by Megan McCoy
“It’s too dark to be out here.”
Eve sucked in a breath and grabbed the wooden rail in front of her so as not to tumble down into the snowy banks of the creek. She pressed her lips together and turned her head. Bradley sat on a black horse, hat pulled low over his eyes. Jesus, he was sexy.
“Did you eat today?” he asked, even before she could respond to his first comment. When she opened her mouth with a scowl, he jumped in again. “Did you have to use your inhaler?”
“Hell, Bradley, let me get a word in,” she snapped, hands on her hips.
He just laughed under his breath and kicked his horse with a click of his tongue. “Meet you back at the house.”
The horse galloped away before she could retort. They’d have to work on their communication skills or there just might be another funeral out on the ranch. She slapped her hands to her sides in submission and trekked through the half foot of snow back to the house. She’d just hung up her red coat and kicked off her boots, when the tall cowboy appeared at the door to the mudroom, shadows from the kitchen light behind him making things seem a little ominous.
“Got a little surprise for you.”
She grinned and stepped forward, but he remained in the doorway, one finger up.
“One thing, Eve. Why is there a fifteen-foot ladder in the middle of the foyer?” His hands on his hips indicated that it wasn’t really a question, more like an inquisition.
She exhaled and answered, feeling some excitement as to what the surprise could be. “That grand foyer is rife with turn of the century antiques. I was just looking for a maker’s mark.”
“And the ladder was for,” he asked leadingly.
She pressed her lips together and pushed her glasses back up her nose. She shouldn’t have felt guilty. It was her job. She did things like that on a daily basis. Why was he making her so nervous?
“I had to look at the drip pans, and like I said, find the maker’s mark. On the, um, chandelier.” She pulled her shoulders back and walked past him, pausing in the kitchen when he wrapped his hand around her elbow.
“In the future, Eve, if you want to stand on top of a wobbly death trap over a hardwood floor would you please, please let me spot you?”
She swallowed and looked up at the concern in his frown. He hadn’t threatened her, so that seemed like some sort of improvement, so she finally just nodded.
He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, then pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Ready for your surprise?”
“Yes,” she quickly replied, biting her lip at her eagerness.
He chuckled and took her hand, leading her behind him into the large living room with the towering windows.
She stepped into the room with the blazing fire and sucked in a breath. “Bradley,” she whispered, clasping her hands in front of her and staring. She felt a smile cross her lips as she took it all in.
He’d decorated for Christmas. Garland, pinecones, cranberry red bows and white candles everywhere. He walked around the large couches and stoked the fire, grinning back at her. “I couldn’t bring myself to get the decorations out this year. Not without Bill. But having you here, well, it put me in the mood, I guess. I wanted you to have a better Christmas. You deserve to have a better Christmas.”
Eve ran over to him and leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly. He knew. He always knew what she wanted and needed.
He pulled back from her kisses and set her down in front of the fire. “One more thing.” He reached up behind some holly and red berries on the mantle and pulled out a little flat green box.
“A present?” Eve asked, looking bewildered.
Bradley held it up and shook his head. “I don’t want anything from you but this time we have together. But I wanted you to have this.”
Eve slowly took the gift box and removed the lid. Inside, on a silky white cushion, was a shiny silver key. She looked back up at Bradley.
“Technically, my cabin is on two acres of my own land. Bill made sure I owned everything outright. So that’s for you. To use whenever you want. If you want.”
Her eyes turned back down the scrap of metal that held so much meaning. “I love it,” she whispered, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. She was already mourning what was going to be lost between them when she had to leave.
His hands wrapped around her cheeks and he stared intently at her. “Stay, Eve. I saw your packed bags. I know you’re thinking about just leaving before New Year’s and I know why. It’s easier. The less complicated things are between us, the easier it will be to leave when it’s time. But it doesn’t have to be time. You can stay. Just stay until January first. I need this time with you.”
Eve smiled at the warmth swimming through her body at his words and held his hand as it held her face. She pulled it back and kissed his palm. “Pryce chased after Holly when she left.”
“Oh, make no mistake, Eve Childress. I will absolutely chase you down and bring you back and just add that to the list.” He kissed her hand and grinned at her sulking expression.
“What list?”
He laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her, falling to the side onto the fluffed cushions of the couch. She wiggled around on his lap and finally was able to look him in the eyes.
“What list, Bradley?”
“Your spanking list.” He grinned.
Her mouth dropped open and she felt her cheeks heat, as she tried to push off his lap; he held her tightly, though.
“That’s not a thing, foreman,” she mumbled, trying to get him to loosen his grip on her arms.
“Maybe,” he replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “But you have one. Not taking care of yourself, not eating, working all day in a cold, dusty attic, leaving the house after I told you not to, standing on top of precarious ladders, trying to sneak out of here to avoid saying goodbye to me, I could go on.”
“I told you, that worked for Holly and Pryce but not us. Well, me. I don’t really know how deep your depravity goes, I guess.”
