Chapter Fourteen

M enace kept a close watch on Naya via the monitor attached to the private playroom door. She sat on a metal bench in a room designed to look exactly like a hybrid prison cell and interrogation room. He'd left her arms cuffed at her sides to ratchet up her anxiety. He wanted her apprehensive and a bit scared but never terrified.

"Here." Hazard tossed him a gray shirt emblazoned with the guard insignia from the Kovark prison system.

"Is this real?"

The dark-haired pilot nodded and slipped into his shirt. Instead of simple guard insignia, Hazard's shirt bore the marks of a warden. "I grabbed a few of these the last time I was on a long-range prisoner transport. I try to pick up things I know you boys out on these installations can't get your hands on easily. These shirts are better than credits when it comes to trades with other pilots and soldiers. You wouldn't believe how many of the guys here on the Valiant want them. This fantasy of your little wifey in there is a common one."

"That doesn't surprise me." Menace jammed his arms through the shirt and zipped up the front. He supposed it was good that Hazard had found some perks to his punishment duty of flying the long treks between outposts. "How much longer do you think they'll keep you on long-range duty?"

Hazard harrumphed . "At least seven months," he answered. "I won't have another duty review until then. After that stunt I pulled, I wouldn't be surprised if Orion kept me on this shit duty for another year just to teach me a lesson."

"You're lucky the admiral didn't bust you down more than one rank."

"He also took most of my damn Grab points."

Menace winced with sympathy. "To be fair, you could have gotten a prison sentence. You disobeyed a direct order and lost a ship in the process."

"I also rescued three of our men from enemy hands. Technically I brought the ship back in one piece. It just, you know, fractured and burst into flames when we docked." Menace snorted. "Twenty-plus years in the service and you're still a hothead."

"Spare me, Menace. How many scrapes did the two of us barely survive when I was your squadron's pilot? I've lost track of the number of times we were disciplined."

"That was a long time ago," Menace replied. "I have a wife now. Those days are long gone."

"Sure they are." Hazard smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "You ready to do this thing?"

Menace nodded and gripped Hazard's wrist. His touch was firm but nonthreatening. "Naya means more to me than you can possibly understand. I'm giving you a hell of a lot of leeway with her, but one wrong move and you'll have to learn to work the flight controls with your feet."

Hazard became serious. "You have my word of honor. I'm here only to help a friend give his wife pleasure. I go only as far as you allow and she desires."

"Good." Menace stepped back and gestured to the door. "After you, Warden."

With a waggle of his eyebrows and an enthusiastic grin, Hazard shoved the door wide open and stormed inside. Menace came in half a second behind him and kicked the door shut. Naya jumped on the bench. Eyes wide, she quickly assessed the situation and realized Menace wasn't in charge. Her uptick in breathing told Menace all he needed to know. She was off-kilter and perfectly primed for the wild ride he had in store for her.

"Prisoner A114, on your feet!"

Startled by Hazard's shout, Naya leapt off the bench. Her gaze jumped from Hazard's face to his own. He kept his features schooled. If she wanted to stop, she had her safeword. In the same way she trusted him to keep her safe, he trusted her to know when to use her out.

"Guard, strip her."

Menace grinned evilly at Hazard's order. He crossed to the back wall where Naya stood. Behind him, Hazard picked up the gunmetal-gray case that contained all the various props and interrogation tools Menace had chosen for the scene. He threw it onto the table in the center of the room. Naya flinched as the metal case bounced on the flat surface.

"Turn around," Menace barked. Though he had taken his time securing her garter belt and cuffs earlier in the evening, he worked quickly and efficiently this time, showing her no gentleness. For her to give in to the fantasy, every detail had to be right. No guard in Kovark would show a prisoner even an ounce of kindness.

Naya's cuffed wrists dangled at her sides. Naked and flushed, she breathed hard. Menace recognized the mix of shame and arousal that stained her skin. To a dominant man, there was no more beautiful color in the world than that particular shade.

Hazard unlocked the case and retrieved two medical gloves and a tube of lubricant. "Search her. The last one we interrogated had a sheathed shiv hidden on her."

Naya's gasp of outrage echoed in the room. She shot Menace a look but he pretended not to see it. If she wanted to stop, she knew what to do. He suspected she was caught in that place where she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to face uncertainty. He didn't doubt her for a moment. Her courage and curiosity would propel her forward.

Menace made sure to snap the gloves against his wrist just to add to the tension in the room. "Bend over and grab your ankles."

