Mia was letting Doc in the front door when she heard Jake and Alec coming down the stairs.
“Must say, I thought when you called me someone must be dead or dying,” Doc tried to joke. She knew he was trying to ease some of the tension she was so clearly carrying. She gave him a small smile of appreciation.
“Doc,” Alec said, striding up to them. He immediately reached out and drew Mia close. She loved the way he did that. He pulled her under his arm, against his firm chest.
Usually his strength made her feel safe. Made her happy. But today, her anxiety was interfering with that.
As though he sensed that, his hand moved to the nape of her neck. Some of her tension eased.
“Thanks for coming,” Alec said quietly. “Upstairs, last door on the right.”
Doc’s face reflected his surprise. She wasn’t sure if his surprise was due to Alec thanking him or letting him wander around the house unescorted or for some other reason. But Doc just nodded, not saying anything more. Jake pulled him aside for a quiet word. Then walked over to them.
“Do you think I should go up there?” she asked Alec.
He just shook his head at her. “No. I want you here with me.”
She didn’t want to argue with him. Truth was, the guilt was killing her. Why hadn’t she gone over there earlier? She knew how unusual it was for Flick not to answer her phone.
“I want him found,” Alec told Jake. “I want him locked him. You get to him quick, Jake, because there’s only a limited amount of time I can keep West occupied.”
She got it then. She hadn’t understood why Alec would let West, who’d so clearly hurt Flick, take responsibility for her. And why Alec had called in Jake.
Understanding filled Jake’s face as well. “Wondered why you’d called me.”
“Soon as she’s asleep, and he starts thinking about anything other than her, he’s going to lose his shit. And then he’s going to go searching for that asshole. I really don’t want to have to deal with the fallout from that, got me? So your job is to make sure that asshole is firmly behind bars where West can’t get to him. I don’t give a fuck about this guy; I just want West protected.”
The asshole who’d done this to Flick didn’t deserve anyone’s protection. But West had lost his shit once before over a woman who’d been abused and had barely survived. Alec wouldn’t risk that happening again. So, yeah, now she got it.
Jake nodded. His phone rang and he walked outside and along to the end of the porch. Alec turned Mia around, kissing the top of her head.
“You doing okay, kitten?”
“Yep,” she lied.
He reached down and grabbed her ass, squeezing lightly. “You know the penalty for lying.”
She didn’t say anything. Yes, she knew. But what could she say? No? It wasn’t her lying upstairs, bruised and beaten. So, in comparison, she figured she was doing all right.
“Kitten, go to my office. Lie down on the couch. I’ll be in there soon.”
She drew her head back to look up at his firm face. “But I need to get started on dinner. I need to make something soft that Flick will be able to eat.”
“Flick needs sleep more than anything. And if she needs anything to eat later West can see to it. You, on the other hand, are going to go lay down.”
“But what about the boys?” she asked. She didn’t know why she was really arguing with him. She was exhausted. She was only a few months pregnant, and she hoped her energy levels would increase by the second trimester.
He cupped her chin with his hand and raised her face. “Kitten, that wasn’t a request. In the office, lying on the couch, now.”
Okay, she wasn’t going to argue this time. He must’ve seen the answer on her face, because he leaned down and kissed her forehead then, turning her, gave her a sharp slap to the ass. He hadn’t spanked her since they’d found out she was pregnant. She wondered now if that’s why she was arguing with him. Was she trying to push him into punishing her? Hell, she didn’t have a clue. All she knew was she felt like crap.
She laid down on the sofa in his office and closed her eyes. She must have fallen into a light doze because she didn’t know he was there until he sat beside her.
“Alec?” She opened her eyes, staring up at him, sleepily.
“Yeah, kitten. Don’t worry, it’s just me. Go back to sleep.”
She reached up and grabbed hold of his wrist. “I was just dozing; I wasn’t really asleep.” Mia pushed herself up so she was sitting, her back turned into the arm of the sofa so she faced him. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Warmth filled his eyes turning them from something dark and somewhat formidable into something softer and sweeter.
“Jake’s gone?” she asked him.
He nodded. “Yep that call he got was one of his deputies. They got O’Malley.”
“Oh thank God.” Relief filled her. Followed by sadness and guilt. “How didn’t we know? She’s one of my closest friends.”
“None of this is your fault, Mia.” He pulled her up onto his lap, holding her close. She leaned into his wide, muscular chest. “And if you hadn’t been so worried about her, we might never have known. She’s good at hiding the truth from people.”
“All these years, living with a monster, I can’t even imagine. I had a monster chasing me for a few months and I nearly unraveled, Alec—”
“If she needs professional help, we’ll get that for her. She’s somewhere safe now. And he’s behind bars. Let’s focus on that first.”
“What about Doc? Has he gone?”
“Yes. He took photos of her injuries as evidence for Jake. Her finger is definitely broken, but not much can be done about it. Her ribs are bruised. He’s worried about her shoulder. He’s put her arm in a sling. She’ll need to go in for X-rays tomorrow.”
“And West?”
“Still holding it together,” Alec told her.
