Page 79 of The Boss

“What are you doing?”

“I think you know the answer by now.”

“You’re going to spank me?”

He huffed. “Good answer.”

I started pounding my fists against his leg. “No fair. That’s going to cause pain.”

“Entirely different.”

The gods were obviously in his favor because he found a fallen tree right there on the sand. As he’d done with our hot sex, he didn’t waste any time, easing onto the thick log as if we were just sitting down to dinner.

I wiggled, but he already had his arm firmly wrapped around me. When he brought his hand down a couple of times, I moaned appropriately. I swayed my hips, hoping I could entice him into returning to our former activity. He cracked his hand down two more times, then sighed deeply as only he could do.

“This just won’t do.”

“What do you mean?” I threw my head over my shoulder, watching in a mixture of horror and awe as he jerked off one of his shoes. I jumped the second he smacked the sole down on the decayed tree.

“This is perfect.”

“Oh, come on.” He wasn’t kidding. There was no anger in his actions, but the tension between us remained for a different reason. He was worried I’d be taken from him.

Even as he brought his damn shoe down several times, the pain didn’t register. I was floating on a cloud, reeling from what he’d told me. We barely knew each other as adults yet what was so wrong felt so right.

I closed my eyes, shifting back and forth, but I wasn’t fighting him.

The hard cracks sounded worse, but the thick sole created electric waves of discomfort. He was methodical, covering every inch in a strange rhythm that lulled me into myriad feelings and sensations.

Including my pussy continuing to throb. Every inch of my body felt sensitive, vibrations jolting every nerve ending.

With every snap of his hand, every connection, I was pulled into a strange lull of peace.

“Five more.” His words seemed to come from the sky.

As he issued them my heart responded to the rhythm with precision, and I heard a moan escape from my mouth.

Dimitrios was thorough, but when he slowed down, I sensed his mood changing all over again. He dropped his shoe before gently easing me to a standing position. Everything about him seemed entirely different, not shut down but close.

“Enough,” he murmured. I sensed another moment of sadness in the dark memories as he studied the ocean.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked.

“I can’t begin to say the words at this point. But I can tell you that you’re wrong about my family. We’ve suffered tremendously over the years. More than our share, but that’s the world we were all born into. I don’t think it’s the best world for you. At least not for eternity.”

So we were back to his proclamation of our deal with just that, something we’d concocted that would last for a short timeframe. I had no idea what to say to him about anything any longer.

“Do me a favor, Dimitrios. When you decide what you want from me, let me know. I can’t handle the push and pull any longer. I’m just not programmed that way. I’m the kind of girl who watches romantic movies, for God’s sake, crying every damn time when they do the third act breakup. I can’t do this. I will work withyou, but please do me a favor and just keep your distance. Okay?”

He took a deep breath but said nothing.

I’d just poured out my heart to him and he hadn’t given me the courtesy to answer me? I was shocked, enraged even. Mostly, I was heartbroken, which was stupid. Just stupid.

I understood torment, but this was killing me.

As I walked away, I wondered if he’d follow me as he’d done before. I even stopped long enough to glance over my shoulder.

He wasn’t.

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