“Jonathon?”
Caine shrugged. “He volunteered to let me practice.”
Norah erupted into giggles. This whole conversation was unreal. Caine, who hadn’t even been able to give her the most basic spanking even just for fun, had not only made a paddle but had used it on Jonathon of all people for practice. She was almost tempted to go to the window and look out just to be sure she hadn’t suddenly been transported into an alternate reality.
At the same time, she was deeply touched. Deep down, she thought everyone secretly wanted someone who was willing to fight for them. It was the classic romantic ideal. The stuff of fairytales and knights and dragons. Caine had not only fought his demons for her. He had faced down one of his biggest fears.
Unable to resist it, she went to him, crawling onto his lap and kissing him hard. He drank her in like a man dying of thirst, plunging into her mouth, tongues dueling. She felt like she was igniting from the inside out.
Finally, they broke apart. Both of them lightheaded and breathless.
“Should I take that to mean you’re willing to try again?” he asked. “I hope so because if you kiss me like that and then turn me away, I might just have to put you over my knee anyway.”
Norah’s eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t?”
“You’re probably right,” he admitted. “Not without your consent, but I would be sorely tempted.”
“I never thought I would hear anything like that come out of your mouth,” Norah said quietly. “I wanted it to. So many times I thought about it. I imagined it. Those little threats. The quiet warnings that every couple has. I fantasized about it even.”
“You never told me,” Caine said.
“I never wanted you to feel like you weren’t enough,” Norah explained. “You were trying so hard. I could see that. I never wanted to devalue that.”
“So instead, you let it fester and blindsided me,” Caine replied.
The words hit her like a punch in the gut. Oh my God, was that what she had done? She had. That last night he had been so shocked. She remembered clearly how stunned and dazed he had looked.
“I’m so sorry,” she told him. “I was so caught up in my own head I never realized how it must’ve felt to you.”
“It’s over now,” he said, reaching up to smooth a hand over her hair. “That is, if you’re willing to try again?”
“Of course I am,” Norah exclaimed.” I thought I made that rather obvious.”
The corner of Caine’s mouth quirked up. “I was just making sure.” Then, his expression turned serious again. “If we’re going to move on, I think there are some things we need to deal with first.”
“We do?” Norah asked, puzzled.
Caine nodded, turning her around so she was seated on his lap rather than straddling it. “Do you remember when we talked about rules?”
Norah frowned up at him. She didn’t like the turn this conversation had taken. Her stomach was beginning to swirl uncomfortably. “Yes.”
“We agreed that being honest with one another was one of the most important rules, didn’t we?”
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her palms started to prickle with sweat and her stomach twisted in earnest. “We did.”
“Do you think keeping what you needed and how you were feeling from me was being honest?” Caine asked. His voice was casual, conversational even, but all the more devastating for its quiet.
“I was just trying to compromise!” Norah protested.
“Talking to me about it and letting us agree upon things together would have been compromise,” Caine said. “Hiding it from me is just another way of lying.”
“But I didn’t mean it like that,” she insisted. She winced inwardly. She sounded like a naughty four-year-old trying to get out of trouble.
“I know you didn’t,” Caine assured her, “but it’s still what you did. That can’t happen. That’s not the kind of basis we want to build our relationship on, is it?”
Swallowing thickly around a rapidly closing throat, Norah shook her head.
Caine slid a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. “What do you think we should do about that?”
Norah didn’t answer. She couldn’t have forced words through the logjam in her throat if she’d had to.
“Do you know what I think we should do about it?” Caine asked. “I think I owe you a spanking. It’s what I should’ve done before. I couldn’t do it then but I can now, and I think it’s the best way for us both to move on. What do you think?”
The knotting that had begun in her stomach now felt like a boulder in the gut. Her heart was racing. What was she supposed to say to that?
“I need you to answer me, sweetheart,” Caine went on as if hearing her thoughts. “I need to know that you’re okay with me doing this. Because if I do it, this time it will be for real.”
It took a monumental effort, but Norah nodded. “Yes, sir, I know.” She prayed that would be enough. She knew what he meant, and she agreed, but right now, at the moment of truth, a spanking was the last thing she wanted, even if she knew as well as he did that she both needed and deserved it. If she had to say much more, she feared she might give into the temptation to beg him not to spank her and promise that she would be good forever if he let it go just this once. She knew it was the last thing she needed to do, but the temptation was still strong.
Thankfully, her answer seemed to satisfy Caine. “There’s just one more thing,” he said. “I need you to choose a safeword.”
“It’s okay,” she told him. “I don’t need one. I trust you.”
