AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Choking back a sob, she scrambled to curl up in his lap, letting herself be rocked gently in his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I know I ruined everything and I’m just so fucking sorry.”
“Look at me, Charlotte.” Braden nudged her away, just enough for him to cup her cheek, his dark eye boring into hers. “You didn’t ruin anything. For starters, my actions were my own. I take full responsibility for them, just as I expect you to take responsibility for your own. Secondly, your dad and I have… an understanding. It’s probably going to take us a while to get back to normal, but you haven’t ruined anything. And even if Emmett had decided he never wanted to speak to me or see me again, I wouldn’t hate you. I could never hate you, Charlotte Duvall.”
“R-really?”
“Baby, I’m so fucking in love with you, I can’t think straight.”
“That’s really good, because I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, too.”
“Thank god.” Closing his eyes, Braden pressed his forehead to hers, and the intimacy of that simple touch was somehow even deeper than anything they’d done before. “You’re still getting that strapping I promised you, little girl.”
“But you just told me you loved me! You can’t spank me!”
“Actually, I can’t think of a better way to drive home exactly how much I love you. Over the chair, Charlotte.”
23
YOU’RE NOT ALONE ANYMORE
BRADEN
“But Daddy,” Charlotte whined, her bottom lip puffing out in an adorable pout.
It took every bit of willpower he had not to grin at her. Fixing a stern expression on his face, Braden tapped her hip with his hand. “If I have to tell you a second time, you’ll be taking Daddy’s cock in your bottom again, instead of your needy little pussy.”
That got her moving. Wide-eyed with a mix of shock and hunger, she hopped up from his lap and naughty girl shuffled her way over to the armchair.
Rising to his feet, Braden reached for the buckle of his belt, silently berating himself for not coming more prepared to deal with his little brat. But he’d been so focused on getting to her he’d basically just hopped in his car and headed for the hills—literally.
“Bottom up over the armrest, baby. Keep your arms on the cushion and out of the way.” With the leather looped over and the buckle gripped in his fist, he tapped the belt against her bare skin. “Do you know why you’re getting Daddy’s belt across your naughty bottom, Charlotte?”
“Because I kept secrets and almost ruined your relationship with my dad and I’m basically just a shitty human being.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact that nearly broke his heart. “First of all, you are not at all a shitty human being and if I catch you talking about my little girl like that again you’ll be tasting soap for a week. Understood?”
“Yeah.”
He snapped the belt across the middle of her thighs, making her cry out, her legs kicking up in the air. “How do you respond to me when you’re being punished, Charlotte?”
“I meant ‘Yes, Daddy’! Ow, fuck that hurt.”
“Now for the real reason you’re here, Charlotte.” Crouching down in front of the chair, he waited for her head to turn, for those beautiful blue eyes to meet his. “I’m not going to punish you for keeping your father’s secret. I understand why you did it, and I can understand why you felt you couldn’t tell me. What I am punishing you for is running away instead of talking to me. I know you haven’t had anyone to lean on in a long time, baby, but that’s all over now. I expect you to come to me, even if you think I’m going to be angry with you, so we can talk through whatever you’re worried about.”
He reached out to brush a lock of hair from her face. “You’re not alone in this, Lottie-bug. Daddy’s here now, and you don’t have to carry it all alone any longer. Understood?”
Tears shimmered on her lashes even as her lips curved up in a small smile. “Yes, Daddy. I understand.”
“Good girl.” Pushing to his feet, he positioned himself beside the chair and raised the belt high.
* * *
LOTTIE
The snap of leather across her bare skin tore another cry from Lottie’s lips, but she didn’t care. Even as the sting settled into her flesh, all she could think about were Braden’s words.
You’re not alone. Daddy’s here now.
With every stroke of the belt across her ass, the pain seemed to burn away bits and pieces of the burden she’d been carrying ever since she’d uncovered her father’s problem.
