by Golden Angel
“I already have, you silly chit.” The man’s voice was gravelly and full of annoyance. “I will not get to kill your husband now, but you will help me set another trap for him, then I will have the pleasure of killing both of you. Now come along.”
Letting the villain take Josie to another location was out of the question. Elijah stepped forward into the gap between the hedges, aware of Rex pulling Mary back away from him so they could remain obscured by the branches and leaves.
“Oh, really?” he drawled, playing for time, muscles tensed and ready to leap aside. The man turned toward him, gun in his outstretched hand.
Josie shrieked with outrage beside the villain, turning and grabbing his arms, pushing them up as the gunshot rang out—Elijah had already moved from his position, anticipating such a reaction from the blackguard, though he had not foreseen Josie’s actions. Putting herself in more danger…
He popped back up in the entrance just in time to see her pop the blackguard in the nose with a strong right hook. If it took Elijah off guard to see it, it took her attacker even more so to be on the receiving end. He spun around blindly, only to come face to face with Lily, who had appeared like an avenging goddess in the back entrance to the courtyard. Her face was slightly scratched, and small twigs dotted her hair and dress, but her expression was grimly determined as she went to work on their villain, effectively downing him with two efficient blows to the head, stunningly beautiful in their execution.
Falling against the base of the fountain, the man was utterly poleaxed. Elijah knew how he felt. Even with Josie’s claim, Lily was the superior boxer, he had hardly expected her level of expertise.
His focus turned to his wife, who was panting for breath and rubbing her arm where a hand-shaped bruise was already forming, thanks to the man’s hard grip. Hurrying forward, Elijah pulled her into his arms, swinging her away from her assailant. As he did so, he glanced down and was shocked to recognize the man.
“James Magruder.”
“Who?” Josie asked, her arms wrapped firmly around his middle as she hugged him.
“That is James Magruder, Cousin to Viscount Rawlings, I believe.” This was not the first time they had crossed paths. Elijah knew him because he’d caught Magruder cheating at cards, which had resulted in James being booted from the club in question. He was not considered good ton, but his connection to his cousin explained his ability to appear at their events without overmuch speculation. Elijah very much doubted Magruder was the mastermind behind everything, but with his grudge against Elijah, he made a very good henchman.
Still holding his bleeding nose, Magruder glared at him through rapidly blackening eyes. Josie and Lily had done a number on him.
Elijah smiled down at him menacingly.
“I look forward to having another conversation with you, Magruder.”
Things moved quickly from there. Father appeared with several men to apprehend Magruder. Another time, Elijah would have stood over the man and been part of binding his hands and hustling him out of Vauxhall, but today, his priority was his wife. Josie was unharmed but shaken, as were Mary and Lily.
“We have to get Lily out of here unseen. Does anyone have a cloak?” Josie asked, causing Elijah to give her an exasperated look.
“What?”
“Lily! Look at her!” Josie did not relinquish her grip on Elijah’s middle as she nodded toward her friend. “She’s a debutante on the Dark Walk, and she cannot step out of it looking like that. Her reputation will be ruined.”
Blinking, Elijah realized Josie was right. The marks on Lily’s skin, the twigs adorning her hair, and the tiny rips in her dress were from forcing herself through the hedges so she could sneak up behind Magruder, not knowing her appearance would be credited to far more vile reasoning.
Mary and Rex went to get Lily a cloak while she waited in the courtyard with Father, Elijah, and Josie. The men who had taken custody of Magruder bundled him off in the opposite direction, going deeper into the Dark Walk to go out another exit, farther from the revelers.
Throughout it all, Elijah did not relinquish his tight grip on Josie. The memory of seeing her disappearing onto the Dark Walk, chasing after an unknown villain, would give him nightmares. She was not going to sit comfortably for a month after this if he had anything to say about it. What the devil had she been thinking?
“That was quick thinking, but also very foolish,” Father said, dabbing at one of the deeper scratches on Lily’s arm with his handkerchief, blotting away the blood.
“Well, I could hardly stand around and do nothing.” Lily shook her head. Other than her disheveled appearance, she was back to looking like a prim and proper debutante, a little more modest than most. As far as appearances being deceiving, Elijah thought she might take the cake. “The man was going to kidnap Josie. I did not want a repeat of Mary’s situation.”
“Be that as it may—” Father’s gentle scolding was cut off when a gunshot ricocheted through the air. “Are the fireworks starting already?” By his tone, he knew, as well as Elijah, that was no firework.
The sound had come from deeper within the Dark Walk.
“Stay here. Guard them.” Father’s orders were terse as he dashed out of the courtyard, heading in the direction Magruder had been taken. Before his marriage, Elijah would have felt left out and chafed at the bit, though he would have understood and done his duty. Now, there was nothing more important than guarding Josie’s safety. Even if his father had wanted to send him to see what was happening, Elijah was not sure he would have gone.
His place was here, by Josie’s side.
Always.
