“Come on, I’ll lift you down once I can reach your legs.”
“You won’t drop me, right?” Her eyes narrowed on him.
“Baby girl, you’re irritating me. And being dropped is not what you need to worry about when I’m annoyed.”
“Okay, okay,” she said and gingerly grabbed the branch and slid her bottom across the rough bark. She turned herself onto her belly and slid lower. The bark caught her jean button and it popped open. She scrambled up again but only succeeded in lowering the zipper, and as she let herself fall to swing from the branch, her jeans slid down slowly.
“Close your eyes!” she squealed, wishing the ground would open so she could fall in it.
“It’ll be a little hard to get you with my eyes closed, babe. And if I recall you weren’t so shy earlier.” He chuckled and she groaned. His warm palms cupped her bottom with only white cotton between their skin.
“Relax into me, as if you’re sitting on my hands.”
“Okay,” she squeaked and did her best to sit on his hands.
“Now let go of the branch.”
“Let go?”
“Yes, Addi. Let go.”
“But I’ll fall.”
“You won’t fall. I’m right here.”
“But…”
“Addianna, you’re seriously trying my patience.”
She closed her eyes, squeezed them tight, and released the branch. She expected to fall, but all she did was slide down his hard, warm chest to her feet.
He turned her to face him as soon as she was solidly on the ground. They were so close she could feel his breath on her. He tipped her chin up.
“Baby girl, have you ever had a switch across your bottom?”
She swallowed hard again, blinking, and shook her head. “No.” Her pulse began pounding between her legs and standing in just her panties with her pants in a lump at her ankles was heating her further. What if he took a switch to her?
“Well, it hurts, not nearly as much as diamondback venom, but enough to teach you not to wander off in the woods alone when you have no experience.”
She stumbled back, bent, and swiftly tugged her jeans up. “Thanks for the rescue, Drew.” She turned and started walking away. “I have experience enough.” She gave a finger wave.
“Then why are you walking deeper into the woods rather than back to camp?”
“Maybe I’m not done exploring.”
He snorted and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go before I pick a switch and show you what a bastard I can be.”
“No way! You aren’t smacking me with a stick,” she growled.
“You’re getting spanked, baby girl, don’t doubt that, but if I have to pick a switch you’re going to seriously regret it. I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you.” He gathered a breath and released her arm to take her hand. “You’re lucky I have no love for switches, or you’d have stripes across your ass tonight.” He looked down at her and paused, turning to cup her face with his rough palm. “Every swat I give you will be for your own good.”
She nodded as much as his palm would allow, and all thoughts of fighting him vanished. She wanted care, even if it came from an ex who broke her heart ten years earlier, even if it came in the form of a spanking. He was right, she was a boulder about to break into gravel, but hanging onto Drew was keeping her whole.
“I care about you. I want you safe.”
Again, her only answer was a nod. Her head was full of thoughts about how wrong it was to let a man spank her, but her heart and pussy didn’t give a damn about right and wrong.
“That’s better. I like my baby girl agreeable.”