“I also asked you to respect my decision,” Caine went on. It was a halfhearted protest at best. He was fighting just to get the words out.
“I did. I do, but you’re taking too long,” Norah replied cheekily before working her way back up his jaw with tiny nips and kisses.
“Maybe I’m not taking too long,” Caine countered. “Maybe you’re being impatient and disobedient.” He practically growled the word, his tone dropping just a touch deeper and slightly stern.
It sent a delicious shiver down Norah’s spine. “Maybe you should do something about it then,” she taunted. “Maybe you should spank me.” She regretted the words almost as soon as they were out, but they had come unbidden. She hadn’t even been entirely conscious of voicing the thoughts that were second nature to her.
“Norah,” Caine warned, and this time his tone was hard and serious.
Norah sighed, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that. It doesn’t always have to be painful. I know you don’t want to hurt me, but sometimes it can be just for fun. Besides, if you don’t like my suggestions, you’re welcome to jump in with your own anytime now.” That said, she turned back to her ministrations, running her hands down his sides and grappling for the bottom of his shirt. “You have on too many clothes,” she grumbled.
In reply, Caine cupped his hands beneath her bottom and stood up, crossing the room too fast for Norah to realize what was happening and pressing her up against the wall. He pinned her there with the weight of his body, moving his hands from beneath her and drawing her hands up above her head, holding them there with his own, lacing his fingers through hers. His mouth captured hers, hard and demanding, plundering with tongue and teeth, leaving her breathless, heart racing with fire pulsing through her veins and into her center. She was moaning and gasping, tiny little incoherent sounds that emerged of their own accord. He dropped his head and mouthed her nipples through her shirt, teasing them mercilessly. She dropped her head back against the wall and writhed helplessly. Just before the point where pleasure tipped over into pain, he stopped and set her gently on her feet.
“Bedroom now,” he commanded, turning her in the direction of her bedroom and giving her a gentle swat to send her on her way.
It was entirely painless, barely more than a pat, but Norah’s heart soared. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope after all.
Caine watched Norah disappear into the bedroom and tried to get his own breathing under control. There was absolutely no question of stopping now, unless Norah herself stopped him. Not that she showed any indication of actually wanting to stop. The little minx had done everything she could to rev him up and damned if she hadn’t done a good job of it. He was so hard he could barely walk. It was going to take everything he had to go gentle with her like he wanted to and not just plow into her like his body was demanding he do. He had to keep his head about him if he wanted to do this right.
He padded behind her in stocking feet, stripping his shirt over his head as he went. He expected to find Norah doing the same in the bedroom. After that flippant comment about him wearing too many clothes, he didn’t expect her to waste any time shedding her own. Instead, he found her standing at the foot of the bed, still as a statue and looking absolutely stricken. “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, heart speeding up again though this time with adrenaline rather than arousal.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said in a soft hesitant voice so tiny it was painful to hear.
Caine was torn between the urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay and the urge to grab her and shake her till her teeth rattled for the blatantly obvious lie. How the hell was he supposed to fix anything if she couldn’t be honest with him? On instinct, he stepped deliberately into her personal space and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t even think about lying to me,” he said sternly. That seemed to do the trick. Norah practically deflated in front of his eyes as all the tension and terrified expression melted away.
“I’m afraid of giving you the wrong impression,” she whispered, so softly he had to strain to hear it. “I’m not really as experienced as I was pretending to be. There haven’t been all that many—”
He cut her off with a kiss hard enough to leave its imprint on her mouth. He couldn’t stand to hear another word of that awful doubtful tone. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand she had fears and reservations. He had plenty of his own. In fact, it was exactly because he understood that he could not let her go on. The longer she wallowed in that doubt, the worse it would get. “You’re thinking too much,” he said in a light, deliberately flippant tone. “I don’t want you to think, just feel.” Then, he set about doing his best to ensure that was all she could do, touching, kissing and caressing until she was breathless and vibrating with need. “Now you’re wearing too many clothes,” he told her. “Take them off for me.”
