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“Look at me.”
It took nearly every bit of strength she had left in her to lift her head and meet his gaze.
“After your spanking and your nap, you and I are going to have a talk. I refuse to sit back and let you put yourself in danger over and over again. Do you understand me, little girl?”
Thin, cold fingers of panic wrapped around her throat. Was he going to send her home? Had she really pushed him away so quickly?
“Shannon. I asked you a question.”
Her throat felt tight, closed off, so she nodded in response. Apparently satisfied with her answer, Bryant turned her and guided her over his knee. Unlike a couple nights before when he’d removed the ginger, he didn’t give her the comfort of having her body supported by the bed like he had when he’d let her stretch out on the couch. Pressing her hands against the cool tile, she braced for her punishment.
And it was a punishment, without a doubt. From the first painful swat, there was no doubt in her mind he was set on teaching her a lesson she’d never forget. Bryant spanked harder than any Dom she’d ever known, and it took less than a dozen harsh, stinging spanks to break her silence.
“Stop, please! I’m sorry!”
“Princess, we’ve barely gotten started.” The steady cadence of his hand slapping her ass never faltered as he spoke. “Your little bottom is barely pink, and I intend for it to be a nice shade of red by the time I’m done.”
Fuck, she was in so much trouble. Despite what the books she had hidden on her Kindle might say, red wasn’t a color easily achieved during most spankings. A bright or dark pink, sure. But red? In the real world, red meant business, and it most likely meant she’d be feeling this punishment well into tomorrow.
And the worst part was, she couldn’t even deny she’d earned every blistering swat. She’d taken a calculated risk, knowing damn well what the consequences might be. And on top of that, she’d gotten careless and let herself be caught off guard by the ocean.
As if he could somehow read her thoughts, Bryant began to lecture. “You were given rules for a reason, little girl. Not because I don’t think you’re strong and capable. But because the ocean can be dangerous for anyone, and you shouldn’t be out there alone if you can help it. You should have waited for me to get back.”
Resentment finally came to her aid, temporarily smothering the guilt and shame. “I did wait! You took forever!”
“I wasn’t even inside for an hour, little girl. My call took longer than I had planned, but that is no excuse for openly disobeying a rule you agreed to.”
“It’s a stupid rule!”
If anyone had told her five seconds ago the man could spank harder, she wouldn’t have believed them. But, oh, could he spank harder! His grip on her waist tightened, and when his hard palm slammed into her backside again, she gasped at the increased sting.
“Do you really think so little of yourself, Shannon? Is your life really worth nothing to you?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s not a stupid rule!” She kicked her legs up, but they were quickly pushed back down. She tried to twist away from the painful onslaught, but he easily held her in place. Nothing she did allowed her even a second of reprieve from his punishment.
“Damn right it’s not stupid. Your safety and wellbeing are the most important things in the world to me. Protecting you is not stupid.”
She was more focused on trying to escape his hard hand than on his words, so it took a moment for them to register. When they did, she went still over his knee. “What?”
The spanking stopped and he rested his hand on her inflamed bottom. “Which part do you need me to repeat, princess?”
“A-all of it?”
The fact that he could chuckle right then might have pissed her off if she wasn’t still struggling to make sense of what he’d said. “I think this is a good time to switch to the brush.”
“No!” The word dragged out into a long, pleading wail. “Please, not the bath brush!”
“That reaction right there tells me I chose the right implement.” Shifting her forward slightly, he locked his right leg over both of hers, pinning her in place. “Do I need to hold your hand, or can you keep it out of the way?”
It stripped away another layer of her pride, but she lifted her hand for him to grasp. Linking his fingers with hers, he anchored their joined hands at the small of her back.
She was well and truly stuck until he decided she’d learned her lesson. The knowledge sent her tummy dancing with a strange combination of fear and excitement.
The first blow from the brush was like a thousand needles piercing her skin all at once and she sucked in a breath at the unimaginable pain.
“You matter to me, Shannon.” Another swat to the opposite cheek brought hot, stinging tears to her eyes. “You matter to Liv.” And a third, this one drawing a whimper from her lips. “You matter to a lot of people, and I refuse to be an idle observer when you insist on putting your precious life at risk.”
The tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, making hot little tracks down her cheeks as he mercilessly paddled her bottom. Each blow was delivered at a slow, steady rhythm, until she finally broke.