“If you’re jealous that I’ve spanked other women just say so,” he chuckled, wincing as she shoved a knee into his ribcage. “Okay, okay, my suspicious little asthmatic historian. You are unequivocally the first and only girl I’ve ever wanted to spank some sense into.”
Admittedly, her jealousy subsided a little bit. She was still upset at how cavalier he was being about hitting her.
“It’s not hitting, Eve,” he said, holding her chin in his hand and staring into her eyes. So astute, as usual.
“It’ll hurt,” she whined, wishing she could back up off him. It didn’t matter that they were arguing. Being so close was turning her on and she wanted to be mad. Mad and resolute.
He leaned forward and kissed the edge of her frown, then lightly over her lips. Her stomach tightened as it always did, in anticipation of what kisses like that promised.
“I would never, ever hurt you. And I know you know that. My hand smacking against the soft skin of your ass might hurt for a minute or two, but never in a way that would leave marks. Do you understand?”
Eve bit her lip and shifted around at his low, austere assertions in her ear. He seemed so determined. Could she even allow him to do that? How bad would it be? She was tough and independent and modern, and stuff like that. Right?
Bradley must have seen his opening, because he carefully placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, then shifted her around, so that her feet were on the floor and her elbows were on the couch. He moved his leg so that her hips sat directly on his leg, pushing her jean-clad ass up as a ready target.
“Bradley!” she protested, grabbing at the couch cushions and kicking her heels back.
“Stop, Eve.” He slowly rubbed the back pocket of her jeans. “Don’t fight me. I don’t want you to have an attack. Keep up on your elbows and your toes. No pressure on your lungs.”
The serious tone in his voice made her pause for a moment. She absently pushed her glass
es back up her nose as they slid down. “Of course, I’m going to fight you, damn it!”
“Then we’ll sit here just like this, until you stop.”
Eve let out a frustrated growl as she tried to sit up or shift around or go anywhere, really. But he had her. He was stronger and more determined than she was and he had her over his knee, waiting for him to make the next move. Damn exasperating man.
How had Holly put up with it? Had she just been a stronger woman than Eve? Or weaker and more willing to submit? Did the difference really matter when Holly and Pryce had ended up together and so happy for all those years?
Bradley wasted no time when he saw what he had come to recognize as the pensive look on Eve’s face. He took the opportunity to arrange her slender, fragile frame to put the minimum amount of pressure on her upper body. She needed to be able to breathe.
He had debated whether or not to stand and tuck her under his arm, hold her in place, and spank her standing up. But that didn’t seem as intimate as what he wanted to do. He wanted her as close to him as possible, and with her draped over his left leg, she was pressed into his side and his groin. It didn’t get much closer than that. He had to suck in a quick breath every time her thigh rubbed against his semi-erection.
“Calm down, Eve,” he said in a voice that wasn’t overbearing or bossy, just worried. He looked at the back of her ponytail flopping around as she pounded her fist back, trying to hit him. “You know what’s good for you and what isn’t. And if you ever forget, I’m here to remind you.”
He raised his hand and slapped it down.
She squealed, but stilled her squirming.
He could hear her breathing, though, and watched as she let her forehead fall to the couch cushion. Her thoughts were basically screaming at him, telling him to just do it.
“You aren’t weak, you know,” he began, spanking her every couple of seconds. “You’re one of the strongest, most determined women I’ve ever met. You’re smart. You know what you want. But sometimes, you just don’t know what you need.”
He increased his speed and her whimpering increased, as well as her legs swinging around. He paused and waited for her breathing to slow down. She seemed okay, though he had her inhaler nearby, just in case. She still hadn’t said anything, but she wasn’t damning him to die a thousand painful deaths, so he figured this first spanking was going pretty well.
He grabbed the waistband of her jeans and lifted up, quickly reaching under and popping them open.
She started communicating then. “Bradley, Brad-Bradley!”
He grasped a handful of her now loosened jeans and pulled them down her thighs, loving the sound of his name on her lips. He had to inhale a few times to get his erection under control when he grabbed the waistband of her pink underwear and she squealed his name.
The creamy pale skin on her thighs contrasted to the hot pink skin splotching her round cheeks. And the back of her ears couldn’t have turned any darker pink, as she struggled to regain some kind of control. He ran his hand in circles over the heated skin and waited a minute for her to calm down.
“You’re over my knee, Eve, with your jeans and underwear pulled down and your very pink, spanked behind up and ready for the rest of your lesson. What have you learned so far?”
“Jesus,” she mumbled into the couch, shaking her head slightly.
He just waited patiently, admiring her pink skin and the shape of her ass.
She finally responded in a rush, “I need to eat and not do things that bring on an asthma attack. Can I get up?”
“You’re being so sweet.” He made sure to praise her in a voice that was low and firm. “We’re almost done. Like I said, you’re a good girl. I need you to remember this, though, the next time you ignore the time or think that maybe your work is more important than your health.”
