Barely appropriate. Fuck, entirelyun-appropriate. But tempting asfuck, like goddamn original sin in daisy dukes and a crop-top. We hadn’t said anything to each other — not directly at least. But I knew my friend well enough to know he was thinking the sameveryinappropriate things about our little house guest that I was. The same hungry, craving,possessingthoughts for the totally off-limits eighteen year old who’d come barreling into our lives.
My cockthrobbedat the memory of her — eyes wide andfierceas they locked with mine while Wilder had spanked her bratty little ass.Fuck, that look was burned into my damn brain for life. That look washunger, andwant, and my balls tingled at the memory of it. There was jealousy there too — at least a little bit, if I’m being honest. I wasjealousthat my friend had gotten to put his hands on her like that — to feel her warm, soft, supple skin ripple under his palm as he spanked that tight little butt.
But it was just a little jealousy, and nothing more. Now, any other man, and it’d be fuckingrageI was feeling. If it’d been any other man putting his hands on her like that, or touching her like that, well fuck, we’d be in a very different place in this study. If it’d been anyone else but my best friend in the world who was basically a blood brother to me, I’d be lunging across this desk and wrapping my hands around his fucking neck.
I sighed, glancing at my friend. This was as close to “talking about it” as we’d ever got. And even now, even after what had just happened downstairs, we were avoiding it. Neither of us was going to be the first one to just come out and say “I fuckingwant her,” even if it was plain as day on both our faces.
“We went too far,” Wilder growled, pouring himself another splash of obscenely expensive bourbon. Hey, it was a vice we could afford.
“With the discipline,” he added quickly, frowning.
Right, “discipline.” Not “putting our hands on the girl we most certainly shouldnotbe putting our hands on.” We were going to phrase it that way, I guess. Fine.
I just nodded, my jaw tight.
“She needs to know we’re in charge, and we can’t have her thinking she can just run out whenever she wants, as late as she wants, withwhoevershe wants.”
My hands closed to fists at the thought of thewhoshe’d been with that night.
“You don’t think…”
Wilder shook his head, his eyes fierce.
“No. If that little punk had actually gotten anything from her, she’d have told us. If only just to spite us.”
“Brat,” I growled.
“No shit. But c’mon, we dealt with all sorts of bullshit Marine arrogance and unruliness over there. We can handle this.”
“We, huh?”
Wilder’s jaw twitched as he nodded. “You and me both, man. Don’t put this all on me.”
I arched a brow. “You’re sayingI’min charge of disciplining your niece—”
“Notmy niece,” he muttered, far too quickly, like maybe he was reminding himself that little but important fact too.
“And yes,” he added. “You’re in charge around here too. She’s out of control. Maybe she needstwofirm hands of discipline. Or four, fuck, whatever, you know what I mean.”
I nodded.
“But I think we went too far tonight,” I muttered.
“Same.”
“We can’t let it—”
I almost said “go there with her,” but I stopped myself.
“We can’t let things escalate like that.”
My friend nodded curtly. “I’ll say something tomorrow, I guess. You know, apologize for, you know.”
For spanking her.
For punishing her naughty, tight little ass like I knew both of us had beendyingto do since the second she’d stepped into our world.
“But for real, man...” Wilder eyed me. “You know I’m gone tomorrow. Just keep her out of trouble while I’m gone.”