by Maggie Ryan
Turning her onto her side, he lay behind her, one hand cupping a heaving breast as she came down from her climax. He kissed her shoulder and the back of her neck and moved his hand to guide her leg. "Keep your leg up, Anna. Just relax and feel. It might burn a bit but I promise, it will only be for a moment. Try not to tense up; trust me to love you." She showed her understanding by pulling her leg up as high as she could, opening herself to him.
Richard reached for a jar he'd gotten from Doc Williams and carefully applied some of the unguent to her bottom hole. Working his fingers into her again, he pressed the ointment deep inside before removing his fingers and applying a generous coating to his erect shaft, making sure he covered the head. He had to take a deep breath and force himself to take a moment before he thought he'd be able to push into her without instantly erupting. He used the time to kiss her skin gently, his fingers never ceasing their stroking. After she was moaning, her hips pressing back, he guided his cock to her entrance. He felt her stiffen and then relax.
"Good girl," he praised as he pressed his hips forward. He held her leg up and slowly pressed the tiniest bit into her. Despite his earlier preparations, he knew this would be a shock to her—as well as painful. "Push back against my cock, Anna. Let me into your pucker." As she obeyed, he pressed forward, gaining another fraction of an inch. "Harder, honey, push back harder."
"I'm a bit scared," she whispered.
"Shh, I know, little one, but I swear the pain won't last but a moment. Now, press back against me." The moment he felt her press back, he pressed far more firmly forward. She screeched as her ring of muscle fought this large invasion. He pressed again and another screech filled the cabin until his cock conquered her body's defense and his cockhead fully pushed into her body. "Shh, that's the worst of it, sweetheart. Relax, honey. Just relax now.
"It burns, Richard. You are too big, please—I don't think I can do this."
"You can, Anna, I promise you can and that you will feel pleasure." He knew it burned and knew she felt incapable of accepting his cock. He also knew that her body would indeed take every inch of both his length and his girth. He continued to speak soothing words of praise as he pushed forward a bit more. His hand moved to find her sex, his finger circling her swollen clit until she was mewling and pushing back, aiding in the seating of his cock. Long moments passed as he slid into her velvet sheath until he was fully seated, his balls resting against her sopping cunny.
"God, you're so beautiful," he said, remaining still as she adjusted to him being buried in a place she'd never imagined to feel him. "You feel like velvet, hot and tight around me."
"Fuck me, Richard," she whispered, her hand moving back to touch his hip. "Show me."
He smiled and began to move. He went slowly at first but as she began to match his movements, to push hard against him, he was soon thrusting faster and harder into her. His fingers continued to play with her clit and, when she screamed and exploded for the third time, his breath caught in his chest at the incredible sensation of her anal muscles clamping down like a vise around his shaft. He pressed two fingers into her sex, pumping them hard and driving her towards another climax as he began to fuck her harder. She came for the last time, her contractions around his fingers and his cock drawing him with her. He shot into her again and again, filling her bowels until they both went limp.
"Oh—oh, God," she panted, her breaths audible. "I didn't know. I never thought—Richard, I never believed it would be, could be like that. I love you so much."
He knew it had only been like that because she was a woman who didn't fear exploration. A woman who embraced her sensuality. A woman who was both the angel who'd helped heal a family with the making of a doll, and a woman who submitted herself as the wanton harlot in her husband's bed. "I love you, Anna. I love you with all my soul," he whispered.
Chapter Eighteen
The train was scheduled to depart the next day. Anna had been humming all day, her body aching pleasantly after a wonderful night with Richard. Though most of the men were going out on a final hunt, he had promised to take Henry and Andrew fishing. Tom was joining them. His hands were healing nicely, but he had told Richard that, while he thought he could handle a fishing pole, he was a bit hesitant to try his rifle. Anna gathered the washing she had yet to do in a basket, and she and Richard went to meet the others.
