Caught by Menace (5 page)

away, Naya.”

She arched her brow and informed him of the obvious.

“You’l have to put me down sometime.”

Menace snorted and patted her backside. “Don’t

worry about that. I’ve got cuffs and a gag waiting on the

ship.”

Her jaw dropped with shock. Indignant, she whacked

his arm. “You’re a pig, you know that?”

“Is that the worst you’ve got for me?” Laughing, he

shifted her in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

Forced into the awkward position, she stiffened in fear

of being dropped right on her head. “What kind of a

dirtbag carries around cuffs and gags?”

“The kind who plans to protect his investment,” he

replied matter-of-factly. “I survived some of the nastiest,

replied matter-of-factly. “I survived some of the nastiest,

most brutal battles of the war to gain enough points to

Grab a wife. I’m not about to let you run off or get taken

by another male. You might not have been the one I

wanted, but you’re pretty enough for a consolation

prize.”

His words wounded her more than his fists ever could

have. Not the one he wanted? His consolation prize?

Suddenly she was taken back to the night her mother

had packed her bags and left with the sky trader. Only

six years old, Naya had tearfuly begged her mother to

take her along, to please not leave her behind, but the

answer then hadn’t been any different than Menace’s

cutting remark just now. Her mother had revealed she’d

never wanted her and had viewed her as little more than

an obstacle in her path to happiness.

And then there had been her older brother, Nattie.

What had he told her the night he’d chosen to take

Sindee, his girlfriend, to the colonies instead of her?
I

love her
.
She’s everything to me.

Because, in the end, Naya had meant nothing to him.

After she’d risked her life to make the money they

needed to run, she’d been disposable. Nattie had easily

needed to run, she’d been disposable. Nattie had easily

discarded her in his quest for freedom and a new life with

his girlfriend in the colonies.

Forced to relive some of the lowest memories of her

life by Menace’s cruel remark, Naya fought the urge to

punch him in the kidneys. Just the knowledge that his

three hundred pounds of dead weight would crush her on

the forest floor stopped Naya from taking some revenge

for his hurtful words.

Al the fight left her then. She sagged against his

powerful shoulder and let his thick, corded arms bear her

ful weight. This would go down as one of the worst days

of her life. She’d been abandoned by the last person

she’d loved and trusted and captured by a man who

didn’t even want her. Now he was taking her back to his

ship where he would force her to do al kinds of

degrading and perverted things.

But that didn’t mean she had to go quietly. She’d

make him so miserable he’d trip over himself to put her

on a transport ship bound for the colonies just for some

peace and quiet. Oh, she’d let him think he’d won this

battle, but their personal war? It was far from over.

Menace rubbed the back of his neck and paced back

and forth in his bedroom. He had the door to the

playroom cracked open so he could hear Naya and

come to her aid if she needed him. Not that she’d let him

help her. The woman was so stubborn and rude she’d

probably refuse his help even if he were the last man in

the universe and she faced certain death.

He blew out a frustrated breath and tried to figure out

what the hel to do next. He had been warned that some

brides could be testy after a Grab, but nothing had

prepared him for this. Carrying her out of the forest, he’d

felt the fight leave her. He hadn’t been stupid enough to

believe she’d wilingly submit herself to him as a wife, but

he had hoped she would be amenable to giving their new

situation a try.

Al that hope had been shattered the second he’d

taken her onboard the transport ship. Such a string of

filth and cursing he had never heard! And that was saying

something coming from a man who had served on the

front lines with the infantry for nearly two decades. The

front lines with the infantry for nearly two decades. The

colorful combinations that she abused him with had left

more than one felow soldier snickering.

Not even gagging her with one of the soft training gags

had been enough to shut her down. She had simply

grunted and kicked and jerked at the cuffs he had used

to keep her in her seat. Worried she would injure herself,

he had been on the verge of requesting a sedative from

one the medics. Apparently the idea of being drugged

scared her because she had quieted down almost

instantly.

After the nightmare trip from the surface to the

docking station on the
Valiant
,Menace had dreaded

taking her through the intake procedure and medical

exam. To his utter shock, she’d behaved herself. It

wasn’t until she’d nearly completed intake that he

realized why she was being so cooperative. That sharp,

inteligent gaze of hers was scanning the ship. He’d

almost been able to hear the gears turning in her head.

Concerned she would try to run—or worse—Menace

had blindfolded her for the trip to his private quarters. As

smart as she was proving to be, Menace doubted it

would even slow her down if she escaped his quarters.

would even slow her down if she escaped his quarters.

He was certain she’d memorized every step, every turn

and every ding of the elevator as it moved between the

floors of the med bay and the housing section. Just in

case, he had put travel restrictions on her ID chip to

prevent her from leaving his quarters without him or one

of the escorts on his emergency contact list.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. After seeing the

way Halie made Vicious smile and laugh, he’d let himself

dream of this moment. With envy, he had watched their

gentle interactions, the soft words and lingering touches,

and yearned for it. He’d yearned for a woman to ease his

burdens, to bring him happiness and show him love.

Instead of finding his helpmate, he’d Grabbed a woman

who seemed intent on making his life miserable.

