Zak walked to Anniel's quarters, just a few doors away from his own. The look on her face when she greeted him at the door didn't bode well.
She wants to leaveโ
Anniel sighed into his mind.
"Like hell she is," Zak snarled and made to storm into her rooms, but Anniel gripped his arm and jerked him to a stop.
Zak frowned at her.
"She's been crying for the past ten minutes, Goliath. Go easy on her," Anniel insisted, brows drawn.
Zak blinked, eyes wide. His precious girl? Crying? Tearing his arm from Anniel's strong grip, he finished rushing into her living room.
Alluna sat in the middle of the circular seating area, her back against the deep fuchsia sofa and toes buried in the furry white rug below her. His pretty girl had her arms wrapped around her middle with her knees drawn up and head bowed. Her hiccupping little sobs tore at his heart.
Leaping over the back of the sofa to land sitting on the cushions, he reached for her. "Baby, tell me what's wrong," he crooned pulling her onto his lap.
Startled, she resisted a moment, but he gentled her with soft kisses all over her face and mouth. With a shudder, she finally gave in and clung to him, burying her face in his neck.
Zak rocked her in his arms, one arm wrapped around her back, the other buried in the silky hair at her nape. He brushed a kiss to the top of her dark head. "Why are you crying? Tell me, sweetheart."
"I know...about you now," she hiccupped.
Zak stiffened, dread making his heart almost stop in his chest. "What do you know about me, baby?"
She sniffled, her sweet body trembling with distress. He felt her little fingers fist a lock of his hair. He pressed her tighter against his body. "Y-you're a famous rock star," she finally got out.
Zak frowned. That was the last thing he'd expected her to say. Disentangling her arms from around him, he set her back to look into her eyes.
Her eyes were swollen, her nose red and runny. Alluna's eyes brimmed with fresh tears as she stared at him, her lower lip quivering.
Zak wiped the two fat teardrops that made their way down her splotchy cheeks. "You're crying because I'm a famous rock star?" he asked incredulously.
She nodded her breath hitching in her throat as more tears began rolling down her cheeks.
Again, he wiped them away, shaking his head with a smile. "Baby, that doesn't mean anything."
Her eyes suddenly flashed as she pushed his hands away. "Why did you rescue me? Am I like some pathetic little animal you took pity on? If it hadn't been for Remien Fyre...damn it all. I'm so
stupid
."
Zak felt anger shoot through him. He'd wanted to be the one to show her the things she had no knowledge of. Zak gripped her arms and gave her a little shake. "Don't
ever
refer to yourself as stupid, Alluna." He grated, making her flinch. "You're just an innocent girl."
Her moment of shock passed, her gorgeous golden eyes lighting with hot anger. She tried to wrench free from his hold. "I'm stupid. Stupid-stupid-stupid, and...and pathetic. I mean nothing to youโ"
Zak flipped her over his knees so fast she screamed in surprise. He pulled the long, pink t-shirt Anniel had loaned her up to bare her sweet bottom.
She screamed in outrage when he flattened one palm over her back to keep her down. Her pretty ass squirmed making him grin. "You beast. Let me up."
Zak caressed her tight, round ass; so pretty. "When you refer to me, you will do so with respect."
"Fuck you," she spat making his brows shoot up to his hairline.
He wanted to laugh. She had spirit, he'd give her that...
and this too...
He lifted his hand and smacked her right ass cheek with a stinging slap. She jerked in his hold as he delivered five more slaps, alternating between cheeks. Her caramel-colored buttocks were warm and red now, making his cock grow stiff between his legs.
"Furthermore, you will neverโever-ever use derogatory words when referring to yourself," he punctuated his words with slaps to her ass, "nor defy me,"
smack "
nor tell me"
smack
"fuck you."
Smack-smack.
"The only"
smack
"word"
smack
"that will follow fuck
" smack-smack
"from your lips"
smack
"is the word meโas in fuck me, master
." Smack-smack-smack. "
Do you understand, Alluna?"
She sobbed brokenly, making his chest tighten. He hadn't hit her hard enough to cause her real pain. He was sure her pretty little ass just stung from his attentions. "Answer me."
"Yes," she snapped in anger.
"Yes, what?"
She tried once more to wiggle off his lap, but he pressed his palm harder against the small of her back.