Page 77 of Graciously His

“It’s what you are when you’re being disobedient, Grace. You’re my silly little girl, standing up for all the wrong things. But let’s just make this very clear, before we move on to your punishment: when I leave you safe at home, I expect you to stay at home. Safe and sound and mine. No unblocking your mother. No leaving the house. Especially not without your phone.”

Her mouth opens and closes before she finally explodes. “YOU TOOK MY FUCKING PHONE, YOU ASSHOLE!”

“And I’ll take it again next time, if you give me trouble. And, just so now we’re both very clear: no phone means no leaving the house, no contacting your mother. Oh,” I let my hand drift to the nape of her neck, “and you’re going to stop calling me names right fucking now.”

“I’ll call you whatever I want,” she answers, but I see the way she licks her lips. “Especially when it’s the truth.”

I’m gaining no ground here. Time to change tactics.

Taking a long step back, I give Grace a bit of breathing room, tucking my hands behind my back. I’m still between her and every point of retreat, but I need her to calm down so she can finally hear me.

“You are going to promise not to talk to your mother, Grace. Forget everything else for now: I need you to understand how dangerous that was. We’ve worked hard to undo what that woman did to you. Contacting her—no matter how mad you are at me—is never the right call. Do you agree?” She shrugs, but I see the way her posture has loosened up a bit. “Good. We agree that’s never an acceptable choice.”

“I…” she lets out a breath, running one hand through her hair. “Fine. It was the wrong choice.”

“And do you agree that you deserve punishment for your transgressions today?”

She scoffs, shaking her head. “If I deserve punishment, then so do you!”

“Oh, I’ve had mine.” That catches her attention properly. Grace stares at me, her mouth open a little. “Are you going to pretend you’ve not been punishing me? You knew what you were doing, going where I couldn’t keep track of you properly, refusing to answer my calls, then ignoring me when I finally got home. We both know you were punishing me—and that’s fine. I’ll admit I could have handled you better today. And now it’s your turn. Come here. I’m going to make you into my gracious girl again.”

Her cheeks redden. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means I’m going to remind you who you married.”

That gets another scoff, accompanied by a contemptuous sneer. I feel my heart rate go up.

“You forced me to marry you, you fucking brute.”

She throws the final word at me like a rock she had ready, hidden in her palm for the perfect moment.

“And there it is,” I say, relishing the epithet. It’s the perfect fulcrum for this moment. “You need this more than I thought, if you think calling me names is going to get you off the hook.”

“And you need a reality check, if you think I’m going to accept any kind of punishment from you! I’m not a child, Nate!”

I step right up close, my hands still tucked behind my back.

“You’re worse than a child,” I murmur. “You’re a silly little thing who refuses to accept the correction you’re desperate for. But you’re going to, Grace. Because you need it and,” I let heat lower my voice, enjoying how she can't look at me now, “I think you knew exactly what I’d bring home, and that you fucking want it. If I’m wrong,” I lace my fingers into her hair, “then I’ll just have to make you want it, like I always do.”

Chapter 31

Grace

My world is fracturing, and all I want to do is let it happen. Nate has me in every single way—physically, he’s got a hand buried in my hair as I’m backed up against the wall. More than that, he has me dead to rights morally and psychologically. I did something very wrong today when I tried to talk to Mother. It was a serious regression, but part of me wants to keep pushing back anyway, to make him understand that it was his actions that made me want to reach out to her. Had he not left me so abruptly, I never would have felt the urge to do something so self-destructive.

But I know he’s right. I slipped up today, regardless of the situation. And that means I need help.

“Nate,” I whisper, hoping to get things back to a more even footing. “Please, I—”

“A fucking brute,” Nate says, a slow smile curving his lips. “You keep coming back to that, don’t you?”

“Nate,” I try again, but he presses a warm palm over my lips, silencing me. And I let him. I keep my hands at my sides, even as I feel my eyes tearing. I’ve gone too far. We both have. And there’s nowhere to go but further.

“A fucking brute,” Nate continues, “would keep his hand over your mouth, fold you in half, then fuck both your holes until you pass out. Do you want me to do that, Grace?”

I try to slide away, but his other hand seizes the back of my neck. Panic lances through me.

I manage to turn my head enough to free my mouth. “I didn’t mean it.”