"I will not!"

Hazard took a step around the table. "Do I need to come over there and secure the prisoner, Guard Menace?"

Naya took a second to gauge Hazard's sincerity before snapping forward at the waist.

"Face the back wall," Hazard ordered. "I need to supervise."

She lifted her head just enough to glare at Hazard but did as instructed. Menace used the toe of his boot to force her feet wider apart. Her pretty pink pussy and ass were on clear display now. He didn't blame Hazard for wanting to see her. With her honey-brown skin and dark hair, she was something of an anomaly. There was only one other world where they'd found brides like her and they were hard to come by.

Kneeling beside her, Menace used his gloved fingers to part the folds of her sex. She opened like a hothouse flower, her dewy skin beckoning his searching digits. He needed no lube to check her. The slick nectar coating her skin assured him that even though she found this experience disconcerting, she also found it incredibly arousing.

Naya inhaled a short, loud breath when he penetrated her with one finger. He let his thumb brush across her clit three times but no more. He wanted her on edge. When he flipped the lid on the tube of lubricant, her pussy fluttered around his finger. She knew what was coming. Still, he decided to torment her a little longer by adding a second digit to the first. He plunged them in and out of her wet channel at a slow pace. Her toes curled against the floor and he stopped. She had gotten enough stimulation to stay aroused.

He smeared the clear gel on her rosebud and probed her with one gloved fingertip. Her back passage gripped him tightly. They had played around with small- and medium-sized plugs so he knew she could take more than just his finger but he didn't push it.

Finished checking her, he stood and stripped off his gloves. "She's safe."

"Stand up, prisoner. Face me."

While Naya hurried to follow Hazard's orders, Menace dropped the gloves in a receptacle in the corner and took a position behind her. He wanted her sole focus on Hazard and planned to hide from her line of sight to keep her unsettled and gripped by the fantasy.

"Hands behind your head. Widen your stance. Wider!" Hazard pulled a thin cane from the case and tested it with a bend. He swung it through the air twice, the whooshing sound sending Naya back a tiny step. Although Menace was fully aware Naya had no love for them, he'd chosen a cane as part of the interrogation implements because he knew the effect on her. Hazard had promised never to let the cane mark her skin—but she didn't know that.

"Eyes forward, prisoner. Don't be looking to Guard Menace to save you. Two of the men wounded in your breakout scheme were his friends."

Naya squeaked when the tip of the cane touched her collarbone and moved down between her breasts. Hazard rested the top of it on her left breast. "So you really thought you could escape from Kovark?"

Voice shuddery, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Sir."

"Don't play dumb with me." Hazard ran the cane's tip around her nipple and then down her belly. He tapped it along the curve of her waist and hip, not hard enough to mark her but with enough pressure to make her fingers curl into her pubic hair. "The moment you stepped off the transport ship and into central processing I knew you were going to be a problem for my prison."

"Warden, I—"

"Silence," Hazard hissed harshly. "I don't want your lies." He walked around behind her, flashing Menace a wink the second he was out of her vision range, and gave her backside the lightest swat. Even with that bare kiss of the cane, she yelped and lifted onto her toes.

"Sir, please—"

"Enough," Hazard growled. "I have eyes and ears all over this prison. Do you understand what that means? There are no prisoner secrets in this place."

"Y-yes, Sir."

Hazard stepped back in front of her and placed the cane against her nipple again. "Now tell me the names of your escape crew."

Menace watched the subtle shift in Naya's body language. Her fear was palpable but her shoulders had straightened. Shit. She was going to play this as the tough girl from Connor's Run.

"Warden, if you have eyes and ears all over this prison, you must already know those names."

"Oh we're going to the play the smart-ass card?" Hazard lowered the cane and snapped his fingers. "Guard, show the prisoner what happens to smart-asses."

"Happy to, Warden." Menace snatched her right off the floor and carried her to the bench along the back wall. He sat down and draped her across his thighs. She gasped and put her hands back to stop the inevitable spanking. "Hands on the floor or I'll ask the warden for the use of his cane."

She whimpered but did exactly as told. Fingertips on the cold floor, Naya dropped her head and went limp across his lap. Over the last few weeks together, she had taken his lessons to heart. He had made sure she understood that it was in her best interest to remain as relaxed as possible.

With her small body supported by his thighs, Menace swept his calloused palms up and down her plump ass. Soon her brown skin would darken with heat. His cock throbbed to life. This fantasy had been put together to make her scream with pleasure, but Menace was finding it incredibly arousing himself.

