Page 15 of On His Ranch

As much as Chase knew she’d earned the punishment, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the pain he knew she must be in. On top of that, she was adorable doing her post-spanking dance and it was hard for him not to smile. But he knew if she saw him do that, it would take away from his authority.

Funny—he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt sorry for a woman after a well-deserved punishment. Not to mention finding her antics cute.

“Come here,” he invited, the words popping out before he was even aware he was going to issue the invitation.

Her head jerked up, her eyes wide and surprised. She then shimmied over to him, hesitating right in front of him.

Chase gently took her by the wrist and pulled her to him, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Thank you,” she murmured in a breathy, little-girl voice.

He allowed his smile to show. She really was precious. He reached down and pulled her pants back up over her swollen cheeks. “You can keep them up now—so long as you keep behavin’ like a good girl,” he warned. Her cheeks turned almost as bright as her bottom had been, and his cock pressed against the zipper.

Suddenly he knew that even though he hadn’t caught her taking anything, she was still trouble. With a capital T.

Chapter 4

It was about ten minutes post-spanking, and the pain in her backside had subsided somewhat—going from a roaring inferno to a dull, achy sensation made worse if she put any pressure on her ass. So, as much as she hated to admit it, Chase had been right: sitting would be difficult for the rest of the day. Thinking of him made her slide her eyes in his direction.

He was looking right back at her and grinned when he caught her gaze. “Tell you what. Why don’t you come up to the house with me? It’s not much, but we’ve got a warm shower.”

“Actually, that sounds like heaven. But are you sure you can trust me? I mean, you were accusing me of being some criminal mastermind not even half an hour ago.”

Chase chuckled as her full lips turned down in a scowl. She was such a little girl and she didn’t even seem to know it. “I feel pretty certain I never said ‘mastermind.’ More like vagrant caught hidin’ in the shed.”

Her brows pulled together next. “I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think I like the sound of it.”

Laughing, he petted the top of her head. They were strangers, but seeing as how he’d just given her a good whipping, the normal rules didn’t seem to apply. “You should look it up, it fits you to a tee. And no, I don’t think I feel entirely sure you’re not up to no good. Just that I’ll catch you at it if you are.”

Piper’s eyes widened, and whether it was from the shock of the words or their brutal honesty, eventually she nodded. “Fair enough. I… I would really appreciate a shower, thank you.”

“Follow me.” Chase had taken three long-legged strides when he called over his shoulder, “And try to keep up.”

Only when she was positive that he wasn’t looking at her, Piper rolled her eyes.Arrogant… smug… brute!

But she must have a thing for brutes, because she was definitely wet. There was no denying the damp crotch of her panties.

Chase stopped at the front door of the house and waited until she scurried to cover the last bit of space that separated them. She was out of breath by the time she was on the porch and he gave her another smirk. “You’ve gotta keep it down though. My mom works nights and she’ll probably be asleep.”

Or what? You’ll spank me again?

The thought popped into her head and she was so horrified by it that she immediately began blushing.

Chase gave her a weird look. “You OK there, Piper?”

“Yep… fine,” she squeaked. “I’ll be quiet… sir.”

He nodded and opened the screen door wide, allowing her to enter first. But she could feel his eyes follow her and knew he wasn’t convinced. “The bathroom is up the stairs, second door on the right,” he whispered.

“Thanks,” she mouthed. She quietly moved around him and was on the first stair moving to the second when she felt a feather-light pat on her bottom. She might have thought she’d imagined it except that her cheeks were so sore even that casual contact made an impact. She turned to look at Chase.

He was giving her a stern stare. “Be good,” he warned.

A shiver ran through her. Piper nodded obediently and scampered up the remaining stairs before he could find another reason for a repeat of what had happened in the barn.

* * *

Chase did a double-take when he arrived in the kitchen and found his grandfather sitting at the table, drinking juice.

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