“No need to thank me, that’s what I’m here for.”
My response is cut off by a jaw-popping yawn. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“You’ve had a big day. Why don’t we get you into bed?”
He reaches out a hand to me, which I don’t hesitate to take and let him lead me towards my bedroom. He lovingly tucks me into the bed, and I relax into the cool sheets. He goes to leave, but I reach out to him and ask him to stay.
He climbs into bed beside me, completely dressed. I roll over and rest my head over his heart, loving the sound of the strong, steady beat under my ear. I draw comfort from having him so close. It doesn’t take long for sleep to claim me. I thought my sleep would be plagued by nightmares, but I sleep peacefully.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Darlene
I wake up alone and my heart falls until I hear Colt in the other room. It sounds like he’s in the kitchen. I stretch and climb out of bed feeling rested for the first time in days. Maybe because I’m waking up for the first time in weeks without anxiety. The stress and foreboding of someone out there stalking me was a heavy burden to bear. And, like an idiot, I let myself bear it alone instead of just talking to Colt.
I find Colt in the kitchen like I suspected and blush when I realize he’s unpacking the last of my boxes that I still haven’t gotten to. “You don’t have to do that,” I say even though I am feeling beyond grateful because I hate unpacking.
“Have to, no. Want to, yes.”
He puts down the pan he’s holding and comes over to me for a hug. I wrap my arms around him, soaking up his strength. I rest my chin on his chest and look up at him. “Thank you…” I almost call him daddy again but know that it’s not time yet. He’s not made any indication that we are back to normal, and I don’t want to push it.
“You’re welcome, beauty. You deserve to feel like you fully live here. It’s been months, and you’re still living out of boxes.”
I shrug. “My studio and bedroom are all I need.” I scrunch up my nose, looking at the kitchen. “I don’t cook so most of that is superfluous anyway.”
He chuckles. “I do cook, though.”
I quirk up an eyebrow at that. Does that mean he’s going to be spending a lot of time here? Not that I have any arguments with that. I love having him here. Though why he would choose my small apartment compared to his house, I have no idea.
“One of us has to, and if you leave it up to me, it’ll be marshmallow cereal and yogurt three meals a day.”
He lightly tickles my side. “Not on my watch…”
I giggle, the sound foreign to my own ears. When was the last time I felt free to laugh and be silly? My little side has been shoved into the corner of my mind for so long it feels good to let her stretch her legs so to speak.
“Why don’t you go take a shower while I finish up this last box, and we can watch a movie.”
I beam up at him. “Can we watch Legend?”
“You bet.”
“Tom Cruise is so cute in that one!” I say, dancing towards the bathroom, but not before Colt gives me a light love tap on my bottom in warning for my snark.
It’s been two days of cuddling on the couch watching movies and Colt hasn’t so much as kissed me with anything other than platonic affection. He talked me into taking the week off to recuperate after the attack. I easily agreed once he agreed to take the week off too. Now it’s Sunday afternoon, and he’s leaving to get a bag of clothes and things from his place.
He gives me a sweet kiss on the top of my head before leaving, and I flop back on the couch in frustration. I love that Colt is doting on me and basically spoiling me rotten, but I hate that he’s treating me like I’m going to crack into a million pieces at the slightest thing.
Yes, what happened Friday was traumatic, and no, I’m not over it—I won’t be for a long while, I suspect—but it has nothing to do with Colt and me. I love all the cuddles. I really do. I want more than just that though. He won’t even give me more than a PG-rated kiss. I’ve been without him for weeks, and it’s driving me crazy to have him here but only part of him.
I’m happy he agreed to take the week off with me. I’m hoping it will give us a chance to reconnect. I’ve hinted at wanting to get back to our daddy and little relationship, but he’s either being obtuse about it or doesn’t want to dive back into it. I miss it. I need the freedom and discipline that comes with being Colt’s babygirl.