After Richard had admired Becca's new doll, he quietly praised the boys for their work. Hannah told them that the little girl had named the doll Anna, which made Anna blush. She grinned as the boys reassured their sister that they would be back to play with her in a little while. It was obvious that her brothers had been busy waiting on the little girl hand and foot, and Anna wondered how long that would last. She talked to Hannah as the boys and Tom gathered their poles and a wicker creel to hold their catch. The group walked down to the river only to find a large group of children splashing about in the water.
"We'll not have any luck here, they've most likely scared every fish away," Richard said. "Let's go upstream a bit."
They walked for several minutes, until the sound of the children's play had disappeared. There was a flat area on the bank where the fishermen could stand. Anna had dropped one of Richard's shirts in the water when she heard a cry to look out. Jerking to one side, she barely missed being caught by a hook.
"Anna, why don't you move over there?" Richard suggested, pointing upstream. "I've already caught you."
Dragging the shirt out of the water, she returned it to the basket and stopped to give her husband a kiss. "Only because I wanted to be caught." She squealed as he popped the back of her skirt. She could feel herself blush but simply walked a few feet further before turning back. "I'll believe you to be a great fisherman if you actually hook something that is swimming away," she added. The sound of the boys giggling had her smiling as she walked upstream. It was so wonderful to see them becoming normal children again after their despondency over the accident.
By the time she'd washed one shirt, she knew she wouldn't get anything else done. She'd already had to dodge another flying hook as Andrew tried to cast. It was far too tempting to watch the four of them. Tom and Richard were patiently teaching the boys that fishing in a running river versus a pond required some adaptations. Sighing, she was about to call out that she was moving, when Henry started yelling. Seeing the tangled mess he'd made when his over-enthusiastic cast caught an overhanging tree branch, she shook her head. The river made a bend a bit further up and, as she rounded it, she didn't like the fact that there wasn't really any space to spread out her wash. It was a beautiful day, the few clouds in the sky were fluffy, reminding her of sheep's wool. The sound of the water was soothing and the sun had not yet made the day unbearable. She rounded another bend and then another, by removing her boots and stockings and wading into the water to go around a large boulder. She gave a short yelp when she slipped, but regained her balance. Once around the rock, she smiled. A small cove with a level area was the perfect spot.
Anna wrung the last pair of Richard's trousers out and then shook them. They joined a few other items she'd draped over a tree trunk that had fallen from the bank to lie against the boulder, providing almost a perfect clothes line. Stretching her cramped muscles, caused by all the bending and twisting required to wash their clothes, she looked out over the water. Glancing around, she saw that the boulder—and another, further upstream—shielded her from view. It only took a moment for her to decide that this was the perfect opportunity to take a last bath before their journey resumed. Lord only knew when another river would offer her the chance to get clean.
Leaving her clothes by the boulder, she walked into the water, sighing with pleasure as the cool liquid enveloped her. She dove beneath the surface and swam a little before coming up and turning to float on her back. She giggled as she felt the sun on her naked skin, her nipples puckered by the cold water. Using her arms for balance, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift as she relaxed. A loud splash h
ad her jerking, her legs dropping as she sank. Surfacing, she sputtered as she caught her breath. Large ripples in a circle on the water indicated where a large fish had jumped to catch some insect. Treading water, she moved in a circle and realized that, not only had she practically fallen asleep while floating, the current had carried her beyond the boulder. Blushing furiously, not wanting to think about floating far enough down river to have someone see her, she began to swim. It was harder than she thought as she pulled against the current. By the time she'd passed the boulder and reached shallow enough water in which to stand, she was tired and still hadn't bathed.
