by Kiersten Fay
She had to see that.
Cool liquid splash over his fingers and splattered onto the bar. He stopped pouring and handed the glass to the customer who had ordered it. The man blindly grabbed for the glass, unable to take his gaze away from the now soaked women who had begun kissing each other.
“It looks like I’m serving this fine gentleman,” Ethan replied without looking back at her.
Sonya banged her fist on the bar. “I am not running a brothel here!”
“That’s good, because if you were, you’d be dangerously low on employees.”
Sonya pointed to the sexual display. “Was this your idea?”
He lifted his thumb and forefinger together. “I may have made a tiny suggestion.”
Sonya grabbed him by the collar, bringing his face closer to hers so that they were both leaning over the bar. “This is not one of your pirate dens. This pub is my life, and I will not have you defiling it.”
He couldn’t resist dipping his eyes to her chest, even though he knew it would heighten her ire.
She bared her fangs. “You’re fired! Get out!”
“Wait, wait, hold on.” He reached up and gently removed her hands from inching around his neck. “Look around for a second.”
Grudgingly, she obeyed and then shrugged, focusing her rage back on him.
He pointed past the melee of overly excited men surrounding the two females. “Those two are in a committed relationship. They’re just having some fun with the boys and putting a little spice into their relationship.”
Sonya took that in for a moment. “You’re kidding.”
“Not even a little. They came in during a lover’s quarrel. I got them to kiss and make up. And they just didn’t want to stop. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
“And how did you get them to kiss and make up?”
“The same way you get any two females to kiss. You get them drunk.”
Sonya almost laughed at that…almost. He wished she would just relax and let him take care of her tavern. Sure, he had pulled a few pranks before, just to aggravate her, but now he only wanted to help. There was nothing better for him to do, anyway. He’d made no new ground translating the book, which was irritating in and of itself, and he was currently useless in the ongoing search for Nadua and Kyra.
He tried to convince himself he had done enough up until this point, and now it was fate’s time to put in a few hours, but that didn’t sit well with him.
After assessing the full scope of the crowd, Sonya plopped down on a stool. “Fine. You’re not fired.”
Ethan gave a theatrical bow. That was probably the closest thing to a compliment he would ever receive from her.
“Just get me a drink,” she ordered.
“Of course, my liege,” he mocked. For someone who hated taking orders, she sure liked to give them. Incidentally, he knew how to cure her of that. Not that she would let him try.
Then again, maybe she would. From the corner of his eye, he found her studying him. He wasn’t dressed in anything special, just a loose white shirt and a tan coat adorned with the usual gold buttons and buckles. As he fixed her drink, he scanned her intent and found she did not wish to be caught appraising him.
Curious.
By the time he turned to place the drink in front of her, she had already averted her gaze. She gave the liquid a quick taste and then snapped, “Ethan, you had better not put this much alcohol in everyone’s drinks.”
“Special for you, my captain.”
Rolling her eyes, Sonya took a large gulp. As soon as she finished it, he started mixing her another.
When the music changed to an encouraging beat, Sonya slipped off the stool and moved to the dance floor. Ethan was relieved to see her actually having a good time. Maybe she’d take a break from being such a hard ass.
She tugged a male onto the dance floor with her. After an awkward moment, the male pulled her close and began gyrating against her.
Ethan’s mood took a nosedive, but he wasn’t sure why. He’d wanted her to have fun so she would leave him to his job. Right?
Maybe it was because that particular male had recently been seen putting the moves on several other females in the joint. But what did Ethan care? He was sure Sonya could take care of herself. It wasn’t as if she actually desired the male. Surely she had better taste than that.
Or perhaps that was her male. The one she used to slake her need.
He turned to a waiting customer. The woman was rather cute and seemed to be giving him a come-hither look the entire time he fixed her drink. He’d noticed this female earlier in the night, and many times before that. She was often attached to a different guy, offering them that same inviting smile she displayed now. Jade was her name. And tonight she was alone.
After accepting the drink, she thanked him with a bedroom voice before sauntering off, her hips swaying in an exaggerated manner. He watched with detached interest, wondering why he hadn’t made the lewd comment she’d been hoping for.
She turned back to pin him with an enticing glance as she disappeared into the crowd—a clear sign that she was a sure thing, had he the inclination to pursue her.
He glanced toward the dance floor, expecting to see that Sonya had moved on, but that bastard still clung to her. Ethan’s eyes snapped to the male’s hand as it started drifting toward Sonya’s ass. Just as he was about to find his prize, Ethan’s mind swelled viciously, cutting off clear thought.
He leapt over the bar, rushed forward, and smashed his fist into the other male’s face. The wretch hadn’t even seen it coming. Neither had Ethan for that matter. He stood stock still for a moment, trying to figure out why he’d been compelled to attack.
“What the fuck!” Sonya screeched and pushed Ethan away to examine the unconscious man. “Why did you do that?”
“He was groping you!” Gods that sounded lame.
“No kidding! If I had wanted him to stop, I would have hit him myself! Heal him!”
