Read Her Pirate Master (Entwined Fates) for Free Online Page B

was in the one to the right. Haydrien watched the controls carefully but pulled his gaze away long enough to glance at her through the reflection in the glass.
    “We’re not home yet,” was all he said before turning his stare back to the controls.
    Her mind went back to what he’d said last night about her spanking being her only punishment until they returned home. The beating of her heart increased tenfold, but she cleared her throat and pushed her unwanted excitement down.
    “Did you compensate for the weight?” she asked.
    He nodded. “This isn’t my first landing, Jacquelyn.”
    “Well, I don’t know that, now do I?” she replied sarcastically.
    Haydrien again met and held her gaze through the reflection as she stood behind him. “That’s two. Wanna make it three?”
    Jack inwardly shivered. “You’re so full of it,” she snarled.
    “And there’s three,” Lear said with amusement.
    Jack bit her tongue. She never could learn to keep her smart mouth shut.
    “Sit down, sub,” Haydrien commanded. “This ship is big, and the landing will be rough.”
    He looked at her over his shoulder. A wicked sparkle filled his eyes that made Jack’s stomach knot. Unfortunately it didn’t come from fear. Damn, why couldn’t she have met this man somewhere other than here?
    “While you’re sitting there, you can think about what your punishment is going to be later.”
    Just as he said it, the ship dropped into the planet’s atmosphere. It shook as though it had been hit, then began to creak and moan as it descended through the thicker air.
    She moved quickly to a seat off to the side and anxiously watched out the window as the planet’s surface began to come into view.
    Mountains were everywhere. She frowned, wondering where he would land such a large ship. There wasn’t a flat piece of ground within miles that would be big enough.
    She started to say something, then remembered his remark about punishment. She’d probably opened her mouth enough this morning.
    Sunlight peeked over the mountains in the distance, and Jack stared in awe at the bright colors that flooded the valley floor below. Shades of orange and yellow bathed the green and brown mountains, forming a kaleidoscope of colors that left her breathless.
    The ship flew closer to the mountains below. Jack sat forward to better see out the window. Below them was a town nestled within a deep valley. High above the valley, one of the mountains had been leveled, creating a massive landing pad plenty big enough for this ship.
    Haydrien hovered the ship above the pad and spun it so the front of the ship faced a massive structure built into the side of the mountain. Jack gasped at the holes evident in the walls. A tower that had half collapsed hung precariously to the side.
    “What happened?” she asked.
    “Same thing that happened to the city below. Greed,” Haydrien replied.
    She frowned. “Greed?”
    Lear stood and stretched. “A war with another planet. We lost.”
    “We both lost,” Haydrien grumbled as he stood and scooted around Lear so he could get to the door.
    “What was it over?” she asked.
    Haydrien shrugged. “We had what they wanted, and we didn’t want them to have it. In the end, it was lost to both of us.”
    Jack frowned at his cryptic answer. “Oh, I see,” she said sarcastically. “That makes total sense.”
    Haydrien sighed and stopped by the door to the bridge. He turned to scowl at her, and Jack was tempted to slink down in the chair. Damn, the man could scowl like a pro. No one would dare say anything when he looked at them with that angry expression, including her.
    “Don’t you think you’re in for enough of a punishment later? Do you really want to just keep adding to it?”
    “Oh, give me a break,” she said before she could stop herself. She rolled her eyes and stood. “Whatever it is you want to dish out, bring it on.”
    Haydrien took a couple of steps toward her. Her heart raced at the flare of heat in