Page 20 of Daddy's Heart

“It’s not, but you’re hot from walking in the heat. Just relax and you’ll cool off faster.”

She put the glass on the countertop.

“Fucking relax? That’s your suggestion?”

“Samantha.” He lowered his chin, setting a dark glare on her. “You’re not in a good mood, I get that, but I don’t appreciate you aiming your irritation at me.”

She sighed. “Fucking hell.”

“And the language needs to get cleaned up,” he added in a firmer tone.

A tingle in her belly sparked.

“Why?” she demanded, putting her fists on her hips.

“Because you don’t usually talk like that, and I don’t like it,” he answered calmly, his expression as cool as his tone.

Samantha pushed her hair from her face and licked her lips.

“They’re just words.”

The corner of his lips curved upward. It looked like a warning, but she wasn’t in the mood to heed it.

He moved closer, until he was toe to toe with her. Pressing his hands to the counter on either side of her, he had her trapped.

“It sounds like someone’s looking for a spanking.”

Her mouth dried.

Was she that readable?

Her pulse ramped up. It was time to bring the status back down to a reasonable threat level.

“Just because we’re both into kink, doesn’t mean you get to throw empty threats at me.” She raised her chin. Apparently, she was going to keep charging uphill.

“You’re right, I don’t. And it’s not an empty threat. But I’m putting this on the table for you, nice and clear. If you curse at me again, you’re telling me you want a spanking. You’re telling me you’re in a bad spiral and you need me to help you reel it in.” He lowered himself to line up his gaze with hers. She had nowhere to turn, nowhere to look. “All you have to do is excuse yourself and go get cleaned up. Your choice, Sammy.”

Her heart sank into a warm pillow of need at his uttered nickname.

He wasn’t serious, though.

What he was proposing…it wasn’t real.

They couldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

She rolled her shoulders back, raising her chin even more. “Fuck fuckity fuck fuck,” she said, loud and plain.

His tongue darted out of the corner of his mouth, and he heaved a hard breath. “Okay then.” He stood to his full height and snatched her by the upper arm, dragging her to the kitchen table.

“Ryder, wait! You can’t!”

He flipped a chair around and plunked himself down in it, his grip steel hard around her arm.

“You had your choice, Sammy, and you made it.” His hard tone softened when he looked up at her. His jaw was set firm. He was all business, but he wasn’t out of control. She doubted the man ever actually lost control.

Before she could raise a defense, he yanked her down over his lap. His knee sank into her stomach, and she began to crawl off. Ryder easily thwarted her attempted escape with a heavy arm clamped around her waist.

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