Caine pressed a kiss against her forehead, brushing her hairline. “Thank you for that, sweetheart, but it’s not for you. It’s for me. I need to know I’m not really hurting you. Giving you a safeword is my safety net against crossing that line. I’d rather you choose your own, but if you prefer, you can stick with the colors for now.”
Colors might well be the simplest. Red, yellow, and green were nearly universally recognized in the DD and BDSM communities as basic safe words. Red to stop, green to go, and yellow to slow down or pause. At the moment, she wasn’t sure she could think beyond that. “Colors are fine,” she told him.
“I’m trusting you to stop me if it gets to be too much,” Caine said, “but I’m also trusting you not to use it just as a way to get out of trouble.”
That went straight to Norah’s heart, imbuing the simple words with the solemnity of the sacred vow. There was no way she would ever misuse them now. “Yes, sir.”
Caine drew her to her feet, standing her in front of him. She was only wearing sweats, having expected nothing more than a lazy night at home when he knocked on the door. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her pants and pulled them down then guided her around to his side and over his lap.
It would have been surreal except that it was too shockingly intimately real to be anything less than cold hard reality. Caine took hold of her underwear pulling them down to join her sweats. A draft wafted over her bare bottom raising goosebumps despite the warmth of the room. Caine put his arm around her waist, cupping her hip and drawing her in close to his body. Norah felt like every nerve in her body was on high alert. She was intensely aware of the warmth of his body and the rough denim covering his thighs. She felt him shift as he raised his arm. Then the first swat fell, loud and shockingly hard, and she very quickly ceased to be aware of anything else.
She’d had a brief thought when he first drew her over his lap that she should probably keep quiet so as not to unduly worry Caine. She quickly discovered that trying to hold back was not only impossible, it was completely unnecessary. He heated every inch of her backside, from the crest of her bottom to the tops of her thighs without the slightest hesitation.
It didn’t take long before she couldn’t stop the involuntary twists and kicks and sounds. Yelps and whimpers descended into outright begging promises to be good. After what seemed like an eternity, Caine finally stopped, and Nora
h breathed a sigh of relief. Her bottom burned like fire. He hadn’t reduced her to a sobbing mess, but she knew without question that he meant business.
Only he didn’t let her up as she expected. He reached over to the coffee table and picked up the paddle that was still lying there. Oh God, she had forgotten about the paddle.
“Caine, no more, please,” she pleaded. “I won’t do it again. I’m sorry.”
“I know you are,” he said softly. He let go of her hip and moved his hand up to rub up and down her back. “This isn’t about being sorry. You were sorry before we ever started.”
Her only warning was his arm shifting back to tighten around her waist before the cool wood of the paddle pressed against her overheated skin. Then it was gone, only to come cracking down mere seconds later with an echo like a gunshot.
The yell tore from her without conscious thought. Her entire world narrowed down to the smack of the paddle and the burn it left behind. She bucked and twisted and begged, and finally, ceased fighting altogether, going limp over his lap and sobbing.
It was then and only then that Caine stopped, dropping the paddle onto the sofa beside him in favor of rubbing her back and murmuring quietly to her. It took a while before she calmed down enough to understand the words, but they really didn’t matter. His tone and his presence were comfort enough.
When her sobs died down to quiet sniffles, Caine helped her to sit up on his lap, carefully drawing her against his chest, onto her hip and off of her extremely sore bottom. He tilted her face up to his. “You don’t lie to me, understand? Not even with good intention. If you do, this is what will happen. Every single time.”
“Yes, sir,” Norah replied with absolute conviction.
“Good girl.” He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips and then another against her hair. “I love you, sweetheart. I love you so much. I’m here for you, in all the ways you need.”
“I love you, too,” Norah said. She had loved him for months now. She had never doubted that he was the man she loved, but now he has also proven that he could be the man she needed.
Epilogue
Norah was putting the finishing touches on dinner when Caine came bounding up the stairs to the apartment they now shared. She smiled hearing Maeve and Mav go through their nightly ritual whereby Maeve hissed at Maverick and bounded to the top of the bookshelf when Maverick followed her, whining and begging for her to play with him. She turned to find Caine leaning against the counter behind her, a large manila envelope in his hand and an even larger grin splitting his face.
“What are you so happy about?” she asked even as she smiled herself in reaction to his excitement.
“It’s official,” he told her, opening the envelope and drawing a sheath of papers out. “We got approved for the house.”
“Wonderful!” Norah replied, washing off her hands and going over to kiss him. Caine had been approved as a resident shortly after they had gotten back together. Benjamin had officially been assigned as his mentor when he had moved in with her. He continued to do business both in Corbin’s Bend and in Denver. In fact, he was rapidly building a bustling side business in the community making paddles and spanking benches. However, it was impossible for him to be able to work like he needed to in her apartment. He’d been making trips to Denver for over a month so that he could do the work in his workshop there, but snow made travel difficult and sometimes impossible. Finally, they had decided to put his house in Denver on the market and apply to move into a single-family house in the community.
