Page 53 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

His tongue ceased its flicking. His fingers gave up their plunging tortureof my cunt.

Everything fell away, every pleasurable touch gone, leaving me with nothing but the weights in my trembling hands, my gaze a laser focus on the hanging artwork.

Niko shifted, sliding out from under the chair until he once again knelt before me.

His fingers touched my chin, but my gaze stayed focused.

“Eyes, princess,” he commanded with a tone far more gentle than he had ever used with me before. As my eyes pulled away from the golden artwork, moving towards the dark sapphire pools of his eyes, I saw only pride shining back at me.

Gone was the anger. Gone was the frustration.

Without breaking our stare, he took the weights from my hands, setting them aside.

But I refused to move my arms, even still. I was going to show him I could do this. Even if I did so with quivering limbs and sweat dripping down the small of my back.

His hands guided mine back down to the armrests.

“Good girl. Your punishment is over. And I am proud of you. All is forgiven,” he whispered, his finger brushing against my forehead as he swept a tendril of hair back behind my ear where it belonged.

“You forgive me?” I asked, surprised to hear how hoarse my voice was after sitting for that long.

“All is forgiven,” he repeated, his eyes shining with pride, and something else I could not quite place.

Something broke inside of me at that moment.

I don’t know if it was tiredness, or perhaps just the weight of all I had been through these past couple of weeks. Whatever it was, it broke like a dam, and theemotions I had held long in check spilled over past the surface.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as my shoulders shook with silent sobs.

He lifted me into his arms as though I weighed nothing at all, cuddling me to him as he stood and carried me from the room.

“That’s my good girl. I’ve got you now.”

Chapter 14

Nikolai

Words failedme as I carried her from the playroom and across the den to the enormous bathroom. We had been intentional in our planning when building this house. The bathroom off to the side of the playroom was a thing of beauty. A large bathtub that resembled a small pool more than just a bathtub sat in the center of the room. There was a stone shower in the corner, and a double sink on the wall beside it, making it seem more like a Grecian bathhouse than a simple bathroom in bum-fuck Missouri. It was one of the best rooms in the house, and every inch of it was dedicated to aftercare.

And aftercare was what Maddy deserved after such a triumphant display of fortitude and willpower. I could tell that she needed it more tonight than she even had after our scene yesterday.

I pulled a blanket from the linen closet as I passed it, wrapping it around her body before setting her on the soft chaise lounge that graced the wall opposite the vanity.

“You don’t have to go to all this trouble,” she muttered, in a voice much smaller than I was accustomed to hearing from her. Chuckling lightly, I reached over the rim of the tub, turning the water as hot as it would go before pulling the plug up and watching the basin begin to fill.

“Yes, I do, actually,” I replied, watching her tremble as she pulled the blanket tighter around her body. “Cold?”

“A little. But…it feels different than that,” she said, almost as though she were confused by her own words.

I sighed, immediately understanding what she was talking about. Vulnerability was not my strong suit, but I knew well what she was experiencing. Busying myself by pouring bath salts and a splash of essential oils into the bathwater, I evaded her comment for the time being.

After the basin was filled as much as it could be, I returned to her side. Crouching down before her, she seemed more tiny than ever.

“Come with me,” I spoke softly, holding my hand out to her. Her tiny hand slid into mine, trembling. Coming down from a punishment scene could be difficult, and Maddy was brand new to all of this. I needed to handle this with caution, but above all, with care.

I helped her to her feet, immediately pulling her up and into my arms as the blanket fluttered down to the floor in a heap.

“Just relax, and let me take care of you.” I carefully set her down into the steaming water, smirking at her little hiss of surprise as the temperature quickly heated her cold skin. “Too hot?”

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