Ethan crossed his arms, loathed to do anything for this inferior male who couldn’t even defend himself. “Sorry, sweetheart, my power isn’t working at the moment.”
A small crowd had gathered around them. Sonya ordered two somewhat sober individuals to take the unconscious male to sickbay. Then she dragged Ethan behind the bar and into the storage room, closing the door behind them. “What the fuck, Ethan! Why did you hit him?”
Ethan was still fighting his own astonishment. “I don’t know why I did that. I just didn’t think you wanted him touching you.”
“You deduced that from the smile on my face?”
Ethan threw his arms out to the side and shook his head. “I just didn’t like it.”
Sonya tilted her head and eyed him suspiciously. “Did Sebastian order you to keep an eye on me? Keep guys away from me?”
Ethan looked at her, confused by the question. What did Sebastian have to do with anything? And how could she have let that ridiculous male touch her?
The answer hit him.
She did it to drive him mad, just like everything else she did.
And it was working.
He suddenly felt overwhelmed by her presence. She looked so damn sexy in that slip of a skirt, and her heavy breathing was causing the mounds of her breast to billow over her bodice. Her thighs peeked out from under her garments.
His body responded to every bit of it, screaming with fevered demands. Even her violet eyes, doused in anger, helped to fill his cock.
She continued to rail, oblivious to his tempestuous urge to take her where she stood. “It is none of Sebastian’s business if I decide to—”
Ethan silenced her with a bruising kiss. He pushed her against the door and held her in place by the back of her neck as he slipped his mouth over hers. She let out a soft cry of surprise, and he sensed she was ready to kick him where it would hurt him the most. Undaunted, he slipped his tongue against her lips, demanding entry. He would teach her what happened when she toyed with a male such a
s he.
Her breath rushed out and after brief moment, she surrendered, taking him in her mouth.
Ethan’s entire body strained with anticipation.
His palm breached the hem of her skirt and found her backside. He gave a gratifying squeeze, and it felt as though he was claiming what another male almost took. His pelvis ground into her, and she let out a soft, urgent sound, encouraging him to roll his hips once more.
Suddenly, she flipped him around to take control, as he knew she eventually would. He imagined she would always fight him for control. With speed and skill that rivaled her own, he twirled her body so that he was poised at her back and attempted to cage her front against the wall, maybe with a bit too much vigor. Without missing a beat, she put her hands up to stop herself from slamming into it.
Taking advantage of the position, he yanked down her bodice and covered her breast with his hands. Her head lolled back against his shoulder, her nails digging into the wall as her body begged for more.
To his delight, she glided her ass against his crotch.
“Ah, fuck,” he groaned as his shaft gave a hard pulse. They fit together so damn good. He turned her around and ground his entire body into her soft flesh, claiming her lips once more as he rubbed his thumb over one hardened nipple. Her breaths heaved harsh and hot as he readied to rip of her remaining clothing.
Then she stilled.
He sensed the change in her too late, and before he could pull away to give her the space she suddenly required, she shoved her palms against him.
He stepped back.
She straightened her outfit and wiped her mouth in disgust.
Ethan clenched his teeth, not understanding the shift in mood.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she warned in a tone drowning with the depth of her loathing. She rushed out before he could muster a response.
Left alone and still badly in need of release, he leaned against the wall and scrubbed a hand down his face, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Sonya had never come across anything that unnerved her the way that kiss had. She’d been lost…utterly lost. The feel of him pressed against her, the wall at her back, was damn near maddening.
His clothing had been seconds away from becoming tattered rags on the floor. The feeling had been so much like being on the Edge, only instead of rendering her a rabid beast, she had been turned into some kind of wanton creature.
His touch had been like the sweetest agony, filled with the promise of pure ecstasy and unyielding passion. Thinking of it now had her mouth running dry, and her body quivering with regret. Stopping had been like a vicious strike to the gut, but she’d had to do it. Had to get away.
As he had made her mindless with his kiss, a cold button of his coat had touched her flesh, and she been reminded who it was that kissed her with such passion.
Memories of her younger self peeking through a crack as those soulless pirates slashed her father to death battered her brain. It was as if fire and ice had collided in her body.
In the safety her room, she leaned against the wall, vehemently telling herself she didn’t want to go back, though part of her knew it was a lie.
She hissed out a curse and paced around the room, trying to find something to occupy her mind, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan.
She threw open her closet and retrieved her favorite set of daggers, then headed to the training room.
Chapter 14
Sonya had managed to avoid Ethan over the next few days, but her mind wouldn’t allow her to prevent reliving that moment every second of every hour. She couldn’t get it out of her head.
Damn pirate!
And now, because of him, she teetered on the Edge. It felt as though anything could set her off.
She spent much of the day seeking out a willing sparring partner, but no one was eager to put themselves in the path of a tempestuous demon. She needed a real bout on the mat. Someone who could challenge her. A catatonic practice dummy wasn’t cutting it.
