“I swear it.” Pulling away, she drags in a deep breath. And I watch, fascinated, as she seems to transform in front of my eyes from my best friend Gracie to my no-nonsense Auntie Gray. “All right, little girl. Let’s get you back to your Daddy so he can give his naughty girl the spanking she has very definitely earned.”
CHAPTER 26
BRAM
“Relax. They’ll be fine.”
Colt’s words do little to reassure me as I continue pacing the living room. “I should have gone with her. You know how Gray can get when she’s angry.”
Rising from his chair, my twin places his hands on my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. “Andyouknow Gray would never lay a hand on any of our Little ones in anger, but especially not Josie. She loves her, almost as much as you love her.”
“Right.” Some of the worry unknots from my stomach. “I just worry.”
Colt grins. “Of course you do. You’re a Daddy.”
He’s right. But I’m not justaDaddy. I’mJosie’sDaddy.
And that makes all the difference in the world.
Movement from the corner of my eye draws my attention to the entryway between the living room and the kitchen, where Gray is standing with Josie’s hand clutched in hers. And I can see the resolve in my sister’s eyes, but thankfully none of the anger from before.
Our gazes lock and she gives a small nod before looking down at my babygirl. “All right, sweetheart. Time to face the music.”
Nibbling nervously at her bottom lip, Josie nods and drags in a deep breath before stepping forward. When she reaches me, I take her hand, guiding her over the arm of the chair we dragged to the middle of the room for this exact purpose.
“All right, little girl,” I lecture as I flip her dress up and reach for the tabs of her diaper. “You were very, very naughty, Josephine. We are a family. We take care of each other. And to drive that point home, our family is going to help with your punishment.”
I watch her tense, her bottom clenching in anticipation. “Wh-what do you mean?”
Reaching for the buckle on my belt, I pull it free, letting her hear the jangle of the metal, the snap of the leather. “As I said, you are going to feel Daddy’s belt on your naughty bottom. But every five strokes, I’m going to stop and ask our family if they think you’ve had enough. And I will not stop until the decision is unanimous.”
Silence greets my pronouncement, but then Lanie jumps up from her Daddy’s lap to glare at me. “WellIalready think she’s had enough! You guys are just being mean!”
“Melanie,” Axel growls, reaching for her to pull her back onto his lap. “That’s enough.”
“But—”
Clamping a hand down over her mouth, Axel sighs. “I’m going to put her down for a nap. I’ll be back.”
Lanie glares daggers at me as her Daddy hauls her out of the living room and upstairs. I let my gaze travel over my siblings, waiting for each one of them to nod in agreement.
Ford is the holdout, but as always, he eventually gives in with a sigh of his own.
I nod at my family, dragging in a deep breath as I brace for what needs to be done. “All right, then. Let’s get started.”
Josie
A soft whimper escapes my lips before I press them together. I’m determined to bear this punishment as stoically as possible. I hurt the people I love most and if anyone has ever deserved a spanking, it’s me.
There’s a sort of whistling sound and then the loudcrackof leather meeting flesh echoes around the room. It takes a moment for the pain to register, but when it does, it’s an all-consuming inferno of agony.
Fucking hell, I forgot how much his belthurts.
But I’m still determined to take my whipping like a Big girl, so I press the toes of my Mary Janes against the hardwood to keep from kicking up as another stroke lands. And another. And another.
By the time he brings the belt down for the fifth time, right across my sensitive sit-spots, tears are stinging my eyes and my breaths are shaky and ragged.
“All right. Who thinks Josie has been properly punished?”
