“Is this true, baby girl?”
Gabe’s voice pierced the misery Evie was feeling. “No! No no no…”
Fudge brownies!Had he heard what Shepherd said?
Strong fingers flexed in her hair, forcing her head up. “Did you believe Victoria when she said I only wanted you for the house? Do you really think so little of me?”
“I-I…” What could she say? “I didn’t mean to, she just…”
Sugared doughnuts!
She’d hurt him. His words might be deceptively soft, but Evie could see it in the dullness of his eyes and the way his mouth was bracketed with lines. Behind him, Asher looked at her with clear disappointment, and her shame was complete. The fact she’d hurt these wonderful men, however inadvertently, caused more pain than any spanking ever could.
“I’m sorry,” Evie whispered, desperate to hang her head. Of course, they weren’t letting her off that lightly.
“Well, you know the best thing about punishment, sugarplum?” Asher asked as he crouched in front of her. “Once it’s over, the slate is wiped clean.”
“P-punishment?”
“Yup, and it seems Shepherd here has already started.”
Her eyes grew round as his words dawned on her. But even as they made her squirm in Shepherd’s lap, Evie found it comforting that she could be absolved that way.
Asher placed his hand between her shoulder blades and took over the spanking. Even though she remained on Shepherd’s knee, and Asher was using his left hand, the swats were still hard and precise.
Evie accepted the correction. She’d earned it. But she couldn’t help wriggling around on Shepherd’s lap, and neither could she avoid the erection that dug into her belly and caused an answering arousal in her lady garden.
Asher paused mid-swat, his palm warm against her burning skin. "Well, well. Looks like someone's enjoying her punishment a little too much."
Heat flooded Evie's face - and not just from the spanking. She could feel the slickness between her thighs, the way her body had betrayed her desire. The sting of each slap had somehow transformed into something else entirely, something that made her core clench with need.
"I think," Gabe said, his voice dropping to that dangerous register that made her insides quiver, "we need to make sure our girl knows exactly how we feel about her."
Shepherd's hand traced lazy circles on the small of her back. "Agreed. No more room for doubt."
“But not before she tastes my belt.”
Evie’s body went haywire as conflicting emotions warred with each other.
She heard the slide of leather through belt loops, and it sent frissons of both anticipation and apprehension through her.
Her breath hitched as Asher straightened, and she tipped her head up to catch sight of the leather belt folded in Gabe’s hand. The sight sent a jolt straight to her core, even as her bottom still throbbed from the spanking.
Before Evie could process what was happening, strong hands lifted her from Shepherd's lap. "Up you get, sugarplum." Asher's voice was gentle despite the threat.
Shepherd helped her stand, steadying her when her legs wobbled. Her clothing was still bunched around her knees, and she felt utterly exposed and utterly aroused. The wetness between her thighs was impossible to hide now.
Then, her leggings and panties were pulled completely off, leaving her lower half bare. Gabe settled onto the stool where Shepherd had been sitting and pulled her into his lap, this time facing him, her legs straddling his thighs.
"Look at me, baby girl." His fingers tilted her chin up when she tried to look away. Those green eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them, pupils blown wide with desire and something else - something that looked almost vulnerable.
"Do you really think I'd go through all this trouble for a piece of property?" His voice was rough, raw in a way that made her chest ache. “You know, I considered asking your parents if they’d sell, but I came up with the idea of cabins, because I knew how much the house meant to you, and I didn’t want the choice to live there taken away from you. You know why?”
She shook her head, her chest tight.
“Because I love you, Evie. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Evie hiccupped a small sob. What had she been thinking? Gabe hadn’t even known the property belonged to her and not her parents when they’d started this relationship. How could she have allowed Victoria to undermine her like that?
