by Alta Hensley
“Aren’t we going to cook?” she asked when he set the fish in the sink.
“Yes,” he said, taking the other items for their supper. “But since I don’t want you to work yourself into feeling too sick to enjoy our feast, we’ll take care of your debt first.”
“Oh, um, okay. But let me check your arm first.”
Anson grinned. “Sure, but know that if my doctor attempts to tell me that I’m medically unfit, I’m going to ignore her.”
She looked cute even when caught in the act. After she’d cut the plastic away, she looked up. “The plastic worked. Your bandage is dry and I don’t see any evidence of blood.”
“I like that report, Doctor Alvarez.”
Her smile was a little shaky, but it was a smile. “So how do you want me?”
“In so many ways it will take the rest of our lives to explore them all,” he said, adoring the flush that instantly stained her cheeks but loving the fact that her eyes softened. Drawing her to him, he held her, his cheek against the top of her head. “Remember what I said about never harming you?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitating.
“I meant every word. Trust me?” He could feel her nod against his chest and heard her give the answer he knew was so vital for both of them.
“Always.”
He lifted his head and she did as well. After a kiss that was nothing more than a soft feather touch against her lips, he slid his hand under her blouse, caressing the skin of her abdomen while his lips moved from hers to the shoulder that had been bared when her blouse slid from it. She relaxed at his touch. “You have the softest skin.” Her quiet moan as his kiss changed to a small nip was music to his ears. Kissing the spot on her shoulder that he’d bitten, his hand moved to her breast beneath her blouse, fingers easily finding her nipple, already taut.
“You have the most amazing breasts.” His lips moved up to kiss her neck, and this time when he took a nip, his fingers closed around her nipple, giving it a squeeze. Her moan was deeper, longer, adding another note to the song of his play.
Though he had to be far more careful than he preferred, having overtaxed his arm throughout the day, he still managed to slide his right hand beneath the waistband of her skirt, to caress her bottom. With his lips a fraction of an inch from the shell of her ear, he whispered, “And the most beautiful ass.” Taking her earlobe between his teeth, he took a bite as his finger slid between the crease of her ass.
This time her moan was a gasp and she pressed closer to him, as if to get away from his finger, but he had other ideas. Releasing her earlobe, he gave it a lick, his breath wafting over her ear, loving her shudder and the feel of her nipple stiffening further between his fingers. By the time he was done collecting his due, he prayed that she’d also be pushing her ass back to his hand instead of pulling away… no matter that his finger was still stroking up and down the divide of her ass.
After returning his mouth to hers for a final kiss, he removed his hands, smiling when she gave a soft sigh. Taking her hand, he led her towards the couch. “Hang on,” he said, releasing her hand. He pulled the top sheet off the bed, draped it over the couch cushions, and added one of the bed pillows at one end. “Won’t help with the lumps, but you won’t be inhaling dust.”
“Um, thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, reaching for her hand again. Taking a seat in the center, he guided her down, not onto his lap, but over it.
“Go ahead and pull your legs up. I want you to be comfortable.”
She turned her head back. “Is that supposed to be funny? How can I possibly be comfortable when you are spanking me?” When he simply quirked his eyebrow, she sighed but did scoot forward a bit, bringing her legs up and stretching them out on the cushion.
“Good. Grab that pillow to support your head.” She didn’t bother to question him, reaching for the pillow and tucking it beneath her head. When she seemed unsure as to where to place her arms, he said, “You can tuck your hands beneath the pillow.” Once she had, he again began to stroke her skin, starting at her bare feet. Though she gave an initial jerk of surprise, she soon settled as he slowly massaged the arches of her feet and then her ankles. He took his time, knowing that the more relaxed she was, the less frightened she’d be. And despite her determination to accept that she’d lost the bet and had agreed to pay the price, he knew she was worried about how much that loss was going to cost her.
She squirmed when his hand reached her knees. He filed the fact that she was a little ticklish away for future games. He moved up to her thighs after pushing her skirt up a bit. Now her sighs of contentment were mixed with soft moans. Another little push and more of her skin was bared, his fingers moving from thigh to thigh, massaging, stroking. One day soon, he’d give her a more thorough massage, complete with heated oils and both hands. For now, he kept his right arm across her back, his left continuing towards his goal until, finally, her skirt was high enough for his right hand to take, giving a soft tug to completely bare her ass.
With her slight tensing, he knew she expected the pleasure to end and the spanking to begin. She’d learn that he wasn’t a man to be predictable… at least he prayed he’d never become that man. He wanted to keep her guessing, to be surprised, to never quite know for sure where next his fingers, his hand, his lips might go. Instead of giving her the first swat she was obviously braced to accept, he continued to massage her. Every inch of her bottom felt his fingertips against it, massaging, stroking, worshipping. He smiled when her legs parted a bit, his fingers running along the crease where her buttocks met her thighs. The fact that she unconsciously opened herself to him was good, the fact that he could see the glistening moisture between her legs was wonderful.
