He seemed so sure of himself, that we’d been matched across all the possibilities in the galaxy. I hadn’t even intended to be matched. I should be on Earth, in the hospital treating patients. He believed I would remain here on Trion forever, but our match was short term, only until I was called back to testify. Suddenly, the idea of leaving didn’t seem as promising as it should have.
His hands shifted and cupped my bottom, pulling me closer.
“Then… then you promise me you didn’t send for Mara?”
I heard him growl deep in his chest. “Woman, I wouldn’t have requested an interstellar bride if I had wanted to fuck Mara.”
He must have seen something on my face, for he added, “Have I eased your mind? Are we of similar understanding now?”
I bit my lip and let the tension and worry I’d been feeling seep away. “You sent me to the harem to keep me safe?”
“I had a meeting with the councilors and I could not watch over you. I protected you with the harem guards when I could not be with you.”
I smiled then. It was a little wobbly, but it was there. “I’m sorry. I am not used to a man choosing me over a woman like… like Mara.”
“Now I am the one confused. Why would any man choose Mara over you?”
I huffed out a laugh. “Perky breasts. A flat stomach. Narrow hips. Thighs that aren’t dimpled with cellulite. Hair that is smooth and tamed.”
Tark’s eyes narrowed and he silently worked the slip up and over my head, tossing the garment to the carpet. The chain brushed my belly as it swung.
“Your punishment is getting longer and longer.”
“What?” I tried to step back, but his iron grip prevented it.
“Tossing a hairbrush at your master is most definitely a punishable offense. Behaving like a shrew in front of others calls for stern retribution. Speaking about yourself with negativity is even worse. I will not hear you speaking about yourself in such a way again.”
“But—”
He swiftly turned me, then pushed me down and over his lap so I was once again in position for a spanking. His palm struck my bare bottom.
I reached back to cover myself, but he grabbed that wrist and held it securely. God, he’d done that the day before and I should have learned. I should have learned many things, but I was once again bottom high in the air.
He spoke as his palm rained down. Unlike yesterday, this spanking was much harder, the strikes hitting everywhere with an intensity that had me up on my toes and struggling in his tight hold.
“I like my woman to have curves. I like my woman to have hips I can grip as I fuck her.”
I couldn’t help the cries that escaped my lips. It hurt! This wasn’t a simple lesson on my behavior; this was an all-out punishment. “I like my woman to have breasts that are a handful.” His hand stroked over the heated skin. “How can you question this?”
I tried to catch my breath as he paused. “Because I’m short and fat.”
His spanking began again and I scrunched up my face at the searing pain and fought against his grip on my wrist. “Gara, how were you assessed for our match?”
His hand reached around and a thumb flicked over a gold ring. I sucked in a breath at the pleasure that elicited. Combined with the harsh sting of my bottom, my pussy clenched. My clit ached to be touched and I felt my thighs grow damp.
“They attached sensors and gave me something to trick my mind with visions. They made me look at hundreds of images. Then I slipped into a dream. When I woke, the match was done.”
Another round of spanking began, this time he shifted the strikes to hit the tops of my thighs. As he pushed them apart, the blows landed on the tender skin and I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
“I submitted to something similar. You are exactly as I want because my subconscious says so. Just as I am exactly what you want.”
As I sobbed, I thought about his words. My subconscious chose him. I hadn’t considered, until this very moment, that his had chosen me in return. A perfect match. Everything he wanted and desired in a lover and a mate. The idea that I was as physically perfect in his eyes as he was in mine? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. How could I be perfect if he had to keep spanking me?
Slowly and gently, he lifted me up and placed me before him. Using his thumbs, he wiped the tears from my cheeks. When my eyes cleared, I saw his dark eyes held tenderness “Enough talk. You were a good girl and took your punishment well. It is time to fuck my mate.”
Chapter Six
Tugging me forward, he pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him, my knees on either side of his thighs, taking care that my sore bottom didn’t get bumped.