"Oh!" Naya cried out as his hand cracked her backside. "No! No! No!"

She wiggled on his lap, the movement making her ass cheeks jiggle. Her soft belly rubbed against the head of his cock. He had to push down the surge of excitement that rocked him and concentrate on her tone and breathing. She was saying no but meant yes. There was a fine line he had to walk.

His hand bounced from cheek to cheek. He kept the power behind each strike enough to make her cry but never enough to harm her. She would have a red, sore ass by the end of it but no lasting damage.

"Please, Sir! Please! No more! No! Oh! "

Her begging cries were music to his mean Master ears. If they'd been back in their quarters, he would have tossed her on the nearest table, pushed her thighs wide open and attacked her pussy to show her that every bit of pain came with even more pleasure. But he wasn't in charge now and this scene was just getting started.

Menace glanced at Hazard and gave a small nod. Understanding their silent communication, Hazard announced, "I think she's had enough, Guard Menace."

"Yes, Warden." Menace stood her up and fought the urge to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. No guard would do such a tender thing, but a husband definitely would.

"Stand up straight. Hands behind your back." Hazard tossed the cane back onto the interrogation table. "Let's try this again. Give me the names of your coconspirators."

Naya sniffled but shook her head. "Never."

Hazard retrieved a leather strap looped onto a handle. It was the kind of impact implement that would leave welts on a submissive's backside. "You realize we can beat your ass all night?"

She hesitated a moment before finally declaring, "I'm not afraid of you."

Hazard studied her. "No, I don't think you are. Guard?"

Menace stepped forward so she could see him and he could read her face better. "Yes, Warden?"

"Take the prisoner to administrative segregation. Make sure the other women see her getting a special cell. Have the mess send her a hot meal."

Fully into the fantasy now, Naya exclaimed, "You can't do that! They'll think I'm a snitch. I'll be on their hit list."

Hazard toyed with the thick leather loop of the strap. "That's not my problem anymore, Prisoner A114. I tried to give you an out but you wouldn't take it."

"I won't squeal on my friends."

Hazard moved so fast Naya took an instinctive step back. Stopping mere inches from her, the other man dragged the wide leather strap down the front of her body. He stopped when the strap was pressed against her mound. "Maybe we'll see how loudly you squeal while riding our cocks."

Her eyes widened. "S-sir?"

Turning on the charm, Hazard said, "This is a lonely, isolated system, honey. A man has needs. It would be nice to ease them with a willing woman."

She gulped. Her frantic gaze skipped from Hazard's face to his. Menace stayed in the role he'd written for himself but her face softened at the sight of him. Looking reassured, she whispered, "And if I say yes?"

"When we're done with you, we throw you back in gen pop. You get to keep your honor and loyalty to your friends. We get to sink our cocks into some hot, tight pussy."

Menace had to give Hazard props for inhabiting the role of a sick, twisted warden rather well. For such a laid-back prankster, Hazard could be a real dickhead when the circumstances called for it.

Naya still hadn't given her answer. Hazard pinched her nipple and twisted it hard enough that she rose onto tiptoes and squeaked in protest. He laughed and released her tortured nipple. "I'd say that's a yes. Guard? String her up."

Naya had never been so wet. The evidence of her arousal seeped from her body and stained her inner thighs. The slick fluid cooled as the frigid air in the room hit her skin. No doubt her evil husband had kicked on the air-conditioning to keep her as uncomfortable as possible.

Speaking of her evil husband…

Menace grabbed her by the waist and hauled her over to the wall of cell bars. The room they'd brought her into had struck a quiver of fear in her belly. She'd been in places all too similar to this one and it had been anything but a fantasy.

His familiar scent enveloped her and eased some of the rawness of her anxious nerves. In that guard getup he looked more, well, menacing than usual. She hadn't been sure what to expect when Menace and his friend had entered the room. She'd thought it would be kind of silly and hard to buy the fantasy they were trying to create but she'd been utterly wrong. That spanking had been real enough! Her ass still tingled from it.

Hazard played the role of warden with frightening accuracy. There had been a moment there when she'd actually believed he was going to cane her. That awfullooking leather strap attached to a handle scared the living daylights out of her. One swat with that thing and she would have spilled state secrets to get away.

