Page 44 of Captive Heart

Or was that just his own wishful thinking in order to justify these actions to his burdened mind?

Micah stretched his hand across the far side of Melody's body, wrapping his fingers around her slender waist to hold her in place while he pushed the stretchy fabric of her leggings down to bare her backside with a broad sweep of his hand. He felt the indrawn breath she failed to curtail along with her surprise, and that was good. Micah fully intended that his brand of discipline was going to be unlike any other she’d ever encountered.

As he rubbed his palm across the globes of her buttocks, he prepared her skin to prevent it from bruising. Whatever happened, he wasn't adding that to his conscience.

"Right, nice and loud with an appropriate thank you after each one," Micah ordered, pulling his palm away from her warm skin and delivering the first swat.

"One. Thank you, Micah," Melody replied dutifully.

Micah kept the first five light, intending to build up his cadence until he could judge her pain threshold but, already, he could feel the frustration bubbling in the tone of her voice, telling him she didn't think he was doing his job sufficiently.

Well, he knew how to deal with that.

The next two slaps landed hard on the fleshiest part of each individual buttock. He’d taken her by surprise with the significant raise in intensity, and a little squeal slipped out ahead of her subsequent count. Micah tried hard not to chuckle but allowed himself to grin since she couldn't see his face.

He rained down a quick flurry of equally potent swats, turning her butt a rosy pink and bringing a breathless quality to Melody’s voice, which he enjoyed far too much.

"Nine, ten, eleven. Thank you," she squealed, but the sound held no distress.

The next four smacks, he delivered directly to her sit spot, two on each side. This time, there was a waver to her voice as she counted, and he knew they were getting there.

He targeted the whole of her rear, and the next two brought her to the edge, so Micah knew Melody was finally in a place where she could let go of the guilt and find the solace she so desperately needed.

And now that had been delivered, she was going to get a reward that she wasn't expecting. As she hiccupped over the previous two swats, Micah landed the final harsh spanks.

“Let it all go, Melody,” he encouraged. He knew the spanking had done its job when her shoulders quavered and shook with silent sobs.

Immediately, he gentled his hand against her ass cheeks, feeling the heat enveloping his palm and rubbing it gently away.

“There now. You’ve taken your punishment like a good girl. It’s time to forgive yourself.”

“Yes, Micah,” she sniffled, lifting a hand to wipe at her face. She wriggled as if to move, but Micah wasn’t quite finished yet.

He heard the surprised little moan which slipped past her lips as he allowed his hand to wander down and stroke the tops of her thighs, gently manoeuvring them so they parted slightly. Without warning, he used the tips of his fingers to lightly slap at the newly exposed area, his aim landing directly across her puffy pussy lips. Melody gurgled on a choked, indrawn breath and Micah landed another to the same place.

"Number!" he demanded sternly.

"Eighteen. Nineteen, thank you," she panted out breathlessly.

He wasn't sure she was even aware of the way she ground her clit against his leg as she dry-humped the coarse denim of his jeans in an attempt to ease the fire he’d built. But he could smell her arousal and was sure Melody must be able to feel his own, as his cock pressed painfully against his fly, which, in turn, was pressed against the softness of her belly.

Or maybe she was too lost in the unexpected enjoyment to notice, he thought with a smile.

Micah deliberately dragged his hand across the swell of her ass and down the juncture of her thighs. His fingers grazed over the hot, wet folds of her labia, skimming her lightly but enough to have her whimpering and thrusting her bottom back to try to maintain the contact.

Micah moved his hand away, and Melody mewled in stark disappointment at the loss.

Micah couldn't contain the chuckle this time. "Greedy kitten," he chided. "Do you want more?"

"Yes!" she gasped. "Please!"

Micah brought the broad plane of his whole hand down across both buttocks as well as her sex, and this time, she bucked and arched beneath his palm.

"Twenty! Thank you," she moaned, writhing beneath his palm as he cupped her dripping sex.

"Oh God! Please, Micah, please!" she entreated. She seized his ankles, squeezing in her frustration. "Help me!" she sobbed out on a broken whisper.

Micah plunged his fingers into her sodden core, pushing her legs wider apart and thrusting, once, twice, then withdrawing to swirl his dampened fingers around her clit.

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