by Stella Moore
“Oh.” She felt her jeans being tugged to her knees, and then he was guiding her over his knee.
His hand cupped her bottom, gently rubbing and squeezing until she felt herself begin to relax. When the first spank fell, she jerked a bit, but quickly settled. This was nothing like the punishments she usually got. It stung, but it was somehow relaxing.
She sighed, feeling herself practically melting over his knee as he gently swatted back and forth, stopping every so often to give her cheeks a gentle squeeze.
“Feeling better, princess?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. I want you to have a good time today. My parents are really looking forward to meeting you.”
She tensed all over again. “Oh.”
He must have felt it, because he swatted her a few more times, with a bit more heat than before. “They’re going to love you, princess. You relaxed enough now, or do you need some more?”
“I’m good.”
He let go and she stood, pulling her jeans back on. “By the way,” he said as they walked out to his Jeep, “don’t think I missed that sausage comment. I’m giving you a pass because you’re nervous, but you know how I feel about that kind of talk.”
“I know. Sorry.”
He opened the door to the Jeep, stopping to lay his lips briefly on hers. Mindy sighed and leaned into him, drawing strength, letting him be the rock he always seemed to be.
Her heart trembled, and she realized with a sudden, startling clarity that somewhere along the way she’d fallen in love with him. Not just fallen, but jumped in the deep end with both feet and nothing to keep her afloat.
Fox broke the kiss, then helped her inside. Sitting in the passenger seat of his old, dependable Jeep, she considered what to do with this new information. Should she tell him? No. She rejected that idea right out of the gate. When he was ready, he would tell her. He was the man, her daddy, so it was his job to lead, right? So for now, she’d just keep it to herself. Looking out the passenger window, she grinned at the scenery. It was a beautiful, warm spring day, and she was in love. How could the day get any more perfect?
That feeling carried her to his parents’ house and even up the front walk before her nerves kicked back in. But she didn’t have much time to think about how her shirt didn’t fit right or anything else, because the door flew open and a tall, dark-haired woman came running down the steps.
“Foxy!” The woman launched herself at him, and Fox dropped Mindy’s hand to catch her mid-leap. She locked her legs around him, grinning at him like he was the sun and she’d never been outside before.
“You made it! I wasn’t sure. Mom said you’ve been tied up with some new piece.”
“Sid, meet Mindy, my new piece,” Fox said dryly, looking over at Mindy.
Sid’s eyes popped open and she looked from Mindy to Fox and then let out a loud, high laugh. “Me and my big mouth.” She let go of Fox and stuck her hand out. “I’m Fox’s annoying little sister, Sidney. But everyone calls me Sid.”
Mindy accepted the handshake, praying her hand wasn’t as clammy as she thought it was. “Nice to meet you.”
“Well you guys are the first to arrive, which will make Mom happy. Come on in.” Sid spun in place and led the way inside. Fox slipped an arm around Mindy’s waist and gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze as they walked through the front door.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from the home of two Marines, but she was immediately charmed by the sweet, rustic farmhouse style of the interior. Her own house was much more modern, but she’d always had a soft spot for more traditional tastes.
And older version of Sid was standing in the bright, open kitchen, placing chunks of chicken and vegetables onto skewers. She looked up when they walked in, and the love shining from her was unmistakable.
“Fox! You made it!” She held her hands up and grinned. “I’d give you a hug, but I’m elbows deep in salmonella.” Her gaze slid over to Mindy, and though the love wasn’t there, her expression was still warm and inviting. “You must be Mindy. I’m Karen. It’s lovely to meet you, dear.”
“You, too. You have a lovely home.”
Her eyes, the same caramel as her son’s, brightened. “Do you like it? We just remodeled. I’m afraid I drove poor Bobby to distraction during the process.”
