Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she lay there, her body aching with pain. She heard Eliot skid to a stop beside her. He sat back in the snow and pushed off his skis before rushing over to her.
“Raina, honey, are you all right? Does anything hurt?”
“My ankle, I think I twisted it,” she cried. “But everything hurts.”
“What were you thinking? You were going way too fast and on an expert trail. You didn’t even tell me you wanted to try one!”
She felt small, not enjoying being scolded like a naughty child by him. Feeling guilty, she didn’t meet his eyes and looked away.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered.
“You’ll be sorry when we get home tonight, that’s for sure. I’m going to paddle that ass so hard that you won’t sit for a week for acting so foolish and reckless.”
Her insides fluttered at his threat. She wondered what would happen as the muscles in her bottom flexed almost instinctually. Would he use a wooden paddle or whip her with his belt across her bottom cheeks? She’d never experienced a real punishment by his hands, only delicious kinky foreplay. She should be scared, but her body reacted instantly. Her clit began to throb and molten heat pooled between her thighs.
Despite the fact that he was clearly disappointed with her, he did everything he could to make her feel comfortable. He gently prodded her body, checking her for injuries from the fall. Other than feeling achy, the only actual damage she had sustained was to her ankle, which she was pretty sure she’d twisted really badly. Luckily for them, a lodge employee saw them and skied over within a few quick minutes. He called into his radio and a small group quickly arrived with a sled. Eliot and a few other men lifted her gently onto it, making her feel safe at the concern apparent on all their faces.
They guided her gently down the mountain and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. She felt so stupid, so thoughtless for racing down that trail without a care in the world. She had assumed she could handle it, but she’d been very wrong. Quietly, she sobbed as tears trailed down her face. Now Eliot was disappointed with her, which was the worst part of it all.
Back at the base lodge, she was maneuvered into the medical area, where she was made to put on a hospital gown. A resident doctor ordered x-rays just to make sure she hadn’t fractured or broken anything. By the time they were cleared to leave, the sun had set and it was well past dinnertime. Raina was told to stay off her ankle as much as possible until it healed. She’d been diagnosed with a rather severe sprain, with only a few scratches and bruises otherwise.
The ski lodge arranged transportation home for them, rather than a horse-drawn carriage. Eliot gently placed her in the backseat of the big SUV and sat beside her. Feeling sad and guilty, she leaned into him as the driver drove them home.
“I’m so sorry,” she said softly.
“I know, sweetheart. Let’s get you home and to bed to get some rest. We’ll deal with the consequences in the morning, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed quietly, knowing better than to argue.
When they arrived at their condo, the doctor helped Eliot get her upstairs and into bed with as little pressure on her ankle as possible. He left them with a pair of crutches for her, before telling her to take it easy the next few days. When they were all alone, Eliot sat down with her and took her hand in his.
“How are you feeling, honey?”
“Stupid,” she responded meekly.
He pressed his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that he could meet her eyes. She felt tiny under his scrutiny and she tried her best to look away. She was afraid that she’d done something so dumb tha
t he would think her too young, too reckless to be with anymore. Why would he want her after all this? She was just an immature young graduate student, unworthy of his attention. Choking back tears, she tried to break free from his hold.
“Raina, I know you’re probably scared about being punished by me, but it’s going to be okay. Once it’s over, it’s done with. I will never bring it up again. I love you, little one and I never want to see you get hurt. When you fell, I was so scared. You could have been seriously injured. You could have died. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you. Can’t you understand how I feel about you?”
She nodded, finally having the nerve to raise her eyes to his. His words left her feeling guiltier than ever, but still cared for. He loved her.
“I love you too,” she said, reeling with the warmth that his words had awakened in her body.
“It’s going to be a true punishment and you’re going to be one sorry little girl before I’m through. But afterwards, I have lots of presents for you to open since it’ll be Christmas Day tomorrow. Luckily for you, I just give out spankings and not coal for Christmas.”
“That’s right, I almost forgot,” she whispered with a bit more confidence. Reaching forward, she took his hand in her own. He gripped her palm fiercely.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart. You’re mine, little one, and I won’t ever let you go. Let me get you some ibuprofen so you can relax and get some much-needed rest.”
“I wish you’d spank me now and get it over with,” she murmured.
“No, that’s out of the question. You’ll receive your punishment in the morning. We need to make sure your body is healing and that nothing else seriously wrong happened during the fall. Don’t worry, that bottom of yours will be hot and red and you will be one well and truly punished woman by the time I’m finished with you.”
Shivering with helpless desire, she clenched her hands in the quilt. She should be afraid of his heavy palm, nervous about how much the spanking was going to hurt, but she wasn’t at all. Instead, she felt safe and well taken care of, like a true submissive under the hand of a confident, yet caring dominant. He wasn’t going to leave her after all, despite the fact that she’d done something so thoughtless. Full of lust, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, needing to feel him.
He took her gentle kiss and claimed her with a wild hunger. His fingers threaded through her messy hair and fisted around her straight locks, pulling the strands tight. In the end, he drew away and she whined at his absence. Shaking his head gently, he kissed her forehead.