“Oh God,” she rasped. “How embarrassing.”
More than a little horrified, after all the spanking hadn’t been that painful, she pulled back and tried to climb from his lap.
“Stay where you are,” he growled.
“Let me go, Duncan,” she told him, struggling slightly. “I fu—” She caught herself just in time, looking up at him a little guiltily as he frowned down at her. “I mean it. I want some time to myself.”
“No.”
“Can’t I have any time to myself,” she cried.
Sighing, he ran his knuckles down her face. “You can. What I won’t allow is for you to run from me when something scares you. I want you to run to me, Laken.”
She slumped against him and his arms surrounded her, holding her tight. He just held her, not talking for the longest moment.
“I’ve got to check on dinner.”
“You turned everything off. It will be fine,” he countered, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
“I can’t believe you told me you loved me just before you spanked me,” she told him.
His chest moved up and down as he chuckled quietly. “Really? I thought it was quite fitting.”
Laken shook her head, sitting back again to look up at him. “You never said it before.”
His gaze warm, he pushed the hair back of her face, tucking it behind her ears.
“I should have. I’ve loved you for years, Laken Michaels.”
Tears dripped down her face again. “Oh my God, what is wrong with me?” she said in disgust, wiping her cheeks. “I never cry and now I seem to be doing it all the time.”
He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. “I’d say you were well overdue, sugar. You’ve been through a lot lately and you’ve been keeping much of it bottled up inside. Think of it as stress relief. Sometimes a spanking just helps you release that tension and stress.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “If you think you’re going to suggest that I need therapy spankings, think again, buster.”
A grin crossed his face, and she caught her breath at how truly sexy he was. Not classically handsome, his jaw was a bit too wide, his features a bit too rugged.
“You sure about that? It could be good for both of us.”
“No,” she told him firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Okay, sugar. No therapy spankings then. But we need to change this inclination you have to take off when something upsets you. I expect that when you are upset, particularly if it is something I have done, that you will come to me. Okay?”
“I’ll try,” she said.
“Now, do you have anything to say to me?”
She pretended to ponder the question as she sat there, tapping her finger against her chin. He let out a low growl and she knew she was pushing his patience.
Leaning forward, she kissed him softly. “I love you too, handsome. I’ve loved you for a long time and I plan on loving you forever more.”
He pulled her close, holding her tight.
“As soon as this is all over, you and I are going to sit down for a long conversation about our future. But for now, I want you to get up and take your position over the table.”
Tensing slightly, she stood and turned, bending over so she rested on the towel that was laid on the dining table. She fought to keep her position as he raised her skirt up over her waist.
She heard a squirting noise and looked over her shoulder to find him squirting some lubricant onto his fingers.