by Starla Kaye
“Yes, ready.” She tensed as he guided his rod to her swollen lips, inched the cockhead inside her. Then he held her hips and rammed deep in one long push. “Oh, yes! God, yes!”
His answer was to pump in and out, long and deep. He grunted from his efforts. His fingers dug into her hips. “So good. So damn good.”
By the time she flew apart and came in bliss back to earth, he’d reached his own climax. Her knees had grown weak and she collapsed forward onto the bed. He fell on top of her, sweating, and panting.
His hand found the furry paddle and he chuckled. “Best damn purchase you ever made, sweetheart.”
She felt content and loved. “Thought you might like it.”
“We’re definitely taking this home with us.”
So, this plan had worked. Maybe next time….
Chapter Seven
Warm All Over
“Will you pick up the book I ordered at Barnes & Noble while you’re in Topeka today?” Colby asked from the bathroom where he stood shaving.
Brandi stretched like a contented cat on the king-sized bed in the adjoining bedroom. She was taking a day off from work. A much needed one. A day to do whatever she wanted, even go shopping in Topeka…as long as she paid strict attention to their budget. She wrinkled her nose at the annoying thought about anything to do with a budget. You would think being an accountant that she’d be alright with them. She was…for everyone else. After splurging on the recent trip to Las Vegas and all the shopping they’d done there, her husband was determined they get back to the budget he’d created and stick with it.
“Just for clarification, the book of yours isn’t coming out of my miscellaneous spending money, right?” She understood the need for staying within their budget because they were planning to go on a romantic cruise next year for their first anniversary. She wasn’t going to miss that. But watching pennies sure was a downer.
He popped his head into the doorway. “No, it’s part of my money.”
Lord, he was one sexy cowboy. Well-toned, every luscious inch of him in nothing but boxer shorts. She sighed and flipped onto her stomach, which made her inhale the scent of their lovemaking from minutes ago. She smiled at him. “No problem then.”
His eyes darkened to molten chocolate as he took in her still naked body. She could see in his gaze that he wanted to come back to bed for another round. And then she recognized his determined resistance. Darn it. He’d already told her that he was running late and his men were waiting for him to get started on some project she’d already forgotten. Only because he’d already done all the right things this morning would she forgive him. That didn’t stop her body from tingling everywhere, longing, aching.
She wiggled against the mattress and gave him an encouraging look. Would it kill him to be a little later?
To her exasperation, he didn’t take her hint. And he called her stubborn.
She sighed in resignation. “You know, Best Buy is right next door to Barnes & Noble.” Blast it all. She was still horny. Focus. You’re not getting him back in this bed. Focus. “Do you want me to check on a replacement cell phone for you? You said yours has been acting up a lot.”
“Sounds good. Nothing too fancy. No iPhone. I don’t need all the extra stuff.” He glanced at her. It was clear that his mind was already focused on ranch issues as he moved back into the bathroom to finish shaving.
She scrambled off the bed and headed for the dresser, found a pair of bikini panties and a bra, then tossed them on the rumpled bed. “Your money again, right?” She wanted clarification about the additional expense.
“No, take it out of the ranch’s expenses.” He strolled out into the bedroom and took a second to admire her as she walked toward him, then headed for the shower. He reached out and lightly swatted her bottom as she passed him more out of habit than anything else.
The soft little pat on her bare backside ratcheted up her frustrated desire another notch. Her thoughts turned to their fun little playtime in Las Vegas. That had been their first adventure into spanking foreplay with the fuzzy paddle. She adored the paddle…and the man who’d used it.
Then he ruined the memories. “You must have big plans for your spending money. Be careful, sweetheart. Remember what will happen if you go nuts with your credit card.”
She stopped to shoot him a withering glance. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ll burn my butt.”
Generally when he hinted at spanking her for some breach of their agreed upon list of rules, it filled her with a sense of dread. Going over his knee with her bare bottom exposed to feel the hard slap of his hand, was not a pleasant experience. She felt ashamed at letting them both down, embarrassed. And it plain hurt. But sometimes, when she was horny—like now, the idea didn’t bother her as much. He got turned on heating her bottom, seeing it turn pink, and watching her squirm. After she’d had what he decided was proper thinking time, he was all about making up. And he did that really well.
“It’s such a pretty butt.” He’d followed her to come back and brush his teeth.
She shivered and tried to push aside thoughts about spanking—of any kind—and about the hot making up time. “Let’s not go there, okay. I’ll pay strict attention to my budgeted free spending.” It was hard to stay irritated at him when he looked so darn tempting.
She reached into the shower and turned the water on to heat up, wondering if she shouldn’t have just left it cold. Frustration fluttering inside her, she glanced at him and their gazes met in the mirror. He’d picked up his toothbrush and started putting toothpaste on it. Still, she sucked in her stomach and hoped he didn’t notice the bit of extra cushioning there since she’d stopped watching her diet quite as well. Maybe she needed to revisit doing some Pilates exercises.
