Page 19 of Daddy's Naughty List

“Actually…” After a quick glance at the bruise forming on her face, he added, “Go to the nurse practitioner’s office for ice packs while I’m changing. It’ll save us a stop.”

“I…” She winced as he took the pillow from her reddened hands. “Yes, Sir.”

After changing, he hung his costume on its hanger, then grabbed hers and exited the restroom. Susan was already waiting with the ice packs and two disposable coffee cups with lids.

“Um… I got us some hot chocolate.”

“Thank you. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, Sir.” Keeping her head lowered, she followed him to the truck and didn’t protest when he lifted her into the passenger seat after stowing their costumes.

Before he could think of what he wanted to say, she asked, “Sir, are you mad at me?”

“Yes, but I also want to praise you for at least two days straight.”

“Are you mad because I wouldn’t say I was sorry?”

“No.” He got on the road, heading toward his farm in Happy Jack. “I’m mad because you put yourself in danger, but I’m also danged proud of you for what you did. Right now, I’m trying to decide if I can tell you what a good girl you are at the same time I spank your cute butt until you promise never to do something so risky ever again.”

Instead of being frightened by the threat of a spanking, she giggled, then sobered and glanced at him from under her lashes. “I honestly don’t know why I kept hitting him. I could have let Kate deal with him, but I… That little girl was so scared, and he just made me so mad…”

Her words trailed off and she took a sip of her cocoa. “I feel bad, but also good. Does that make sense?”

“It does.” Careful not to hurt her, he enfolded his hand around hers, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin. “You feel bad for hurting someone, but also good because he really, really deserved it, right?”

“Yes, Sir.” She finished her cocoa, then put her hand back where it belonged. “That’s exactly what I feel, and he deserved worse.”

“I’m very proud of you, sweetheart.” He stroked his thumb over her knuckles, careful not to hurt her. “I’m still mad because you scared me though.”

She nodded and played with the hem of her jacket. “I still won’t say I’m sorry for hitting him, but I am sorry for scaring you.”

“Thank you, Susan.” He reached over and took the ice packs from her lap. “You need to put this on your face before it swells much more, and then we’ll talk about your punishment.”

“Are you going to spank me, Sir?”

“Not unless you ask me to.” Walt smirked at her, thankful to receive a smile in return. “You hurt your hands, so you’re not getting the riding lesson I was going to give you this afternoon.”

“Oh, I?—”

He held up a hand to stop her before her obvious disappointment made him change his mind. “In fact, instead of doing all the fun things I had planned, you’re going to spend the rest of the day sitting on the couch with a dog in your lap doing absolutely nothing.”

Her brow wrinkled and she shook her head. “That doesn’t sound bad.”

For Susan, a woman who wasn’t known for sitting still, it would be torture. He smirked inwardly, pleased with himself for finding the perfect punishment that would fit the crime, and soothe his need to protect her—not that he still didn’t want to spank her.

Groaning inwardly, he surreptitiously adjusted himself in his jeans. Just the thought of taking Susan over his knee…

“You might think that now,” he replied as he tried to ignore his thickening cock. “Just wait for it.”

Susan

“Stop that, Mittens.” She scratched the large tabby under his chin and, with limited success, tried to move eighty pounds of fluffy golden retriever out of reach of the cat’s vindictive claws. “There’s plenty of room for Charlie.”

She loved Walt’s house, with its exposed beams holding up a cathedral ceiling, hardwood floors, and a rustic fireplace made of stone. The furniture was dark leather designed for comfort and strewn with blankets and pillows in warm shades of russet and brown. Framed art prints were arranged in elegant groupings, drawing her eye to the staircase leading to the bedrooms.

Bedrooms, as in plural. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that she wouldn’t be sharing his.

There were even floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in an adjoining room, with an honest-to-goodness rolling ladder, and plenty of space for her small collection of romance novels amongst his mysteries and suspense thrillers.

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