by Delta James
The timer went off on the stove.
“Mac, I need to take the frittata out of the oven. Overcooked eggs are terrible.”
He rubbed his nose against hers and leaned down to kiss her again before letting her pull away. She needed to accept the idea that he meant to reclaim her and she wasn’t going to be in charge. He let her go but liked the fact she seemed reluctant to let go of him completely as her hand trailed down his arm and her fingers reached out to him even when they were no longer touching.
He followed her into the kitchen and couldn’t help but fondle her backside as she bent over to take the biscuits and frittata out of the oven. She stood up and went very still.
“Stop that,” she whispered.
“No,” he said as he encircled her waist with one hand and drew her into his body so that she was facing away from him as he held her against his chest.
He held her easily as she seemed disinclined to actually avoid his touch. He stroked the column of her throat and tilted her head so he could allow his lips to murmur sweet kisses all along her jawline and up to her ear. He ran his knuckles down the side of her body in a light caress, avoiding any direct contact with what he knew would be her pebbled nipples.
Mac let her draw away then reached past her to get the plates out of the cupboard. He set them next to her on the counter.
“We usually have beer, wine, soda, water. What’s your pleasure?”
“Water is fine. But feel free to have a beer or some wine.”
“I’m technically on duty, so no alcohol for me.”
She faced him. “Do you grope all of your female protectees?”
He shook his head and grinned. “Don’t start, Willa. Let’s serve our plates, and we’ll go sit on the couch and have dinner.”
“I’m fine here in the kitchen.”
“No, you were shot earlier today. We’re going to go sit down and have dinner.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she cried.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. He was rewarded by her body immediately softening and molding itself to him.
“Yes,” he whispered, “I do. Not just until we catch Eastwick, but after that, too. You may as well accept that.”
“I’m bad at doing what I’m told to do.”
He chuckled. “I remember, but I’m pretty damn sure I can bring you around to my way of thinking. Now, be a good girl, and let’s eat our supper before it gets cold.”
Mac handed her the two bottles of water as well as the flatware, napkins, and butter for their biscuits. He started her toward the living room and, when she didn’t move out on her own, he gave her a light swat that didn’t seem to startle her but did seem to start her moving in the right direction.
He put the rest of the biscuits in a basket, covered them with a napkin then took the basket and their dinner plates and followed her into the living room. She seemed uncertain as to how they were going to eat on the couch. She waited and followed Mac’s lead. He placed the things in his hands on the coffee table then relieved her of those in hers. He sat down, drawing her close beside him.
Before she could protest, he shook out one of the napkins and handed it to her. He then unlatched the top of the coffee table and brought it up and toward them on its hinges so it provided a dining surface.
Chapter 11
“Mandy and John seem to get happier every day,” said Willa conversationally.
“I know. I knew John before they were John and Mandy. I remember when he met her. He’d always been a great guy, and women adored him, but once he met Mandy, he was done. I can honestly tell you he’s never so much as looked at another woman.”
Willa smiled. “They are pretty great together. He’s a bit authoritarian for my taste, but I know some women like that.”
Mac watched her closely and paused before saying, “He and Mandy fit together perfectly.”
“Don’t kid yourself. They have their moments.”
“I’m not saying they don’t have disagreements. I’ve seen John when he was so angry with her he could spit nails, but they settle things…”
“You mean she gives in,” Willa interrupted.
“No, I mean they settle things. I want us to have the same thing—we don’t lie or tap dance around each other. We listen to what the other one has to say. You’re a strong, fiercely independent, and passionate woman. I need to be with someone who can stand on her own two feet when I can’t be right there. But you’re also hotheaded and a bit reckless. I think having a partner who can rein you in and hold you accountable will give you the structure and support you need.”
“I’m not doing this again, Mac. I’m not saying I don’t still find you attractive. Annoying as you are, I think you’re all kinds of sexy, but there’s no way in hell I’m answering to anybody but me.”
“Not true, Willa. You will answer to me. I don’t lie, and I don’t make idle threats. You step too far out of line with me, and I’ll put you over my knee for a little old-fashioned discipline—especially right now. You’re going to stay put until we can make sure Eastwick is no longer a threat.”
“I wouldn’t count on that, Mac.”
“Keep pushing, Willa, and you’ll get that spanking that has you so intrigued and aroused.”
“Intrigued? Aroused? Are you kidding me? There’s nothing about that I find even remotely interesting.”
Mac took a long drink from the bottle of water then sighed. “Yeah, you do. Every time I kiss you or tell you I’m going to spank you if you don’t behave, your nipples bead up and your entire body language changes. Remember, I know you, and I am professionally trained to pick up on people’s subtle signs of changes in their emotions. I’m good at it, and it’s saved my life a time or two, so keep that in mind.”
Willa pushed the coffee table into its folded position.
“I cooked. You can clean up. I want to go home.”
“Cleaning up I’m happy to do. You’re not going home.”