Mutely, Norah put shaking hands to the buttons of her blouse. Caine watched her open it, inch by tantalizing inch, fighting the urge to push her hands away and simply rip it off himself. When she finally got it open, he could stand it no longer, pushing it roughly off her shoulders and dropping it to the floor. Norah’s movement grew increasingly frantic as she reached for the clasp of her bra. As soon as it was undone, Caine divested her of it as well and went to work devouring every inch of newly revealed skin. Norah’s head dropped back and she moaned under the onslaught. Blindly, her hand scrabbled for his jeans, yanking fitfully at the button. He stepped back and stripped out of them while she did the same with the remainder of her own clothes. He reached in the dark for the bedside lamp and turned on the light. He wanted to see her, all of her, without the shadows for cover.
The light made the milky paleness of her skin glow with an ethereal light and suddenly he couldn’t fight his need for her any longer. Crossing the room in rapid strides, he scooped her up, swallowing her protests in a kiss, and dropped her straight onto the bed. Then, he was over her, and she was rising up to meet him and individual acts got lost in a tangle of limbs and skin and heat and need. Somewhere along the way, his fingers found their way into the moist heat of her, hot and tight and so gloriously wet. He caught her nub between his fingers, and she bucked up against him, keening with need. He teased her higher and higher, taking her to the edge of the peak but never letting her go over. Finally, when they could both stand no more, he thrust into her. He wanted to be gentle, but the wave of need they were riding wouldn’t let him. She met him stroke for stroke, demanding and spurring him on until they both climbed to the peak and crashed over.
Sometime later, he realized dazedly that she was squirming beneath him. With the horrified realization that he was probably crushing her, he quickly moved off of her, curling up behind her spoon fashion instead. “You okay?” he asked quietly.
“Better than okay,” she murmured, snuggling close to him.
Though he was already riding on a wave of relaxation and contentment, that sent another shot of satisfaction arrowing through him. He pulled the blankets over them, wrapped his arms around her, and drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
Chapter 10
Coming together in the bedroom just seemed to cement their already comfortable relationship even further. Norah was the happiest and most comfortable she could remember being in a long time. The new level of intimacy brought her even closer to Caine, and ironically, it seemed to have the added effect of making Caine even more confident and comfortable in his role as HOH. Unfortunately, Norah learned this the hard way the following week when Caine went back to Denver to work out of his workshop for a few days. He called her in the evenings after he’d finished the day's work to check in, touch base, and chat about their respective days. Norah lived for these calls. They were the highlight of her day when he was gone. It, therefore, took her completely by surprise on the second evening when in the midst of telling him about what a crazy busy day she’d had, he broke in and asked, “Did you have lunch today?”
Norah pau
sed, thinking back. “No, actually, I don’t think I did.”
“I see,” he said slowly.
There was nothing remotely threatening about his tone. It was mild, even conversational, but a flurry of butterflies rose instantly in Norah’s stomach.
“I had dinner as soon as I got home,” she put in quickly.
“I’m glad you did,” Caine told her, “but we’ve talked about you skipping meals before, haven’t we?”
The butterflies kicked up another notch. She fidgeted uncomfortably, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. They had kind of talked about her skipping meals. Caine had scolded her about that habit of hers a few times. She knew he didn’t like it, but it usually wasn’t an issue because if he was here, he either made her stop and go get lunch or brought her lunch. She had gotten used to his prompting her. Without it today, the lunch hour had gone by without her even noticing. It was midafternoon before she paused what she was doing long enough to realize what time it was.
“Answer me please,” Caine prompted.
Answer him? What did he want her to say? She didn’t even remember the question. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I’m not sure what you mean. What was the question?” Embarrassment burned across her cheeks. She felt like a naughty child caught daydreaming in class.
“We’ve talked about you skipping meals before, haven’t we?” Caine repeated.