“That she did. Woman couldn’t pick a paint color in under two weeks if her life depended on it.” A man who she assumed was Fox’s dad walked in, his wide grin contradicting his gruff tone. He was tall, though not quite as tall as Fox, but both were built the same with their wide shoulders and rippling muscles. He winked at Mindy and stopped to press a kiss to his wife’s cheek. “Bobby Washburn, at your service. Mindy, right?”
“Yes, sir. It’s nice to meet you.”
He waved a large, meaty paw in her direction. “I get ‘sirred’ to death at work. Just Bobby is good enough at home.” Bobby glanced at his son, gave a quick once over. “Boy, you need to eat more than grilled chicken once in a while. Put some meat on those bones.”
Since Fox was built like a Mac truck, Mindy assumed it was a joke. “Can’t be too careful. Don’t want to let myself go like you have, old man.”
Bobby roared with laughter, shaking his head. “Disrespectful. So what do you do for a living, Mindy?”
“Me? I’m an accountant.”
Bobby blinked and then stared at Fox. “How’d you land this one? Smart and gorgeous?” He sent Mindy a suspicious look. “What do you see in this guy?”
The question had several inappropriate answers popping into her head, and she hoped she wasn’t turning as red as she thought she was. “He keeps me stocked in chicken breasts.”
Bobby roared again, and Karen joined in, shaking her head at them. “She’s going to keep you on your toes,” she said, grinning at her son.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Fox replied, giving Mindy another squeeze.
“What aren’t we telling Fox? That he’s adopted? You promised you’d wait for me to tell him!” Sid came strolling around the corner and stuck her tongue out at her big brother.
“Brat.”
The back and forth was amusing, even if Mindy wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. She and her mother had a tight, loving bond, but it consisted more of late night phone calls and crying together over Hallmark movies than whatever this was that Fox’s family did. But the love between them was undeniable.
Sid grabbed two beers from the fridge and walked over to grab Mindy by the arm. “We’re going outside for some girl talk,” she declared, pulling Mindy away from Fox.
Mindy looked over at him, silently begging to be rescued. But Fox just grinned and shrugged as she was carted through the French doors.
“So,” Sid began, popping the top on a beer and handing it to Mindy. “How’d you meet my brother?”
Mindy took a long pull of liquid courage. “I roped him into being my personal trainer.”
Sid’s eyebrows winged up in obvious surprise. “Really? Huh. I thought he was good at his job. How long have you guys been dating?”
The insult was so subtle, delivered so casually, Mindy decided she must have misheard. “About a month. What did you say?”
“About what?” Sid took another sip of her beer.
“About Fox being good at his job.”
“Oh.” Sid shrugged. “I just mean, he’s got all these certifications and awards, but I guess it doesn’t work for everyone.”
She almost let it slide. A lifetime of putting up with little digs like that had pretty much conditioned her to just let those types of comments roll off her back. But maybe she’d been building a backbone with all that muscle, because she didn’t. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sid paused, the beer almost to her lips and looked over at Mindy, her eyes wide with surprise. “Well, it just doesn’t seem like it’s done you any good. Really, it was kind of shocking to see you with him. I always thought he liked his women lean.”
M
indy gripped the neck of her beer bottle, silently reminding herself that if she smashed it over Sid’s head, she’d probably end up in jail for assault. Not to mention what Fox would do to her. Instead of committing a violent crime, she walked back through the kitchen doors, where Fox was leaning against the counter, chatting with his dad.
He grinned when he saw her. “Hey, princess. What’s up?”
She sat the beer on the counter. “I think I should go. I can call for a ride if you want to stay.”
Fox’s eyes lit with alarm. “What’s wrong?”
She smiled at him, holding herself together through sheer force of will. “I’m suddenly feeling a little tired.”
He walked over and laid a hand on her forehead, and she nearly rolled her eyes. She should have known that would send him into daddy mode. “You’re not sick. What’s going on?”
Mindy glanced behind him, where his parents were watching their interaction with avid interest. “Fox, I just want to go home. Okay?”