“Then what would you like me to sleep in?”
“I suppose it’s too soon to tell you I always liked you either in the top to my pajamas or naked in my arms?”
She gave a shriek of frustration.
He stood up, piling all of the dishes together, then leaned over and kissed her. Willa couldn’t understand why she stood there and did nothing or why she moved closer to him to deepen the kiss.
“I despise you,” she whispered as she broke it off.
Mac chuckled. “No, you don’t. You’re just pissed because you know I’m right and you don’t want me to be.”
She turned and walked toward what she hoped was the bedroom in a huff. If it wasn’t, she was going to feel like an idiot. Thankfully, she was right, and the door made a loud noise as she slammed it behind her then engaged the dead bolt.
She checked the closet and didn’t see anything that looked particularly comfortable to sleep in. However, in the dresser drawer she found a very large T-shirt that should cover everything it needed to.
Willa went into the attached bath and turned on the shower. After stripping out of her clothes, she folded them neatly. This, she thought, would allow her to slip into them quickly once the marshal had gone to bed and was sleeping soundly enough she could quietly slip away. She’d show him he wasn’t going to tell her what to do no matter how much she liked kissing him and the feel of his strong hands on her body again.
Shaking her head, she thought, Get a grip, girl!
Willa stepped into the shower and enjoyed the powerful spray of hot water as it cascaded down her body. The water stung where the bullet had grazed her earlier in the day. She used the washcloth to cover and protect it, but it felt good to wash away the grit and grime. She walked into the bedroom to find Mac stretched out on top of the bedclothes with the covers turned back on the side of the bed next to him.
“How did you get in here? I distinctly remember locking that door.”
He grinned and held up a set of keys. “No
t much good to lock something I have keys for.” He patted the bed beside him. “Why don’t you come to bed?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea considering why I’m here.”
“Probably not when you think of it in those terms, but I don’t much care. You don’t want anything to happen tonight, it won’t. That’s why I’m still dressed and lying on top of the covers.”
“And if I’m not sure about what I want?” she asked quietly.
“Then we can talk about it or make out until you decide. I’ve missed you, Willa.”
“Not planning to threaten me to have sex?”
His face lost all its humor. “Never. When we have sex again is totally in your control.”
“But you’re sure that’s going to happen…”
“Yes. And so are you. But before we start, you need to hear me when I say you will not be the dominant one in our relationship.”
“I’m not submissive.”
Mac grinned. “Good. I don’t want a submissive woman. I want one woman, you, who submits to me and me alone.”
“Do you hear yourself? We haven’t spoken in five years.”
“I know,” he said soberly. “Letting you push me out of your life was the single stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Now that we’ve been thrown together, I don’t intend to let it happen again. I made mistakes, but so did you. I mean to correct the errors of both of our ways.” He patted the bed beside him. “Come sit with me.”
“No, I want you out. I need to go to sleep. Maybe when I wake up, this nightmare will be over and you’ll be gone.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. Don’t misunderstand me. We’ll catch Eastwick and, with your help, we’ll put him away for murdering his wife. But I’m not going anywhere.”
“Of course you are. Aren’t you based in Louisiana?”
“I am, but I now have enough seniority I can put in for a transfer to pretty much any place I want…if I decide to stay with the Marshals at all.”
Willa shook her head. “Get out. Please, if you won’t let me go home, then leave me alone.”
Mac swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. He walked over to her, hugged her unrelenting body, and kissed her on her forehead. “It’ll be all right, Willa. I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can have the bed to yourself for as long as you want it, but keep the door open.”
“What if I don’t want to keep the door open?”
“Then, when I have to unlock it a second time, your backside will pay the price. I want to be able to keep my eyes on you.”
“I thought you said this place and this bedroom especially were secure.”
“They are. But you always had a nasty habit of leaving without telling me. I’m warning you, if you do it this time, you and I will tangle, and not in the way you like…at least not at first.”
“You think I’d like it if you hit me?”
“Hit you? No, but I think the idea of me spanking you, that I could make you yield to me, of finding yourself having to answer to me turns you on in a major way. Trust me, when I take you to task over something, I’ll paddle your fanny until it’s bright red and you have trouble sitting comfortably. But, afterward, the sex will be intense and will reset our relationship to neutral.”
“You’re nuts.”
He closed in on her, reaching out and taking hold of her to prevent her from pulling away.
“What I am is telling you how it’s going to be…how we both want and need it to be. Now be a good girl and climb into bed and try to sleep. I’ll keep watch over you. You’ll be safe.”
Willa climbed into bed and turned off the light. She lay down and waited. She could hear Mac settling himself comfortably on the couch. Willa catnapped off and on. When she woke and could hear him lightly snoring, she grinned. Going into the bath, she changed into her clothes, except for her boots. Those she carried in her hand as she crept past Mac’s sleeping body and reached down to the coffee table to take the keys to the SUV. Just as she had them in her grasp, his hand snaked out and seized her wrist.