“What was that? Where did Uncle Oliver go?” Mary stepped into the courtyard, followed by Rex, who loomed behind her, looking increasingly anxious.
“Gunshot?” Rex asked, in the tone one of who wanted to be told he was wrong. His expression grew grimmer when Elijah nodded.
“I think so,” Elijah temporized, but he knew it was true. While the fireworks would be going off soon—which Magruder had likely counted on in his plan to murder Elijah—his gut knew it had been a gun.
Mary wrapped the cloak around Lily, and all three ladies had stubborn expressions on their faces Elijah recognized. Fortunately, he was not forced to tell them no, they could not investigate because Father was already striding back into the clearing.
“Magruder is dead.” Father was grimly furious. “Shot from someone behind the hedges. They got away.”
Elijah cursed, hugging Josie tighter. Their mastermind was still out there, and now, their only new lead was dead.
Chapter 37
Josie
Despite knowing her bottom was in for some stern discipline, Josie felt nothing but relief arriving home with Elijah. Tonight could have gone so differently in so many ways.
She could have been killed.
Mary or Lily could have been killed.
Elijah could have been killed.
Despite her love for her friends, it would have been the last possibility that would devastate her the most.
Instead, they had come had all come through it with nothing worse than bruises and scratches. Her arm still ached where Magruder’s fingers had gripped her, but that was hardly worth noting compared to what could have happened.
Elijah seemed to feel the same way. Rather than ordering her immediately to the corner or to present herself for discipline, the moment they were alone, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. Devotedly. Josie returned the kiss, clinging to him with all her strength. Celebrating, for lack of a better word, the ability to do so.
It was several long moments before their lips parted, leaving her dizzy and gasping for air as her husband’s dark eyes bore into hers.
“What the devil were you thinking, going after Magruder on your own?” He did not relinquish his hold. His arms tightened, trying to press her even closer to him as if afraid she might slip out of his grasp at any moment. Foolish man. There was nowhere she would rather be. S
he hugged him back even tighter.
“I thought he had set a trap for you and the best way to thwart him was to spring it myself first,” she responded guilelessly. There was no point in hiding her motives from him. Elijah groaned, closing his eyes in sheer disbelief. Josie shrugged and bent her head against his chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft material of his jacket, feeling the steely muscles beneath. It was easier to make her admission when she did not have to look at him. “I am as eager to protect you as you are me. That happens when one is in love.”
Because of how tightly they were pressed together, she felt Elijah’s breath hitch. Felt every minute reaction of his body. The way he stilled, as the impact of her words hit home, the way his fingers caressed in their wake, the feel of his cheek atop her head.
Josie was braced for his questions, his disbelief, ready to defend her statement or even to bear his judgment over her flighty emotions. What she was not ready for was his simple response.
“I love you, minx.”
Pure, unadulterated joy bubbled up inside her. She twisted her head around, forcing his from atop hers so she could kiss him again, this time with a new array of emotions, even stronger than the ones before. Elijah’s lips curved against hers in a happy smile, and she pulled away from the kiss, staring at him.
“You love me?” She did not mean to sound incredulous, but she was.
“Not that it will do you any good in avoiding your just punishments,” Elijah teased, bending his head to press the tip of his nose against hers. “But yes, I love you, Josie. There is no other woman in the world I would rather have as my wife.”
“Even though I am impetuous, reckless, and flighty?”
“All of which gives me a good excuse to turn your bottom red. Like right now.” Josie shrieked with laughter as he spun her around to face the bed, his hands roaming over her, touching every inch of her as they moved. Her own hands pressed down on the mattress as Elijah flipped her skirts up, baring her bottom.
Despite the seriousness of the matter at hand and knowing he would not go lightly on her, she still felt nothing but elation. In some ways, Elijah’s punishments showed his love, a way of showing he cared about her behavior, about her safety. Her willing reception of them showed hers—she would consent to his discipline, ceding to his domination over her, in a manner they would both ultimately enjoy.
The spankings would hurt, but the gratification of making up afterward overcame any lingering pain. If she was honest, she did not entirely dislike the spankings.
Elijah
Bringing his hand down on his wife’s pert bottom, seeing the color bloom on her creamy skin, a combination of relief and happiness swept over Elijah. Both of them were still here, unharmed and able-bodied. The utter exhilaration he felt at Josie’s admission of love, returning it with his own, was making him want to be far softer on her than he knew he should.
Then again, he did not want to harm her. Perhaps her punishment should be spread out over the next month, doled out on a weekly basis. The thought made him grin. Being spanked on a weekly basis should also have the salutary effect of keeping her in line in other matters, not wanting to risk adding to her punishment.
Or perhaps not. Elijah was becoming accustomed to the idea he would not always be able to predict, much less direct, his wife’s behavior.
However, there were some things he could make clear enough.
“You will not go off chasing any more villains by yourself.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“You will wait for me next time.”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“But he might have gotten away!” Josie protested, her pink bottom wiggling as she tried to look over her shoulder to meet Elijah’s gaze. He responded by giving her arse a hefty swat across the center of her bottom. Shrieking, she bounced and jiggled.
