by Measha Stone
She started to stand when he backed away but sank back down in her seat when he turned to leave. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He paused at the door but didn’t turn back. “That’s not enough, kitten.” And with that he left.
Julie sat stunned in the kitchen, her hands opening and closing in her lap, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. It seemed all she did now was cry.
The front door slammed and he was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
John dried his hair with the towel left in the bathroom of the cabin. The hot shower had done some good, easing some of the soreness from his muscles. Maybe he’d actually get some sleep tonight.
He hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time since Julie left.
The plan, the one he’d ironed out in his mind during the drive up to her, completely flew out the window when he saw her. Holding her and kissing her, he wanted to do those things. But she’d run away on him. She hadn’t given him a chance to help her.
He meant what he said. If she had just told him she needed space, he would have understood. Hell, he would have driven her up to Whispered Desires and stayed nearby if she needed him to. But she hadn’t. She’d just left.
John tossed the towel on the bed and got dressed. The sun had disappeared, and the crickets had begun singing outside. There weren’t any other patrons in the resort; being the middle of the week had made getting some isolation easy. Devin had offered to give him a room in the farm house, but John declined. Julie needed space, she would either come or she wouldn’t.
He wouldn’t bother hoping.
The microwave dinner he’d bought at the little grocery store in town sat steaming on the counter, while John grabbed utensils and a beer. Just one, he told himself. He could easily lose himself in the whole six-pack he’d bought. But drowning out his heartache would only lead to a headache in the morning, and no resolution to the problem.
He was thankful for the satellite TV set in the living room and made himself as comfortable as he could in the easy chair and flipped on the tube.
He looked at the spaghetti in the cardboard container and dropped it on the end table. His stomach couldn’t handle food any more than his mind could endure whatever crap show played on the television. He flicked it off and took a long pull of his beer.
Even that didn’t taste right.
Meow
He turned his head, listening.
Meow
Great. A stray fucking cat. He looked at the discarded dinner. Maybe the cat could stomach it.
Meow
“Okay, I’m coming,” he growled and grabbed the food.
He unlocked and opened the door, already starting to bend down to place it in front of the stray when he caught a glimpse of black tennis shoes. Following the legs that were attached, he looked all the way up and found Julie standing before him.
Her hair was parted and braided down both sides, her eyes puffy, and her lips wet. Stains ran down both cheeks, like she’d been crying. Her hands were twisting in front of him.
“Most people knock,” he said.
“We’re not most people,” she responded.
“No, we’re not.” He moved out of the way and held the door for her.
“No peanut butter and jelly?” she asked, pointing at the microwave dinner.
“Not tonight,” he said and tossed the meal onto the table. “You’ve been crying.” He ran his finger down the trail one of her tears had left.
“I’ve been sad,” she whispered and captured his hand with hers, holding it against her cheek. “And a fool.”
“How’s that?” He didn’t move his hand; it felt too good to be touching her.
“Always teaching me a lesson.” She half smiled. “I never should have run out. I was scared, and horrified, and torn into so many pieces I didn’t know what to do. My mom—” She let go of his hand and walked a few steps away. “I felt like such an idiot for all the excuses I gave myself for her coldness. Then I convinced myself that all the warmth I saw from you was a figment of my fucked-up head, too.”
“Your mother was not a mother. She was horrible.”
She laughed. “To be kind, yeah, we’ll say she was horrible. And my dad—that was fun, right? Learning I had one, learning he was some low shelf mob guy who wanted to bring me into the mix? I come from crazy stock, John.” She folded her hands in front of her. “You don’t deserve all this unruly baggage. You deserve order and nice and—”
“I deserve you,” he said. A blunt message she needed to hear. “I want you.”
Relief flooded her expression, her lips softened, her hands stopped fidgeting.
“I want you, too. I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“Oh, kitten.” He stepped to her, grabbing one of her braids. “You can tell me how sorry you are after I light up your ass.”
“John—”
“No. No more words.” He shook his head and pulled her closer to him.
“I love you—can I say those words?”
He paused, letting go of her hair and capturing her mouth with his. “Every day, you’ll say those to me every day. Got me, kitten?”
“Got it,” she whispered against his mouth.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Julie knelt in the corner of their bedroom. John had moved her to his apartment two weeks after coming home from Whispered Desires. He’d left the force, and she’d lost her job for being gone for too long. She couldn’t blame them. She’d taken off with no communication.
“Kitten, come,” John called from the living room.
She slunk down to her hands and knees, knowing this game well by this point. He’d been working with Blake all afternoon at the bar. Quitting the force had given John the opportunity to follow his heart into another job. Personal security. He would be opening his doors within the next month, three other guys were on staff now, but she knew he’d grow quickly. Her man was the best at everything he put his mind to.
And now, he was putting his mind to helping her quiet hers.
Her mom’s death had torn her apart, made her take a deeper look at her past. When it was too much to sort through on her own, John insisted she see someone. He took her every week to the therapist, sat quietly in the waiting room, and was there with open arms when she walked back out to him.
But today she’d just been having a bad day and yelled at him. He wasn’t going to punish her; a little loss in temper didn’t bother him. But she needed to get her head back on straight, back where they both found peace.
She crawled to him. He sat on the couch, the television on and a bowl of popcorn sitting on the coffee table. He pointed to the floor at his feet.
“Lie here, so I can rub you,” he ordered, and she obeyed. It was easy to obey when the man doing the ordering used so much love in his voice it almost made her nauseous. Almost.
Once she made her way to him, she lay on her back, folding her hands and legs the way he’d taught her when he wanted to pet his kitten. He looked between her legs and frowned.
