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Don’t miss these exciting titles by Adaline Raine and Blushing Books!
12 Naughty Days of Christmas 2015
His Winter Princess
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Izzy’s Indulgence
Lesley Clark
Prologue
“ M ax, I just can’t take this anymore. Between the wedding and work, I have no downtime. Hell, when is the last time we had any fun?” Isabella stomped her foot.
Knowing his fiancée could be a bit of a drama queen, at first, Max didn’t take her too seriously. He barely even lowered the financial report he was reading, and patted her on the ass. “You are too cute, you know that?”
“Cute?” She stared at him, fat tears shimmering in her eyes. “Could you be any more condescending at this moment? There was a time when that would have made me so happy, but now it just pisses me off.”
Eyebrows arching, he lowered the report, giving her his full attention.
“When you asked me to marry you, I couldn’t imagine a time when you weren’t my everything, but you’ve disappeared. Where is my Daddy? Where is the man who promised to take care of me?” She looked to the ground, but not fast enough to prevent him from seeing when the tears started to fall.
Their Christmas wedding was only a couple of months away, but as he watched her struggle to express herself, Max couldn’t help wondering what he’d missed or how they had gotten here. When had he stopped paying attention? Had he stopped? Apparently, she felt so, and if that was the case, then he needed to make his princess feel like the priority she was, or he risked losing her, and that was simply not an option.
“Oh princess, have I been neglecting you?” That brought her attention back to his face, right where he wanted it. She nodded slightly. That was all he could take. Setting everything else aside, he walked over to take her hand and led her back to the loveseat, where he sat before gathering her to be cradled on his lap.
“I miss my Daddy so much.” She sniffled before laying her head in the hollow of his neck.
He kissed the crown of her head, letting her talk it out while he formulated his next move.
“Between work and me organizing the wedding, we have no time. I miss you.” She sniffled again before he reached over to the table, picking up a tissue and holding it up to her nose.
He had to admit he had kind of missed this, perhaps every bit as much as she did. This was what grounded them as a couple, but also him as a man. “Why haven’t you talked to me about this before everything got so bad? I can’t help you if I don’t know something’s wrong. You need to share your feelings with me.”
She leaned back so that she was sitting up and looking him in the eyes. “I thought you knew. How could you not just… know ?”
“Because I’m not a mind reader.” And yet, as he wiped the tears from her pretty face, he realized she did have a point. He should have known something was off. Isabella wasn’t normally difficult to read when she was under pressure, and with the wedding looming, to say that she’d been stressed handling the lion’s share of the preparations would have been an understatement. For this to come as such a surprise to him now meant he had not been paying close enough attention to her moods. That was a problem, but it was also one he knew exactly how to correct. And as the old saying went, there was no time like the present.
“Well, princess, be careful what you ask for, because you will get it.” His princess needed him, and he had dropped the ball. That ended now. Before taking another breath, he flipped her so she was face down over his legs.
“What the hell are you doing?” she screamed.
“Excuse me, princess. Your language has gotten out of control, and I get to be the man who does something about it.” That brought a smile to his face.
“I don’t need a spanking.” She started kicking her feet.
“It’s a good thing I get to decide what you need. I’m your Daddy. You haven’t been honest with me about how you were feeling. You need a reminder about who is in charge.” With that, he started to spank her. He’d been so busy that he’d forgotten just how good this was. He didn’t count how many smacks he gave her, just rained down the spanks over and over again until her ass was the most beautiful shade of red.
When she was no longer fighting against him but relaxed against his legs, he knew she was finished. He rubbed her cheeks lightly, loving the heat that radiated from them.
He pulled her up until she was standing in front of him before getting to his feet with her. He stroked her face, wiping away the tears, and kissed her with all of the passion he had. Then he smiled at her, a plan forming. “It’s bedtime for you, young lady.”
“But I’m not tired, I don’t wanna go to bed,” she whined at him.
“Listen to me. You are going to bed. In the morning, we will have a long talk.” He felt her shudder in his arms. “We will work everything out, and you, my princess, will remember whom you belong to.”
“But—” she started, and he pinched her bottom hard enough to make her wince.
“Be careful, little girl. We may have some things to work out, but I’ll be more than happy to take you over my knee again.”
“Yes, Sir.” She was immediately contrite. Leading her into the bathroom, he was almost overwhelmed with remorse. Isabella trusted him to take care of her, and he had let her down.
“My princess, get in the shower.” As she complied, he went to her dresser, pulling out her shorts and the cami she loved to sleep in. When he returned, he heard her humming. She always hummed when she was feeling content.
He grabbed a towel and when she turned off the water, he helped her out of the tub and took his time drying her body. “You don’t have to do that.” She reached for the towel. He smacked her hand away.
“Let me take care of you.” He took his time drying her body before helping her dress. This might not have been part of their routine, but he loved taking care of her. He sat her in front of the mirror, taking her brush and smoothing out her hair. “Such a pretty princess.”
