“Because you’re a di—ouch, Ezra!”
With my skin all warmed up, this one felt different. At first, it was all heat with a slight burn. The sting didn’t kick in until a few seconds after. But once I felt it… shit, it sank beneath my skin and pissed off every nerve ending that lived there. And there were still four more to go.
“Answer nicely and we’ll count that one,” Ezra taunted, with a hint of amusement. The asshole was enjoying this.
“I fucking broke a pinky promise,” I grumbled.
“Ehh,” he thought over my answer, hand gently rubbing my sore cheek. “It’s a start.”
Smack!
Gods, that one was worse. Two more followed in quick succession, each a little harder than the last. My skin wasdefinitely on fire, but my traitorous hips lifted, like little hussies begging for more.
How is it possible to like this?
I wasn’t some sheltered petunia. I knew how. I enjoyed an occasional nip of pain with my pleasure, butthis? The loss of control, the helplessness… that wasn’t me.Iwas the boss of my body, and yet Ezra made it respond like it belonged to him.
“What will you do the next time I tell you to do something for your safety?”
Smack!
A whimper escaped despite my best efforts to keep it contained. That hurt, dammit! I shifted on his shoulder, trying in vain to move my ass out of his reach, but there was nowhere to go. I felt so exposed.
“Maybe we need to repeat that one.”
“Listen!” I shouted. “Next time I’ll listen!”
The words themselves hurt to say, but not as bad as an extra swat. I just wanted this to be over. His hand was on the move again, this time in a soothing rub that awakened already tender skin.
“Good girl,” he murmured, hand stopping right where the curve of my cheek met my thigh. “One more and we’re all done. Can you take it? For me?”
That should have pissed me off; him praising me like some child seeking his acceptance while also making it seem like I was getting my ass beat as a favor to him. Every bit of that should have made me hate him more. So then, why did a small part of me blush in pride?
Smack!
That one caught me off guard, and I cried out, then lurched forward to escape the pain. Ezra didn’t let me fall, despite how I must have shifted us off balance. The brick path had given way togravel and then grass. We were on the edge of the property now, but he still hadn’t put me down.
“Fuck, you did so good, baby. I’m proud of you.”
His soft touch continued down my back, where he stopped to rub small circles as I caught my breath. Warm sparks of the barrier fizzled over me, igniting a different kind of sting to my sensitive skin. I felt Ezra’s hands as he tried to pull my skirt down. When the coarse fabric landed, I flinched.
“Easy,” he said. “I’m only checking you over. You’ll probably be sore for a day or so.”
With a small push and pop, he pulled me back over his shoulder and set me on my feet. Head spinning, I had no choice but to clutch at his arms as the blood in my body fought over whether to rush to my head or my ass. His easy smile was back, as if giving me a proper punishment was all he needed to forgive me.
My body shook; part adrenaline, part rage, and all amounts of horny. Brain as confused as the rest of me, I decided not to say anything. I wasn’t exactly sure what would come out of my mouth if I tried.
Fuck you? Sleep with one eye open? Please, oh please, give me an orgasm?
Ugh. I needed a therapist.
When my legs felt solid beneath me and I knew I could walk away without a wobble, I turned toward the house with only an ambiguous glare in Ezra’s direction. I added a middle finger over my shoulder and pulled to a hard stop at the unfamiliar chuckle that came from the blue-haired stranger at the front door.
His skin was deeply tanned, like he spent all his time under the sun. Hair a rich blue that reminded me of the waters around my favorite island, he held a large duffel in one hand. Something about him felt familiar. I’d never met this man before in my life, but the siren inside me recognized one of her own.
This must be the tutor Kai said he would send. Ezra stepped up behind me, so close his jeans rubbed against tender skin, even through my skirt, and I hissed. I moved away, but his hand on my lower stomach kept me from going too far. I glanced up over my shoulder, becausewhat the actual fuck?But Ezra wasn’t looking at me.
He only had eyes for the man in front of us. Between his glare and his hand on me, I didn’t think anyone would miss the declaration he made. The claim of ownership. I wasnotin the mood for this posturing bullshit. My ass hurt, my feelings were a jumbled mess, and all I wanted to do was put on my softest set of underwear and burrow into my bed. With a hard elbow to his gut, I pushed away from the overbearing asshole behind me and sneered.