She’d been across his lap for a half hour, relaxing further, her legs opening wider before he lifted his hand from her skin to give her the first swat. Her head came up and a surprised little squeak was uttered, but when he instantly began to massage away the sting, she lowered her cheek to the pillow. Anson continued to swat, to massage, to move from spot to spot until she was no longer silent. Her gasps at the swats had turned into moans as she lifted her bottom as if to meet each one. His hand moved further down until he was popping the bottom of her globes, each swat causing the flesh to jiggle a bit and her legs to open further with his massage. Forget glistening, she was dripping, her aroma the sweetest scent he’d ever been privileged to inhale.
He slipped his hand between her legs, running a finger along her sex.
“Oh, God,” she said, “please… please…”
He gave her a moment to complete her plea but when she didn’t continue, he knew it would take more to get her where he wanted her to go. The next swat was given softly, but still delivered on her inner thigh. She not only moaned, she also attempted to press her sex towards his fingers, but he denied her, kneading the soft flesh he’d just spanked.
“Please…” she begged again, her hips churning once more as he removed his hand to stroke across her ass.
“Tell me what you need, amada mia, what you want.”
“Harder… spank me harder,” she said, her need finally overcoming her hesitancy, her embarrassment at discovering that what she’d feared was now what she desperately craved.
Shifting her forward a bit, he lifted his knee, raising her bottom higher. He began to pepper her bottom with quick stinging slaps, soothing each one. When she began to writhe, her hands long since having come out from beneath the pillow, fingers flexing with every swat, her cream slipping from her sex, her clit pulsating, he listened to her pleas turn into the phrase he’d waited for.
“Close… so close… oh, God, yes… yes!”
The next slap was given, but this time, the soothing stroke was not given to the spanked spot. Instead, he slid his hand between her legs, found her swollen clit and pinched it between his thumb and finger. She screamed and bucked beneath him as she splintered apart. He continued to flick, rub and pinch the small bundle of nerves until she
screamed his name and came again. Only then did he remove his hand, bending to give each globe of her ass a kiss.
“I-I never knew… never would have believed,” she said a few minutes later, her body still trembling with tiny aftershocks. She slowly changed positions, straddling his lap, cupping his face as she bent to kiss him. “Thank you.”
Anson smiled. “You are so beautiful.” She smiled back, her hand dropping to his fly, releasing his cock that had been protesting its confinement for what seemed like ages. When she lifted, he shook his head. “No.”
Her eyes met his. “No? But… I want to pleasure you—”
“You have, and you will,” he assured her. “But this time, I want to do the riding.” He loved the fact that she blushed and grinned as he helped her off his lap. Standing, he quickly shed his jeans as she shed her clothes. “Bend over. Hands on the couch.” She didn’t hesitate, doing as he requested and spreading her legs, lifting her ass.
Anson slid into her, his moan joined by hers. He pumped his hips, each stroke not only blissful but driving towards a release that would come far too soon. But he didn’t care… he planned on claiming his woman every day for the remainder of his life. She cried out and the walls of her pussy tightened around his cock as he roared his release. Natalia had learned that spankings could be glorious, and he had learned that having her over his lap was something they’d both enjoy again and again and again.
“I’ll be right back,” Natalia said an hour later.
Anson looked up from the pan where he was searing the fish fillets. “Take the gun.”
“I’m only going to use the facilities,” she said.
“Take the gun,” he repeated. Once she had it in hand, he added, “And since our facilities are rather rustic, don’t forget to check for spiders and snakes.”
She shuddered but nodded, going out the door. Anson stirred the pot of greens and removed the tray of mushrooms Natalia had seasoned and which had been roasting in the oven. He’d just flipped the fish, basting them with the melted butter he’d added to the pan when Natalia rushed in.
“Anson, smoke… I smell smoke.”
“It’s all right, it’s just the fish—”
“No! It’s not the fish!”
Her tone had him looking away from the pan to see her in the doorway, her eyes wide. “Natalia?”
“It’s outside.”
Still believing that she’d just smelled the fish, he moved the pan away from the heat and went to her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. He smelled nothing but the aroma of food until she dragged him away from the house. His head lifted and turned.
“Fuck,” he muttered, his nostrils flaring.
“They are burning the fields,” she said. “All of them. What are we going to do?”
Anson pulled her into his arms, assessing the situation, and made his decision. “It’s still far away. We’re going to eat and then we are going to head towards Rosario.” He looked down and smiled. “It’s time to introduce you to my brother.”
Chapter 14
It had been a real battle of wills to come to an agreement on who would be driving the Jeep to Rosario. Anson, of course, thought it should be him, until Natalia had finally convinced him that he still needed to rest his arm. She had also threatened to throw salt in his wound if he didn’t listen to her, so that may have helped the fact that she now sat in the driver’s seat maneuvering the vehicle over the bumpy terrain, and he was once again wearing the sling. It was roughly fifty miles or so to Rosario, and Natalia was pretty certain she remembered the way, but with the condition of the road—or lack of road—she figured it would be a couple of hours before they reached their destination. She just hoped they’d have enough fuel to get there.
