She gasped in relief when he stopped. But the tug on her drawstring told her he wasn’t done. As did his fingers, pulling the cotton all the way open. In a blink, he resumed the spanking with crisp slaps on her bare skin, which upped the sting factor tenfold. And he was in no way finished with his lecture.
“You tore across open country after them, leaving a trail of dust a mile wide.” He shifted her, tipping her head toward the ground as he peppered the lowest part of her bottom, his broad hand catching the untouched skin of her upper thighs as he did. “A blind man could have seen you coming,” he went on to say, not letting up any. “Apparently, they didn’t look behind them. Or, when they did, and saw a mere slip of a girl, they had themselves a good laugh before continuing right on with their getaway.”
That hurt, his words stinging her pride as much as his palm did her backside, which had become hot and tender. And he didn’t show any sign of stopping, connecting back and forth with one fiery blow after another.
“Let me go, you big bully!” she sputtered, before repeating, “You have no right.”
“I’ve taken the right,” he shot back. “Someone has to, by God. Heaven knows your daddy won’t; he’s let you run amok for far too long.”
“Don’t you say a word about my father. He’s a better man than you could ever hope to be. Honest, industrious, not a shiftless coward who preys off others hard work.”
Ignoring yet another slur, he didn’t break tempo, not sparing a single square inch of her bottom. “He’s not doing you any favors by indulging your whims or turning a blind eye to your wild ways. You’re beautiful, Amelia, which allows you to get by with plenty, but eventually, you’re going to come up against a man whose head isn’t turned by a pretty face, a dimpled smile, or a flash of cleavage. A man just like me.”
“I hate you,” she whispered as tears burned her eyes. She also hated showing weakness in front of him, but never in her life had she had a spanking, let alone a thrashing on her bare behind.
“I don’t believe that’s true, but if it is, I still intend to keep you safe, even from yourself.”
With those final, telling words, he stopped. His hand returned to run lightly over her skin. She was mortified by his soothing, intimate touch, almost as much as the sobs coming unbidden from her chest.
He lifted her again and perched her on his lap. His big arms encircled her and pulled her close. Although she didn’t want to, she took comfort in his embrace, tucking her head beneath his chin, and going one step further by pressing her face into the open collar of his shirt. The deluge of tears came after that, not with loud weeping, but quiet, hitching sobs from deep inside.
Oddly enough, his discipline had touched on something. He was right, in part; her daddy had spoiled her rotten. For as long as she could remember, he’d never said no. Well, at least not that he’d stuck by. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and the times he said he’d had enough or when her behavior had been so reckless as to frighten him and he’d laid down the law—mostly losing a privilege or being restricted to the house instead of attending an event or party she’d been looking forward to—it hadn’t taken more than a few tears, a flash of dimples, or a sweetly worded apology to get him to relent. Just as Jake had said.
Though she loved her father, she had often worried because he was so easy on her, the feeling wasn’t returned quite as much. Shouldn’t a parent protect a child, foremost? Even if they incurred their wrath or a few days of pouting? If their behavior was bad or dangerous, wasn’t it their duty to say no and teach them right from wrong? Kind of like Jake did, just now.
Going up against armed bandits over money was insane. What had she been thinking? She could have been hurt, shot, and left bloody in the middle of nowhere, or worse, taken captive, used for their pleasure, until her father paid an exorbitant price for her return.
She shuddered. The horror was too much to contemplate.
“Shh, darlin’,” he murmured as he nudged her face up to his. Gently, his thumbs wiped away the wetness on her cheeks.
Amelia looked up into his cerulean-blue eyes, all traces of anger gone, replaced by tenderness and concern. Despite the scorching punishment he’d delivered to her hind parts, she’d had a worse fire—centered between her thighs—which had been burning for months, and her desire for Jake was the cause. Now, with him so close, it seemed natural to lean in the slightest bit.