“No, it’s not okay.” Concern had been replaced by a flare of temper. “You were fine five minutes ago. Why do you suddenly want leave? And don’t lie to me again, little girl.”
She saw his parents’ eyes widen, and the humiliation of it finally pushed her over the edge. “Because if I don’t leave now, I might just punch your sister in her stupid fucking face. Happy now?”
The flare of temper she’d heard in his voice burned in his eyes. “Would you excuse us for a minute?” He was obviously addressing his parents, but his eyes never left her face. Wrapping his hand around her upper arm, he pulled her to the steps and up to the second floor.
“Fox, let me go! You’re embarrassing me!” She kept her voice as low as she could while getting the point across that she was not okay with what was happening.
Fox remained silent as he led her down the hall to a bathroom. Her stomach tightened at the memory of what he’d said the last time she’d cussed at him.
“Daddy, no! Please!” The tears she’d managed to keep at bay filled her eyes as he shut the door behind them.
“The crocodile tears aren’t going to help, little girl. Hands on your head.”
“But, just let me explain.”
He shook his head. “You had a chance to explain. You chose to lie to me, and then swear at me. Did you think I wouldn’t punish you here?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry I said a bad word, but I was upset.”
“You can tell me about it after. Hands on your head unless you want everyone to hear you getting your bottom paddled before I wash your mouth out.”
He was mad enough that she wasn’t sure he was bluffing. She laced her hands behind her head and waited while he opened a cabinet and pulled out an unopened bar of soap. Turning the water on, he stuck the bar under the flow and rubbed until he’d worked up a good lather.
“Open.” He held the bar in front of her face, the crisp, clean smell stinging her nose.
Clamping her lips shut, Mindy shook her head. Fox stared at her as if she’d just sprouted wings, and then simply pinched her nose so she couldn’t breathe. It took an embarrassingly short amount of time for her mouth to pop open. As soon as it did, he shoved the bar in her mouth.
Hot, miserable tears flowed down her cheeks. The soap tasted awful, and it burned her mouth and the back of her throat. She had no idea how long she stood there, hands on her head with her mouth filled with soap, but it felt like an eternity before he finally pulled the bar from her mouth and told her to rinse. But no matter how many times she filled her mouth with water, the soapy taste wouldn’t go away.
Fox sat on the closed toilet lid and pulled her onto his lap. “Ready to talk, princess?”
The words stuck in her throat, then burst out of her as a sob. She curled into him, crying on his shoulder as he silently rocked her in his arms. The hurt and anger and humiliation poured out of her until she was hollow and empty.
“Sorry,” she said, sniffling, when she was done.
“I know, princess. Will you talk to me now? Help me understand what’s going on here.”
Sighing, she settled her cheek on his broad shoulder. “Your sister said something to me and it upset me. I just wanted to go home and have my meltdown in peace.”
“What did Sid say, exactly?”
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“Telling me isn’t making a big deal. And now I’m not asking, little girl. Tell me exactly what happened.”
She silently debated whether it was worth the spanking he’d no doubt give her if she kept refusing to tell him. Eventually, her desire to keep her bottom a nice, pristine white won out. “Sid just made a snide comment about my weight. I told her I was training with you and she said she thought you were good at your job and that it obviously doesn’t work for everyone.”
“I’m going to fucking kill her.”
Mindy giggled. “You said the bad word, Daddy. Do I get to wash your mouth out now?”
“No, because I’m the daddy. I’m sorry, princess. I’ll talk to her.”
She sat up, shaking her head vehemently. “No. That’ll just make it worse. I don’t want to cause any drama.”
His eyes searched her face. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was searching for, but he must have found it. “All right. You still want to go home?”
“Yes, but I’ll call for a ride. I don’t want you to leave your family.”
“You’re bound and determined to get a spanking tonight, aren’t you?”
Mindy pouted. “What did I do?”
“You think I’m going to leave you by yourself when you’re this upset?”
“I just don’t want to spoil your time with your family.”