Without his usual finesse or gentleness, Menace hooked her wrist cuffs to the bars. Arms overhead, she had extremely limited motion. He put pressure on her shoulders and guided her into a squatting position. The rings attached to her cuffs slid down the bars until they hit a horizontal support.

Rocking on her feet, Naya realized he'd put her into a stress position. She glared up at Menace but the bastard had the gall to grin. He looked ridiculously amused by her predicament. Of course, he wouldn't know that she'd actually been interrogated in a similar position once. The memories his action spurred weren't good ones and threatened to intrude upon the sultry fantasy. She pushed them down and locked them away, refusing to let something so ugly ruin something so amazing.

But she swore then and there that the next time the opportunity presented itself she was going to cuff Menace to their bed and torment him for an entire night. Knowing her kinky sky warrior, he would probably love every minute of it.

The sound of jingling metal drew her gaze. Hazard held a thin metal chain in his hand. Clips dangled from multiple ends of it. She recognized it as some kind of nipple clamp toy but wasn't sure where all the extra clamps went. One clip in particular looked different from the others. It resembled an oversized hairpin.

Hazard squatted down in front of her, his position mimicking her own. "Since I can't be sure you won't bite my guard, I'm going to give you a little incentive to behave."

Naya gasped when the first clamp bit her nipple. He wasn't like Menace, who normally teased her breasts with his mouth and fingers to prepare her. Hazard attached the second clip and she winced. The uncomfortable weight pulled on her nipples. The three clamps dangling from the main chain whacked against her belly and thighs. The realization of where those other clamps were going hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh no! No! No! No!" she spluttered like a fool as Hazard laughed and clipped the first clamp on her labia. She hissed at the sudden bite but tried not to jerk. She knew that straightening her torso would only pull the chain between her nipples and privates taut.

"Listen to this crybaby." Hazard chuckled meanly and put the second clamp on the other side of her pussy. His unfamiliar fingers glided through her wetness. She held a shocked breath as a man who wasn't her husband penetrated her. He showed such gentleness as he probed her sex. She realized then that even though he had assumed the role of prick in this fantasy, Hazard wasn't out to hurt her.

Having another man's fingers buried in her pussy left Naya reeling. She wavered between a deep sense of wrong and a quiver of excitement. Menace's reassuring presence somehow made it all okay. He'd arranged this evening for her. Presumably he'd given Hazard certain parameters and touching her so intimately was clearly within them.

Naya locked gazes with Menace. His nostrils flared and his neck showed the bright flush that betrayed his arousal. There was no missing the outline of his massive cock in his tight pants. He liked watching Hazard touching her as much as she enjoyed the other man's searching touch.

"Our prisoner is a very dirty girl," Hazard finally remarked. His fingertips drifted to her clit. He circled the swelling bud slowly and forced her gaze to meet his. "I think we're all going to have a very good time. Don't you, Guard?"

"Absolutely, Warden."

Hazard's fingers moved to either side of her pulsing clit. It felt as if he were pushing her labia away from it. "Hold still or else."

Naya had barely registered his instructions before she felt the intense pressure of something metal squeezing her clit. It wasn't the same bite as the other clamps. Hazard readjusted the grip of the clamp by prying apart the metal sides a bit. It was still squeezing her clit but the pressure was much more bearable.

Glancing between her open thighs, Naya couldn't believe how strange her clit looked. Pinched by the clip, her clitoris looked bigger and more swollen than ever. It felt different. The usual throbbing seemed almost muted. Her experience with nipple clamps told her that sensation wouldn't last long.

Hazard gave the connecting chain a tiny tug. Naya groaned as the pinching discomfort sharpened. Hazard swept his hand down her belly. "Be a good girl and give Guard Menace exactly what he wants…or else."

Naya didn't need the subtle threat of pain to give Menace exactly what he wanted. Breasts aching and pussy clenching with need, she watched him saunter toward her. He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants as he walked. She wet her lips in anticipation of tasting his steely heat.

He stopped inches from her face. She had to lift up on her toes to put her mouth at the right level. Menace brushed his knuckles across her cheek before unleashing his rock-hard cock. He stroked the length of his impressive erection and traced her pout with the blunt tip. His pre-cum slicked her lips. She gathered the clear fluid with her tongue and gazed up at Menace with the kind of adoration that she could muster only for him.

"Open your mouth," he ordered gruffly. He pressed his cock between her lips. She happily welcomed his velvety flesh. He thrust forward and retreated at a leisurely pace. His thick shaft stretched her lips. She burned with the need to feel her pussy stretched by him.