Grabbing the bar of soap, she dove back into the river, where she washed and then stood to soap her hair. It took a long time to wash her hair, it was so thick and she craved for it to be squeaky clean. Working up another lather in her tresses, she smiled and thought about how Richard loved playing with her hair. Sitting naked before him, his hands or the brush stroking through her locks until they were silky smooth, was one of the most wonderful things about being Richard's wife. Bending over, her back to the beach, her bottom raised, she rinsed out the soap. Straightening, she smiled, feeling completely relaxed for the first time in ages—until she turned around and shrieked. A large shadow moved away from the boulder and she realized someone had been watching her. She covered herself with her hands and looked for her clothing. It was gone! Whimpering, she backed further into the water, looking for a place to flee, dropping beneath the surface when the riverbed disappeared beneath her feet. Surfacing and gasping, she saw the shadow move into the light. Her whimper cut off and she stepped towards him, her smile disappearing as she saw his face. He didn't look thrilled and was holding her clothes.
"Tell me why, young lady, you think I'd approve of you swimming or bathing alone?"
No, he was definitely not happy. "I'm sorry. I was just so hot and dirty. I was doing the wash…"
"Which you were supposed to be doing where I could see you," he interrupted. "You didn't tell anyone, and I mean anyone, where you were going."
"Richard, you knew I was on the river. You told me to move away so that I didn't get caught—"
Evidently he didn't care to hear her excuses, as he interrupted again. "Well, Anna, I'd say you were caught again. You were caught red-handed by your husband in your disobedience. It's just a damn good thing that I found you and not somebody else. You not only didn't stay where I could see you, you obviously were too far away to hear us calling for you."
"Us?" She looked downstream and up, as if expecting to see hordes of people looking for her.
"Yes, us," he replied, motioning with his hand. "Come out of the water. You will stay right here, and Annabelle, I mean right here, while I go tell Tom to spread the news that you've been found. If you move from this spot…" He paused, actually making a mark in the dirt with the heel of his boot, "you'll regret it."
She shivered and had to fight the instinct to fling herself in the river and let the current carry her away. The only things that stopped her from doing so was the fact that she was naked and someone would be bound to see her, and the knowledge that if she made another wrong move, her poor bottom would pay an even higher price. Swallowing hard, she walked to him, her eyes downcast.
"Yes, sir, I'll stay here. May I have my clothes?"
"No, you'll not be needing them for a while yet. You can stand right here and think about how my catching you red-handed is going to mean you'll have a very red arse. I'll be back."
With that vision in her mind, she watched him walk up the bank and disappear from sight after dropping her clothes into her wash basket.
Shivering, not from the cold but from the knowledge that she had made a bad choice, she attempted to collect herself. It seemed to take forever before she heard rustling in the bushes. For a moment she thought about diving in the river again in case it wasn't Richard approaching but even as her foot moved, she stopped and planted her heel onto the mark he'd made in the ground.
* * * * *
Richard paused in his return to see his wife start to move but then evidently remember his warning as her foot stilled. He'd found Tom and his boys, reassuring them that Anna was fine and asking that they spread the word. When he hadn't found her around the first two bends of the river, he'd returned to where the others were preparing their catch. They'd caught several trout and it had been a fun day until they realized Anna had disappeared. He'd kept calm, knowing that to panic would do no good, and told Tom that he'd trace the riverbank further upstream while the others combed out from the wagons just in case she had decided to go back without waiting for him. Tom assured him that he'd call off the search.
As Richard stood looking at his naughty wife, he knew she had no idea of the picture she'd made while she bathed. The sight of her, a small but perfectly formed woman, naked in the sunlight, the water reflecting around her, coppery hair hanging to her hips, had taken his breath away. He'd actually ached with the thought of another man seeing his wife in all her glory. He'd felt his heart stop at the thought that her life could have been taken or that she could have been raped if found by anyone other than a friend. Knowing she'd not stopped to think a single one of the thoughts he had, he pushed through the remaining bushes to join her.
"Tell me, Annabelle, what would you have done if it hadn't been me watching you? You have no idea who might be out here. What if some Indian or another man saw you naked and alone? Do you honestly even think about what you do?" He could see her tremble and wasn’t surprised when she took a step backwards for every one he took forward. "Annabelle Rose Andrews, you have got to stop this behavior." He lifted his hand to halt her when she opened her mouth.