She smiled up at him, love clear in her eyes.
Once they were finished, Max led her to the bed and helped her in before bringing the covers up so she could snuggle under. Once she was settled in, he walked over to the dresser and picked up stuffed bear she kept there.
Bending, he placed her bear in her arms and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodnight, my princess. I love you, and I promise you everything will be okay.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” She yawned.
He walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked so he could hear if she called for him. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed a number he actually had to look up first, it had been so long since he’d called it. He really had let things slide, hadn’t he? But no more—he had plans he needed to make happen.
“It’s been a while,” said his old friend, obviously recognizing the number of who was calling him.
“Marshall,” Max greeted. “I need some help. I need to bring my girl next weekend, can you make that happen?”
“Certainly. How is Isabella doing? Entrenched in wedding plans, I assume.”
“Yes, that is a huge part of the problem.”
“Well, bring her, you know you’re always welcome. Just remember that the rules apply to everyone, even my friends. Can you live with that?”
“What I can’t live with is losing her, so yes.”
“I’ll put you on the roster," Marshall said pleasantly. “Now, let’s play catchup…”
Chuckling, Max let himself be dragged into idle chitchat with his old friend, but in his mind, he was already drawing up plans. A weekend at the Castle… just him and his little girl.
He could hardly wait.
Chapter 1
“ D addy, when are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Isabella hugged her bear close to her chest. Normally, she loved surprises, but with everything on
her plate, she was feeling a little unsettled. Usually she could work her wiles on Max and convince him to talk, but today he was staying silent.
“I guess you’ll figure it out when we get there, or maybe not.” He laughed. He seemed happier than she’d seen him in a while. She wanted to let go, like him, but all she could think about was all of the wedding stuff she wasn’t getting done this weekend while they were away.
Being a teacher, she couldn’t typically get time off during the week, so the weekends were when she worked on the wedding planning—venue, decorations, color schemes and flower arrangements… ugh, and seating arrangements. The only reason she was able to travel today was because of the three-day fall break weekend. She had hoped to have a mini staycation, but it seemed Max had other plans, and based on what he put in her suitcase, he intended to let her inner Little out to play.
“But we’ve been in this car forever,” she whined. Okay, maybe it has only been about three hours.
Just outside a tiny little town called Granger, Max pulled off the main road. When he parked the car, she looked around, surprised to find they were at a coffee shop. A very busy coffee shop, it seemed, judging by all the people milling around on the sidewalk and by the sheltered bus stop.
“Where are we?” She chewed her thumbnail, forgetting she was trying to let her nails grow out for the wedding.
“There’s no reason to be nervous.” Max reached over and pulled her thumb from her mouth. He brought it to his lips and planted a kiss on it before tucking it firmly into his lap. “You were right. We’ve let other things get in the way, and I have not been the Daddy to you that you deserve. Today, that changes. We’re taking a trip to the Castle.”
It took a moment for Isabella to process what he was saying. “The Castle? Really? I thought something happened there, how is it still there?” She thought of everything else, just not the matter actually at hand. “Wait, does Marshall know we’re coming?”
“Yes, the old building has been demolished and completely rebuilt. And yes, Marshall knows my girl and I are going to be there for the reopening. What you need to understand is that once we get on the bus, I want you to leave Isabella here in the car. For the next three days, you are my Izzy. Is that something you can do?” He squeezed her hand gently.
“Oh, Daddy.” She felt moisture welling up in her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.” She couldn’t stop the tears from escaping.
“That means no discussions of weddings or work, do you hear me, little girl?” When his voice went deep like that, her panties became wet.
“Yes, Sir.” The respectful words came out in a whisper.
“They have certain rules, one of which is you don’t tell anyone your real name. You will be Izzy the whole time.” He reached behind her seat and pulled a folder out of his bag. “Before we get on the bus, you need to read the paperwork and sign it with a clear head. If you don’t want this, all you have to do is tell me, and we will turn around and go home with no hard feelings. But if you want this, we’re going to dive in for the next three days.” He reached up and stroked her face. “I’m going to let you read the paperwork and decide. Let me know when you’re done.” He shouldered open his door.
“I don’t have to read it, I want this; you know I do.” She reached for him, wanting to keep him in the car with her, not sure what she was afraid of.
“No, Isabella. You will read every word. If you have questions, you will ask them. If I find out you didn’t read it before signing, I will happily turn your pretty little ass red in front of whoever might be around.” He climbed out of the car and stepped into the coffee shop.
This was her Daddy, and she had missed being with him. She took her time reading the paperwork before taking a pen from the glove box and signing all the proper lines. She hadn’t realized just how much they needed this.
Stepping out of the car, Isabella stretched and looked around. She saw a petite brunette across the parking lot. She was alone, and looking around like a scared little kitten. It just made her glad she had Max. He grounded her in a way she had never experienced before.
