Page 17 of No Going Back

The thought of being spanked fascinated her. The thought of delivering that spanking lit a fire inside him, the like of which he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Without a doubt, he wanted Maddie, and the way she’d kissed him when they parted led him to believe the feeling was mutual.

So now he was faced with the very real situation he’d only considered in theory. Assuming their relationship progressed, what if she was interested in only the mildest of adult games—or wasn’t interested at all? Could he lock away an intrinsic part of his nature and hide it from her indefinitely?

Even considering the matter felt wrong. He hated deception of any kind, which could be considered ironic, given the nature of much of his work. Then again, deception in the name of national security was an entirely different animal from deception in intimate relationships.

He switched off the reading light and allowed the night to enfold him in its embrace. Perhaps everything would look clearer in the morning.

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Their third date was at Stonehaven, although he did wonder if technically it did truly qualify as a date, given the location.

Guy gave a languid stretch, crossed his legs at the ankles, and pillowed his head on his hands. He should have done this more often. Who knew that lying in the sunshine could be so therapeutic? All the opportunities he’d wasted over the years, when he could have just kicked back and enjoyed this, his favourite tranquil, wooded corner of the estate. He closed his eyes again. The sound of the stream flowing nearby was about to send him to sleep.

Maddie had lost that particular battle a while ago. She was curled up beside him on the picnic blanket, her head in his lap, and every so often a soft snore emanated from that direction. Even that little sound made him feel more carefree than he had in… forever.

It was a pity Ros and Simon hadn’t been around to meet her, but then again, he wasn’t sure he was ready to make news of his relationship with Maddie known to his family yet. What he had to ask Maddie couldn’t wait until he was. It was time-critical, and he wanted her in an agreeable mood when he asked it. A delicious picnic, accompanied by a couple of glasses of fine wine, was a good start. Waking her up to ask that question probably wasn’t the smartest idea, though. He could wait. Listening to summer birdsong was a hardship he could endure for the prize he stood to win.

“Oh, good grief.” Maddie sat up with a start, putting some unwelcome distance between them. “Please don’t tell me I fell asleep.”

“You fell asleep.”

The groan she gave was almost as cute as the snuffly noises she’d been making. “I only closed my eyes for five minutes.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t snore, did I?”

“You did.” Not laughing at her horrified expression was an interesting challenge.

Her ensuing whimper of acute embarrassment was reflected in the way she wrapped her arms around her legs and let her head drop against her knees. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey. Come here.” He kept his tone light-hearted as he coaxed her into returning to him. Her blush was delightful. She seemed to blush a lot around him. “You didn’t sound like a buzz saw, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I was loud enough for you to hear me—that’s bad enough.”

“Wait till you hear me.”

Her blush deepened. His libido surged.

Guy considered the implications of what he’d just said. Whatever his musings on the matter of delayed gratification might have been, it appeared his libido was fixated on the idea of bedding Maddie sooner rather than later. Maybe his libido had the right idea, and he should just run with that—take her to bed now and see what developed.

“So, I was wondering, in the light of what you just said, if you had any idea about when that might happen.”

Maddie had shifted position and was lying on her stomach with her weight on her elbows and her chin in her hand. Guy let his gaze travel over her back, appreciating yet again the curves of a backside begging for the sound slap of his palm. His imagination took flight at the thought, creating a future where she not only knew about his predilection for sadism but welcomed it. He’d have her like that but naked, with her legs parted so he could explore the treasure between her thighs. Not to mention how pretty she’d look with a jewelled butt plug in place.

“Guy?”

“Hmm?”

“Is everything okay? You looked miles away there.”

“Forgive me. I was, but I was thinking about you.”

“You were?” She rolled to one side, giving him a beautiful view of her breasts, and the hint of lace beneath the V-neck of her shirt.

“I was. One of the things I was thinking about was kissing you.”

“Oh. Was it good?”

“Very, but I was also thinking I might need to follow it up, just to ensure reality still matches up.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” She got to her knees.