Lisia's Journey (14 page)

good idea. That would only make him angrier. She could see the determination in his

eyes, feel it rolling off him. She had no idea what he‟d decided, but she knew that she

wouldn‟t be able to change his mind about it.

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“You don‟t know what you did? Would you like to explain how you don‟t

remember blatantly disobeying an order? Running into danger and nearly getting

yourself hurt or killed?” He advanced slowly into the room.

“
Asaen
,” she hissed the word just under her breath. She hadn‟t even realized that he

knew about that. Grimacing, she realized she should have known he‟d find out. Arik

would tell him at the first opportunity. He‟d see it as his duty. “I didn‟t really see it like

that.

“How did you see it? Tell me how you could think that doing something other than

following the order is anything other than disobedient.” Jarritt asked. He stopped just

out of reach. His tense body easily conveyed the anger she could now feel radiating

from him.

“I didn‟t have time to think about it. I saw the boy and acted. It‟s not like I

deliberately decided to go against Arik‟s commands.” She ran a hand through her hair,

frustrated. He should realize she hadn‟t had time to think things through.

“But you did go against his command. You could have been killed. You took an

unnecessary chance. Arik would have gotten the boy to safety.” His voice dropped so

low that it was almost a whisper.

“I‟m supposed to let them do their jobs when they don‟t believe me?” She put her

hand on her hip and glared at him. “I told Arik that I saw something moving in the

bushes. He acted like he‟d caught me trying to sneak away. How was I to know that

they‟d believe me about the boy? Arik couldn‟t see him and the child was frightened

and he needed help then, not when some male happened to notice him.”

Jarritt blinked, but his face immediately hardened. “I‟ll grant that you might have

had some doubts about Arik‟s belief in you in certain circumstances, but you were born

into a clan. You know that we value children and women highly. He would have

believed you about the boy.”

“Like I had time to think it all out. I saw the boy and I moved.” Her teeth clenched

tightly and she held back an enraged yell.

“You still endangered your life, the boy‟s and Arik‟s, on top of disobeying him.” He

leaned forward and she saw the anger flaring in his eyes as well as felt it brushing

through her mind.

“I wasn‟t hurt and the boy is safe.” She shook her head. Was she supposed to

apologize for what she‟d done? Is that what he wanted?

“That is not the point.” His hand slashed the air and his voice almost echoed in the

room. “You will obey orders given for your safety!”

Her mouth worked. She had the distinct urge to back away, but she couldn‟t go

anywhere with the bed pressing against the back of her calves. Licking her lips, her eyes

lowered. She wasn‟t really afraid of him, but she knew this wasn‟t going to be a

comfortable time. He wouldn‟t back away from punishing her for her disobedience.

Excuses wouldn‟t matter to him. She couldn‟t be sure that Arik had even seen the boy

and leaving the boy hadn‟t entered her mind.

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“Undress. Now.” He folded his arms and watched her.

Lisia looked up at him and clutched the hem of her shirt. She already felt a little

vulnerable. Getting undressed would only increase the feeling. She slowly pulled off

her shirt. She tried to think of something to say that would calm him. Touch him,

apologize, or promise not to ever do it again. She discarded each idea as it came to her.

They wouldn‟t work. He might want an apology, but he wouldn‟t believe it before the

punishment.

“Are you going to refuse to obey me?” He took a slow step forward.

She took a deep breath. “I‟ll obey your orders.”

She leaned down and pulled off her slippers. Straightening, she unfastened her

pants and pushed them down. She wriggled her hips as she slid the clinging material

down her thighs. As she glanced up at him, she caught his eyes locked on her hips. She

could see his interest, but she could also feel his determination. He wouldn‟t change his

mind simply because he wanted her. She stepped out of her pants and underwear.

Picking them up, she put them on the end of the bed.

He nodded and paced forward. He sat on the bed and reached for her. Pulling her

onto his lap, his arm curled around her back. She sat stiffly on his legs, not quite

knowing what to expect. It was supposed to be punishment so she didn‟t think it would

be pleasant, at least not for long.

“Ah, now you‟re finally seeing that you‟ve done something wrong. You‟re getting

nervous. There are consequences for your actions. You‟d better remember that if you

disobey me, you will be punished.” His free hand lifted her chin so that she was forced

to meet his eyes.

“You expect me to just run to safety while a small child is in danger? When I can

help? That‟s not going to happen. I wasn‟t in that much danger.” Lisia frowned and

tried to turn her head away from his.

She wouldn‟t ever be able to do that. If she‟d seen an
Aridi
male close to the boy, she

wouldn‟t have worried. She‟d have known he‟d be safe. There had been no one. That

boy had been all alone and terrified.

“I expect you to obey orders and let the men do their jobs. They‟re trained for

dangerous situations. If you‟re running around they have to worry about protecting

you too. The divided attention could get one of them killed.” His voice was hard,

uncompromising and at odds with gentle brush of his thumb across her jaw.

“So are you going to punish me or are you just going to sit there and lecture me?”

Lisia asked on a rush of forced bravado. The contrast of that touch and his tone sent a

whirl of nervousness fluttering through her belly.

He raised a brow and seemed totally calm after her provoking remark. “Your

punishment has already begun. The lecture, as you call it, is part of it.”

She took a slow deep breath. It would help if she knew what to expect. She knew

how to handle losing privileges and being confined to a
marrohl
. She had absolutely no

problem with those, but not knowing seemed to be worse than torture.

