With her arm still locked in his vice-like grip, he leaned past her and grabbed something from the bathroom sink. And then he was dragging her to the bed where he promptly sat and pushed her face down into the mattress, her ass raised up over one knee.
“This is your last chance to talk to me, Mina, before I bare your bottom and make sitting comfortably a distant memory.”
Perhaps it was because on some level, she desperately needed this. Or maybe she was just fucking stubborn. Whatever the reason, she kept her lips pressed tightly together, refusing to make a sound, until he sighed and tugged her loose sweatpants down to her knees.
It wasn’t until that first swat connected with her bare skin that she began to wonder if she’d pushed too hard. But it was too late now, with him raining hellfire down on her ass, harder and faster than he’d ever spanked her before.
“Ow, ow, ow, Cyrus, stop!”
He didn’t, of course. Instead, the swats moved lower, to that sensitive crease where her ass met her thighs, making her kick her feet and howl at the increased sting.
“Who am I when I’m busting your ass, little girl?”
“Daddy!” she squealed, twisting her hips from side to side, trying to escape the punishing blows. “Daddy, please!”
“Nope.” Wrapping his free arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to his torso without missing a beat. “You obviously wanted this, so I am not going to stop until I’m convinced I’ve given you exactly what you need.”
Dammit, why had she been sostubborn? “I’m good now, I swear!”
“Are you?” Now he did pause, his hand resting heavily on her scorched skin. “Then are you ready to tell me why you deliberately provoked me into punishing you?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, all the fight leaving her body in a rush. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Baby girl, nothing is wrong with you. To be honest, I would be shocked if you weren’t feeling out of sorts after everything that’s happened over the last twenty-four hours.”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, surprising her. She’d honestly thought she’d cried herself dry at this point. “I’m sorry I took it out on you.”
“It’s all right. I can take it. However…” His hand lifted from her skin and a moment later something hard tapped against her bottom. “You need some stress relief and I need to know you’re going to be a good girl while we are here. I think this hairbrush here should serve both our purposes well.”
“I’m feeling much better already, and I promise to behave.”
“That’s good to hear, but I think we’ll both feel better if Daddy makes sure of it. Ten should do the trick, don’t you think?”
It was obviously a rhetorical question, as he didn’t bother waiting for her to respond before snapping the brush down on her bare ass. The pain had begun to fade, but the hard plastic brought it roaring back to life.
“Daddy,no!”
Ignoring her pleas and promises to be on her best behavior, he delivered nine more crisp, burning swats. By the time he stretched out on the bed with her curled up into his side, she was regretting poking him so hard.
But she couldn’t find it in herself to regret it too much. The buzz under her skin was gone and for the first time since a bullet had embedded itself in the couch above her head, she felt calm. Peaceful. And it wasn’t long before she found herself drifting off to sleep, cradled in her Daddy’s protective embrace.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Cole came by the next day, with brand new clothes for each of them, but no news.
“Adrian is just hanging out in his hotel. So far, he hasn’t even tried to call your cell, your work, or the Guild as far as I can tell.”
“What the hell is he waiting for?” Pacing the small living room, Cyrus scowled at the rug he was currently wearing a path in.
“He probably knows you got out of town, and he’s waiting for you to come back.” Cole shrugged. “It’s what I would do.”
“Then maybe I should go back with you. Draw him out and finish this.”
“Like hell you are.” Jumping up from her spot on the couch, Mina jabbed a finger into his shoulder. “You aren’t dangling yourself out there like a worm on a goddamn hook, hoping he’s desperate enough to do something that will get him caught.”
Cyrus caught her hand, lifting her fingers to his lips. “I’m not quite that stupid, Ace.”
“Well then, what’s your plan? Go to the cops? You already did that, and they have nothing to go on. So tell me, counselor, what is your brilliant plan to put your brother away for good?”