“Sort of,” Norah replied, biting her lip.
“We talked about it enough for you to know that I don’t like you skipping meals, haven’t we?” Caine asked.
“Yes,” Norah admitted, “but I didn’t do it on purpose. I just forgot.”
“So maybe you need something to help you remember,” Caine said.
Though she knew perfectly well it wasn’t what he meant, her bottom clenched involuntarily. “It was just a mistake,” she protested. “I didn’t know it was a rule. I didn’t know I would be in trouble.”
"You didn’t know that was a rule?” Caine asked dubiously. “Because I clearly remember discussing a rule about keeping yourself healthy and safe.”
Norah squirmed uncomfortably. That was true. There was a rule about safety and taking care of herself, but that meant not doing anything dangerous. Skipping one meal wasn’t dangerous.
“I also clearly remember discussing several times how skipping meals wasn’t good for you and wasn’t a healthy habit to have.” Caine went on.
Discussing was probably a strong word. Lecturing was more like it. Norah hadn’t really gotten much of a word in during those discussions, Still, if she had been in a mood to be completely truthful and logical, which she really wasn’t, she would have to admit that she was fully informed about how Caine felt about her habit of getting involved in things and skipping meals. She just hadn’t actually expected him to enforce consequences for it.
“How long do you think it would’ve taken you to stop and eat lunch?” Caine asked.
“I don’t know, ten minutes, maybe,” Norah replied, confused. It wouldn’t have taken long to run upstairs and grab a sandwich or salad or something if she had remembered. The point was, she hadn’t remembered. She had forgotten, by mistake.
“In that case,” Caine went on. “I think you should spend the next twenty minutes standing in a corner and thinking about why it’s important that you take the time to stop and eat.” Caine told her.
Norah stared at the phone, aghast. “Are you serious?” she demanded. “I just forgot. It’s not that big a deal. You don’t have to make a huge deal out of the simple mistake.”
“I’m not,” Caine went on. “I’m simply enforcing the rules we agreed on. One of which was that you would obey me when I told you to do something. So I think you need to find a corner, now. Take the phone with you. I’ll tell you when you’re done.”
“You’re just going to stay on the phone and listen to me while I stand in the corner?” Norah asked, shocked.
“Yes,” Caine said calmly. “That way I can hear if you move away.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Norah told him.
“I don’t think so,” Caine countered. “Have you found a corner yet?”
Caught between completely stunned and incensed beyond words, Norah took the phone and stomped around the house looking for a suitable corner. She clearly hadn’t been thinking about disciplinary compatibility when she arranged the furniture in the house. The living room corners were occupied with bookshelves and Maeve’s climber. Her bedroom corners were filled with a jumble of life's odds and ends. The kitchen corners were taken up by counters and cabinets. She was just about to tell Caine she couldn’t stand in the corner because there were no empty corners in her house when she finally found an empty corner in the little hallway made by the walls of the bathroom, the closet and the laundry room. It made a short three-walled hall and the back of it had two empty corners. “I have now,” she replied through gritted teeth.
“Good girl,” Caine praised. “Face the corner. Hands by your side. I’ll tell you when you’re done.”
Damn him. How could she stay appropriately mad at him when he absolutely melted her by saying something like that? Good girl was one of those delicious phrases that never failed to make her melt. She heaved a heavy sigh but obeyed. It didn’t take long before staring at the paint became mind-numbingly boring and Norah began to fidget.
“Be still,” Caine said suddenly over the phone. Norah jumped, startled. In the quiet, she had forgotten he was there. “I can hear you moving. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure standing in the corner means that you stay quiet and still.”
“I’m trying,” Norah shot back. It sounded uncomfortably like a whine, but frankly she didn’t care. “It’s boring.”
“Good,” Caine said smugly. “Maybe you’ll remember that the next time you’re tempted to skip lunch or any other meal. It’s a lot more annoying to stand in the corner than it is to take a few minutes and eat appropriately.”