As if reading her thoughts, one of his hands curved beneath her chin, holding her steady, while the other hand moved to the back of her head, his splayed fingers anchoring in her hair. Her heart leapt into a pitter-patter rhythm as his mouth came down, gently covering her own.
Soft and warm, the kiss was light, at first, but a moment later, when she parted her lips, he growled low in his throat and his tongue swept out, delving inside. She opened to him, her tender behind nearly forgotten as she twined her arms around his neck and sank her fingers into his thick wavy hair.
The hand at her chin left to slide over her shoulder and down her back. It didn’t stop until it reached her hip and curved inward, hauling her closer, until her softness pressed into the hardness of his desire for her. She moaned into his mouth, arching into him, seeking more contact, until her breasts were crushed against his hard chest. Heart racing, the tingling between her legs increased, and she surrendered within the circle of his strong arms.
His hand moved lower, curling into her flesh. Only then, when his work-roughened calloused skin met her own soft, tender skin did she snap out of the seductive trance that surrounded her. His fingers stroking intimately over her bare bottom meant her skirt was still down around her knees and her drawers were wide open.
She pulled her head back, ready to protest when he groaned, “Amy, darlin’, you taste so sweet. Don’t go just yet.”
The nickname her father used, coming from his hired man’s lips, was like a bucket of cool rain water dousing her passion. It brought the reality of her situation roaring to the forefront of her mind. What was she doing? One moment, he had her over his knee like he had the right, the next, she was kissing him with her ass bared to the breeze like she was a common trollop down at the local saloon and bawdy house.
And she’d clean forgotten who and what he was, tempted so easily by a handsome face, comforting arms, and a captivating pair of lips. He’d contracted to do a job then turned right around and betrayed the man who paid his salary. Her father.
Guilt swept through her as she realized that, by allowing herself to be seduced by the scoundrel who’d robbed him, she’d betrayed her daddy, too.
Well, no more!
Her body stiffened as if her spine had been forged by iron, not flesh and bone. She released her grip on his hair and slid her hands to his chest, pushing hard.
“I’d like to get up, please.” Although it was one hundred degrees in the shade, the coolness of her tone should have frozen his wandering hands on the spot.
His arms loosened their grip and his head came up, but he didn’t let go. Meeting her gaze, he stared back at her for a moment then sighed heavily. He made no comment on her sudden change of heart, only set her on her feet between his spread legs.
“There’ll be no more talk about chasing after a gang of armed thieves, do you hear? We’ll head into Corpus Christi and meet up with the stage for the return run. When we get there, we can wire your father, who must be out of his mind with worry by now.”
She remained silent, until his arms gave her a little warning squeeze and he asked in a low murmur, “Amelia, did you understand what I said?”
“Yes,” she ground out between her clenched teeth. “There’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”
Unwilling to look into his beautiful eyes, knowing the kind of man that lay behind them, she busied herself with righting her clothing, quickly. As she did so, she felt his gaze boring into her.
“When I get you to safety, we’ll also discuss what happened here.”
“You mean your mistreatment of my person?” she
quipped, still avoiding his direct gaze.
“You know what I meant.” With a firm grip on her arm, he marched her to the stand of tall red maples, beneath which, she’d hidden her stolen horse. She hadn’t done a very good job with that, evidently.
None of this made sense to her. He seemed brave, confident, self-assured. He earned a decent living doing what he did, so why was he helping the bandits instead of her father? His cut among so many couldn’t be all that much, not considering what her daddy was paying.
She cast him a sidelong glance as she hurried to keep up with his long-legged stride. He looked tense again, but nowhere near as angry as when he’d first found her. And she sensed something else, something that made his full lips turn down in a frown, but lacked the telltale twitch in his cheek.
Busy trying to figure him out, she didn’t watch her step and her boot caught on a rock, pitching her forward. His fingers tightened, and he kept her from landing face first in the dirt. Once she was steady on her feet again, he looked at her in question.
