
serving boy and downed half the glass.

“And those breasts. I could bind them tight and play with
them for hours.”

“Shut up.”

Micah took a sip of his new drink. Green foam clung to his
upper lip. “What? I envy King Barrus. She’s going to make an excellent sex
slave.”

The thought kept Jarrod’s stomach in knots. “You need to buy
a few hours with a sex slave when we get to Noria.”

“Too bad she’s not going to public auction. I’d bid on her.”

“With what?” Jarrod’s pulse jumped at the thought of the
princess, naked and in chains, displayed on the auction block, hundreds of eyes
on her. Hundreds of hands on her. Going to the highest bidder, not the best
Master. He tossed back the rest of his drink. He should be glad the Norian king
had a reputation of being responsible with his slaves, at least before he traded
them in on a new one.

“We could pool our money. We could share her.”

“She’s already been bought. By a fucking king. Stop talking
about it.”

“Sorry.” Micah said. He tipped back in his chair, resting
his head on the wall behind him and his big boots on the empty chair on his
other side. “Anyway, our money has to go toward the ship. Get off Noria and out
to Ceylon 7 before Gaylock homes in on us.”

“I hope to hell he’s not still on Noria,” Jarrod said,
forcing himself to stop picturing the princess naked and bound for his pleasure
and think about what was important.

“Gaylock will be long gone,” Micah said, always so sure of
himself. Jarrod wasn’t sure at all.

He pushed back his glass and stood up. Damn moonbeer,
couldn’t even get a good buzz. Nowhere near strong enough to wipe out the
thoughts of wide green eyes, soft royal skin and the shine of cold, hard metal.
“I’m getting some sleep.” He left Micah and went back to their room where he
knew he had no chance of falling asleep.

* * * * *

Hanna had been left alone for too long with only her
thoughts running through her mind. The things she’d learned about Masters and
slaves should have surprised her, but instead they made a strange kind of
sense. They seemed to speak to a need inside her, as Micah had talked about a
need within him. Within Jarrod as well.

If Jarrod was her Master, Hanna knew she could be happy as a
sex slave, but the thought that she would have no control over who touched her
was more than she could stand.

She ran the cold metal chains across the palm of her hand
and shivered. Jarrod was a Master, a dominant sexual male who knew how to make
her body come alive with only his hands. She had to be a fool to think she
could seduce a man like that. What could an inexperienced woman like her do to
convince him that she was worthy of helping? Not just helping her, but breaking
the universal laws of Master and slave. Her Master was a king, a powerful man.
How could she even think about trying to talk Jarrod into helping her?

She had to try.

As she remembered the scrape of the cuffs against her skin,
Hanna knew there was only one way to do it. She would have to play the perfect
submissive for Jarrod. Let him take her any way he wanted, let him do anything
to her he wanted to do. And hope it would be enough to make him want to help
her.

There was no way she would be able to use force against him.
The only power she held was her mind and her body.

* * * * *

When he’d had enough tossing and turning, when he’d had
enough complaining from his troubled mind and his throbbing cock, Jarrod
climbed off the bunk, pulled on a pair of pants and left his airless room. He
told himself he was just going to walk off some stress, but he wasn’t surprised
when he found himself turning toward the princess’s room.

He knew all the reasons he should stay away from her. When
the ship landed, she was going to the slave station and he was flying to an
outpost on the edge of the galaxy. No good could come of him entering her room
tonight. But remembering the way she shattered beneath his hands as she hung
from the chains kept him constantly hard. He yearned to be her Master.

But he wasn’t. And he never would be.

Crock was standing guard outside the door. He frowned when
Jarrod approached. “What are you doing here?”

He shook his head. “Can’t sleep. Might as well work as
listen to Micah’s snoring. I’ll take the rest of your shift.”

Crock laughed. “You’re crazy, but I won’t turn down a few
extra hours sleep.”

Jarrod watched until the hallway was clear, then slapped his
palm on the scanner. As the door slid open, it revealed her standing with her
back to him, her hands stroking the length of chain hanging from the wall. She
must have behaved herself since none of the other guards had put her back in
chains. Yet she fondled the links. He couldn’t help but wonder why.

She must have heard the door open because an instant later
she dropped the chain and whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

“Jarrod.”

He couldn’t say a word. Her beauty took his breath away.
He’d forgotten how tiny she was. So pale and delicate. He wanted his hands on
her so much it hurt. He wanted to stroke that smooth skin. Squeeze those round
breasts. Slap that tempting ass.

As he stood frozen in place, she approached slowly, her hips
swaying, her breasts gently bouncing with each step. She circled around him,
close enough that he could feel the heat of her body, catch the scent of her
skin. When she stopped in front of him, she was so near, her nipples almost
touched his chest. He had to force himself not to reach out and pull her
against him.

“I didn’t know I’d see you tonight,” she said softly.

He shrugged. He wasn’t going to tell her that he wasn’t
supposed to be here. That thoughts of her were driving him crazy. That the last
thing she needed was him to be in here, causing trouble for both of them.

“You’re not supposed to touch me, are you?” she asked, her
voice strangely smooth, almost seductive.

He swallowed and shook his head. Leave it to her to get to
the heart of the matter in an instant.

“But you want to touch me, don’t you?” A small smile lifted
her lips. He found he liked to see her smile. “You want to put your hands on
me. Your mouth on me.”

He didn’t bother to reply.