While Colt is gone, I make the best of my time. I want to make it clear that I’m ready to resume our relationship—our whole relationship. I decide to just go all in. I find a pretty dress like what I would wear to the club and put it on. Nerves start creeping in because I’m being extremely forward and wouldn’t handle being rejected well at all.
“He won’t reject me,” I say aloud to the room. “He’s just being overly careful because of my trauma…”
I hope.
Not sure how to coax Colt into picking up where we left off, I decide to go to my studio. It’s the place where I think the best. Maybe inspiration will spark. Ugh. The room is a disaster. I’ve been so distraught these last several weeks that I haven’t been cleaning up. I’ve just let things fall where they may. I decide to tidy up while I wait for something to come to me.
I’m humming my favorite song and cleaning my drawing table when I hear the door open and close—a thrill of excitement courses through me knowing that Colt is back. I look down at the ruler I was just getting ready to put away when that inspiration I was looking for strikes…
“Darlene?” Colt calls from the other room.
“In the studio!”
I hear his heavy footfalls as he makes his way towards me and my insane idea…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Colt
I walk into the room and see Darlene bent over her desk, rearranging something. I groan internally because not only has she changed into one of her pretty dresses that she wears when she’s feeling like her little self but because it’s short enough to show off her panty covered ass when she bends over.
Pure fucking torture.
I’ve been so careful with her these past couple of days. All I can see is the traumatized woman from the alley. Bleeding from a cut on her neck and pale as a ghost. I can’t get the vision out of my head. Every time I think about it, I get sick to my stomach and can’t stand the idea of rushing her back into a relationship where she gives up her control.
Now I’m wondering if that was the right move or not because from the looks of things, she’s telling me she’s ready and willing to restart our dynamic.
“What are you up to, Darlene?” I ask, even though I know exactly what she’s doing.
“I’m just tidying up.” She turns and gives me a mischievous look telling me that’s definitely not all she’s up to.
Darlene stands up straight and turns around, holding her hands behind her back. She gives me a smile that says she’s sweet and innocent, but the spark in her eyes says something altogether different.
“You look beautiful, babygirl.”
Her cheeks flush pink at my compliment. She’s always been so confident that it’s strange seeing her so shy. Does she think I’m going to reject her? Perhaps I’ve read the whole situation wrong. She didn’t need me to handle her with such care as a man would the woman he loves after something so traumatic.
She’s needed me to be her daddy. Strong and confident. Taking charge and leading the way instead of letting her lead. I won’t make that mistake again. If she needs me to be her daddy, that’s exactly what I will give her. Seeing the light on in her eyes again is enough to tell me my new course of action is the right one.
Darlene comes towards me, that mischievous smile spreading wide as she closes the distance between us. She stops short, rocking back on her feet with her hands still behind her back.
“What do you think you’re doing, babygirl?” I growl.
A playful glint shines from her big brown eyes as she circles ar
ound me. “Nothing, daddy,” she singsongs.
She’s lying, and she’s terrible at it, but I like that she’s lost the hunted look she’s had for weeks now. Being reunited after being apart so long feels right. This is the first time since she pushed me away that I’ve felt complete. I stand in place, turning my head and watching as she circles me. She’s just shy of arm’s length, or I’d already have her in my arms. I’m too curious as to what she thinks she’s up to… and what she has hidden behind her back.
On her second pass, she dashes forward, and something cracks down on my ass. My eyes go wide at the impetuousness of my little girl spanking me. She drops the implement and darts out of the room, taking off to somewhere else in her apartment. I look down and smirk at the discarded ruler on the floor.
Game on.
I pick up the ruler and stroll out of the room after my babygirl and her soon to be bright red ass.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Darlene
I feel lighter than I have in weeks. Pushing Colt away cracked a fissure in my heart a mile wide. It was so hard having him right there in front of me day after day and not being able to touch him. I shake my head at my stupidity and cowardice. It took me way too long to see how wrong I was to push him away without telling him why.