Lost in her thoughts, Isabella was just watching two white buses pull up to the stop when Max came up to hand her a bottle of water. “Oh, thanks, but I could really use a cup of coffee right about now.” She needed the caffeine about as much as she needed air.
“Did you sign the paperwork?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard her request.
“I did.”
“I recall telling you that you are my little girl for the next three days. What about that makes you think I’m going to hand you a cup of coffee, little girl?” That growl in his voice made her weak in the knees. “Now, I’m going to grab our bags and we will go get on the bus.” He went to the trunk to get their luggage while she reached in the car to grab the cross-body bag she always carried with her.
He led her to the bus and, after handing their bags off to be loaded, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Princess, do I have plans for you.” With a chuckle, he smacked her on the ass and nudged her to climb the steps and find a seat toward the back of the bus.
Isabella was lost in her thoughts about what the weekend might hold when she felt the bus slowing down, turning off the main country highway onto a long unpaved road that wound past newly harvested crop fields, heading for dense woodland. It seemed forever before the aspen and oak finally gave way, granting her that first long-awaited look at the Castle. It was amazing. Though she knew from Max’s friendship with Marshall that this place existed, to her it had always been this mythical place run by BDSM fairies. But no, it was real, and here she was, and now she was going to be able to let her other side run free. How could she ever want anything more?
“Izzy, we’re here.” Max pulled her from her thoughts, offering his hand to help her from her seat.
She stepped off the bus, already in awe at the sheer magnitude of a real life castle, with brightly colored banners snapping in the wind from the high walls, and a stone drawbridge that connected the buses to the inner courtyard beyond. It even had a moat full of orange and white fish, gathering around the shadows of those passing overhead in the hopes of being fed.
“Amazing what they’ve done, isn’t it?” Max could always read her when he was paying attention.
“Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it, Daddy.” She looked up at the man she loved. “I’m so excited to be here.”
“Me too, princess.” He kissed her so sweetly that she wondered if it was possible to fall even more in love with him than she already was. He tapped the tip of her nose, then turned to talk to some of the other men he had been chatting with on the bus.
She turned her attention back to the bus, where one woman was refusing to leave. Instantly, Izzy felt for that poor woman. She could only imagine trying to do this alone. There was no way she would have the guts to come here if she didn’t have Max.
While she stood there watching everything unfold, she felt something bump her in the back. When she turned around, she saw a beautiful brunette looking at her, mortified. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I just…” She waved her hand toward the Castle, seemingly unable to continue.
“It’s okay, really. This is all pretty overwhelming, but it could be worse.” She indicated back toward the bus, where now it seemed that staff members were getting involved.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s a girl who is too afraid to get off the bus.” At least, that was how it looked from where Izzy was standing. She watched as another man stalked onto the bus as if he was in charge. It made Izzy breathe a little easier, knowing that the scared girl had someone looking out for her.
Izzy stood there and watched, unable to look away until the man stepped off the bus carrying the frightened woman tucked into his arms, which brought a smile to her face.
“Oh thank goodness,” said the brunette she was speaking with.
“I can’t imagine the strength it takes to come here alone,” Izzy said, in awe of
just how strong this woman was.
“Alone? Wasn’t she with that man?”
“They weren’t together on the bus.”
“I really need to start paying attention. I feel like I’ve been lost in some sort of weird haze since I got to the airport this morning.”
Izzy smiled at her, completely able to understand that hazy feeling.
“Anyways, hi. I’m Daisy. Sorry again for bumping into you.”
“Hi Daisy, I’m Izzy, and it really is okay, no more apologies necessary.” Izzy could easily imagine being her friend.
“Have you been here before?” Daisy asked
“No, but I’ve always wanted to. My Daddy brought me as a surprise. What about you? Are you here with someone special?” Izzy hadn’t seen anyone with her, but it was worth an ask.
“I’m meeting someone.” Daisy bit her bottom lip, obviously uncomfortable with where the discussion was heading.
“That is so cool. This has got to be the safest place ever to meet up with someone. For me, Max decided on this and made all the plans himself. He thinks I’ve become too stressed out getting ready for our wedding.” And of course he was right, but after her meltdown, she wasn’t about to tell him so again. Nobody wanted a nag for a wife.
“You’re getting married? That’s amazing.” Daisy’s smile lit up like the sun. She was so sweet.
“Yep, in a couple of months.”
“Hey, princess, I thought I said no talk of the wedding this weekend.” Max walked up behind Izzy and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“No, Daddy, we weren’t talking about wedding plans, I promise. I just told Daisy we were getting married.” She smiled up at him.
“Would you like to introduce me to your new friend?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, that was rude. Daisy, this is my Daddy, Max. Daddy, this is Daisy.” Was Daisy blushing at him?
“It is very nice to meet you, Daisy. It looks like it’s time to get moving.” He nodded to where people were starting across the bridge.
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