“Are you all right?”
“With you as my keeper, how could I be?” she returned smartly.
His concerned expression became a glower. “That lesson didn’t have the impact I hoped,” he contended. “Do we need to stop for another?”
She shook her head, her hands flying back to protect her seat. “I won’t be able to ride.”
“Then guard your tongue, darlin’. You’ll have to endure my officious presence for a while longer, but we’ll be in town before nightfall.”
And once she got home and filled her father in on exactly who he’d put his trust in, she’d never have to bear his company again.
She thought back on the past few months, how she’d fallen for him quickly, flirted with him outrageously, and that he might have a growing interest in her in return. And because her daddy liked him, he was easy on the eyes, and so very charming, her hopes had turned to something more than Jake being a passing fancy.
While rough around the edges, until today, he’d always been a gentleman. But no honorable man spanked a woman who was not his wife on the bare behind in broad daylight, where any passerby could see. This, combined with everything else, proved her scoundrel assessment of earlier.
Sighing inwardly, her heart more tender than her freshly punished behind, she resolved herself to eternal spinsterhood, because if not Jake Steele, who had seemed perfect and then shattered her hopes and dreams, no man would ever live up to her expectations.
Chapter 4
When they rode up to the stage stop on the north side of town, the sun had set but streaks of orange and red still lingered in the sky, visible amid the dark clouds rolling in from the west. As Jake helped Amelia down from Arrow, whom he’d kindly let her keep, since Midnight had twice tried to sink his teeth into her thigh, the breeze kicked up, turning the leaves on the trees nearby inside out. Any native Texan knew all the signs pointed to a thunderstorm.
Walking beside him to the office, he let his hand ride low on her back, not surprised she didn’t protest his touch. From the slump in her shoulders and the fatigue around her eyes, he could tell she lacked the energy. Gone was the tensely held line of her spine and the stubborn tilt of her jaw. She’d lost both at least twenty miles back.
It was no wonder, considering the grueling pace they had set. Riding non-stop between widely spaced stops took its toll on a strong man used to the routine. But for a woman who didn’t weigh much over one hundred pounds and was unused to riding long stretches, let alone in the draining summer heat, it would be exhausting.
He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her the rest of the way but knew his embrace wouldn’t be welcomed. He’d have to settle for finding her a quiet place to rest, perhaps get a hot bath to ease the muscles he could tell ached as she walked stiffly beside him. To give her a full night in a comfortable bed would be best, but their respite here had to be brief—maybe an hour, two at the most—they had a schedule to keep.
As a stagecoach owner’s daughter, she would know that. Not to mention, it had been her choice to join them that morning, the stubborn little minx. Still, he offered her what he could.
“There’s a hotel around the corner. I’ll get you a room where you can freshen up. The telegraph office will be closed by now, so we missed the chance to send a message to your father. After supper, with fresh mounts, we’ll head for home.”
She simply nodded, still not speaking to him.
At first, when she ignored him, he wanted to treat her like the childish woman she was acting and turn her right back over his knee, but that would delay things. And, with a blistered bottom, would result in him taking her up in his lap. Something he would enjoy very much but she wouldn’t like, and another skirmish would ensue. After a while, he hadn’t minded the silence.
The only time his anger had spiked again was when he’d noticed her nose and cheeks turning pink from the sun. Riding close, he settled his hat on her head. Immediately, she’d whisked it back off and stubbornly held it out, throwing it at him when he wouldn’t take it.
He reached for her horse’s reins and pulled her alongside him, noting the rebellious tilt of her chin. Although she set his teeth on edge with her defiance, he wanted her, badly. With a force of will he didn’t know he had, he refrained from hauling her into his arms and kissing her senseless.
“Amelia, look at me.” Her eyes reluctantly shifted to his face. “My skin is tanned, used to being in the sun every day. In a short time, your fair complexion has already turned pink. By the end of the day, you’ll be as red as a tomato.” Her chin jerked up in misplaced offense—the truth was the truth. “Don’t waste your martyrdom when you don’t have a cause. Wear the damn hat.”