Certain Menace was enjoying this shared fantasy as much as she was, Naya endeavored to make this blowjob one he would never forget. She relaxed her jaw and let him go deep. The head of his cock lingered in the back of her throat before gliding back. She swirled her tongue around the tip and sucked him hard. Her tongue moved down the length of him. He fisted his stiff erection while her tongue fluttered along his sac. He was so incredibly sensitive there and loved it when she treated him to a little oral attention in that spot.

Menace groaned before plunging forward again, taking her just as deeply. Her poor clamped clit pulsed mercilessly! What she wouldn't give to be able to reach down and touch herself. As if reading her mind, Hazard put his hands on her body again.

Kneeling next to her, he palmed her breasts and let his fingertips graze her pinched nipples. He circled her navel before his hand moved even lower. The moment he ghosted his fingertips over her throbbing clit, Naya moaned. Menace's cock palpably pulsed in her mouth. The knowledge that another man was touching his wife's clit seemed to make Menace even more aroused.

"Guard, I think it's time we move this party to the interrogation table."

"Agreed, Warden." Seemingly enflamed by lust, Menace reached down and unhooked her cuffs. He picked her up and carried her over to the table. The metal tabletop was so cold against her blazing skin. The dimensions of the table were shorter and thinner than anything she'd seen aboard the Valiant . When Menace walked to one end and Hazard the other, Naya understood why.

"Warden, I believe it's customary for you to have first dibs." Menace grasped her cuffed wrists in one hand and held them down. He gestured to her body. "After you, sir."

Surprise flashed across Hazard's face. Whatever negotiations the men had made prior to this scene, apparently this hadn't been part of them. She sensed the control in the room had shifted completely to Menace. He'd been pulling the strings all along but from behind the curtain, so to speak. Now he was the one giving orders—and it thrilled her.

Hazard stroked her naked skin. He touched her with such sensual softness. He seemed to cherish the opportunity he'd been given. Placing a knee on the table, he pushed up off the floor and hovered over her. His body wasn't nearly as big or wide as Menace's but he still gave off an incredible amount of heat. He removed the nipple clamps and instantly dropped his mouth to her puffy, red peaks. His tongue laved her puckered skin. He suckled gently, soothing the hurt he'd created.

As Hazard kissed his way down her body and slipped off the table, Naya met Menace's unwavering stare. Even upside down, he commanded her attention. She stared into his bright-green eyes and lost whatever inhibitions remained. The burning desire reflected in his gaze seared her bare skin.

The labia clamps were both removed at the same time. Naya cried out and bucked her hips. Hazard massaged her sore lips and penetrated her with two thick fingers. She knew what was coming and steeled herself for the inevitable pain. Menace crushed his mouth to hers, the angle of his kiss so strange.

Down below, Hazard carefully unclamped the clip squeezing her clit. She groaned into Menace's mouth. She let his wonderfully talented tongue distract her from the discomfort. Suddenly Hazard's firm tongue flicked her clit. She inhaled so sharply and jerked so hard that Menace had to grasp her shoulders to keep her from flying off the table. Tearing her mouth from Menace, she cried, "Oh! Oh! "

Hazard licked her swollen clit. Three, four, five licks—and she climaxed. Howling as if she were some wild thing, Naya shrieked as her body finally found release. Pleasure racked her with intense spasms.

As her orgasm began to fade, Hazard changed his tactic. He lapped at her clit while fucking her with his fingers. She whimpered and hovered on the verge of another climax. He didn't rush to send her over the edge. No, he took his time licking and sucking and nibbling her clitoris until Naya practically sobbed.

Hazard savored her pussy as if it were a treat he rarely encountered. Maybe it was. He didn't have a woman of his own. She didn't even know where the closest sky brothel was. The idea that her pussy was the first one he'd tasted and tormented in some time made her dizzy with excitement.

Menace claimed her mouth again, this time standing to her side. His strong hands clamped her wrists in place, holding her down and activating those deep-seated fears of being taken and forced. Her husband's tongue thrust in and out of her mouth. He teased her with the promise of what was to come.

Two wicked mouths worked her into a frenzied state. Her hips rocked and her toes curled against the table. Eyes closed, she reveled in the absolute debauchery of the moment. Bursts of bliss shook her core. She moaned against Menace's lips as wave after wave of pure joy washed over her.