“Which would have been preferable to putting yourself in danger,” Elijah said sternly. “You did recently require I consult with you before hieing off on my own, did you not? Yet today, you did exactly that.”
The silence that met his point made it clear she did not have an argument. Reminding her of her infractions also made it easier to push his joy aside in favor of becoming a sterner disciplinarian.
He spanked her harder, eliciting little yelps from her as her feet danced. She bounced on her toes, digging her fingers into the covers on their bed to keep from trying to reach back and cover her bottom, which was turning a nice shade of pink.
As punishing her bottom had not had a lingering effect, Elijah branched out a little. His next swat, though not as hard, fell between her thighs, right on the swollen lips of her pussy. Josie shrieked, back arching, and he could see the effort it took her not to release the coverlet. It was also no surprise when his fingers came away wet.
He and Josie were perfectly matched in every way.
Josie
Ow, ow, ow!
Another sharp, stinging swat landed on her pussy, and Josie shrieked again. Elijah was marginally gentler when he spanked her there, yet it hurt twice as much as her bottom did! That or she was getting far too used to the feeling of having her bottom spanked.
Each slap against her tender folds made her jerk and cry out, the sensitive flesh swelling against the assault. Conversely, her need soared higher every time Elijah’s hand landed. It burned painfully yet pleasurably, and when the tips of his fingers snapped against the swollen bud of her clitoris, she thought she might actually combust.
As if sensing that she was close to her peak, Elijah pulled back, leaving her simmering, shuddering, and oh-so-very needy.
“Five with the belt. For today.” His stern voice made her insides flip. “Next week will be more of the same, and for the next two weeks until your punishment is completed.”
Josie whimpered, her bottom clenching at the idea of being spanked—belted—for four weeks in a row. Yet she could not find it within herself to argue against the severity of the punishment. She had known she was thrusting herself into danger, taking the action she would have severely upbraided Elijah for. She knew it was luck, inasmuch as anything else, that got them through the day, hale and hearty.
As admirable as her motivations had been, she could have stopped to think before springing into action. Perhaps next time, she would even do so if it would get her out of a more egregious punishment.
The first lick of fire across her bottom made her scream.
The belt was far more painful than his hand or even the ginger.
Yes, she would definitely take more time to think before leaping to action next time.
She did not protest when Elijah laid down a second welt, just beneath the first, searing her senses with the fiery discipline. Tears rolled down her face, and she bit her lip against begging him to stop. Part of her needed this, even craved it. The pain was her absolution, her apology for the fear he had felt when she had gone after Magruder without him. She saw how white-faced he’d been when he finally caught up, felt his terror, and she truly was sorry for putting him through that.
By the time the fifth blow landed on the sensitive backs of her thighs, Josie was sobbing. It burned… it burned like a thousand suns… yet when Elijah rolled her onto her back, pulling her against him, his cock seeking comfort between her thighs, she was soaking wet with arousal. Her lips met his hungrily, pulling him against her even as she cried out at the shocking sensation of being filled with one thrust as her sore bottom pressed against the mattress.
Their joining was rushed. Frantic. Fueled by lingering reactions to fear as much as their own ardor. A confirmation of life.
When their breathing slowed, so did Elijah’s touches. He stripped her down, and she returned the favor, kissing every inch of each other as they went, stoking the fires of their passion. The skin of her bottom still burned, especially when he gripped it, but the pain had transmuted into something far more pleasurable.
They moaned in unison, moving together as the glory of their love flowed over and through the
m. Josie looked up at the man moving above her, in her, and knew she had finally found the love she had always sought, the happiness she’d yearned for, and saw him looking at her the same way. He bent his head, claiming her lips yet again, thrusting strongly between her thighs as the need riding them crescendoed and peaked.
Josie cried out against his lips, her fingers digging into his shoulders, legs clutching him closer to her. His cock thrust deep, sliding through their combined wetness and filling her completely.
Wrapped in a tangle of limbs, her bottom and between her legs throbbing for two entirely different reasons, Josie nuzzled Elijah’s shoulder with her nose.
“I am sorry for rushing off the way I did. I should have stopped and waited to speak with you.”
His arm around her tightened, and his lips brush the top of her head.
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”
Squirming around, Josie got into a position where she could look Elijah in the eyes.
“Trust me, I may be impetuous at times, but there is nothing I want more than to spend every night safe in your arms.”
Elijah grinned at her. His open expression would have shocked most of his acquaintances since he normally did not lower his barriers. Josie luxuriated in the intimacy and love emanating from him.
“Trust me, minx, I will do everything I can to assure that outcome.”
“I love you, Elijah.” Tears stung her eyes at the emotions that surged inside her, filling her with such joy that she could barely contain it. She was so, so grateful she had married the wrong Stuart brother.
“I love you, Josie. My little minx.”
There was still a traitor to uncover and catch, a Season to finish, but for now, Josie was—perhaps for the first time—perfectly content with her life.