She was no match for him. She could have kicked, screamed, and tried to pummel her way free of his grasp, but the sad truth was no one was going to come to her rescue, and none of her efforts made a dent in his hold on her.
“Wait. What are you doing?” she cried. Fear bloomed in the pit of her belly as he picked her up, sat down on a huge chair with her then draped her over his lap.
The rush of heat that filled her at his proximity spread through her whole body and continued to get her hotter.
Her belly was cushioned in the hardness of his thighs, and she couldn’t ignore the bulge in his pants that pressed against her too. The entire intimate nature of the way he effortlessly held her down robbed her of every coherent thought possible.
But not for long. She soon realized what he was going to do to her.
Oh fuck.
“Wait,” she begged as reality dawned on her. He was going to spank her. Like a child. “You can’t do this. It’s insane. Let me go at once.”
He was a dangerous man. He was unscrupulous as well. And she was alone on a ship with him, sailing to who knew where, with a staff that would answer to him only. She was also married to him for not much longer than twenty-four hours.
Oh God help her, what had her father gotten her into?
“I’ll never again repeat myself, but since this is your first time, I will ask again. Do you want a chance to apologize, or should I continue?”
“You can jump off a high cliff into a bed of wasps.”
The moment she said those words, she knew a simple apology would have served her better.
Chapter Three
Parker Knight stared down at the lovely woman draped over his lap. Her body was nothing but sweet curves and softness.
Her flimsy summer dress, white and sprinkled with blue daisies had ridden up her silky thighs and the scent of her body crept beneath his skin and turned his blood hot.
Just as her sleep tousled dark, long, and silky hair, rosy cheeks, and eyes sparkling with both fear and anger had stirred every part of him when she had woken up from her nap.
Everleigh Rose was by far the most stunning creature he had ever come across in all his life.
And she was all his now.
He had bid his time, waiting for the perfect moment, and then he had taken her. She would never know that the instant he had set his eyes on her, she had become his.
But if he expected an obedient bride, he should have known better. Which explained why he would be handling a crucial business negotiation remotely, while his brothers Silas and Elliot took care of business in their offices in New York.
It also explained why he had bought a whole cruise line in the blink of an eye, for more money than it was worth, and planned to spend the next seven days letting her know who was in charge.
She was his wife and he intended to let her know that at every turn possible. She also had to learn that he demanded respect.
But it was hard to be angry at her for having thrown champagne in his face when she writhed across his lap for dear life.
She couldn’t escape him. Ever. He was much faster. Also, much more dangerous. And he wanted her.
Every part of her belonged to him. There wasn’t a price he wouldn’t pay for her, monetary or otherwise.
His brothers had asked the simple question of why he didn’t just ask her out, date her, court her as a normal man would. But they knew the answer to that as well. None of the Knight boys would ever be considered normal and that included all three of them. Their childhoods were much different from the other average billionaire, which he supposed made them above average.
But when Parker wanted something, he took it. It wasn’t in his nature to ask or be charming to get his way for that matter.
He didn’t think Everleigh would take kindly if he told her she was going to marry him. She would not be impressed enough with his money or his good looks if he chose that approach.
Since that first time of seeing her, she had ruined his life. He had become consumed by her. But he had indeed waited, waited for something, he didn’t even know what it was. So, when the opportunity arose to make her his wife, he took it without question. Ruthlessly.
“You let me go. Right now,” she yelled. He smiled at the way she fought him so violently but was also wary of her dress rising up. She kept reaching behind her with her pretty slender hands, the short tips painted in a teal shade of nail polish, trying to keep her dress from exposing her sweet ass to him.