Norah huffed, rolling her eyes. Why did she have to tell him she wanted a DD relationship anyway? If she had just kept her mouth shut, Caine wouldn’t have known anything about rules or punishments or any of this stuff. Why had she ever started this?
For all her annoyance, however, there was a part of her, a hidden deep down part of her that she rarely admitted existed, and would at this moment have far rather kept deeply and securely hidden, that admitted that she both liked and needed Caine to call her on the little things. To know that he would make sure that she took care of herself whatever it took was immensely comforting and made her feel loved in a way she could never remember feeling before. She might not like it at this moment, in the midst of being punished, but she knew this was what she needed. She was going to have to do a far better job of remembering to stop and eat though, because this corner time stuff was for the birds. Norah didn’t think she’d ever been more bored in her life.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Caine said quietly, “You’re done.”
“Oh, thank God,” Norah said, slumping in relief. “I hated that.”
“That was kind of the point,” Caine told her.
“Yeah, I got that,” Norah replied wryly. “Trust me.”
“It’s over now,” Caine said. “We can put it behind us. With any luck, maybe we won’t have to do it again.”
It would have suited Norah just fine to never have to do it again, but deep down, she knew she would. She needed the boundaries. She needed the safety they gave her and the reassurance.
“You did very well,” Caine continued. “I hate that I can’t be there with you, especially this first time, but I’m very proud of you. I know that couldn’t have been easy. Especially with me not being there to help enforce it.”
Norah preened under the praise, all her earlier irritation forgotten. Somewhere in the back of her mind a tiny voice reminded her that it was ridiculous that he should praise her for cooperating with something that she asked for in the first place, but the warmth that his praise brought her squash
ed it immediately.
“Hopefully, next time,” Caine went on, “if there is a next time, I’ll be there to give you the hug you deserve.”
As it turned out, Caine needn’t have worried. Over the next few weeks, he had plenty of opportunity to reassure her in the aftermath of discipline in the way that he had wanted to do the first time. Much to Norah’s surprise, Caine turned out to be a fairly strict HOH. For someone who had had such deep reservations about this type of relationship, once he had committed to it, he threw himself into being her HOH with the same rigorous work ethic and stubborn determination that he put into everything he did. For all Caine might appear to be laid-back and easy-going, he was immovable when it came to the things he felt were important. Clearly, he found Norah extremely important, a point he did not hesitate to make clear to her on multiple occasions.
“He’s absolutely death on anything he considers to be related to health or safety,” Norah complained, walking home from book club with Abby one afternoon. “And some of the stuff he considers to be related to safety is absolutely ridiculous. Like, it’s not going to kill me if I miss one meal. It is as far as Caine is concerned though. There’s no room for negotiation on that rule. Somehow, he manages to find out and punishes me every single time, no matter how much I try to explain.”
Despite her complaining, she had to admit it was beginning to be effective. Now, even on the days when Caine wasn’t in the shop with her, she made a point to set an alarm on her phone to remind herself to go get lunch. It was probably something she should’ve been doing years ago, but it wasn’t until Caine started stuffing her in the corner every time she forgot that it actually occurred to her to do so. The truth of the matter was, Norah spent a considerable amount of time looking at corners these days, and not just for forgetting to eat either. Somewhere along the way, Caine had caught on to the fact that putting her in the corner usually helped her calm down when she got overwhelmed and restless about all the decisions she was having to make in order to get the bookstore up and running. Fairly often these days, she spent the first few moments after they got home standing in the corner for no other reason than he thought she needed to calm down. Whether or not she thought she needed to calm down was irrelevant to the conversation. He didn’t hesitate to remind her that it was his decision and her only job was to do as she was told. Logically, Norah knew things worked that way. It was what she had always wanted. Someone who would draw the line with her and not back down. Part of her loved it, but as a practical matter in the moment when she was being disciplined, it had some serious downsides.
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