“Yeah. That’s a new one. They might be foreshadowing. It’s only been two nights. We don’t know yet how accurate they are.”
Amber took a long deep breath. “Everything is so…weird. I spent my entire life thinking I was going to move in with a stranger on my twentieth birthday with the expectation that I would cook and clean and serve him in ways that scared the bejesus out of me.” She winced at the visions she’d had of servicing her mate with her body.
Rylee nodded understanding.
“Then I get here, and it’s like living in the upside down. Instead of being a dutiful mate who makes dinner and washes clothes, I’m blindsided to find out I will be doing nothing domestic. In fact, I’m not evenpermittedto.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice, glancing at the door. “As for the other ways I expected toservemy mate…well, those are clearly not going to be a hardship.” She covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. She hadn’t expected to discuss sex with her best friend, but it was pretty obvious now that the lust she felt was experienced by all Alphas and their mates. Fate ensured it was so.
Rylee glanced down at her yellow dress. “Yeah, and these clothes… How hideous,” she joked. She surprised Amber when she jumped up and twirled around in a circle, letting the short skirt spin wide before plopping back down.
Amber grinned at her friend’s excitement.
Rylee covered her entire mouth to keep from laughing out loud. When she finally lowered her hand, she whispered softly, “Don’t tell Daddy I did that. He hates when I spin around. He thinks I’ll fall and get hurt.”
Amber smiled wider. Everything about this new life of hers was shocking. The odd overprotective tendencies of the Alpha Protectors was going to take some getting used to, but there was something so heartwarming about being adored so much that she knew her man wouldn’t allow her to spin around in circles either. He’d probably have a heart attack.
“Do it!” Rylee encouraged, her voice barely audible. “Trust me. It feels so freeing. After years of being demure and proper all the time, it’s so nice to just…be Little. When were we really kids? I can’t even remember. Now my man wants me to read and play with toys and enjoy myself. Who am I to question him?”
Amber looked toward the door. She realized she couldn’t hear Isaac or Hayes and wondered if they had stepped outside. As she considered the repercussions of possibly getting caught doing something forbidden, she stared blankly at the open doorway.
The only spanking she’d gotten so far was preemptive. Sort of a lesson to demonstrate what to expect in the future if she misbehaved. He hadn’t specifically told her she couldn’t twirl around in circles. Could he punish her for doing so?
And…did she care? When he’d first mentioned spanking her, she’d been stunned beyond belief. But something shifted when he’d taken her over his knees. The feel of his hand on her bottom, her elevated heart rate, the wetness that leaked out of her when his palm slapped against her naked skin.
So naughty. So…arousing.
Suddenly Amber realized she was staring right at Isaac. It startled her so much that she nearly fell over backward.
“What’s wrong?” Rylee asked, looking over her shoulder toward the doorway.
Amber’s eyes widened. She licked her lips. She couldn’t form words. He wasn’t standing in the hall. He was outside on the deck. She was seeing him through the walls. Clearly. As if all thewalls and furniture and any other barrier between them were glass or not there at all. The solids had faded, leaving a sort of portal, allowing her to see both Isaac and Hayes where they stood talking.
The men had no idea. They weren’t aware of her attention.
Amber’s heart was racing now. “I can see them,” she managed to hiss.
“See who?”
“Isaac and Hayes. I can see them through the walls.”
Rylee gasped. “For real?”
“Yes.” She shuddered violently for a moment. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean I guess I saw through trees and even parts of the mountain yesterday when I knew you all were here waiting for us after the ceremony. But this is just…weird.”
“It is, but I’m not shocked either. I don’t think you’ve fully tapped into the skill. It took all of us several days to understand what our unique abilities were. You’re still coming into yours.”
Seizing the opportunity, Amber jumped to her feet and spun around and around, so fast that her skirt flew way up. She didn’t care that Rylee could see her panties and probably even her breasts. All she cared about was the exhilarating release she got from doing something so silly and so naughty. Something that would surely be on the absolutely-not-allowed list. Something that would get her bottom spanked so hard she wouldn’t be able to sit down.
Something that made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt in her entire life.
As soon as she dropped back down onto her bottom, dizzy and swaying to one side, she started laughing. Rylee joined her. The two of them laughed until tears came to their eyes and they fell over onto their sides, curled up in a fit of giggles.
Chapter Eight
“Hmm.”
At the sound of her Daddy’s voice, Amber peaked toward the doorway to find both men standing just inside the nursery. They had their hands on their hips but a bemused look on their faces.
Amber had a new moment of clarity. Her Daddy might be firm. He would have rules. He would enforce them. But he would also be soft and kind. He wouldn’t get seriously angry and yell at her or abuse her.