“Your tail.”
“Sorry.” She reached down and lifted her hips, pulling the fluffy tail from underneath her ass and handed it to him.
“Better,” he said and gave a playful slap to her pussy. He laid it over her sex, stroking it a few times before turning his attention to her breasts. He plucked at her nipples, rolled them and rubbed them until she was a squirming mess.
“I was thinking we’d watch a movie,” he said, clicking the remote, not looking down at her.
“Sure,” she said, wiggling closer to the couch and pressing her body against his boots. She missed the connection when they weren’t touching.
“I was also thinking you’d make a good security officer.” He put the remote on the coffee table and looked down at her.
“What? Really?” She’d been gearing up to ask him but hadn’t found the courage yet.
“Yeah. Nothing too serious. I’m not ready to risk you li
ke that, but maybe some of the easier jobs, paired up with me?” He stroked her belly, running his fingers through the valley between her breasts, down to her stomach and back up.
“Yes!” She nodded. “I would love it.”
“I know.” He grinned. She scrambled to her feet and jumped into his lap, knocking him back against the couch. “Hey. I don’t think kittens are supposed to do that,” he laughed.
She kissed him soundly. “Do I get my own gun?” she asked, already working the buttons of his shirt open.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, but you have to go through training. Real training, not some tree in the forest preserve.”
“Yes, yes,” she nodded, pulling at the buckle of his belt. “But I do get my own.”
“I changed my mind.”
She stopped undressing him and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll be paired up with me every time. I’ll go mad with worry if you’re on your own, and I don’t need the guys I’ve hired to run for the hills after being with you for one job.”
She pinched her lips together and got ready to argue.
“No, no arguing. That’s the way it’s going to be, kitten. Now, get back to where you were so I can have my way with you.”
She slowly climbed down off of him.
“On your knees, kitten,” he said, pulling the belt from its loops.
“I fucking love you, John,” she said and pressed her forehead to the floor, lifting her bare ass up to him and waiting for the burn only he could give. Because after the pain came the pleasure, and no one could put out her fire the way John could.
“I love you too, kitten, now hush so I can belt you properly before I fuck you senseless.”
“Yes, Sir,” she breathed.
She had everything. And yet, he found ways to give her even more.
Her heart swelled.
And her ass welcomed the belt.
The End
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Additional Books in the Owned and Protected Series
Protecting His Pet
After her brother’s life of crime is brought to a sudden end, twenty-two-year-old Kara Jennings fears she may be the next target of the men who killed him. It comes as a shock, however, when she is taken captive by a mysterious man who promises to keep her safe but quickly demonstrates that he will not hesitate to punish her in any way he sees fit if she disobeys him.
Devin Stringer is certain there is something important that Kara is refusing to share with him—something related to her brother’s death—and he is fully prepared to be as firm as necessary to get her to tell him the truth, even if that means stripping her bare, spanking her soundly, and keeping her caged like a pet.
Despite her shame at being made to kneel naked at her captor’s feet, eat from his hand, and surrender her body to him completely, Devin’s dominance leaves Kara helplessly aroused and yearning for him to master her even more thoroughly. When he brings her to the edge of an intense climax only to leave her desperate and wanting, her need for him to claim her properly compels Kara to confess the secret her brother shared with her before his death. But will that information help Devin protect his beautiful pet or will it ultimately put her in greater danger?
Buy on Amazon
Protecting His Runaway
After she uncovers her wealthy father’s ties to a prominent Chicago crime family, twenty-four-year-old Addison St. Claire flees to a small town in Michigan where she hopes to start a new life. Things are not that simple, though, and she is quickly tracked down by a stern, handsome police detective who makes it clear that Addison will be coming with him whether she likes it or not.
Detective Trevor Stringer is none too pleased at being assigned to babysit a spoiled rich girl, but he is determined to keep Addison safe, even if that means taking her over his knee for a painful, humiliating bare-bottom spanking when her defiance puts her life at risk. Despite her protests, her body’s response to his bold dominance makes it obvious that Addison is in need of a firm-handed man to keep her in line, and before long she is begging Trevor to claim her properly.
Over the coming days, Addison learns what it means to belong to a man who will not hesitate to strip her bare and punish her thoroughly whenever he feels it necessary. Whether she is pleading desperately for the release she has been denied after a hard spanking or writhing with pleasure more intense than she can handle as she is brought to one shattering climax after another, Addison is left with no doubt that she has been mastered completely. But when she discovers that Trevor has kept an important secret from her, will she ever be able to trust him again?
Buy on Amazon
His Captive Pet
Aubree Stevenson isn’t used to being ordered around, but then her efforts to bring down a dog fighting ring put her life in danger and she ends up in the protective custody of a stern, handsome former Marine.
Blake Turner is not a man to be trifled with, and he wastes no time in making it clear that Aubree will obey him or be punished. After she puts his word to the test, Aubree’s bottom is bared for a painful, embarrassing strapping, and when she continues to defy her strict captor, she quickly discovers that he is prepared to take things much further. Soon enough, she finds herself stripped naked, outfitted with a collar and tail, and eating from Blake’s hand like a well-trained pet.
To her dismay, Aubree’s arousal grows more intense with every shameful display of forced submission. But even as he masters her body and claims her in every way, Blake must keep his captive pet safe from both her enemies and her own recklessness. Will he prove up to the task?
Buy on Amazon
Measha Stone Links
You can keep up with Measha Stone via her blog, her Twitter account, her Facebook page, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links:
https://meashawrites.com/blog/
https://twitter.com/measha_stone
https://www.facebook.com/measha.stone.5
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8364578.Measha_Stone