Anson must have seen her looking down at the fuel gauge. “I think we’ll get there,” he said.
“On fumes.”
“No air conditioning to save gas,” he said.
She hadn’t been planning on using the air without Anson even saying anything, but it sure was going to be a hot and sticky ride.
Anson looked over his shoulder at the jungle house fading away in the distance. “You know? I’m going to miss our little jungle bungalow.”
Natalia smirked, being forced to keep two hands on the steering wheel to help control the nearly out-of-control Jeep. “Not exactly the Ritz, but it served its purpose.”
“Oh, it definitely served its purpose.” Anson looked at her, which she could see out of the corner of her eye. Reaching out to her, he tucked a piece of her hair that had fallen in her eyes, back behind her ear. “I very much enjoyed every single purpose that house served.” He smiled warmly and then faced forward, positioning his body so he casually sat back, appearing to relax even though their bodies were tossed back and forth inside the vehicle like rag dolls with all the tall rocks, roots, and uneven topography of the road before them.
Natalia rolled her eyes but couldn’t conceal the smile that appeared on her face. “I don’t know what to do with you sometimes.”
“I’m an acquired taste, I suppose,” he said with a small chuckle.
A taste she found addicting, but she didn’t want to tell him as much and give him all the power. As it was, all he had to do was touch her, and she would turn to complete goo.
“To the right,” he said, pointing to an area on the road that looked the least treacherous. Natalia turned the wheel, agreeing with Anson’s suggestion.
Having lived in Argentina her entire life, she should have been used to the climate. She blamed the beads of sweat already forming on her upper lip and her lower back to the oppressive heat, yet she knew that the warmth suffusing her from the inside could only be blamed on the man beside her. Anson could set her blood on fire with a single look, a touch, a smile. With both external and internal temperatures soaring, and being tossed about with every bounce and dip of the Jeep, she knew that their journey was not going to be the most luxurious or sexy experience they both ever had. But as long as no one was chasing them and shooting in their direction, she would count her lucky stars.
They rode in silence for quite some time. Anson would occasionally point to where he thought the Jeep should go, and Natalia would stare ahead in deep concentration. The last thing they needed was to blow the tires and be stranded miles from their hidden hideaway and miles from Rosario. Finally, the terrain began to even out to flat dirt, and the bouncing slowed down to a bearable stage.
“Are you sure you know where we are headed?” Anson finally asked as he looked around. There was nothing but thick jungle, large trees, and an overgrown road which would occasionally branch out into different paths.
Natalia nodded. “I’m pretty sure. I know that once we reach the Parana River, the rest will be easy.”
“Great, a river,” he said, wiping his glistening brow. He had soaked through his shirt and was obviously just as hot as Natalia was. “We can go for a swim and cool down.”
Shaking her head, she said, “No way. That water is brown and muddy. Polluted by God knows what. I would rather sit in my own stink, thank you very much.”
Anson laughed. “Well, you might not mind your stink,” he sniffed at his armpit, “but I’m going to be pretty damn ripe by the time we reach Rosario.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I don’t mind your stink either,” she said, taking her eyes off the road for a second to give him a wink.
“And Nuevo Alberdi? You know where that is?” He seemed slightly edgy, no doubt not liking that he wasn’t in full control.
“Not really. But I do understand how to read street signs, you know. And there is some civilization in the next twenty miles or so that will have a gas station. So if it puts your mind at ease, remember I am a woman, therefore, I won’t hesitate to ask for directions just to be sure.”
“And there’s that sass,” he said. “And, yes, it would. Thank you.” He ran his hand through his sweaty hair. “Fuck! It is hot out here. I thought Texas had hot days, but this is lik
e stepping out of a shower into hell. Just sitting is making me sweat more than any workout I do with Maddox and Stryder back home.”
“I’ve never been to Texas,” she said, finding amusement in his misery. She liked seeing all the sides of Anson, even the whining side.
“You are going to love it. It can be hot, and though the humidity is thick along the coast, it’s much drier in the mountains. And the ranch will blow you away. I honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“And Zoya? She lives at the ranch for good?”
“Yes. Like I said, there is plenty of room, and I’m sure her husband, Stryder, has no intention of ever leaving. It’s home. You’ll see.”
“I’ve never had a real home. Well, not since I was a little girl. Before the massacre.”
“All the more reason for you to go to the ranch. I want you to feel the safety of what a home full of love and support is like. Every single person there will welcome you with open arms.”
She sat in silence for several miles, pondering how to broach the next subject. One that she had thought of since becoming intimate with Anson, but then quickly pushed it from her mind, not having time to focus on a future. Especially with a man as wonderful as Anson. Thinking of a happily ever after was just not in her cards right now. But this limbo… The reality was, she needed to focus on her future. They were near Rosario. So if all went well, they would meet up with Stryder, and then escape to Texas. But then what? What happened then?