He kissed her, light and sweet. “You didn’t, princess. My sister did. Let’s go.”
She started to ask if he was sure, but his warning on that front was still fresh in her mind. So she nodded.
Bobby was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting on them with concern etched into his handsome, weathered face. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Fox said lightly. “We’ll see you guys another time.”
Bobby frowned. “What happened?”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Dad.”
“Do I need to have a word with your sister?”
“Tomorrow,” Fox repeated, tugging Mindy toward the front door.
“Maybe we should stay,” she said when he opened the Jeep door for her.
“Nope, going home. Don’t argue.”
It went against every instinct she had to drag him away from his family for something so ridiculous. But beneath the simmering anger, she sensed his need to protect her. So she set aside what she felt she should do and nodded. “Okay, Daddy.”
Chapter 17
Fox glanced over at Mindy as he drove back to her house. He could kill Sidney. What the fuck had she been thinking, saying something like that to his girl? Sid had a mouth on her, but she usually wasn’t outright rude.
But that was a problem for another day. Right now, he had a little girl to take care of. And he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. He didn’t want to baby her too much, but he also couldn’t shake the need to soothe and comfort.
“I’m really sorry,” she said for about the fifteenth time.
He clenched his teeth together to keep from snapping at her. She didn’t need his anger. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, princess. So stop it.”
“I shouldn’t have overreacted. It wasn’t that bad. I’m just too sensitive.”
“Mindy. Stop.”
“But—”
“I swear if you say one more word I’ll pull over and bust your ass on the side of the road.” Well, so much for not snapping at her. Fuck it.
He could see her out of the corner of his eye cross her arms and flop back against the seat with a huff. Good. If she was put out with him, she wasn’t sad, and that was all he wanted.
She’d cried. His sweet, bratty, bubbly girl had
sat on his lap and cried like her heart was breaking. Not because he’d punished her, which was bad enough, but because of something someone had said to her. He’d always known her weight was a sensitive issue, but he was realizing now that he didn’t truly understand just how deep the hurt went.
At her house, she immediately disappeared into her bedroom. Fox waited for her in the living room, unsure of his next move. She emerged a few minutes later, wearing a pajama set decorated with dancing kittens, her face freshly scrubbed.
She looked so young and sweet. He loved this side of her, when she wasn’t trying to be anything other than herself. It was all the more precious to him knowing that she rarely shared this side with anyone but him.
“Want to watch a movie?” he asked.
Her face lit up and she nodded. “Popcorn?” she asked hopefully.
“Sure. Go pick something to watch and I’ll get it.”
She practically skipped to the couch. Relieved to see she wasn’t wallowing, he went to the kitchen to make the popcorn. It gave her plenty of time to pick a movie, since Mindy insisted on cooking it on the stove. No microwave popcorn in her house, another one of those little quirks he loved about her.
By the time he’d finished, she had a movie picked, something with lots of loud explosions as usual, and was sitting on the couch typing away at her phone. She glanced up when he set the popcorn and cokes on the coffee table, then went back to typing. It was the little snort of laughter and the smirk that caught his attention.
“Who’re you talking to?”
She visibly hesitated, which sent his antennae quivering. “Jenna.”
“What’s Jenna think about what happened?” He knew women, and more to the point, he knew his girl. When she and Jenna decided they didn’t like someone, it was all out war. And since the someone they were most likely discussing was his sister, he needed to stop it before it got out of control.
The blush on Mindy’s face told him he might be too late. “Just that it wasn’t very nice. Movie now?”
Fox silently held out his hand. She pouted, but passed the phone to him. The text window was still open, so he scrolled back to the beginning of the conversation. His stomach clenched as he read their conversation. It started out innocently enough, with Mindy telling Jenna how embarrassed and hurt she felt. But, as he’d suspected, Jenna cranked it up by calling his sister several very unflattering names that Mindy wholeheartedly agreed with. Then Mindy got in on it, describing in detail all of his sister’s physical flaws.