It wouldn’t be as convenient for Norah, but it was a concession she could gladly make. Besides, business at the bookstore was booming. She had already hired part-time help but anticipated having to hire someone full-time soon. She hoped to find someone who could take over the upstairs apartment and handle evening hours so that she could go home and be with Caine. Brent had agreed that, as long as the person she hired had already been approved as a member of the community, she could offer the apartment as an incentive to whomever she employed. They had only been waiting for the housing board to approve their move before they put their plans in action.
“It’s housing plan one,” Caine went on, “so it’s still just a one bedroom, but there’s an office, and I can turn the garage into a workshop. Plus, we’ll have a fenced backyard for Mav.”
“It sounds perfect,” Norah told him.
“It’s almost perfect,” Caine said. “There’s just one more thing that needs to happen.”
Before she could ask what he meant, he was down on one knee with a square ring box open on his outstretched palm, a simple diamond solitaire glinting in the light. “Norah, sweetheart, I love you with all that I am. I always will. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
For a moment, all the air in the room seemed to disappear. Shock and joy warred for prominence. They had talked about marriage a few times, but she had never expected this. She glanced at Caine’s face and realized he looked utterly terrified. Why? Surely this was as exciting and happy a moment for him as it was for her.
All at once it came to her that she hadn’t spoken. She hadn’t answered him, and her ability to speak suddenly came flooding back. “Yes, yes. Of course I will.”
Caine sighed with relief, sliding the ring onto her finger. “You had me worried there for a minute.”
“Did you really think there was even the slightest chance that I would refuse?” Norah asked, holding up the ring to admire it. It was perfect. Not as large or fancy as some might desire. Not at all like the one John had given her when they married. It was better. This time it reflected her taste and not simply just what was expected. She liked the classic simplicity. Caine knew that and honored it. If she had needed any more proof that he was the man for her, that would’ve been it. Not that she needed further proof. She knew without a doubt he was the only man she would ever need.
The End
Ruth Staunton
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Ruth Staunton and Blushing Books!
Playing with Fire
Don’t miss the rest of the Corbin’s Bend Series!
Welcome to Corbin’s Bend
Return to Corbin’s Bend
At Home in Corbin’s Bend
Corbin’s Bend Homecoming
Love in the Rockies
Deceptive Practices
Tabitha Marks
©2015 by Blushing Books® and Tabitha Marks
All rights reserved.
No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Marks, Tabitha
Deceptive Practices
eBook ISBN: 978-1-68259-175-8
Cover Art by ABCD Graphics & Design
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.
Chapter 1
Wow, that was tough one,” Nancy whispered as soon as she and Regan were out of earshot of the private waiting room they’d just left.
“Yeah, no matter how many times I have to do that it always twists my stomach.” As an emergency room physician, Regan had more experience than Nancy at being the bearer of bad news, though Nancy wasn’t a stranger to it by any means.
They headed down the hall to the elevators without discussing where they were going. Regan and Nancy had a routine for situations like these. Nancy pushed the button to bring
the elevator up to the second floor before she spoke. “Those poor girls had such bright futures and now, because of a stupid decision to drink and drive, they’ll be set back years.”
“The one that was driving will probably be arrested, too,” Regan noted as they stepped inside the empty elevator. “What a waste. If I ever have kids, I’m locking them in the house every night until they’re at least thirty.”
Nancy laughed, knowing the chance of Regan slowing down long enough to even become pregnant, let alone give birth, was highly unlikely. “You could try, but I doubt it would work.”
They got out in the lobby and headed straight to the emergency room doors. The cool night air soothed Nancy’s overheated skin as soon as they slid open. She slipped through, hoping nobody noticed them sneaking outside for a break. Although it was after midnight, the city around the hospital still bustled with activity, most of it not good. Friday night meant parties and alcohol and reckless behavior. She saw the same thing every weekend. Teenagers and young adults who imagined they were immortal making terrible decisions that affected the rest of their lives.
Minutes ago they’d given awful, life changing news to two pairs of teary parents. Their brand new high school graduates, who were both supposed to be attending college on full soccer scholarships in the fall, would definitely not be running down a field in few short months. Or possibly ever. She couldn’t be certain without having an orthopedic surgeon take a look, but the x-rays she reviewed indicated severely damaged legs from the front of their car sliding underneath a truck at a high rate of speed. The two back seat passengers had fared better, but were still in serious condition. Unfortunately, a night out to celebrate with friends turned into a nightmare, one that would last long after the sun rose in the morning.
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