Colt is the only man I want. The only person in the world who is the daddy counterpart to my little girl. When I think about the future, I can’t see anyone else—only him. The man who is slowly stalking me through my apartment as I rush to hide from his wrath.
He’s been careful with me, but what he hasn’t realized is that’s not what I need. I need him to make things right between us again. The only way for me to feel that things are back on even ground is to repent for breaking us without an honest reason as to why. Now I’ve thrown a red flag in front of the bull by spanking him with a ruler. I knew exactly what I was doing. What I was asking for.
I want… no, I need the punishment. I need him to absolve me of the guilt I’ve been harboring since the day I pushed him away. I think we both need the fresh start. I stand in the middle of my living room, spinning circles looking for a place to hide—of course there isn’t any. It’s merely adrenaline that’s causing me to look in the first place. I don’t really want to hide. I want to be caught. I want Colt’s hands on me. To be under his control, at complete mercy to his every whim.
He strides into the room, looking like an Adonis, even without the normal suit and tie. His strong jaw and icy eyes make my stomach swoop. He’s so sexy I want to fall to my knees and worship him. A smirk twitches at the corner of his lips as he watches me watch him. He knows exactly what he does to me, and he loves it.
I stand in the middle of the room, frozen. Without a word, he strips off his jacket and tosses it over the back of a chair. I whimper when he slowly starts to roll his shirtsleeves up to his elbows. Arm porn is a real thing. I don’t know what it is about seeing a stern man rolling his sleeves up that gets me going, but it so does.
He reaches behind him and pulls the ruler from his back pocket. Oh crap. Definitely in trouble for my little stunt. The heated way Colt is looking at me makes it worth it though. He was all cautious touches and sweet cuddles as if he thought I was a wounded rabbit ready to hop away at the slightest provocation. This is me telling him to stop handling me with kid gloves.
“Come here, babygirl,” Colt commands gruffly.
I shiver at the heat in his tone. I slowly close the distance between us, just slow enough to add to my impudence—his jaw ticks. I can tell he’s trying to hold back his amusement. He’s not even a little angry or disappointed like he’s trying to act so his façade keeps slipping.
When I’m directly in front of him, I smile up at him brightly. “Hi, daddy. How can I help you?”
Colt snorts a laugh, his mask of sternness completely falling for a second before he pulls it back into place. “You’ve been a naughty girl…”
I blink up at him with mock surprise at his accusation. “Not me, daddy. I’m your good girl. Must be some other little girl.”
He raises a brow and reaches out to pull me into him. “There’s only one little girl for me. Darlene, you’re it. Forever.”
I swoon into him at his declaration. It’s not the ‘I love you’ I am waiting for, but it’s darn close. “Forever is a long time…”
He growls, wrapping his fist in my hair, tilting my head back so there’s nowhere for me to look but in his eyes. “Forever isn’t long enough for how much I love you, Darlene.”
Oh, wow. He said it. I mean… he actually said the words. Before I have a chance to say them back, Colt has his lips crushed to mine in a life-altering kiss. The kiss breaks me into a million tiny pieces and knits me back together again, wholly changed. I lick my lips when he breaks the kiss, my eyes still closed as I savor the lasting effects of his lips on mine.
My eyes slowly blink open, and I’m met with the hungry gaze of the man who just declared his love for me. “I love you, Colt… daddy… so much. I’m sorry I pushed-”
He steals away my words in another kiss, obviously not wanting to hear any more apologies. Which is fine with me. I’ll show him how sorry I am by giving him everything he wants from me.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Darlene,” he growls. “I want to bury myself inside you so deep you’ll feel me for days.”
I gasp nodding. “Yes, please.”
He chuckles darkly, cracking the ruler down on my bottom. I forgot all about the ruler. That’s what Colt does to me. He makes me forget everything. Including my impulsive nature writing a check my booty now has to cash. A little thrill of excitement rushes through me at the idea of being turned over his knee and spanked like the naughty girl I am.