He spanked her quickly, holding her trim waist as she struggled against his hold. She’d already kicked off her jeans and underwear, so he gave her three final hard smacks and then pulled her up to straddle him, holding her head into his neck with his other arm around her back. He made sure her backside wasn’t touching anything as he widened his legs and held her. He noticed her glasses had fallen off somewhere.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she whined into his neck.
Christ, he wanted to do it every day, after getting his first taste. He grinned indulgently down at her in his arms, though, so trusting and chastised. Nodding, he leaned down and kissed her pout.
“Don’t make me promise that. You’ll turn me into a liar.” He grinned when she smacked his arm, but held her in place with a serious stare when she tried to get up. “Now it’s time for your reward, Eve.”
“I don’t want a reward if that’s how I get it,” she grumbled, turning her head every time he tried to capture her mouth.
He laughed softly and squeezed his big hands around her chastened cheeks, making her arch her back and rub herself right up against his erection as it pushed at his jeans. She looked at him with those resolute blue eyes and he closed the distance between them, kissing her intensely.
“Such a good girl,” he mumbled, kissing around her jaw and gently laying her back on the couch.
She squirmed a little bit when her skin hit the cushions, but moaned softly when he laid over her and kissed her again, licking into her mouth. He knew she liked him on top of her, and he was all too happy to prop himself on his elbows and indulge her. She worked his belt buckle and jeans open, grabbing him in her palm and making him groan into her mouth.
He rocked his hips forward and she guided him inside her, a look of pure pleasure on her face, which if he wasn’t careful, would give him a big head. But it was like they were made for one another. A perfect fit in every way. He rolled his hips into her relentlessly, staring into her blue eyes that he loved so much.
She clenched around him, wrapping her legs around his waist and squeezing her eyes closed. He reached under her and lifted her spanked ass, driving into her until he felt himself start to come, going rigid and holding her with both hands.
He fell to the couch next to her and gathered her close, stroking her warm, pink skin as he kissed her forehead.
“That was so amazing.” He exhaled and grinned down at her. He knew she was trying to decide if she should say it was good for her too, reluctant to acknowledge the spanking before the sex.
She went with obstinance. “Yeah, well remember it, because it’s not happening again.” She turned her eyes up to him as she snuggled into his chest.
Her head rested on one arm and his other arm continued to rest on her hip, caressing her backside.
“We’ll see, historian. Why don’t we finish that journal?”
Chapter 10
Silver Creek Ranch Lodge, 1870
“I don’t understand.”
The train ride had been long and the horses had moved slowly through the snow on the road back to the ranch. Holly frowned at the large, three-story house towering over her as she shivered in the snow. She turned and frowned up at Pryce as he jumped off Lancelot and grinned at Flip as he handed the reins off to one of the ten men standing on the side of the house by the white barn and stables.
“Thanks for getting it all ready, Flip.” He turned and grinned down at her. “I told you it wasn’t ready when you got here. Now, well, this is your new home.”
Holly’s mouth dropped open, as she stared at the huge house with a wraparound porch. Surely, this wasn’t their house. Surely, this was some sort of joke. They would be heading back to their one room cabin any minute.
“Got the Christmas garland hung too,” Flip said, breaking the silence and winking at Holly. “These cowboys will handle the day to day around here, while I attend to the mine. If you ever get lonely, though, don’t hesitate to knock on the door of our house down the road there. The missus just had our first child and it’s getting hard for her to get around with a new baby in the snow.”
“You land on a name yet?” Pryce asked, wrappin
g his arm around Holly’s shoulders.
“Name was good enough for my father and good enough for me, so he’ll be William Robert Childress, III. I think we’ll call him Willy.”
“That’s a fine name.” Pryce took Holly’s hand and cleared his throat. “Think I’ll be carrying her over the threshold now.”
“All right, that’s it for today, boys,” Flip called, tipping his hat to Holly.
She was still very confused, as Pryce grabbed her up in his arms, walked up the steps, and pushed through the tall, shiny double doors. Warmth engulfed them, as green Christmas garland and pinecones draped over the rails up the wide staircase and around the towering windows. Holly sucked in a breath as she looked around. Even the impressive chandelier over her head had every candle lit.
“I,” she began, shaking her head and looking around. She looked up at Pryce as he gently set her down. “This… How come you had to use a service to find a wife?”
He chuckled at her response to the house his parents had started, and he and Flip had finished.
“You wanted me in that tiny hunting cabin.”
“How the hell am I supposed to take care of this house?” she asked, frowning. She quickly cleared her throat and looked up at him through her lashes. She’d definitely been spending too much time with Shay Daniels and Rose Zachary. “Sorry.”
His lip twitched up into a grin as he took her hand and kissed it. “We’ll figure it out.”
She pressed her lips together and removed the bonnet from her crown of blonde braids. “What’s the bedroom like?”
“We have a lifetime to see what every room is like.” His voice was low as he took her chin and brushed his lips over hers.
She blushed and grinned, squealing when he reached down and picked her up again.
“But yes, let’s start with our bedroom. It’s time to start filling this house.”