Still panting and shaking, Naya felt Menace's grip falter. He let go of her wrists and made a quick trade with Hazard. Gripping her thighs, Menace dragged her butt right to the edge of the table and thrust forward roughly. She gasped as his long cock breached and filled her. The table shuddered and jumped as Menace fucked her fast and hard.

She caught sight of Hazard stroking himself to the sight of their coupling. The yearning on his face made her chest ache. She knew that kind of loneliness. Wanting him to feel part of this, Naya reached for the pilot and silently urged him closer. He hesitated and shot a glance at Menace. Whatever look he received in return convinced Hazard it was okay.

She fondled his cock, the stiff length so different in feel and size to Menace's. She caressed his shaft and tugged him closer. Craning her neck, she swiped the tip of him with her tongue. His loud gasp ricocheted off the walls and ceiling. It became crystal clear to her that this man had agreed to help her live out her wildest fantasy without ever expecting anything in return.

With one cock in her pussy and another in her mouth, Naya embraced the wickedness of her naughty fantasy. Taken by two ferociously sexy men, she vibrated with absolute ecstasy. Menace pressed her knees toward her chest, tightening her passage even more and changing the angle of his penetration just enough to make her scream around Hazard's fat cock.

It was Hazard who found release first. He pulled free from her mouth and stroked himself to completion, his semen pooling on the tabletop. Menace used both thumbs to stimulate her clit. The up-and-down motion made her squeal with delight. Her pussy clenched his cock a split second before she rocketed to the moons. Head thrown back, she shouted his name again and again. "Menace! Menace! "

"Naya!" With one final, powerful thrust that sent the table skittering across the floor, Menace filled her with his seed. He slumped forward against her, his big, hot body warming hers. Naya cupped the back of his head and peppered loving kisses along his jaw.

Dazed by the experience she had shared with these two men, Naya shook with the awesomeness of it. Menace pulled free so gently and tucked himself into his pants before gathering her in his arms and carrying her to the bench. Hazard followed with a blanket he'd produced from heaven only knew where. He draped it around her shoulders and helped Menace tuck it tightly around her naked body.

While she enjoyed her husband's heat and strength, Naya closed her eyes and tried not to overthink what had just happened. It was a gift from the man who cared for her so deeply. Best not to look this gift horse in the mouth, she decided.

She heard Hazard cleaning up the room. He brought Menace a pack of moist towelettes and a package of oversized paper towels similar to the ones in the med kit in their quarters. Menace placed them on the bench and shook Hazard's hand. The pilot laughed. "The pleasure was mine, Menace."

"The shirt?"

"Bring it by the bachelor quarters tomorrow. I'm bunking with Zeph until my next flight out of here."

"All right."

Hazard pushed the blanket aside to reveal her face. Naya's ears grew hot as the realization of what she'd done hit her. Hazard smiled tenderly and brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. "Thank you, ma'am. I won't forget this gift."

Naya wasn't sure what to say to that. Hazard didn't seem to require a reply. With the metal case in hand, he waved and left the private playroom. Alone with Menace, she snuggled closer.

"Are you all right?" His rumbling voice held such concern. "It wasn't too much?"

"I'm fine. Great actually," she added with a relaxed laugh. "I had no idea it could be like that."

"It can be like that again, but not very often. It was…more difficult than I'd anticipated to watch another man touching you. Even a friend," he amended. "Knowing that it gave you pleasure eased my jealousy some, but my possessiveness toward you is even greater than I'd realized."

"It's the same for me," Naya admitted. "I mean, I liked the way Hazard touched me but I liked it more because I knew it pleased you and it aroused you. Until I saw that you approved, I couldn't shake how wrong it was."

Menace embraced her more tightly. "Because you're mine."

"Yes," she agreed. "Because I'm yours."

"Naya?"

"Yes, Menace?"

Silence stretched between them. He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. Finally he exhaled and said, "Are you ready to get dressed and return to our quarters?"

Hope deflated within her. For the briefest of moments, she'd believed he was going to say it . A pang of sadness stabbed her gut at the realization that she wasn't going to hear that four-letter word tonight. Part of her wondered if it wouldn't be easier to be the first to blurt it out but she'd never said it to any man. The fear of saying it to Menace when he wasn't ready to return the sentiment absolutely killed her. No, he had to go first.

Refusing to let her issues cloud the wonder of the experience they'd shared, Naya forced her troubling thoughts aside. She wrapped her arms around Menace's shoulders and teased her lips across his. They shared a sensual, easy kiss. She grinned and whispered, "Take me home, Master."