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She smiled as I eased her arms to her sides and helped her to sit up. “Well... thank you?”

“You’ve got it.”

It was strange to be so cordial when we’d been at loggerheads, but the shift in energy and two mind-blowing orgasms had altered my point of view. A centering sense of tranquility had settled over me, helping me to think. “Stay by the fire and keep warm. I’ll get us some food.”

“Mind if I cover myself now, sir?” Her sarcastic tone begged for another spanking, but the veil of easygoingness that had fallen over me offered her an amnesty.

For now.

“Fine.” I didn’t love the idea, but I understood keeping her naked in an environment like the hut was far from ideal. “But you should know, if you act up again, I’ll have you bared and over my knee faster than you can take a breath.”

“I don’t have to put up with your Neanderthal behavior, you know.” Her tone was playful as she tugged her bra back into place and hiked up her leggings. “That wasn’t what I paid for, and I wouldn’t take it from just anyone.”

My brow rose at her verdict. What did that mean?

Was she taking it from me because she was afraid and felt there was no choice, or was there another, more tantalizing motivation for her compliance?

Watching her redress, I considered asking, but turning my attention back to food, I decided against the idea. Whatever her reasoning, I wasn’t ready to give up on the bubble of carnality we’d conjured in the cabin, and probing her for the truth risked destroying it.

“But you do seem to like the results, little girl.” Pausing my search for the sandwiches, I glanced up at her. “You were so fucking wet.”

Perched on the edge of the bed, she squirmed. “No one would like being treated that way.”

“Please don’t lie.” I met her widening gaze. “If you lie to me, that’s one thing, but lying to yourself is something else.”

We both knew how horny both the spanking and manhandling had made her. I wasn’t going to listen to her spinning a new narrative to suit her rising shame.

“I’m...” Her brow creased, and I had the sense she was about to deny the untruth but was pleased she held back. “I’m just saying I didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”

The matter of what she merited was no longer moot as far as I was concerned. It was a convenient distraction to avoid the more pressing matter of what she’d liked.

“But youdidenjoy it?” I cocked a brow at her, relishing the way she seemed unable to keep still.

Guilty conscience, I concluded.I should know.

Except after so long, my heinous deeds inspired little in the way of consequences, save for the sinister specters that liked to pursue me through the forest.

Perhaps her fidgeting was related to the spanks she’d taken. I wondered, if I asked, would she lie about that too?

“Some of it, maybe.” She spat out the words as though they were poison. “But I didn’t want to.”

“Right.” My voice was wry as I spotted the foil-covered food next to the place she’d stashed her phone and dragged it from the bag. “Because it would be wrong towantto be treated that way, right?”

“Absolutely.” Her reply was a little too immediate to believe.

Maybe she hadn’t reconciled her desires to herself yet. That, I could understand, but I couldn’t allow her to twist the story into a tale where I was the villain and she was the helpless heroine. I was a lawbreaker, but she didn’t know that. To Erin, I was nothing more than a tour guide turned lover, who liked to tie her up and spank her. Fortunately for my little girl, she’d met a man who had met her challenge head-on.

“Here.” Striding toward the bed, I thrust the foil at her. “You should eat.”

She eyed the food suspiciously, her attention falling to her lap. “I need to pee. Is there a toilet in these places?”

“A toilet?”

I nearly laughed at her request. We’d been in the hut a long time, so I wasn’t surprised she needed to go—I’d had the sense to relieve myself when I was out in the storm the day before—but the idea that there was a hidden bathroom amused me.

“No, there’s nothing like that. We’ll have to find somewhere for you to squat instead.”

“In here?” She recoiled as though I’d suggested she sleep out in the snow.

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