She ran her finger along the edge of his tattoo and he
jerked in surprise. “You’re not allowed to touch me because I belong to someone
else.” She took a deep breath and her hard, beaded nipples brushed his bare
chest. He nearly groaned, simply from the small contact. “Because I’m the
king’s property.”

“Yes, you are.”

“But you touched me last night. Even though you knew it was
forbidden.”

Jarrod frowned. What did she want him to say? Was she going
to report him? Sign his death warrant?

“What? Do you want me to apologize?” he asked with a sneer.

She looked up at him through lowered lashes. “No. But when
you touched me last night, you gave me pleasure, but didn’t take any for
yourself.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“I hope it gave you pleasure.” She took a step back and
lifted her arms gracefully to the sides. The position she took was the same as when
she’d been chained. “Are you going to touch me now?”

He let his gaze run hungrily over her body. Her rosy nipples
were pebbled and he longed to know their taste. The curls between her legs
glistened slightly. Was the princess as aroused as he was? His cock lunged
against his pants, straining to get to the hot wet center of her. “No,” he
said, his voice rough. “I’m not going to touch you again.”

“Why not? You did it before.”

Because if he touched her again, he wouldn’t want to stop.
Because if he touched her again, he wouldn’t want to let her go. “Because you
belong to the King of Noria. You are
his
sex slave.”

She nodded slowly and lowered her arms. “What if I was
yours?”

His lust must be affecting his brain. Her words confused
him, tempted him more than her luscious body. “What?”

She ran her tongue over her lips, leaving them shiny. “How
would you touch me?” She ran her hands down the sides of her body. “What would
you do to me?”

“Princess, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Her wide eyes sparkled. “Of course you do. If I was your sex
slave, what would you do to this body?”

He stood there like a fool, frozen in place. His heart
pounded. His cock ached. His mind raced with all the things he’d like to do to
that delectable body. Dark desires rose to the surface. He’d tie her up with
Norian rope, soft but extremely strong. Gag her so she couldn’t use the power
of her seductive words to tempt him. Enjoy her body until he was emptied of
this irrational need for her.

But he couldn’t force any words through his dry mouth.

The princess gathered her breasts into her hands and lifted
them up like a gift to him. “Would you take these, Master? Squeeze them with
your strong fingers until I cry out beneath you?” She rolled her tight nipples
between her fingers. “Would you suckle these? Roll them with your tongue?
Scrape them with your teeth?”

The growl that came from deep in his throat surprised them
both. Instead of closing the distance between them, Jarrod backed away. He
should have stayed in his room.

She slid her fingers between her legs and they disappeared
within her core. He could scent her arousal in the air. He watched as she
plunged into her center again and again. His cock throbbed with the need to
thrust deep within her. She drew her fingers from her body and reached her
cream-covered fingers toward him. “If you were my Master, would you take
control of this body?”

He grabbed her wrist and jerked her forward. He sucked her
fingers into his mouth and tasted her for the first time. He nearly moaned with
pleasure and licked them clean. Now that he’d had a taste, he wouldn’t rest
until he’d feasted.

“Yes,” he replied when he was through. He dropped her wrist.
“Your body would be mine to do with as I pleased.”

She raised her arms, lifted her hair up off her neck and
then let it fall. Who knew the princess would be a temptress? “What would you
do? If you were my Master? Tell me what you would do.”

She’d pushed him too far. He couldn’t hold the darkness in
any longer. His words came out in a rush. “I’d bind your hands so you would
have no control over what I want to do to you. I’d push you to your knees and
plunge my cock between your lips.”

“Do it.”

She was a damn temptress. “No.”

“Do it.” He couldn’t resist the pleading in her voice. “Let
me give myself freely one time before I will have no choice.” She pressed her
wrists together and held them out to him. It was the most beautiful sight he’d
ever seen. “Take me, Master. Use me. Show me what it can be like to be a sex
slave to my Master.”

With a cry, Jarrod tore the woven belt from his pant loops
and grabbed her wrists. He wrapped one end of the belt around her slender
wrists, binding them together. Then he pulled her arms down straight in front
of her. As he wound the belt up her forearms and pulled them tightly together,
he trapped her breasts between her upper arms. He tied off the belt at her
elbows and stepped back to look at the pretty package she made.

Her plump breasts were squeezed together, a ripe offering to
her Master. His cock jerked as he took pleasure in the sight. Her golden curls
swirled around her shoulders. She stared up at him, her green eyes dreamy,
seductive.

“Go ahead,” she whispered. “Touch me.”

He grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her neck and she
gasped. He pulled her head back, bending her backward and off balance. “Your
Master will decide what he will do with his slave’s body. If you can’t be
quiet, you will be gagged.”

She shivered beneath him, but she didn’t look afraid. She
looked excited. Aroused. “I’m sorry, Master.”

“Don’t speak again unless I tell you to,” he growled and
released her hair. She nearly lost her balance, but he was pleased to see she
caught herself and stood up straight before him. She would be a fine sex slave.
Damn, he wished she was his.

No point in thinking about that. Jarrod knew life rarely
gave you what you wished for. If tonight was all he’d have with her, he’d make
it count.

He walked around her, determined to put off touching her for
as long as possible, since that seemed to be what she craved. Unfortunately, he
yearned to touch her just as much. When he stood behind her, the pale globes of
her ass called to him. He reached out with a flat hand and slapped her hard on
the cheek of her ass.