Page 47 of Caught By Menace

“No, it’s not that. I….” Her voice trailed off as she toyed with one of the buttons on his shirt. “I don’t think he likes me.”

“He doesn’t like many people. Don’t take it personally.” Menace studied her face. He spotted the tense lines around her mouth. “Did he say something to you? Because he can be a real son of a bitch without realizing it.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“Hey,” Menace said gently and cupped her chin. “I don’t care what Terror thinks.

Don’t give him a second thought.”

She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “All right.”

Menace decided then and there that he was going to have a talk with Terror. Naya had had enough run-ins with the police on her planet to pick up on the vibes a guy like Terror, the top Shadow Force operative in the sector, would give off. Terror had investigated Hallie fully when Vicious had Grabbed her. Menace had no doubt Terror would do the same thing to Naya but she didn’t need him giving her the third degree out of some misguided attempt to protect a friend.

“So what did you think of Hallie?” He touched the pamphlets sticking out of her shirt pocket.

This time Naya’s smile was true. “I think she’s incredibly sweet and a really nice person.”

The elevator stopped and he took her hand to lead her to their quarters. “She’s been good for Vicious and the ship. She’s an incredible force for someone so small.”

“She wants me to join her wives club thing.”

Menace tried to imagine Naya sitting around at Hallie’s get-togethers to talk about whatever it was that women talked about at those things. He couldn’t. “Are you?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go to the first one just because I have questions. I’ll see how it goes.”

Insecurity flared deep in his gut. Questions? He’d seen the pamphlets Hallie had given her. One of them he was already familiar with because it had caused quite a stir after the lastGrab. Some men weren’t thrilled by the fact that their women were informed of rights that were generally kept quiet, but Hallie and other wives had argued that giving new brides all the information would foster trust and communication between couples. He didn’t disagree with that assertion but still couldn’t shake the grip of fear that Naya would choose to file for separation rather than give their union a try.

“I can answer any questions you have, Naya. You don’t need the wives club for that. Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

She touched his arm. “I know that. I meant questions only other wives can answer.”

“Oh.” Feeling sheepish, he grabbed her hand and gently pried apart her fingers. Holding her thumb, he pressed it to the biometric scanner. It beeped when it successfully read her thumbprint. “You’re in the system now. You can control all the locks and consoles in our home and gain access to entry points throughout the ship.”

Surprise rippled across her face. “But you said I’m on restrictions.”

Still clasping her hand, he tugged her into their quarters. “You are but as you just experienced, restrictions are lifted during an emergency or when you’re with me or someone on my emergency contact list like Vicious or Hallie. When I decide to lift your blanket restrictions, there will be no delay in your ability to move about the ship freely.”

“And when will that be?”

Menace shut the door to their home and listened to the reassuringhissandbeepof the locks engaging. Secure in their space, he backed her against the wall and crushed his mouth to hers in a possessive kiss. When he pulled away, she panted and clutched at his shirt. “When you’ve been a very, very good girl.”

Grinning at his sexy teasing, Naya traced the heavy outline of the tattoo peeking out above his collar. “How do you suggest I go about proving that I can be a very, very good girl?”

“You can start by stripping out of those clothes.”

Her eyebrows lifted with surprise. “Here?”

“Yes.”

“But—”

“Now, Naya.”

Her immediate response to his forceful tone pleased him. Her breaths deepened and she licked her lips. Menace suspected that Naya enjoyed being bossed around by him because she had been forced to maintain complete control for so long just to survive. Submitting to him seemed to feed some deep-seated need she’d only just realized she had. For Menace, the knowledge that he was the only man who had ever successfully ordered her around proved a heady thing indeed. It was a gift he would never take for granted.

Skin flushed, she peeled out of her ill-fitting garments and toed off the shoes Hallie had given her. Menace couldn’t keep his hands off her. He palmed her lush breasts and let his hands ride her sinful curves. The feel of her satiny skin beneath his fingertips sent heat streaking through his lower belly. She mewled softly and rocked her hips.

Menace needed no other invitation. Dropping to his knees, he peppered her torso with kisses and licked a circle around her navel. She had been averse to the idea of a genital piercing, but he couldn’t shake the idea of a shiny precious stone adorning that gentle dip in her belly. He nipped the area. “We should pierce this.”

---