Slumped and snoring softly in the chair, she looked like a debauched angel. Her dark hair was tousled and hanging over her face. One arm was bent across her stomach, just beneath her bare breasts and the other dangled down over the arm of the chair. She looked beautiful especially when he knew his marks were all over her.
He hated to wake her up, but it was getting late and morning came early. He hadn’t really planned on them spending hours in the barn. He’d had a quicker version of events in mind and then figured they’d go back to his place to talk, but things had gone off in a different direction. Which, he had to admit, seemed to happen with Charlie a lot.
He moved over to crouch next to her. “Hey? Charlie girl? Wake up, honey,” he said softly, shaking her gently. Another soft snore was the only response and he sighed.
“Never make things easy on me, do you, kiddo?” He stood and carefully scooped her up in his arms. Her head dropped against his shoulder and she snuggled close, burying her nose against his neck. The tip of it was cold and he realized it had gotten a bit chilly and she was still naked.
“All right, I’m taking you home,” he said, not that he thought she’d hear him. Since he couldn’t carry herandeverything else, he brought her back to his house first, tucked her into bed and then headed back to the barn. Nothing was going to be left in the tack room to give anyone any suspicions about after-hours activities and he double checked to make sure.
Everything he’d brought went back in the bag and left with him. He stopped in his office to grab her clothes and while he was there picked up the stuffed bunny, too. He examined it, a soft smile lighting his face as he pictured her clutching it to her chest on that night when she’d first shown up at his door looking bedraggled and waiflike. That was the moment he’d realized he wanted to be her protector, her caretaker, her Daddy Dom.
Looking out for her had always been his thing, from all the way back when they were kids, but this was something very different from acting the role of big brother when she was ten. This was, he hoped, the start of a beautiful relationship. He flipped the lights off in his office and then hit the overheads in the main barn, leaving only the low nightlights to see his way out.
She was still sleeping in his bed, curled up on her side with a half-smile on her face when he got back. As much as he wanted to join her, he was badly in need of a shower after all his hard work. He tucked the bunny gently into her arms and left her to wash up.
He’d planned to be in and out, but as usual things went off the rails. In the middle of washing his hair he felt the cool breeze of the shower curtain being pulled back and there was his Charlie, still naked, but now very much awake. She stepped into the shower with him and her arms slid around his slick, sudsy body to press against him.
“You’re awake,” he said.
She snorted, “What gave it away?”
“Someone’s awfully sassy considering their ass is probably still bright red,” Sam retorted.
“Oh? Is it?” She twisted trying to look over her shoulder to see if there were marks but couldn’t quite manage to get a good view. She turned all the way around instead, planted her hands on the back wall of the shower and said, “How does it look?”
He wasn’t sure if she was trying to tease him into another round of sex, but he found, to his surprise, that his cock was already stirring with interest. “You’re going to kill me if you keep this up, little girl.” His voice was full of resignation, but he examined her backside with interest.
It looked gorgeous, of course. Not so much bright red exactly, because on her olive skin it had deepened to a dark rose color. The flush spread from the top of her cheeks to half-way down her thighs and he’d done a pretty good job of covering every inch. “Looks nice and red, a few bruises, a couple welts.” He brought his strong hands down her back, sliding over the wet skin until it reached her ass and then he squeezed the tender cheeks until she squealed.
He laughed. “How does it feel?”
“Sore,” she said with relish. “Guess I won’t feel like sitting on a horse for a few days.”
“Hmm. Better behave then, or I’ll put you in the saddle myself and take you out for a good long ride.” He paused, considered his words and clarified, “And that’s not a euphemism for sex it’s a threat for punishment. I’ll even make you gallop. It would be fun watching your ass bounce up and down in the saddle while knowing it was sore from my belt.”
She laughed, looked over her shoulder, and wiggled her ass at him teasingly.
And that was how they ended up starting round two in the shower and nearly killed themselves in the process when the bar of soap hit the floor and created a slip and slide situation. After that they tumbled into bed, both still soaked, to finish. By the time they were done, the bedding was soaked, too. But they were too exhausted to care, and ignored the discomfort in favor of crashing for what was left of the night.
Morning came way too early, but she was right where she belonged, in his bed, at his side. They were both a little grouchy from the short night, but neither really minded. It had been worth it.
There was a different vibe between them now, a sense of ease and peace that hadn’t been there for a very long time. She still got an attitude when she didn’t get her way. He still had to slap her down a peg when she tried to grab the reins, but it was less of a fight and more of a dance now, with an expected outcome.
It was a work in progress. He knew how to be a boss, and to a certain extent he knew how to be a Dom but learning to be what she needed as a Daddy took some time. She wanted the safety of his arms to cling to, but she also needed the harsh punishment when she stepped out of line, and it took some time to find a balance they were both comfortable with.
When it clicked though, everything came together. She stopped checking for an exit every time there was a problem. He stopped gritting his teeth and wondering if he should throw in the towel. And with their private relationship finally running smoothly the professional one followed. She got to have some control; limited, and under his authority, but she had a voice.
She showed her appreciation for that by doing her best to follow his orders, at least when the ranch hands were watching—after hours was a different story, of course, but he knew how to deal with her when no one else was around.
For Charlie this had been a lifechanging experience. She realized that she’d never really opened to him fully, not even when they were kids. It had always been in the back of her mind that she couldn’t trust people not to go away and leave her. For the first time she was learning how to let go of her past, and accept that while some people couldn’t be trusted there were others who she could count on.
Sam was rapidly becoming her everything, as she’d always known he would if she let down her guard. She expected that same old fear to kick in and ruin things, but it didn’t. Oh, the fear did rear its ugly head, more than once; it just didn’t ruin anything because Sam was there, and Daddy mode kicked in.
He took her in hand, told her the things she needed to hear and then settled her down with a good spanking to remind her that she was his little girl. She belonged tohim, and he wasn’t going anywhere without her.
A month later she was sitting in her bedroom in the big house, sorting through her things and deciding what to pack. It was a big step, moving into his place even temporarily. She’d wavered back and forth on the decision a few times, but it made sense for multiple reasons and once she finally agreed he wasn’t letting her change her mind again.
“I’m going to spank you for every ‘But what if?’ and every ‘Maybe it’s too soon’,” he said firmly the third time she gave him an excuse for not bringing her things over.