“I’ve got plans for tonight,” she said, putting as much huskiness into her tone as she could. “Something… Well, I’m not going to tell you. You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Now she had his attention, more so since she’d given him quite a surprise on their Las Vegas trip. His eyes widened with interest. He stepped closer, stopping inches away, still holding the toothbrush. “You’re a naughty woman. Teasing me this way.” He ran a hand down her arm, started to reach for a breast.
Pulse pounding and excitement tearing through her, she shifted away so he couldn’t quite touch her. Pay back for not coming back to bed when she wanted him to stay for round two. She was suffering a bit, too, but it was worth it seeing his immediate frown. “Yes, but you love me.”
“Damn right I do.” His gaze shifted down to the hard ridge beneath his shorts. “Look what you’ve done, devil woman. I don’t have the time to do anything about it.”
“Sad for you.” She giggled at his problem and stuck an arm into the shower to test the water, wiggling her bottom at him. “You’d better take some extra vitamins with you as you leave, because you’re going to need the energy later.”
He growled low in his voice, which did some amazing things to her body. Heat, shivers, heart palpitations.
“You’d best get in that shower before I….”
Giggling again, she stepped into the shower stall and closed the door, heard his heavy breath as he turned away. Yes, pay back was very good sometimes. She hoped he had a hard-on for hours.
“Don’t forget my book.” The angst of unsatisfied need echoed in his voice. “And the phone.”
She stepped under the rain of warm water. Jeez, she’d already forgotten about the errands. But she would never admit that to him. Her thoughts had been focused on the fun she wanted to have tonight, and on the sale at her favorite mall in Topeka. “First thing, honey, I’ll go to those places first.”
“Good.” He was moving away from the door when he added, “We sure wouldn’t want to spend precious time tonight discussing some violation of our rules.”
Irritating man. “Don’t worry about me.” She reached to turn the temperature up a bit more. “Worry about keeping up with me tonight.”
***
He hung his hat on the peg by the back door, drew in a whiff of lasagna cooking in the oven and his stomach rumbled in anticipation. He was a meat and potatoes man, but Brandi’s lasagna was damn good. His gaze shifted to the table by the window set with their best china and crystal wine glasses. Silver candlesticks and long white tapers had center stage. No doubt there was a salad and his favorite dressing in the refrigerator, along with their favorite brand of wine. The stereo in the living room filled the house with country music. His wife had gone to a lot of trouble.
He squeezed his hands into tight fists. She was also in a lot of trouble. If only she didn’t have this bad habit of being so lead footed on the accelerator.
At that moment Brandi scurried into the kitchen, blinking in surprise at finding him there. She had on a pair of her tightest jeans. They hugged her curves in all the right ways. His thoughts were waylaid for a second, lust threatening to make him forget his worry, his anger.
“I didn’t expect you for another hour,” she said, her brow furrowing as she must have noted his dark expression. “Something wrong?”
He forced his gaze up from the tight fit of those jeans. But the low-scooped neck of her T-shirt snagged his attention. His palms started sweating. His cock swelled. Somehow he found the strength to battle his urges down and focus back on the problem. “Did you behave yourself today, Brandi Lynn?”
She appeared confused and then blinked, and worried her lower lip for a second. “Oh damn!” Her cheeks grew pink.
“Someone from Barnes and Noble called me late this afternoon. They reminded me that if I don’t pick up my book in another couple of days, they’ll put it back in their inventory.” This was an annoyance, not a huge thing in reality. Yet she’d told him she would get the book. He was more upset about the other matters.
She shifted so the center bar was between them. “I meant to go there.” Her voice was a near whisper, tinged with regret.
Meant to. The words rubbed him wrong. “I reckon that also means you didn’t make it to Best Buy to get me a new phone.”
She studied the counter top, her cheeks turning even pinker, and he had his answer.
She didn’t look at him. “I went to the mall first, planning to go to those two places on my way home. Then I went to an afternoon movie. You know how much I like movies.” She glanced up and away again. “By the time the movie was over, I knew I had to hurry home so I could make this meal.” Now she did meet his eyes, done babbling. “Sorry.”
He drew in a steadying breath and held her gaze for several seconds. “I’m annoyed as hell you didn’t do those two small errands for me after you said you would. You know how I feel about following through on your promises.”
She bobbed her head. “Yes. A person’s word is his or her bond.” She ran a finger along the counter top and added quietly, “I get forgetful sometimes. Lose my focus. More so when it’s about something not real important.”
He moved to stand opposite her, his shoulders stiff. “No, these errands weren’t ‘real important.’ But you did agree to do them. I would have done them for you.”
“I know.” She sounded miserable and he heard the quick sniffle, meaning she was close to tears.
His gut tightened. He didn’t like making her cry or feel bad. But she’d let him down, again. Sometimes he wondered if he ever would be able to trust her. Trust in a relationship was real important to him. He wished she didn’t struggle so darn hard with becoming a responsible adult. There were days when he just didn’t want to have to deal with her selfish ways, more so when he was tired…like now.
