“Yes, sir,” Jillian said.
“Yes, Daddy,” Redd said.
“Any injuries?”
“Nope, Doc says we are both fine,” Redd offered. “Jillianwas just shaken up from her ordeal. So he said we could hang here until she felt better. We’ve, um, talked about a lot of stuff.” She glanced up nervously at him.
“And?” He sat down on the doctor’s stool in front of them.
“Well, I may have been a little jealous about her presence.” Redd chewed her fingernail and shifted uneasily.
“A little?” He had to fight hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Jillian nervously giggled, but when he turned his full gaze on her, she gulped and averted her eyes.
“What on earth possessed you to run off like that?” he asked Jillian and unclenched his fists, trying not to scare her with the anger that built in him.
“I saw you spanking a maid, and when you took her in the room, I thought you were going to have sex with her.” The tears shone in her pained emerald eyes.
He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “I don’t have sexual relations with any of my workers, Jillian.”
“I know. Redd explained everything to me.”
“I do, however, spank when a submissive needs a partner or needs to be reminded of her job. I don’t hold back on punishments. You both know that.”
He watched both women squirm uneasily under his gaze.
“Well, it made sense at the time!” Jillian’s eyes flashed at him angrily. “You played with me last night, and then… left! With no explanation! How do you think I felt?”
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you, or worse, hurt you. Do you understand what I am? My wolf wants you as his mate. I was having a hard time controlling him and didn't want to mark you without your consent. ”
She nodded, and he decided to let it go this once. “Redd explained it all to me. I should have guessed after some of thestuff Cindy and Stepmother said, but honestly, it sounded like something so fantastic, I couldn’t believe it.”
“Are you okay with this, knowing what I am?”
“It doesn’t change the man you are, the man I love.” She smiled tentatively and looked into his eyes.
He was so overjoyed, he wanted to howl and do a cartwheel. “I love you too.” He leaned in and took her sweet lips into his own and let out a small growl.
Then he knelt down in front of them and squeezed both their hands. “I love both of you, and unless you say otherwise, I have no intention of letting either of you go. Ever.” He tightened his grip and his eyes darkened, causing them both to gasp.
He stroked Redd’s cheek. “You are my little, the apple of my eye. There will never be another like you. Hot tempered, strong, powerful, compassionate, brave. My desire is to love you for as long as you want me to be in your life. I will protect you from your demons and from yourself. I will hold you when you have nightmares. I will paddle your bottom to a new shade of red every time you do something that does not exemplify the good woman you are. You are good and kind. And I love you.”
Redd’s tears fell fast, and he rubbed them away with his sleeve. “Someday, Little Redd, a man will come for you. If he is truly the man that can give you what you need and want, then I will give your hand to him. Until that point, I’ll kill everyone that doesn’t measure up.”
She giggled at his last announcement.
He turned to Jillian next and kissed her hand. “Jillian, you are the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes upon. You are strong, confident, beautiful, smart, and your submission is the greatest gift you could ever give me. My wolf side wants you as my mate. My human side wants you as my forever lover, my partner, the woman who will bear my children, thewoman who will submit to me because she wants to. I love you, sweet woman, and want you in my life.”
“Can you both agree to these terms, and agree to stop this jealous fight over who gets my heart? You both have it, in different ways.”
They both tearfully voiced their agreement and hugged him, apologizing again for the drama of the past few days.
“So, the doctor has examined you both and deemed you clear forallactivities?”
They both seemed to know what he implied. Were they ready to be punished?
“Yes, sir,” they said.
