I’m crying again. But these aren’t tears of happiness. These tears come from a place of rage. A place of pain. A place of total disappointment in myself that I allowed my heart to take demonic possession of my head and lead me into this awful situation.
If I could kick my own ass, I would.
“Let me go.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he does what I ask, opening his arms and releasing me. I pull away, walk halfway across the room, then stop and turn back.
“This is why you said you’d have to make me fall in love with you first, before I found out all your secrets, right? Because even if I could get past what you do for a living, you knew I wouldn’t be able to get past this.”
He remains silent. His chest rises and falls rapidly. His dark eyes burn.
“Well, congratulations. Your plan worked. And don’t you dare talk to me for the rest of the day, because I’m so mad at both of us, I could spit!”
His eyes flash. He takes a step forward, his gaze searing mine. “Are you saying you’re in love with me?”
Exasperated, I throw my hands in the air. “Are you kidding me? You’re looking for declarations of love right now? I’m about to chop off your head!”
Still advancing slowly, he says softly, “You are, aren’t you? You’re in love with me. Say it.”
I’m so mad, I start to shake. I’m still crying a little, too, but the tears have taken a back burner and now the rage is in the driver’s seat. Seething, I stare at him.
“You selfish, arrogant, son of a bitch.”
“Guilty. Say it.”
“Would I have agreed to any of this insanity if I wasn’t in love with you?”
His voice drops, becoming deadly soft. He’s still advancing. “Then say it. Tell me. I want to hear the words.”
“And I want to hear you groaning in pain when I smash a hammer onto all your toes, but we can’t always get what we want.”
I whirl around and stalk out of the living room, down the hall, and into my bedroom. Kage is right on my heels. I barge into the bathroom, intending to slam the door behind me and lock it, but he’s too close. He barges in with me, crowding me near the sink.
Infuriated that he won’t leave me alone to have a breakdown in private, I snatch my brush off the sink and brandish it at him.
“Don’t make me use this on you!”
It’s a ridiculous threat, partly because I have zero intention of smacking him with my hairbrush and partly because he’d probably just laugh at me if I did, but it makes him stop short.
He looks at the brush in my hand, then he looks back at me.
His voice comes out thick. “Maybe you should.”
Confused by the tone in his voice and the new, heated look in his eyes, I pause for a second. “Um…what?”
“Maybe you should punish me.”
When I get an idea of what he means and lift my brows in surprise, he nods.
Then he turns and walks to the open doorway, pulls his sweats down to the middle of his thighs, and raises his arms overhead, resting his forearms on the molding around the top of the doorframe.
Legs braced apart, back and ass bare, he looks over his shoulder and waits.
27
Nat
He’s got one of those perfect, hard, round man asses you see on elite athletes. There’s not an ounce of fat on it. Paler than his back or thighs, the skin there looks soft, tender, and unblemished.
I bet if I smacked it hard with my brush, it would glow cherry red.
I swallow because my mouth has gone bone dry. There’s a strange buzzing in my ears. I feel a bit lightheaded. My fury has flown out the window, leaving me jacked up on sex endorphins.
No wonder he wants to spank me. Just standing here contemplating the idea of doing it to him has me vibrating all over like one of my toys.
He says, “Don’t worry about hurting me. I have a high tolerance for pain.”
“It’s kind of defeating the whole purpose if you can’t feel it.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t be able to feel it. I just don’t want you to hold back.”
His voice is soft and hypnotic. Or maybe I’m feeling hypnotized from all the adrenaline flooding my veins.
When I told him I’d only let him spank me if I could do it to him first, I didn’t think a hypothetical would turn into reality. It was a hollow threat, because what man would let his girlfriend whack him on the ass?
This one, apparently.
He’s an evil genius.
As I move closer to him, the brush grows warmer in my hand, like it’s alive. It’s wooden, with an oversized, flat rectangular top, made to handle thick hair like mine.
It’s basically a paddle.
I stop slightly behind him and to one side. I’ve got a magnificent view of his body, all those tattoos and bulging muscles. Semihard, his thick cock rests against his thigh.
When I lick my lips in agitation, he says gruffly, “Go to ten. I’ll count out loud.”
Ten punishing smacks against his naked ass while he’s counting them off in that hot, rough voice of his…
It’s a Christmas miracle.
He watches me over his shoulder. His breathing has increased. The air in the room feels warm and dangerously charged, like a single spark could set off a gigantic explosion.
“Dammit, Natalie. Do it!”
He must’ve known that snapped command would piss me off, because when my hand flies and the brush connects with his skin with a crack! he makes a satisfied grunt, as if he just won a bet with himself.
Laughter in his voice, he says, “One.”
I grit my teeth and let my hand fly again. “You smug—”
Crack!
“—bossy—”
Crack!
“—overbearing—”
Crack!
“—cocky—”
Crack!
“—jerk!”
I stop, panting, staring at Kage’s butt. It’s turning a very satisfying shade of mottled pink. When I glance up at his face, his eyes are living fire.
“Feel better?”
“No. You didn’t count.”
“Yes, I did. We’re at five. I guess you were preoccupied.”
I let my gaze rake over his body, head to toe. He’s not straining to hold his arms overhead, but his breathing is rough. A fine sheen of perspiration has broken out along his brow.
His erection is now rock-hard, jutting out from his hips and pointing toward the ceiling. A small dot of clear liquid glistens at the slit in the crown.
I don’t want this to be over so fast. We’re already halfway to ten.
I reach out and lightly stroke one of his red cheeks. His cock twitches. He sucks in a quiet breath and stiffens.
Running the tip of my finger over a raised welt on his butt, I watch in fascination as his cock twitches again, a little pulse from the base that travels up his rigid shaft and makes the crown quiver.
That little drop of liquid on top is calling my name.
I murmur, “Don’t move.” Then I dip my fingertip into the drop and slowly spread it over the crown in a small circle.
Kage obeys me and remains still, but he can’t help the small shudder of pleasure that goes through him at my touch. Or the faint moan that leaves his lips.
That sound jolts through me like electricity.
My nipples harden. A surge of heat rushes to my core. The surprising urge to drop to my knees and suck him off grips me, but instead, I curl my fingers around his thick shaft and gently stroke him, tip to base and back again.