"You know what happens when you put yourself in danger, don't you?" he went on. He didn't give her time to answer as he took the final steps towards her. When his hand dropped to his belt buckle, she broke and turned, fleeing towards the water. At the edge, she slipped and fell face forward, her head going under the surface. She came up sputtering and he hauled her out of the river.
"That's exactly what I mean! You could have hit your head when you fell and drowned. You could have been carried away by the current or snagged in some fallen tree limbs or roots underneath the water. You've been told your whole life never to swim alone, so I know this isn't some new rule you can attempt to claim you didn't know. You knew damn well not to leave the area where I told you to stay and, young lady, you know your arse is going to pay." He ignored her tears when she started to cry. Her bottom had been unblemished for weeks. He'd had to swat her a few times, and even spank her, but she hadn't had a mark on her since the day he'd had to use both her paddle and her strap on her backside. He was fully aware that she knew her bottom would be aching by the time he was done.
"Please don't spank me, I'm sorry. I should have asked you if I could move, I should have just stayed and washed the clothes. I didn't think. I know I was wrong, I won't do it again. Please, Richard, please don't. I don't want a spanking. I don't want to sit on a striped bottom tomorrow."
He shook his head and led her to a tree at the edge of the beach. "Get your arms around that tree and don't let go."
She obeyed and sobbed as he doubled his belt in his hand, securing the buckle in his fist.
"Let's pray this is the last lesson you'll need to remind you of the dangers I keep telling you about. You'll get ten stokes to start, and then you'll count each stroke and thank me for it. You'll give me a reason as to why it is dangerous to make the choices you did today. Do not let go of that tree or I will tie your arms to it and we'll start over. Do you understand me, Annabelle?"
"Yes, sir," she cried, her arms tightening around the tree.
"Push your arse out and ask me to begin."
He waited until she lifted her small pale bottom and asked for her whipping. He landed the first stroke against the center of both cheeks, the sharp crack followed by her gasp. Another nine landed, her cries growing louder as color bloomed across her buttocks. Richard gave her a moment t
o calm before he spoke again. "You'll begin counting now, and remember what I told you to say."
Crack! "One, thank you. I could have been taken by a stranger." Her bottom wagged up and down and he didn't continue until she stilled and slowly pushed her red rear up and out to him.
Crack! "Two, thank you. I could have fallen and drowned."
Crack! "Oh, please! Three, thank you. I-I could have gotten hurt and nobody knew where I was."
Crack! "Richard, please, I'm sorry!" Her arms dropped from their hold, her hands gripping her burning cheeks.
"Hands around the tree, Annabelle. That stroke will be repeated," he said, lifting the belt and delivering another stroke to her crimson bottom.
Crack! "Five… I mean four, thank you. Someone else could have gotten hurt or lost when looking for me."
Crack! "Five, thank you." She paused, her shoulders heaving as she struggled to get herself under control. "I-I could have-have hurt our baby." This answer was wailed as she broke into harder sobs, the reality of what she had just said searing through her heart.
Richard stepped to her, bending to look into her eyes, which were flooded with tears. "One more, Anna, give me the final reason why."
She blinked, tears spilling down her cheeks to fall onto her naked breasts, but she nodded and, when he stepped back, she pushed her bottom out.
Crack! "Six, thank you. I could have died."
"Yes, and then, Anna, my love, I would have wanted to die as well." He pulled her from the tree and into his arms. He lifted her chin and bent to press his forehead to hers. "I wouldn't want to live without you, honey. Please, if you learn nothing else, learn that."
She clung to him as he kissed her. He could feel the wetness on her cheeks as he held her until her trembling stopped. Scooping her into his arms, he walked to the water and set her down. "Go on, let the river cool your arse. I don't want you to hurt, sweetheart, I just want you to learn."