Page 32 of Her Devious Daddies

She looked up and raised her eyebrows. “I’m listening and processing it all, August. I haven’t ever experienced discipline of any kind. When I was little, I was a goody-two-shoes.”

“Because you didn’t think anyone would actually pay attention to your behavior if you acted out?” I casually attempted to glean additional information, though she had directed the statement to August.

“Whenever I became emotional, someone inevitably threw food at me thinking it would fix the situation, and I went to my room to cry alone.” She looked down into her lap.

“I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories, darling. I just want to know why you felt the need to put such unreasonable pressure on yourself.”

“I don’t know, Logan. There were always so many people in my house, but I always felt alone. I played by myself a lot.” She shook her head as if trying to shake away the bad memories.

August looped his arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head against him. Though the gesture was sweet, I could feel an underlying sexual tension bubbling under the surface.

“I hate to hear you had to deal with that at home.” He sighed. “Do you still want to talk about consequences?”

“Mmhm.”

“Can you please give me a yes or no, sweetheart?”

“Yes, August. I’m listening to what you have to say.”

“I used to rely heavily on physical punishment as a response, but it really depends on the individual. If you enjoy being spanked, as an example, it may not be the best way to deter you from breaking another rule. I happen to enjoy spanking in general and there are many different types… not always just for discipline.”

Karsyn nodded several times, her bottom lip working in and out of her teeth. “I don’t think I can explain in words. I need to be spanked. Probably often.”

“Punishments and spankings are completely different, darling,” I interjected. “We both have quite the implement collection. However, if you need it, then using it as a deterrent as August said, would not work very well. Contrary to popular belief, punishments aren’t supposed to be something you want to earn. And if you do feel that way, please talk to me.”

August glanced at me, his tongue darting out to lick his lip. I wondered if something I said turned him on or if there was something else on his mind.

“Do you care to share, babyboy?”

“My concern is not being dominant enough for Karsyn if I’m being submissive to you.”

I thought about what he meant, regardless of his tone. His haughty, devil-may-care attitude seemed to be another defense mechanism.

“May I?” Karsyn poked his side, and he nodded, allowing her to voice a reply. “I don’t want to keep saying the same thing, but I’ve never been in a healthy dynamic at all. I’m concerned with following our rules and getting to know you rather than what you’re doing or not doing with Logan. If you’re poking at him, it’s none of my business. Unless of course I’m around and I join in, but then we’re getting in trouble together.”

“I appreciate your sincerity. I don’t think bratting or poking in general equals a punishment, necessarily, unless it’s excessive or disrespectful. For me, I get very caught in my head,” he said softly. “So, I don’t know how to stop my mouth. I’ll keep running it even after I’m… well… long after I should. However, I haven’t figured out the line between playful banter and blatant disrespect. Logan is my first boyfriend.”

“Only,” I corrected.

“Oh yeah? So, you’re just going to marry me someday?”

“I just might.” I kept my eyes on him as his face flushed pink. August rated hot on any meter you measured him on—sexy body, gorgeous eyes, hair, everything. The sight of him blushing from something I said to him made him a million times hotter. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I leaned into him and nipped his neck. “What do you think of that?”

“You can’t order me to marry you, Logan.”

Tracing my finger along his jawline, I chuckled. “Can’t I?”

August scowled. I had a feeling the two of us needed to talk more at length about the trajectory course for our relationship. Yes, he was technically correct, I couldn’t order him to marry me. But his eyes shined with unshed tears. I had a funny feeling August hadn’t been chosen a lot in his formative years. No one made him a priority. It was just my guess since he bottled his emotions. He shared some things, but there were a lot of missing pieces. I could take a few stabs at his past, but until he told me in detail, I had little to go on.

Finally, he laced his fingers in mine. “I am not used to this, Logan. I’m working on it.”

“I’m confident in my ability to balance the three of us. However, it does not mean I’m going to be perfect out of the gate. Neither of you could possibly expect that, anyhow. Let’s focus on spending time together. Everything else will fall into place.”

My two brats nodded their agreement while I marveled over my statement. Luke would be proud of me for figuring out how to make this work, even though I still wasn’t entirely sure. I let out a breath as I came to the realization that my doubt wasn’t a bad thing. It would keep me checking in with my new partners as well as keeping a pulse on the overall relationship. What a wild day this was shaping into.

CHAPTER 10

AUGUST

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