by Jinx Neale
“I can’t wait any longer,” Zane muttered and plunged his cock into her wet and waiting passage. He felt enormous, his cock touching every inch of her pussy as he thrust in faster and faster. They were like animals, Faith thought hazily, mating in the woods, while the stars blazed above them. She climaxed in a burst of pleasure, and Zane cried out, drowning her womb with his seed. Faith lay still beneath him, absorbing the aftershocks of pleasure, glorying in his possession.
Zane kissed the back of her neck, his tongue outlining the mark his teeth had made. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter Eight
A bar of sunlight falling across the bed was the first thing Faith saw when she opened her eyes the next morning. The second thing was a large, muscular arm around her waist, holding her close. Zane. She smiled in remembrance of the best sex of her life. She still tingled in all the right places. Zane’s arm tightened as he nuzzled the back of her neck. His whiskers tickled, making her shiver.
“‘Morning, baby,” he murmured against her skin.
“Good morning.” Suddenly, Faith felt shy about her passionate and abandoned reactions in Zane’s bed. And against the tree. And kneeling on all fours in the forest.
“What time is it?”
Faith groped for her phone. “Just after eight.”
“Shit, we slept in.” Zane released her and bounded out of bed.
Faith was conscious of disappointment. She could have done with some more cuddling.
Zane flipped off the covers. “Up and at ‘em, baby.”
Faith reached for the covers. “It’s cold.”
Zane reached across the bed to slap her smartly on her ass. “Get up, sweetheart. We’re going for a hike up Goodman Mountain.”
“Who decided that?”
Zane set his hands on his narrow hips. Her gaze wandered over his broad chest and dipped lower. God, he was hot.
“No more dirty thoughts.” Zane wagged his finger. “It’s about a half-hour drive to the trail head. Don’t worry, we’ll take our time.”
Faith pouted and Zane prowled toward the bed.
“We do have time for a quick spanking for a bad little girl who doesn’t want to listen.”
She shrieked and jumped out the opposite side and ran for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. “First dibs on the shower!”
“You got it. I’ll make breakfast.”
Faith took a quick shower, marveling at how her life had changed in a few days. Her fears swept to the back of her mind, she had never been so happy. And her man even cooked for her—blissful. Faith dried off and dressed in her oldest jeans, thick socks, tee, and a flannel shirt. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast. She ate hastily while Zane packed a lunch: thick sandwiches of Italian bread, cheese, and cold cuts. He threw in some water bottles and a thermos of coffee.
The air was crisp and cool as they got in the car and Zane drove toward Tupper Lake. Half an hour later, he pulled into a parking area, empty of cars.
“Good, there’s no one else on the trail.”
They put on their packs and headed to the back of the lot.
“The trail follows the old road,” Zane explained as they crossed a short bridge. “We follow that line of esker to the right to the summit.”
“What the heck is an esker?”
Zane pointed to a long winding ridge of gravel. “It’s the sediment left behind by retreating glaciers.”
The road climbed steadily for some time, until a new track branched out from the old road and swung around the slopes. Faith looked around in delight. They were in the middle of a hardwood forest, painted in shades of green. The air was sweet and cold. Faith was a little out of breath by the time they arrived at the summit, but the view was worth it. Zane pointed out Tupper Lake and the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest.
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Zane looked at her. “Not from where I’m standing.” His eyes sparkled with humor. Zane was in his element in the wild and she felt herself responding. He pulled her in close for a kiss that left her even more breathless. “We should head back. I’m cooking supper for the boys tonight.”
“The boys?”
“Dad, Brock, and my cousin Ryder. You haven’t met him yet. He lives on the other side of the mountain with the rest of the pack.”
“I should go home. You don’t need me around when you have guests.”
“Faith, you’re not going anywhere. You’ll have a good time.”
She gave in gracefully. Why ruin the best day of her life?