Her lips compressed in a line but he knew he’d won this battle. Particularly when she snatched the hat from his outstretched hand and clapped it on her head. He bit his lip to contain a grin because, despite her thick blonde hair, his hat was two sizes too big, and with it riding low on her brow, she looked adorable. His body tightened at the memory of her soft, plump lips against his and her womanly curves pressed tight against his hardness.
Glaring at him, she took back Arrow’s reins and set him in motion again. As he followed, he regretted, not for the first time, that his actions may very well have ended his chance to win her heart. Especially since she was convinced he was conspiring with the bandits and after the stern paddling he given her.
What she didn’t know was that he’d held back. The spanking he’d given had been mild, not laying into her as she truly deserved for taking such risks. But her big blue eyes had gotten huge when he’d bent her over his thighs, and told him, as he suspected, it had been her first. The blush he’d brought to her curvy bottom and the sheen of tears wetting her lovely eyes when he was through had been enough.
At the door now, he opened it for her and guided her in.
“Amelia! Thank heavens.”
They both paused on the threshold, surprised to see a red faced and unusually bedraggled Gerard Banks.
“Daddy, how did you get here?”
“When you weren’t at breakfast, I went up to check on you,” he said as he strode forward. “Your horse was still in her stall, and knowing how agitated you’ve been about the lack of progress in stopping the robberies, I put two and two together and came up with a foolhardy answer that only my daughter would think of. I immediately left for Corpus Christi.” Having reached her, he pulled her into his arms for a bear hug. “Imagine my surprise when the stage arrived earlier, without you and the bank deposit.”
“I’m sorry you worried.” Her words came out squeaky as his arms tightened.
“I swear,” Gerard said gruffly, his lips against her temple. “I don’t know whether to get down on my knees and thank God you’re safe or turn you over my knee.”
As Amelia, who was clearly having trouble breathing in her father’s enthusiastic embrace choked out, “Daddy!” in protest, Jake muttered, “My vote is for the latt
er,” under his breath as he moved past them and on into the office.
Gerard eased his hold on his daughter as he turned, his eyes cutting his way. “It was the Viejo gang again, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but I’m on it.”
“I need a word with you in private,” Amelia said softly.
“In a moment, honey.”
“But—”
“What do you mean, you’re on it?” Banks demanded of Jake. “You’re here and they’re not!”
“It’s under control,” he said with assurance. “Although Little Miss Impulsive didn’t help matters.”
“What did she do?”
“Daddy, I really need to speak to you. Alone.”
Jake almost laughed at the frustrated look on her face when Banks talked over her.
“Your arrival, well after the others, tells me there was more trouble. And neither Park, Simpkins, nor any of the other men would say a word.”
Jake’s eyes shifted to Amelia, who was obviously unsure if the men were protecting her or him. He had no such reservations. “The question is more like what didn’t she do.”
“Excuse me!” she said loudly, pushing out of her father’s arms. Banks still ignored her, speaking to Jake over the top of her.
“Give me all of it,” he insisted, his face grim, like he’d rather walk through a bed of hot coals than hear of her exploits.
“You mean, other than hiding for hours, packed amid shifting, heavy cargo stacked to the ceiling?”
“Yes, other than that,” the older man replied, frowning at his daughter.
“I had my reasons,” she explained, using his own excuse from earlier. “If we can talk in private, it will make sense.”
“Then she stole my horse.” It was Jake’s turn to talk over her.
“Amelia Annabelle Banks!”
“And took off after a notorious armed gang.”
“Good God,” Gerard groaned, closing his eyes.
Amelia turned her glare full force on Jake at this point, her already red cheeks now crimson. Then she planted her hand on her hips—completely adorable—but her irritation didn’t stop Jake.
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