He tried to tromp down on his irritation. There was an even bigger issue to face. “Look at me, Brandi.”
Her head lifted and she gazed at him with worry in her eyes. She swallowed hard. “You know.”
It hadn’t been a question but a statement of fact. His stomach churned, remembering getting the call from his buddy at the community police station a short while ago. “Yes, I know. Gary called to tease me about my ‘heavy footed wife.’”
The color drained from her face. “It wasn’t much of a ticket. I wasn’t going that fast,” she protested. “He’s such a busybody.”
Colby raised an eyebrow. “A ticket is a ticket. We discussed this matter the last time you got one about two months ago. And the time before that, three or four months earlier.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes again. “But the other times were warnings.”
“Because you somehow sweet talked your way out of getting actual tickets.” He drew in a deep breath, blew it out heavily. “I hate having to pay for a speeding ticket, spending money in such a foolish way.”
“I’ll pay for it,” she offered, sounding dejected.
Patience, he had to call on his limited patience. “That isn’t the point and you know it.”
She glanced up once more and her eyes were glistening with tears. “I know.”
He had to harden his heart before he reached for her and drew her into his embrace. He wanted to wipe away the tears. Hold her until he didn’t feel sick about what could have happened.
Instead he said, “What bothers me—no, scares the hell out of me—is the thought of getting a call one day where someone tells me you died in a car accident. You’re pushing your luck with your damn heavy foot.”
She blinked rapidly, but tears streamed down her pale face anyway. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “So sorry, Colby.”
“I don’t want to live without you, sweetheart.”
Brandi felt awful. She’d had a tendency to drive too fast ever since she’d gotten her driver’s license at sixteen. So far she’d been very, very lucky. No accidents, not even a minor fender bender, like her friend Sarah had in her fiancé’s truck a few months back. But she’d had warnings, a lot of them. Until today, when her luck had changed and the officer had written out a ticket. Then ratted her out to her husband, which was beside the point.
She hadn’t seen Colby look so scared before he’d talked about his fear of hearing that she’d been killed in a car accident. The strain of controlling his anger with her was evident in the vein pulsing in his neck, in the tight way he fisted his hands, in the distress filling his eyes. He could be done with all of this stress in his life. He could give up on her, even if he claimed not to want to live without her. Was she worth all the trouble she caused him?
Her heart wrenched at the idea. She had to try harder to act more responsible. She could do it!
She didn’t want to be spanked, but she’d earned it this time. Both of them had been raised in homes where your bottom paid a price when your brain made you do stupid things. This ticket incident and her vehicle carelessness qualified as stupid. They’d come to an agreement before getting married that he would discipline her when necessary. He took his role of head of their household seriously, including punishing her at times. Sometimes she didn’t agree, but she loved him enough to trust him. He was not a cruel man.
The smell of spicy lasagna drifted around the kitchen. It was ready to come out of the oven, but it could wait. She couldn’t swallow a bite at the moment, and she didn’t think her husband could, either. Determined, she walked to the stove and turned the oven off. Everything else would be fine.
She had to clear her throat before meeting his worried eyes and saying, “Spanking time.”
He glanced toward the set table. “Dinner?”
“It can wait.”
His expression softened and she noted respect in his eyes now. His whole body wasn’t as tense. Good. Well, not g
ood for her, but she’d survive.
Colby was so proud of his wife that it was a wonder the snaps on his shirt didn’t bust open. She was accepting responsibility for what she’d done wrong. The only spankings she ever initiated were the new kind, done in foreplay, she’d introduced into their lives in Las Vegas. But she wouldn’t be getting a sensual spanking with the fuzzy paddle this time. And she knew that.
“Get me the wooden spatula.” He needed to do this, but he wanted a little distance between them as well. She continued to look too damn good in those jeans, and he still remembered she had plans for them tonight. Plans he wanted to get to, but he couldn’t ignore this situation. He didn’t want the next call from his police friend to be…. He shoved the horror aside. “Now.”
She flinched at his request, but turned to grab it from the nearby utensil holder. Her hand shook as she put it in his open palm. Then she waited, resignation in her pretty blue eyes.
He considered changing his mind. She already knew what she’d done wrong and why it worried him. She expected him to follow through. Giving her a gentle look, he nodded toward the counter. “Push those jeans and panties down. I want to see your bare ass. Then bend over.”
For a second she didn’t move, just stood there looking wary. Finally she did as he’d instructed. With every passing week, his once rebellious bride was growing more comfortable with the idea of obedience. She’d always had the love and honor of him worked out in her mind. Obeying someone else came a lot harder for her.
Putting her forehead to the marble top, she shoved out her bottom. “This is embarrassing, you know,” she said quietly. “Having you see me like this.”
“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” It probably was embarrassing and that, he supposed, was part of the punishment. Having her stand in front of him with her pants at her knees, her pretty, creamy ass thrust out…. A definite thrill for him to see, he couldn’t deny that. But he didn’t put her in this position for his entertainment. Even if his cock had hardened since he’d been given time to stare at her submissive posture and the place he ached to drive into.