* * *
Faith flipped the page as she sat on the deck in the sun, engrossed in her mystery novel. Her forgotten coffee grew cold as she raced through each chapter. It wasn’t until a distinct and unpleasant odor finally reached her consciousness that she sat up, jerked back into the present. Crap. Something was burning. She flung away her book and raced into the cabin. Smoke bleared her vision. The stew. She ran to the stove, seeing in horror the flames leaping around the pot. Crap. She tore open the pantry door, searching desperately for the baking soda. Grabbing the box, Faith flung the contents onto the flames, which wavered and went out. She grabbed a pot holder, pushed the stew off the burner, and turned off the stove. Soot stained the wall above the stove and a blackened, smudgy mess was all that was left of Zane’s stew. He had asked her—no, told her—to watch the stew and she had forgotten, lost in her book. Hell, she had almost burned down the cabin.
Faith leaned across the sink to open the window, letting the smoke escape, and turned on the fan above the stove. What a mess. She would have to let everything cool down before she cleaned up. Should she find something else for dinner? She was rummaging in the fridge when the back door flung open.
“Faith!”
She turned around as Zane burst into the kitchen, chest heaving. “Faith, are you okay? I smelled smoke. It was pouring out of the window.” He grabbed her and pulled her into a hard hug. “You had me worried, little girl. What happened?”
Shamefaced, Faith stepped out of the circle of his arms. “The stew is ruined. It got burned.”
“The stew? What happened? Did you have to go out?”
He was running a hand over her hair, as if reassuring himself that she was all right.
“No, I-I was reading on the deck and I forgot to check it.”
Zane dropped his hand, his expression icing over. “You forgot it. I provided you with food and shelter and protection and you forgot it.”
“Look, I’m sorry. It was careless of me.”
“Yes, it was, Faith. Extremely careless. You still don’t understand what providing food means to us. Our blood remembers when prey was scarce and wolves died. And you squandered my offering without a second thought. I’m very disappointed in you.”
Faith swallowed. What had she done?
Zane’s stern gaze traveled over the kitchen, stopping at the stove, where smoke stained the backsplash. His lips thinned.
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Zane crossed his arms over his chest. “No, you weren’t. Faith, you could have been killed. I can’t just let that go.”
“What do you mean?”
Her lover was gone and in his place stood the implacable alpha-in-training. “There must be punishment, so that you remember and are never so careless again. Bend over the counter, Faith.”
“What?”
He leaned closer. “The counter, Faith—right now.”
“Why? S-so you can spank me again?”
“You got it. You couldn’t be bothered to safeguard our dinner.” Zane grabbed her arm and pushed her over the top of the island. “You were thoughtless and careless.” He undid her jeans and pulled them down. “And you nearly got hurt. Bad little girls get spanked.” Faith squealed, trying to wiggle away. “Don’t move until I tell you to,” he said in her ear, and she froze.
Her panties followed her jeans. Zane kicked her legs apart and she hung there, exposed, hobbled by her pants
around her ankles. He walked past her and selected a wooden spoon from the jar on the counter. He wouldn’t. Zane slapped the spoon against his thick palm, and Faith shivered. Oh, he would.
The snap and sting of the spoon right across her ass made Faith cry out. “Stop it!”
Zane paused for a moment. “Don’t think so.” He scoured her bottom with the spoon, hitting one cheek and then the other. Faith shifted her weight and squirmed, but nothing helped. Zane was a strong man and the damned spoon hurt. “When you are entrusted with a task that is for the good of the pack, you take it to heart, Faith. You do the best you can.” Smack! “You don’t ‘forget’ something so important.”
“I’m sorry,” she wailed, her bottom burning.
“I bet you are.” The wood stung each time it landed on her cheeks, a red-hot spot of pain on her rapidly swelling ass. This was punishment, plain and simple, and Faith knew she deserved it. She clenched her teeth and held on, bottom jiggling under the impact of that damned spoon. Zane gave her a final stroke before throwing the spoon down.