She hitched in a breath. “You’re worried he’s going to lose it like he did when Lana died,” she said quietly.
He just looked straight at her. “Yep.”
“You won’t let that happen.”
He looked away, out the window. She could see the memories were swamping him. She tightened her arms around him. “I thought I’d lose him back then. I wasn’t worried about the cops getting him. I wasn’t even worried about the repercussions from the family, but I worried I would lose my brother to the darkness that’s inside him.”
“We won’t lose him.”
“No, she won’t lose him. Because if anyone can save him. It’s her.”
He turned her around so she was straddling his lap and cupped her shoulders with his hands. “Kitten, I don’t want you blaming yourself for this. There’s only one person to blame.”
“I know.” And she did know it, but, still the guilt swirled in her stomach.
He studied her. Then he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her off his thighs so she was standing in front of him. She made a noise of protest, not wanting to leave his lap. He just gave her a firm look.
“You lied to me earlier, kitten, when you told me you were all right.” She stilled. Did that tone mean what she thought it did? They hadn’t played since discovering she was pregnant.
“I also believe I told you earlier to stay in the house, yet you left without permission.”
“You told me to remain in the house so I would be out of the way of Butch and West who were about to get into it. I went out the front, towards Beau.”
“I told you to stay in the house. End of story.”
Her heart started to race. Not in fear. But in anticipation.
“I have eased up on enforcing rules since you’ve been pregnant. I’m starting to think that was a mistake. I can see I’m failing to give you what you need.”
“You could never fail me,” she told him quickly. She wouldn’t have him thinking that.
Those eyes filled with more warmth, and her knees went weak. It still shocked the
hell out of her that this huge, strong, handsome man was all hers.
He stood up and reached for her, pulling her close. His hands cupped her ass. “I know you’re still feeling guilty, kitten. Give it to me.”
She shook her head. She couldn’t give it to him. Not yet.
“Give it to me,” he demanded.
She shook her head again. She wanted to. But she couldn’t. He moved to the side, away from her, and she felt the loss of his touch immediately. She swayed a little.
“Jean’s and panties off. And then you’re over my knee.”
She just stared at him for a moment.
“You having trouble hearing me?” He raised one eyebrow. So arrogant. So commanding.
So completely hers.
She shook her head slowly and reached for her jeans. “You haven’t spanked me since we found out we were going to have a child.”
“I asked Doc whether it was safe to spank you while you’re pregnant.”
She froze. Gaped at him. “You did not.”
He raised his eyebrows. Oh, he totally had. And so commenced her death by embarrassment.
“Alec,” she groaned.
He gave her that look. The one that told her she was in deep trouble. “What do you call me?”
“Sorry, Master,” she whispered. “It’s just, I can’t believe you asked Doc if it was safe to spank me while I’m pregnant!”
“Not the first man in this town to ask him that, I’m sure.” He grinned. “And good news is, he said you’re healthy and the pregnancy is progressing nicely. As long as I’m careful with you, then it’s safe. As you get along in your pregnancy, he suggests I come up with other ways to discipline you. But for now, your ass is toast. So, last time I’m going to say this, kitten. Jeans and panties off. Over my knee.”
He sat on the couch and widened his legs. She hastily pulled off her jeans. He was right, she very much doubted that was the first time Doc has been asked that. But, yikes.
“I’m going to be so embarrassed next time I see him.”
“Nothing to be embarrassed about. Doc’s lived in this town a long time. He knows the way it all goes down.”
By now her bottom half was naked. Alec held a hand up to her and she took it.
“Baby, you’re trembling? Are you scared?” He looked surprised.
“Of you?” Her eyes widened in shock that he could think that for a second. “Never.”
He squeezed her hand.
“Just feeling a little overwhelmed,” she told them. “I missed this.”
He reached up and cupped the side of her face with his large palm. She loved when he did that. It was a gentle gesture, but also a dominant, loving one.
“Sorry I haven’t been giving you what you need, kitten. That’s going to change now,” he said ominously. He helped her over his lap. His legs were spread apart, so her tummy wasn’t resting on his hard thighs—another way of him protecting her and their unborn baby. Warmth filled her again.
And then the first smack landed. Holy crap. That hurt. She let out a small, startled cry. Another smack. Then a flurry of them. Soon, her ass was burning. He kept up a steady barrage of spanks until she felt the tears rise up. The pain wasn’t harsh, she’d certainly had harder spankings. But her emotions weren’t far from the surface, and it didn’t take long for them to explode out of her.
A sob erupted.
“That’s it, baby. Give it to me.”
Another four smacks on her ass. The burn grew.
Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she was barely aware of Alec immediately stopping and turning her, cradling her on his lap. He rubbed his hand up and down her back, soothing her.
“That’s it, baby. That’s it, my baby. Let it out. Give it to me.” He had his hand wrapped up in her hair and her face was pressed against his chest. “That’s it, kitten. Let it all out.”
“He hurt her. He hurt her, and I had no idea. I had no idea and I didn’t help her.”
“You had no idea, kitten. There is no reason for you to blame yourself. It’s all on him. All on him.”
