Page 37 of The Captain's Bounty
“With my hands tied behind my back?”
“I’ll feed you.”
“I don’t need you to feed me,” she argued. “In fact, the more I’m near you, the worse your eyes get. Just untie me!”
“You’re too dangerous,” he snapped, dropping the fork he held and bracing his hand on his thigh. He rubbed his red eyes. “Every chance you have, you’ve used your powers to try to harm or escape me.”
She glared at the towel on his lap, shaking her head. “That wasn’t me.”
“No?” He dropped his hand to his thigh, pinning her with a hard glare. “Who was it then?”
As if he’d believe her. She rolled her eyes, then sighed. She couldn’t even think how to explain what had happened or howitcame to be inside of her. He’d think she was crazy. “Never mind.”
“Come, sit down right here.” He pointed to the mattress directly in front of his chair. “I will feed you, and then you will have a bath before you go to sleep.”
Swallowing her misgivings, she struggled to push herself up off the foot of the bed without hands for balance. Righting herself, she came to him. She sat where he pointed, flushing hot all over. It was beyond humiliating to be naked while he remained clothed, to have him feed her from his plate, from his hand! The view he had of her—her breasts, her pussy—her entire body made open and vulnerable to whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.
Except, he didn’t seem to want her at all anymore. He wasn’t even looking at her as he used the fork to cut a bite of meat and some sort of purplish root vegetable. It looked very squishy, oozing out all its insides through the single slice he’d made.
“Why did you make yourself so easy to capture?” he asked, extending the bite toward her until it was right at her lips.
Smothering another sigh, she gave in to his unspoken command. Leaning forward, she took what he offered her between reluctant teeth, and chewed. It had a savory flavor, but neither tasted like anything she’d before eaten.
“What is this?” she asked, attempting to change the subject.
“So, we’ve all been wondering, ever since we swiped this load from a derelict ship drifting through the Colbear system.” The next bite he took for himself. “It’s also not going to get you out of answering my question. You came walking right up to the docking pads as if you weren’t even wanted. What was your plan, to steal a ship?”
“I’m not a pilot,” she admitted. “I can handle a skiff on my own, but nothing as big as this. And I’ve never flown anything in space, not even in-system. To be honest, I didn’t even know about the bounty until you told me.”
He stretched the fork to give her another bite.
“You know,” she hedged. “If you just untie me…”
His pause before he took his next bite was so subtle she almost missed it. But there was no missing the way he dropped the fork on the plate, wiped his mouth on the towel, and then tossed it on the table.
She stomped her bare foot against the hard floor grates, so frustrated she almost growled out loud when he stood up.
“But this is awkward,” she exploded, too late trying to laugh it off when he closed the distance between them in a single stride. “I mean, isn’t this awkward to you? Just uncuff my hands. I won’t do anything or try to escape. I’ll be good. I’ll stop talking about it, if you’ll just untie?—”
“You will stop your mouthing because I tell you to,” he said. “Stand up.”
“Please don’t spank me again,” she groaned. “I can barely sit as it is.”
He looked at her, his dark eyes somewhat narrowed, but the corner of his mouth curling. “And that is my fault, how?”
That felt like such a dangerous question.
She cautiously countered, “Because you’re the one spanking me?”
“Stand, Lissa.” He snapped his fingers and point at a spot on the floor directly between their feet. “Right here. Right now.”
God.
I really like him.
Shut up.
She struggled to keep her balance as she stood up off the edge of the bed. She hated this feeling—having to walk up to him as if she were a disobedient little girl and he were, what… her daddy? She almost laughed out loud.