The cabin door suddenly swung open, and Faith heard in horror a chorus of male voices. Oh, God. She reached down for her jeans, struggling to pull them over her aching bottom. A large hand pressed down on her back.
“Stay put.”
* * *
“Zane, no! They’ll see me like this.”
“They will,” his deep voice rumbled. “It was their meal you ruined. The pack has the right to see you punished—and to discipline you in return.”
Panic soured her stomach. Faith struggled to escape, but the firm pressure on her back didn’t let up. “If you don’t keep still, it will go even worse for you.”
Faith bit back a sob. “How could this get any worse?”
“Oh, you really don’t want the answer to that question.”
Faith hung over the counter, her face red with shame. It must be the same color as her burning bottom. The sound of heavy work boots echoed across the cabin. A moment of silence fell as the men entered the kitchen. She was too embarrassed to look over her shoulder and see who was there.
“Well, what do we have here?” Lord help her, it was Alec, Zane’s father. “Your gal’s been naughty, I take it.”
“Faith burned the stew we were having for supper.”
An indrawn breath. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to,” Brock said. As if she had committed some horrible kind of crime.
“Doesn’t matter,” Zane said stonily.
“The law is the law,” said Alec, his voice cool and stern.
“And the pack must keep the law,” a third voice chimed in, a stranger.
“This is Faith,” Zane said. “Not quite the way I imagined you meeting.”
“Pleasure, Faith.” The strange spoke from behind. “I’m Ryder Forrest, Zane’s cousin. Sorry about your situation.”
Faith closed her eyes. This could not be happening.
Zane spoke formally. “I present the female for punishment by pack law.”
“Her ass is plenty red already.” Ryder. “What did you use?”
“Wooden spoon,” Zane said in evident satisfaction.
Faith sensed Alec’s presence behind her. At least she could be sure Zane’s dad wouldn’t spank her. A loud slap against her bottom changed her mind in a hurry. He would. Alec gave her ten hard, impersonal smacks that made her wince, before he stepped away.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Brock said quietly.
“Then I’ll go next.” Ryder set a large hand on her back and spanked her. The impact raised her on her toes, but Ryder’s hand pushed her back down. A blistering hail of rapid smacks followed, and Faith lost count. Her ass must be bright red by now. Her face was hot with humiliation. What must she look like, hanging over the counter with her scarlet butt cheeks waving in the air?
“Brock, it’s your turn.” Zane’s voice held a note of command.
Faith felt Brock’s warmth behind her, caught his familiar scent. “I’m sorry, Faith.”
She nodded, and he sighed. Brock slapped one cheek and then the other, alternating strokes until her bottom felt swollen and huge. The pain was making her feel hazy. He continued to spank her with a firm stroke for several minutes. Her knees sagged. Luckily, Brock grabbed her elbows and hauled her back up over the counter.
“Man, her ass is on fire,” Ryder said. “Gorgeous.”
“We still playing poker?” Brock asked.
“Sure, but I guess it’s sandwiches for dinner.”
“Sounds good to me.” Alec crossed her field of vision. “I’ll get the cards.”
“I don’t mind making the sandwiches,” Brock offered.
“Good,” Zane said. “I have a surprise for my bad little girl.”
Faith hung there, tears of pain and humiliation welling in her eyes. She heard Zane leave the room, the sound of the fridge opening, and Brock making dinner. Alec and Ryder pulled up chairs at the kitchen table, talking quietly, for all the world as if she wasn’t standing right there, her bare ass crimson and spanked for all to see. Zane returned, swiping a proprietary hand over her bottom.
“Your skin feels scorched,” he murmured. He squeezed both buttocks and Faith whimpered. “This will make sure you don’t forget what happened here. So, the next time you consider being careless or reckless, you’ll remember what this felt like.”