But it didn’t have to be this way. She wanted control,

right? Wel, he’d give her a choice and then she’d be free

to choose to be happy with him.

He strode to his closet, pushed aside the sliding silver

door and rifled through his sock drawer for the one pair

of white socks he owned. A white flag of surrender

wasn’t standard issue for the duty uniform. A sock was

the best he could do.

Nearing the door to his playroom, Menace realized

Nearing the door to his playroom, Menace realized

Naya was being awfuly quiet. The fine hairs on the back

of his neck stood on edge. He tapped the doorframe,

activating the mechanism that puled it wide open, and

stepped into the room. The sight that greeted him left his

mouth gaping wide open. “How the hel did you get

loose?”

“Oh, nice of you to come check on me now!” She

shot an angry glare his way. With one ankle stil cuffed to

the chair where he’d placed her after her shower, Naya

franticaly worked to pick the lock. “What if I’d passed

out chained to this chair?”

“There are sensors in the cuffs. They measure your

pulse and respiratory rate. If you’d been in any distress, I

would have been alerted.” Menace shook himself from

the stupor of finding her nearly free. “How the hel—”

“For a soldier, you’re realy bad at frisking.” She stuck

out her tongue at him. “Always check the cheek,

Menace. You’d be surprised how easy it to hide

something like, oh, a hairpin in there.”

He remembered the smal black pins she’d been

wearing in her hair during the Grab. He’d been sure he’d

taken them al when he’d pushed her into the bathroom

for her shower. Apparently he’d been wrong.

for her shower. Apparently he’d been wrong.

In a flash, she worked the final cuff free and jumped to

her feet. She raised her hands as if prepared to fight him.

“Get back, Menace!”

“Or what?” He laughed and shut the door. He pressed

his thumb to the keypad there, activating the biometric

lock. “You’l stab me with a hairpin?”

She glared at him, her dark eyes flashing with such

intense hatred. “Don’t tempt me.” She snatched up the

chair and wielded it like a bat. “Maybe I’l knock you

upside the head with a chair. How does that sound?”

“Like first-degree assault,” he muttered.

“Exactly! Now get my clothes and get the hel out of

my way.”

Menace let his interested gaze rake her naked form.

His cock instantly responded to the sight of so much

silky, brown flesh. The memory of her struggling beneath

him in the forest sent heat roling through his stomach. So

smal and hot, her body had instantly caled to him. The

sight of her naked skin made his heart race.

Her perky breasts heaved with every shalow breath.

Her nipples had drawn tight to dusky peaks. Not from

arousal, of course. Fear. Cold. Al those things could

arousal, of course. Fear. Cold. Al those things could

elicit the same response.

His needy gaze moved lower. His fingers just itched to

ride the gentle slope of her curving waist to her ful hips

and thighs. Though petite, she carried more weight than

most of the women he’d seen from her planet. She had

the sweetest curves he’d ever seen. What he wouldn’t

do for the chance to worship between her thighs.

“Are you deaf? Where the fuck are my clothes?”

Her waspish tongue ripped him from his lusty thoughts.

Frowning, he said, “They’re in the laundry. I’l give you

clean clothes in the morning. If you cooperate,” he

added, figuring this might be one of the few bargaining

chips in his arsenal.

“Cooperate?” She scoffed loudly and let the chair

drop with a noisy clatter. She gestured to the wal of

implements he’d so carefuly organized. Some of the

floggers and crops and canes he’d had for years. Others,

like the gags and clamps and toys, he’d chosen in

preparation for bringing home a new wife. “Look, I don’t

know what you think is going to happen tonight, but I’l

tel you this, Menace. The only person getting their ass

beat tonight is
you
.”

And there it was. Under al that bravado, she was

And there it was. Under al that bravado, she was

afraid. She was scared.
Of me.

The knowledge hit him hard. Realizing he’d gone

about this al wrong, Menace quickly reassured her.

“Naya, I told you earlier today that I wil never hurt you.

I meant that. Never wil my hand or any of those things,”

he pointed to the wal, “touch you without your consent.”

“Wel, don’t hold your breath! My consent to be

battered and abused wil never come.”

“Battered? Abused?” He reeled in shock at her strong

language. “Naya, domestic discipline and a little rough

love between a husband and his wife is not abuse. So

long as there is consent,” he added. “It’s sexy. It’s

exciting. It’s intimate and loving.”

“Sexy?

Intimate?
Loving?
” Eyes wide, she

vehemently shook her head. “I’m sorry but this torture

chamber isn’t inspiring any feelings of sexiness or

intimacy.”

“That’s because I’ve screwed this up,” Menace

admitted. He took a cautious step forward. “I should

never have folowed the usual protocol for claiming a

wife. I should have done this differently.” He exhaled

roughly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can we just

roughly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can we just

—can we cal a time-out here?”

Her expression softened. The fists that had been

raised and ready to pummel him slowly dropped. “Al

right.”

“Thank you.”

She gestured to his hand. “Why the hel are you

carrying around a sock?”

He glanced at the white sock and sheepishly smiled. “I

came in here hoping to offer you a truce. I didn’t have

anything else white in my quarters.”

Surprise filtered across her beautiful face. “A truce?

Why?”

“Because this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, Naya.