“I’m not going tobreakyou, Eryn. That isn’t the purpose of this.” He looked me in the eyes, ensnaring me despite my desire to hide. “It will hurt, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. And honestly, I think a part of you is craving a little discipline.”
Now he was talking flavored shit. Craving it? Was he insane?
“The choice is yours.”
Oh gods. Was I actually about to do this? Slowly, I released my death grip on the wood and stood straight. Kaiden nodded, seeing that I’d reached my decision.
“Hands on the desk, princess.”
Slow breaths. My palms met the cool surface, and my shoulders hunched up around my ears when I felt him move behind me. Stomach rolling, I waited for the first smack like a condemned prisoner trying to anticipate the executioner's ax. Was it on this breath that he’d strike? What about the next one? His large hand rested on my ass over my thick leggings. A warm, soft touch that was far from what my imagination conjured.
“We’ll stick to five since it's your first time,” he said, his voice close to my ear, but I kept my head tucked. “One for disobeying my order to stay here, one for putting yourself in danger, one for doing it despite knowing what was hunting you, and two for hurting yourself in the process. Are you ready?”
I think I nodded, but honestly, I was locked up too tight to know if I moved or not.
Kaiden sighed behind me. “I need the words, Eryn.”
I was trying my best to not lose my shit. It took all my control toallowthis to happen in the first place. Now he wanted me to talk about it? Some of my earlier fear bled into anger. His level of audacity was astounding. I kept my mouth shut and waited for the first blow. My entire body shook. I knew he could see, but I wasn’t strong enough to hide my fear, keeping silent took everything I had. The anticipation was agony, and I found myself attuned to every little sound.
The soft brush of fabric behind me hinted at movement. The quick change in the air around me, and the growing warmth at my back confirmed it a second before Kaiden’s body pressed up against mine with a growl. I jolted at the unexpected, gentle way his arm wrapped around my waist. He pulled me snugly against him while he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.
The feel of his lips on my skin was like an electric shock, and I stood frozen, unsure of what was happening.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless. His lips madeanother pass down my neck, causing goosebumps to sprout in their wake.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he murmured, and then pulled back until his warm breath tickled my ear.
He’d changed his mind? The hand that was on my ass now squeezed my hip, as if to reassure me it didn’t plan on causing any pain tonight. Kaiden pulled the chair out beside me, and that hand slid down my thigh, scooped under, and pulled outward.
“Here,” he said, lifting my leg a little higher. “Rest your knee on the cushion. You really shouldn’t be putting any pressure on that ankle.”
I allowed him to guide me and sighed in relief as the stabbing pain in my leg lessened.
“I don’t understand.” I tried to turn around, but his arms wrapped around me again and halted my movement. “Aren’t you going to…” I swallowed. “I thought you were going to punish me.”
I felt him sigh into my hair. “I had every intention of doing so, but as it turns out, I don’t want you to hate me.”
That was unexpected. I didn’t think he cared enough about my side of the bond to actually pay attention. Wait, did this mean I had to move in with him now?
“You’re not mad anymore?” I asked, testing the waters, and he chuckled.
“I’m furious,” he admitted, and his arm tightened around my waist. “I don’t like when you put yourself in danger, and you obviously can’t be trusted to take care of yourself. So, for the foreseeable future, I guess you’re stuck with me as your permanent shadow.”
As my permanent…”What?”
Him laughing over my lack of freedom was really starting topiss me off. His chest shook against my back, and I wanted nothing more than to stomp on his foot to shut him up. He wasnotgoing to follow me around. That was worse than his idea to spank me. Better than being forced to live with him, but only barely.
“I’d rather you hit me,” I grumbled, and that set him off.
When his laughter was under control, he started nuzzling my neck again, like he was reassuring himself I was still here.
“Too bad,” he whispered, seeming content to just stand here and hold me. “Now that I know you’d like it, it's not a proper punishment, is it?”
There he went again, spouting nonsense.
“Like it?” I stiffened. “I’d rather get it over with than have you follow me, that’s all. Who the hell would like something like that?”
His chuckle was deeper this time, knowing, and it raised the hair on my arms. The hand that helped my knee onto the chair branded my thigh with its warmth. I shivered as it moved higher up my leg, zeroing in on that central part of me growing more wet with every puff of breath against my skin, with every flex of his arm moving from my waist to my chest. How did we always end up like this?