They sat there for a long time; Mia held in the safety of Alec arms. After a while she let his words penetrate, she let herself believe. But, still, she knew she’d never forget.
8
Flick came awake with a start. The nightmare still held her in its grip. The dredges of it clawed at her. She shivered, she was sweating, yet she was so cold. She tensed as someone loomed over her. Someone big. She gasped in a breath to scream.
“Sh, sunshine, it’s me. It’s all right. It’s just me.”
Her mind scrambled as the voice penetrated her haze of fear. What the hell was West doing in her bedroom? A light flickered on beside her, and he sat down facing her.
Memories flooded her mind. Beau coming to get her, taking her away from Spencer’s house. It didn’t feel like her home. Nowhere she lived with him anymore did. Then Alec, West and Mia. The sheriff arriving. Doc giving her some pain killers.
West holding her as she drifted off to sleep.
“Did Doc drug me?”
“Yep,” he replied.
“That wily old bastard.”
West laughed, and, for a moment, she froze, just listening to the sound. She couldn’t remember ever hearing him laugh before. He was always so serious.
She looked around the dark room. “What time is it?” How long had she been asleep? Shortly before Doc had drugged her, Jake had come back to the room to tell her that her brother had been arrested.
“About three in the morning.”
She winced. “What are you doing in here? Did I wake you up?”
“I was sleeping on the floor and heard you cry out. Nightmare?”
Why was he sleeping on the floor of her bedroom? She looked over the side of the bed, sure enough there was a sleeping bag and pillow on the floor.
“Um, isn’t there a spare bedroom you could use?” This house was huge, and she knew the boys all slept out in the bunk rooms.
“Wanted to be in here in case you needed me.”
“I’m used to looking after myself, you can go sleep in a real bed.” She didn’t quite know how she felt about him being in her bedroom while she slept when she’d had no idea he was even there.
At least she hadn’t woken up to find him in bed with her. She blushed at the thought. As if he’d want to sleep with her.
That thought made any warmth leave her body. West didn’t want her. He was just there because he felt guilty.
“Well, seeing as you just woke up from a nightmare, I’d say it was a good thing I was in here.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve woken from a nightmare,” she told him dryly. Oh, shit. Why did she say that? She watched as his eyes flared open then narrowed. His anger filled the room, and she shied back a little bit. He must’ve seen the movement because he quickly tamped down on his emotions.
“Scared of me, sunshine?”
She couldn’t let him know how much she loved that nickname. He’d never called her anything but Felicity or girl. Heat flooded her as she felt the heat of his thigh against hers.
God, he was gorgeous. How had she ever thought he’d be interested in her?
Spencer would never let her go. But, for some reason, she’d let herself dream when she’d seen West. It had been an instant thing. She’d just known he was her one.
A stupid, foolish, naïve dream.
No wonder he kept referring to her as a girl.
“No, I’m not scared of you. I don’t think every man is bad. I don’t even think my brother is a completely bad man. He just has demons that haunt him.”
“Demons don’t give him the excuse to hurt you,” he said fiercely. “He doesn’t get to take those nightmares out on you. There are a lot of people with bad things in their lives, who don’t hurt good people because of them. I want you to know that I’d never hurt you, sunshine. Never raise my fist to you. I know I probably scared you earlier when I talked about discipline, but I didn’t mean to.”<
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She wouldn’t have him think that. “I’ve lived in Haven long enough to know what the deal is with this place. About . . . about the rules.” She blushed as she said those words.
“Yeah? So you know that when a man takes responsibility for a woman he can set rules that she has to follow? And that there are consequences when she doesn’t.”
“Yes,” she said hoarsely. Her heart was racing. She couldn’t believe they were talking about this.
“You don’t ever have to worry those consequences would be physical for you, baby girl.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I’d never spank you. Never touch you in any way.”
When she’d met West, she’d imagined being taken over his knee, her ass bared, his hand slapping against her cheeks—and she’d never been more turned on in her life.
She’d immediately loaded up her kindle with spanking and BDSM books and boy . . . she was hooked.
She knew a lot of people wouldn’t understand. Like her brother. He thought the women here were beaten down. They weren’t. They were adored, cherished, and protected. Their men cared so much about them, they’d do anything to keep them safe. Including warming their asses when they put themselves in danger.
And from what she’d heard, the women weren’t complaining. Much. Although they didn’t seem to like it when they were denied their pleasure afterwards. She got that. She was wearing out the vibrator she’d bought online reading all those books.
So when he said he’d never spank her . . . she was kind of miffed.
Obviously, he doesn’t care enough about you. What did you expect? He took responsibility for you out of pity and guilt.
“I know the way things work in this town. I know that a spanking isn’t abuse. At least not here in Haven. I’m not the naïve little fool you think I am,” she told him, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.
“I don’t think you’re a naïve little fool, sunshine,” he said to her in a low voice. He was wearing a pair of soft flannel pajama pants. Funny, she never thought of West Malone as the pajama wearing type.
He also had on a tank top, which was a damn shame. She figured this was the closest she was ever going to get to seeing him naked.
How West Was Won (Haven, Texas Book 7) Page 9