Page 23 of The Wrangler

He shut his eyes, exhaling hard. This made three—three times he had warned her, three times she had ignored him, three times she had openly defied him.

Jesse strode toward the house, boots kicking up dust, muscles tight and rippling with anger.

Inside, Keely was in the kitchen, her back to him, standing at the stove like she hadn’t just made a decision she was going to regret.

He stepped inside and slammed the door behind him.

Keely jumped, turning toward him, eyes shining with mischief. “Something wrong, cowboy?”

Jesse rolled his shoulders back. “Turn it off.”

She looked at him with an innocent expression. “It’s just music.”

He didn’t repeat himself. Keely held his stare for a beat, then slowly reached for the knob, turning it down but not off.

Defiance.

Jesse closed the distance between them, placing both hands on the counter beside her, caging her in.

“You’re trying to see how far you can push me,” he said, voice rough.

Keely tipped her chin up, not backing down. “And?”

Jesse let out a low chuckle—one with no humor in it.

“You’re about to find out exactly how far.”

And then he grabbed her by the waist, spun her, and pressed her face-down against the counter.

Keely let out a startled gasp, her hands flat against the surface, her back arching slightly as Jesse braced her in place.

“Jesse...”

“Three warnings, darlin’,” he murmured, his voice all steel and dominance. “And you ignored every single one of them.”

Keely’s breath hitched. “You wouldn’t...”

Jesse’s hand slid to the small of her back, pressing her down gently, firmly.

His other hand landed the first slap to her ass. Her leggings would offer her some protection, but not much, and none at all when he stripped them off. She gasped, her body jerking slightly against him. He reached up, grabbing the waistband and peeling them down—she wore no panties. Of course she didn’t.

“Oh, I would,” he said darkly.

Another sharp slap, this one just a little harder. Keely yelped, her fingers gripping the counter.

“You don’t listen,” Jesse murmured, his palm smoothing over the sting of his last hit. “You don’t follow orders.”

Keely’s breathing wasn’t steady anymore.

“Jesse...”

He delivered a succession of five more swats to her firm buttocks, two to each side and a third one in the middle. Each was measured, a precise, hard smack. He watched as her body reacted, as she fought the urge to press back into his touch.

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” he murmured in her ear. “To push me until I handled you?”

Keely let out a ragged breath, her pulse racing under his fingertips. Jesse’s control began to fray. He let go, stepping back, giving her space.

Keely stayed where she was for a second, like she needed a moment to collect herself. Then, slowly, she turned around, her cheeks flushed, eyes wide, lips parted and slapped him across the face.

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