Zane’s blunt fingers traced the crease of her buttocks, before grabbing her cheeks and pressing them open. What fresh humiliation was this? Something cold spurted against her bottom hole and Faith shuddered. One finger spread what must be lubricant around her opening, pressing just inside. His finger burned and she moved restlessly, shifting away from his intrusion.
“Keep still,” Zane ordered. “This butt plug is going in, regardless, so just relax and let it happen.”
She shook her head furiously, still trying to wiggle away from his questing finger.
“Faith.” The ominous quiet of Zane’s voice stilled her struggles. His finger went deeper, rotating inside her. Faith felt a sudden thrill of pleasure from his hard presence, her body softening to accept him. Zane pulled out, his hands moving to her cheeks, spreading them to reveal her puckered rosebud. He pressed the head of the plug against her moistened hole. The plug was rounded and smooth and much wider than his finger. Faith groaned as her bottom resisted its entrance, but Zane was implacable, pressing the plug inside. Oh, it stung as it pressed past the tight ring of muscle.
“Almost done.”
She gritted her teeth as the plug eased home, a hard and unwelcome presence.
“Another twenty minutes on display and then you can get dressed.” Zane swatted her bottom lightly, driving the plug in deeper.
Faith didn’t respond, overwhelmed by each sensation, her poor punished bottom throbbing, stretched wide by the plug. Zane stepped away and she knew everyone else could see this further proof of her punishment and her shame. Cards were dealt and play commenced, the men talking quietly and eating their sandwiches.
“Beer?”
The fridge opened and she heard the clink of glass. The counter cut into Faith’s hips, her swollen bottom pulsating with pain. The plug was a hard reminder of Zane’s mastery, a constant presence. She felt the lubricant melting between her legs and dripping down her thighs as she lay there, lost to shame.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Zane returned to pull up her panties and jeans, leaving the plug in place. “You’ll be wearing that for the rest of the evening,” he told her. He led her over to the table and sat down, indicating with a nod the cushion on the floor beside his chair. “Sit down, Faith.” Damn him. She hissed as her bottom made contact with the cushion. Zane chuckled and she threw him a look full of venom.
He grabbed her chin. “Careful, little girl. The night’s not over yet.”
Faith jerked away. She longed to jump up and run out of the room, but she didn’t dare. The game continued. Zane offered her bits of meat and cheese from his sandwich, but she just shook her head
, her appetite destroyed.
“I’ll have another beer, Faith.”
She glanced up in disbelief. He wanted her to walk around with this thing inside her? He nodded toward the fridge, and she rose reluctantly.
“I’ll take one, too,” Alec said. Faith brought their beer over and Alec winked at her. “How about some chips?”
Faith sighed and found the bag on the counter along with a big wooden bowl. She poured the chips in and set it on the table.
Zane tugged on her wrist. “Sit down, Faith.”
She sank onto the cushion again. The game continued, and Faith felt her eyes grow heavy in the warmth of the room, lulled by the low murmur of male voices. Her neck drooped and her head fell against Zane’s lap. She would have moved, but his fingers tangled in her hair, soothing her despite everything. She nodded off, her cheek against his firm thigh. Faith awoke with a start some time later, confused and weary, as the last of the men was leaving.
“Good night, Zane, Faith,” said Brock.
Zane stood and helped her to her feet. She winced when she felt the twinge of the plug in her bottom.
“Poor little bad girl,” Zane said softly, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Let’s get you to bed.” He took her hand and walked her down the hall to his room, leaving her on the threshold. “Take off your clothes and kneel on the bed. I’m going to tidy up in the kitchen.”
Faith didn’t want to obey him. If she had any energy, she’d be making for the door. But the fight had left her, if only for tonight. She sighed, pulling off her jeans and panties and socks. Then she unbuttoned her shirt and unhooked her bra, letting everything just fall on the floor. Climbing onto the high mattress, Faith lowered herself to her knees, waiting, her heart thudding in anticipation and her pussy soaked with need.
* * *