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His hand left her jaw and trailed down her chest over the full swell of her breasts.

Tingles followed the path of his fingers. His nails traced around the tightening areola.

She drew in a hissing breath and struggled to keep her focus. Her body wanted to go

wild. He wouldn‟t be giving her any satisfaction. She had to keep that uppermost in her

mind.

“Don‟t bother fighting it. You‟re going to be almost screaming for your release

before I‟m done.” His eyes locked with hers as his big hand cupped her breast.

Lisia gulped. Her heart beat faster and it wasn‟t entirely from nervousness. She

couldn‟t deny she found the situation arousing. His stern attitude excited her. Part of

her wanted to push, to see if she could break through that hard mask. Another yearned

to submit, to yield to his strength. She knew that neither tactic would work tonight. He

wouldn‟t back away from what he considered necessary. Just another of those alpha

traits that made her want to scream and catch the next shuttle off the planet.
Asaen
, why

couldn‟t she have found someone just a little bit less alpha? Maybe a little bit more

reasonable.

His thumb flicked over the taut bead. She felt it tighten even more as sharp tingles

danced following the path of those fingertips. His hand cupped the full globe,

squeezing gently. Her body responded to his touch readily even though she knew he

didn‟t intend to give her any satisfaction.

“You‟ll be just as frustrated as I am.” She couldn‟t resist inserting that bit of

information. She could feel his hard cock pressing against her thigh even through his

pants.

“I can‟t deny that, but I won‟t walk away from your punishment. You will learn to

obey the rules.” His voice dropped lower and the words were delivered in a hard

uncompromising tone. His brows lowered over his brown eyes.

Lisia was feeling more than put upon right now and even a little panicky. She

didn‟t know how to calm him down. She could usually talk her brother out of any

anger and if she couldn‟t, she could deal with a little confinement. Jarritt didn‟t respond

at all and his determination seemed absolutely unshakable.

He drew in a long breath and abruptly his features softened.

“You‟ll be fine. There‟s no reason to be afraid.” His arms pulled her close for a

moment. “I think you‟re used to being in control and now that everything‟s out of your

control you‟re scared.”

Her hands clasped together in her lap and she drew in a slow deep breath. “This is

all so different. I don‟t know what to do with you.”

“You might eventually learn ways to soften my temper, but I‟ll never let you get

away with disobedience or risking your life.” His hand cupped her chin and he forced

her to meet his eyes.

She saw that his lips were compressed into a thin line. The softening she‟d seen

only moments ago had disappeared. She could see and feel his anger and

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determination. She didn‟t know what to do. If she apologized, he‟d know it was partly a

lie. She didn‟t really think she‟d done something so wrong.

“You can‟t change my mind,” he said.

His quiet comment startled her. Her head snapped up and she met his eyes,

wondering for a moment if he‟d read her mind. She shook her head. His guess was

uncanny, but she knew he could only read feelings, just as she could. She firmed her

lips. Anger and defiance created a reckless combination inside her. Remaining silent

took an amazing amount of effort. She turned her head away and stared at the wall. If

he was going to punish her, she wanted to get it over with.

He shifted her in his arms and urged her back a little. She had a feeling the tension,

the waiting, the wondering, was part of his punishment. She felt a little off balance.

Without thinking about it, she hooked her arm around his shoulders, holding on to him.

His head lowered, feathering kisses over the slope of her breasts. She squirmed. Her

body turned into the pressure of his mouth. In spite of knowing she was only going to

end up frustrated, she wanted to feel his mouth.

She felt a hot gust of air over one of her nipples. Licking her lips, she arched her

back, offering her breast. His tongue left a moist trail. It circled around the stiff nub. She

shivered. Sensation curled low in her belly. His teeth closed over the reddened peak. A

sharp pleasure blossomed and spread in a rush of heat as he tugged and released the

stiff peak.

“I can smell your arousal already.” His lips closed over the peak, released, and then

recaptured the distended nub.

Torn between the urge to enjoy the delicious sensations and the knowledge that he

would stop at some point, she trembled. Her heart raced. If she could, she‟d get up and

walk out right now. She hated being left hanging, but leaving wasn‟t an option. She

remained as she was, but she felt his arm tighten around her as if suspected she might

be thinking of jerking free of his hold.

His hand slipped down over her stomach. His fingers traced her bellybutton. She

squirmed in his arms, laughing at the tingling tickle. Her laughter caught in her throat

when his hand boldly cupped her pussy. All thoughts about anything other than his

hands and mouth on her body flew from her mind. His fingers pressed between the

slick lips and stroked the hardened nub of her clit. Moving his fingers in tight circles, he

drove the need inside her higher. She widened her thighs eagerly.

“After this, you won‟t forget the price for disobedience.” His voice almost sounded

like a full growl as the words rolled against her breasts.

He drew her nipple deep into his mouth and began sucking at almost the same

moment that two of his fingers slipped into her pussy. Lust overrode the last of any

restraint she might have had left. She moaned and her hips rose. His mouth felt so

good.

His thumb flicked over her clit with each inward stroke. He released her breast and

worked his way over to the other one, but only dropped a kiss on the tip before

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straightening. His hand moved against her. Tightening sensation drew her muscles

taut. Suddenly, he pulled his fingers free. She cried out at the loss and could feel her