How ironic that the one time she really needed them, her brothers were away.
And she was beginning to lose ground on another kind of battle that had been raging inside her since Ethan’s assault.
She thought back to the last time she’d been kissed. Surely it had been just as heated, but she couldn’t recall exactly. What she did remember was directly afterward, the male had started to grow increasingly uncomfortable around her brothers, and he hadn’t stayed on the ship long.
Sonya wasn’t sure if her brothers intentionally kept males from wanting to pursue her. They didn’t openly threaten anyone. Rather, it was in their manner, and a look that said, “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you slowly and with great pleasure.”
Eventually, Sonya had given up on the whole prospect, and instead focused on exercise and fighting. It had worked great, till now.
This is all Ethan’s fault, she told herself as she stomped down the hall. Hours of training, meditating, and vigorous exercise, all designed to keep her from focusing on such things, shattered by a kiss—a kiss that she had only enjoyed because she’d been a little tipsy. Not because it had been passionate, or demanding, or anything ridiculous like that.
She figured it was only fair that he help her fix this.
In fact, he was probably the only one on board ignorant—or arrogant—enough to comply. And because he was the cause, he owed her a solution.
Sonya entered The Demon’s Punchbowl and headed straight for the bar. Ethan’s dark-blue eyes followed her with a little too much intensity.
Sonya’s resolve faltered as she wondered what he thought of her outfit—a tight purple bodice with a black skirt that fell just above tall boots threaded with purple strings. Scolding herself, she quickly morphed her inappropriate reaction into fury.
His own dress was the usual: an overly adorned, neatly tailored coat hugged a fitted tan shirt, and dark-brown trousers tucked into heavy black boots with thick gold buckles. Typical pirate. She would use it as a reminder of why she hated him.
“Captain,” he greeted with his usual cavalier smile, as if nothing had happened between them. “What brings you to my fine establishment?”
“My fine establishment,” she corrected.
“Don’t worry.” He turned away and headed several feet down the bar to collect a set of empty glasses. “For you, drinks are on the house.”
“They better not be for anyone else.”
“Oh, only the most important people.”
A nearby table of crew members raised their glasses and cheered at Ethan’s words. Sonya shot them a piercing glare. They silenced and looked elsewhere.
She faced Ethan, ready to give him the usual threats to his life, but he had moved to the other end of the bar and was pouring a drink for Jade.
As with most people who chose to enter space, Jade didn’t like staying in one spot for too long. She was one of the few people aboard the ship who didn’t work as part of the crew. Instead, she paid a hefty sum to be ferried around. Marada provided a safe way for her to travel, with a little more excitement than a standard cruise ship.
Jade took hold of the drink Ethan offered, allowing her hand to linger on his a little longer than necessary. The sight made Sonya’s teeth gnash together.
When Ethan finally came back to Sonya’s end of the bar, she ground out, “This ship has rules, you know. Didn’t Sebastian tell you? There’s no consorting with anyone on the ship.”
“Was I consorting? I recall it being a little more involved than that. Anyway, I thought that rule only applied to the crew? Jade just informed me that she is merely a passenger.” He paused thoughtfully. “I do believe she was flirting with me actually, which I know must be alarming to you. Me being the lowly creature that I am.” He grinned. “I will go straight to her room after work and let her know how off her judgment of character is. I’m sure she’ll be grateful for the warning. Would you like a drink?”
The harsh sound of her teeth grin
ding rumbled in her ears. With effort, Sonya loosened her jaw, only to allow a string of Demonish curses to run past her lips.
“That sounds sweet,” he interjected. “But I don’t think you should be coming on to me like that. You know the rules.”
“The only reason I’m not pulling your spleen out through your eyeball is because I promised Anya I wouldn’t kill you.”
He placed his hand on his chest. “I am truly blessed.”
“But she didn’t say anything about not hurting you.”
“Mm, I do like it rough.”
Barely holding on to the last of her control, Sonya continued, “Look, you ass, I’m going to give you the opportunity to prove you’re more than just a waste of air.”
Ethan’s mind hissed, reminded of how repulsed she had been by his touch, but he kept his composure.
The effort was monumental.
He had spent that entire evening trying to forget how hungry he had been for her—how hungry he still was for her. How bringing himself relief multiple times had done little to dissuade his need. And she still brought him to full attention just by the sexy sway of her round hips.
“I need someone to spar with, who can offer at least a bit of a challenge,” she said. “I’m willing to believe you’re not totally without skill.”
“You want to fight me?” He hadn’t seen that coming. The fire in her eyes suggested she wanted something else from him. He tried to read her, finding her innermost desires in turmoil.
“Spar. But yes, I really, really do.”
“What do I get if I agree?”
Sonya snorted. “A sliver of respect.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not really high on the list of things I want.” The lie was easy enough to push through his lips, despite the fact that this female’s opinion of him was quickly becoming his top priority. He knew it was wrong. He was destined to wed one of the king’s daughters, after all. But something about Sonya’s disdain irked him and made him want to demand her respect.