“Naughty girl. You know I think I was really kind of hoping you’d pull a stunt like this.”
Willa tried to snatch her wrist away from him; she’d forgotten how really strong he was. “Let go.”
“No. Did you not hear what I told you earlier?”
“I wasn’t paying attention. I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”
“I guarantee you, Cowgirl, when I’m finished with your spanking, you’ll be paying plenty of attention to what I say on a variety of subjects.”
“You are not going to spank me!”
He sat up and pulled her over one hard thigh, trapping her legs between his as he used his hand to hold her upper body down. “Wanna bet?”
“Don’t you dare,” she screeched.
“You’ve had this coming for a good long while. I’ve often wondered if I’d taken you in hand from the get-go, if we’d have split up. I’m not taking that chance again.”
Before she could even form an angry retort, Mac’s palm came crashing down on her behind. This was no smack to her ass to ramp up her arousal or even one to move her in the direction he wanted or when he was exasperated with her. This was a strong swat meant for one thing and one thing only, to let her know how pissed he was and to administer, as he had called it, a bit of old-fashioned discipline.
“God damn it, Mac. That hurts,” she cried.
“Good. It’s supposed to. I have news for you. Once your backside is warmed up over your jeans, both the jeans and the panties are coming down, and I’m going to blister your bare butt.”
Mac spanked her in a no-nonsense sort of way. While her jeans offered her ass some protection, they held in the heat he was creating the longer and more intensely he smacked her. He moved his large hand around to ensure her entire bottom was covered with the stinging blows.
Willa struggled and squirmed but could not get away or mitigate the spanking he seemed intent on giving her.
“Stop it!”
Mac did not strike her again. Willa felt that whatever madness had possessed him had cleared and he would apologize to her. Instead, as he let her up, he made quick work of unzipping her jeans and pulling them down past her knees before bending her across his own. Once again trapping her between his legs, his palm pressing her upper body into the couch seat.
“No panties? Hmm…I think I like that. We may have to have a no-panties rule for you.”
She barely had time to register his cock throbbing beneath her, how scratchy his jean-covered thighs felt to her mons and the front of her legs, and the odd sensation of the cool air from the HVAC unit flowing over her heated bottom before his hand once again descended on her upturned derriere in a painful swat.
Willa yowled. “You mother fucker!”
“Willa Reynolds, that is no way to speak to your man. The longer you throw this tantrum with kicking, caterwauling, and swearing, the longer and worse this spanking is going to be.”
Mac repeatedly struck her rump. Once again, he moved his swats around to ensure he covered the entire area. When he used an upward swing to catch her sensitive sit spots and the tops of her thighs, he brought a new level of pain to the lower portion of her body.
Willa realized he hadn’t been making an idle threat; he fully intended to spank her into submission and had no intention of letting up until she settled down. What made that realization worse was that if she were completely honest, she didn’t want him to. Once that thought crystalized in her head, her nipples formed stiff peaks, her clit engorged, and her pussy produced more than enough of her honey, as he’d always called it, for him to be able to ride her long and hard. Willa had no doubt he intended to do just that.
Despite her best intentions and powerful will not to yield, Willa found herself going limp over his knee and crying. These were not tears of pain resulting just from the spanking, but tears of remorse and regret as well. How had things gone so far off track—both then and now
?
“Mac, please stop. It hurts.”
“It’s supposed to, Cowgirl. Do I have your attention, now?”
“Yes,” she said very quietly.
He swatted her several more times, causing her to cry harder. “Are you sure? Because I don’t want to hear later that I didn’t or that you aren’t interested in listening to me.”
Mac continued to spank her, making her quite sure she’d never be able to ride a horse again.
“Mac, please. I’m paying attention, and I’m willing to hear whatever you want to tell me. Please, stop.”
He brought his palm down and rested it softly on her bottom. Even that light contact made her ass feel worse. He loosened the vise-grip of his thighs and moved the hand that had been pressing her down up to rub the small of her back. She tried to rise, and he swatted her again with the same intensity he had been using.
“You don’t get up off my knee until I tell you that you can. Understand?”
“Yes, Mac. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. No one’s ever spanked me before…even you never spanked me like this.”
“I know, Cowgirl, and I will regret that to my dying day, but if you don’t straighten up and behave, I’ll make up for lost time. You can stand up, but then I want you to sit in my lap for a minute.”
“That’s going to hurt…” she said petulantly.
“No doubt it will, but it’ll hurt a lot less now than if I go back to paddling your ass and then tell you to sit in my lap. Now, do you want to do what you’re told, or do you need to be spanked some more before you do what you’re told?”
“No, Mac, please. I’ll sit on your lap now.”
He let her up but never allowed her to move so far that he couldn’t have grabbed her and thrown her into position for more discipline from those same hands that had so often brought her extreme pleasure in the past. She sat down gingerly, wincing as she did so.