Page 145 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“You could let me be on top,” she teased hesitantly.

“That isn’t going to happen anytime soon,” he laughed. “Until we get things squared away between us, there’s no way I’m fucking you in anything but male-dominant positions. It’s the easiest way I know to bring home the point of which one of us calls the shots… and it isn’t you.”

“Do you really just expect me to become little Suzy Homemaker?”

“No. I don’t know that you could. Is that what’s worrying you? That you expect me to want you to be something you’re not? Do you expect me to be anything other than what I am or do something other than what I do?”

“Of course not,” she snapped quietly.

“Then why do you think I want you to be something other than who you are? Do you think I don’t know? Remember Kurt, the ranger at the Grand Canyon? He’s not the only one who thinks your photographs should be in exhibits. I get what you do is dangerous. We’re going to need to figure out how you can do what you do—and are damn good at—in a way that won’t give me nightmares. I understand there’s a certain element of danger in what you do, just like there is in mine. My only issue is making sure you come back to me at the end of each assignment, and we build a life together.”

“And that I submit to you.”

“Yes, but just to me. I think the problem you’re having is the idea of submitting to me isn’t as reprehensible as you think it should be. What I need for you to believe is we will work it out. We can make it work for both of us.”

Croft slowly withdrew from her and rolled to his back, snuggling her to his side. Holding her hand in one of his, with the other, he caressed her back from the nape of her neck to her still-heated derriere. The third time he ran his hands down her body, he slid his finger through the crack of her ass to play with her dark rosebud.

Finn tucked her ass but couldn’t get far since she was up against his hard body.

“You will give that to me,” he whispered.

“No, I won’t.”

“Yes, you will.” He chuckled. “You didn’t plan on me spanking you, but we both know that hasn’t worked out the way you thought it would. Trust me, you’ll find my fucking your ass a lot more pleasurable than spanking it.”

“What is it with guys wanting to fuck a woman’s ass? I don’t know many women who actually like it. There are some, I’msure, but most of the ones I know do it because the man in their life wants them to.”

“I think that’s part of why we want it. For me, it’s the ultimate act of submission—knowing it wasn’t something you initially wanted but are doing, anyway. At some point, I’ll pleasure you there just to prove I can and that you belong to me… all of you. The ultimate gift of your submission or recognition I have it would be for you to offer it to me, either because you’re curious to try or because you want to show me your contrition for something you’ve done.”

Finn waited until his breathing had become deep and regular and believed him to be asleep. The light was fading, and night was taking over. She rolled away from him onto her other side, but Croft moved from his back, pulling her to him until her back was spooned against his front, wrapped his arm around her, and settled back into a restful sleep.

Chapter

Fourteen

When she was sure he was asleep, Finn disengaged from Croft’s embrace, then silently left their bed, dressed, and slipped out of his home. She needed space and time to think. She tried to convince herself her reasons for wanting to remain were twofold—she felt obligated to him for saving both her and Christian, and his dominant lovemaking so overloaded her senses, she couldn’t think straight in his presence.

Finn breathed a sigh of relief when she saw someone had ferried her rental car back from the Grand Canyon. At that moment, she was grateful she had rented an electric car. She got in, started it up, and drove away silently.

It was still early enough, no one else on the ranch appeared to be up and moving around, for which she was grateful. Once she was on the main highway, she called the airlines and made a reservation. She thought about simply flying home but reminded herself Croft would be none too pleased with her hasty exit from his life and was liable to come looking for her.

As she drove to the airport, she was reminded there was something about what had happened that still nagged at her. She couldn’t really put her finger on it, but it kept pestering her likea bug buzzing around her head. She kept trying to puzzle it out, but still, nothing clarified. She grinned and knew the one person with who she could find clarity. So instead of booking a flight into Dulles International, she chose Gatwick Airport outside of London. One of Finn’s closest friends was Zara Hughes, an investigative journalist who she had worked with successfully in the past. Zara was smart and knew Finn and international politics well. Finn was certain between the two of them, they could figure it out.

Just as she was pulling into the airport to return her car, a call came in from Croft. Finn ignored it, returned her car, and headed for London. She texted Zara that she was on her way and asked to meet and have dinner at the Savoy. Finn found her seat, and even though she was flying first class, sitting was uncomfortable. Every time she moved, she was reminded of the man she had left behind and that he was able to pack quite a lot of sting into a spanking. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until the plane taxied down the runway and became airborne. Finn brushed away the tears that threatened to fall and closed her eyes to sleep.

Croft had awakened when he reached for Finn, and she wasn’t there. It hadn’t been a concern until he realized not only wasn’t she in their home, her rental car was missing. He tried calling her, but she didn’t answer.

“Damn it, Finn,” he muttered as he stared at his mobile phone. He knew she had to still be wrestling with what she wanted and that she shouldn’t want or need it.

Maybe he should just let her go. Maybe she did know her own mind, and he’d been reading the whole situation and herresponse wrong. He stopped and stilled his mind, thinking it through. No, Finn was every much his as he was hers. She was just having trouble accepting it. Well, he’d see if a couple of welts and being tied to his bed for a few days couldn’t convince her of what he knew was the truth.

Croft got up, dressed, and headed back to the office to debrief and ask Thom if he could track where she had gone. His plan was to do what he needed here, then fetch her home and deal with her willfulness—he’d teach her not to run instead of talking to him. It crossed his mind, perhaps that was part of what she was running from—answering to his authority and being spanked when she got out of line. She’d have to get over that if they were both to thrive in the relationship—it was essential.

He walked into the office and was greeted by a cheerful Noah.

“Good morning. I thought Finn would be with you. Still getting some sleep?”

“I’m sure she is,” Croft growled. “She seems to be able to sleep comfortably on a plane.”

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