“First, we need to discuss a few things.” His tone is stern and a little dark. My butt muscles clench automatically at the threat in his words. “Strip.”
I don’t hesitate to reach behind me and slowly start tugging down the zipper on my dress. The dress gapes, making it easy to slip out of it. It pools around my ankles, leaving me in a pale green bra and panty set. They are far from sexy. Just plain cotton, but with the way Colt’s looking at me, you would think I was wearing silk and lace. I reach behind me and unclasp my bra, letting it hit the floor with my dress. I step out of my panties and stand before him, completely bare. His hungry eyes rove over my nakedness like a caress.
He reaches out and rubs his thumb over my nipple, causing it to furl into a stiff peak. “So responsive.” He does the same to the other nipple. My head drops back on a moan as he teases my nipples. His lips trail lightly over my neck as his hands grip my ass in an almost punishing grasp. I gasp and moan, loving his possessive touches.
Unable to help myself, I start to unbutton his shirt. I’ve only released three buttons when his strong hands grip my wrists, stopping me.
“Daddy,” I plead. “I want to see you. To feel you.”
“Soon, babygirl,” he coos, then leads me towards the couch. He sits and pats his lap wordlessly telling me exactly what he wants. I don’t even pretend to fight it. I want this as badly as he does.
I carefully arrange myself over his lap. I tense as I get into position. No matter how much I want the spanking, there is always that brief moment of fear of the unknown. How many spanks? How hard? Will it hurt? How bad will it hurt? I jump when his big hand comes down on my bottom in a gentle tap.
“Shh, relax, babygirl.”
I inwardly snort. Easy for you to say, you’re not the one about to get their butt lit up.
He caresses my skin, running soothing fingers up and down my back, drawing patterns on my skin until I’m completely limp over his lap. Only when I’m utterly relaxed, and my mind is quiet does the spanking start.
His hand comes down on my bottom over and over, not hard enough to really hurt. No, he’s got other plans so he’s just warming my skin. Preparing me for something harsher. I whimper when the hits come harder and faster, especially when he gets my sensitive sit spots.
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Colt alternates spanking with rubbing until I’m so lost to the bliss of it all that I’m floating in a haze of pleasurable pain. I’m jerked from that place in a second when the ruler cracks down on me in two quick slaps.
“Ow! Daddy!” I cry out more from shock than pain. He doesn’t stop, despite my flailing legs. With a hand on my lower back, he pins me to his lap and continues my punishment.
“Do you know why you’re getting this spanking?” he asks lowly.
“Because I spanked you with the ruler.” That’s not why, and I know it, but it’s much easier than admitting that I pushed him away and caused us both unnecessary pain. Especially when I could have told him what was happening and prevented it all. The ruler cracks down directly on my sit spot, causing me to squeal. “Because I pushed you away!”
“Better. This spanking is to remind you that I’m your daddy. I’m yours, and only yours. And you are mine.” He punctuates those last four words with a solid spank to each of my cheeks.
My whole bottom feels like it’s on fire as my spanking commences. I’m crying and blubbering about how sorry I am and how much I love him and that I’ll never leave him again when I hear the ruler fall to the hardwood floor. Colt pulls me up onto his lap, cuddling me.
“Shh… It’s okay, beauty. All is forgiven now.”
I wrap myself around his strong body, holding him close as he strokes his fingers through my hair. My freshly spanked bottom chafes against his jeans, reminding me of my punishment. His other hand slowly roams over my body, igniting my desire. He tweaks a nipple and I moan, wriggling against his hard length.
He fists my hair and pulls my lips up for a demanding kiss. A kiss that marks me as his more than any spanking ever could.
“Mine,” he growls against my lips, his teeth nipping, his tongue stroking until we are both panting and moving against each other for the sweet friction we both crave. “I wanted to go slow, but I can’t. I need you too fucking bad, Darlene.”
Teaching His Babygirl Page 14