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Chapter 16
Teagan slipped into her bedroom, shut the door behind her, and leaned against it. Sliding down along the cold wood until she sat on the floor, she dropped her head into her hands. Why did she do that? Why did she fight Luca at every turn? Why did she automatically return to sarcasm as a defense? More importantly, how could she stop? She had a feeling that he was going to help her, whether she wanted him to or not.
God, he was a sexy man, and he had made love to her like he knew every inch of her body, even though this was the first time he had lain with her in that way. He played her like a fine-tuned instrument, strumming a beautiful melody out of them that only together they could make. He challenged her more than her job, her sisters or anyone else could ever do… and she loved it. She wasn't one to give in easily, and this was no different. Perhaps—no, she was sure of it—she was fighting him to see how far he would let her go, how serious and consistent he would be, how much he would let her get away with, and how much teasing he could tolerate. The real question was could she tell him these things?
"Teagan Anne, it is taking you an awfully long time to clean up," Luca said, his voice carrying into the room.
"I'll be right there," she called after pushing herself to standing. She hurried to her dresser and, opening the drawer, pushed around the underwear inside, looking for a certain pair. Finding they sexy, lacy, red pair she was searching for, Teagan raced into the bathroom to clean herself and don them, tossing her jeans into the laundry basket, and headed into the living room to face the music. Turned out, Luca could strum many different tunes out of her.
The dining room table was cleared off. Expecting to find the dirty dishes piled into the kitchen sink, Teagan went to see. The sink was empty and spotless, the hum of the dishwasher the only noise. Luca had cleaned up from their dinner. Would wonders not cease with him? He became a better boyfriend with each passing moment. Teagan giggled at the thought. They had been boyfriend and girlfriend for too short of a time to really come to a conclusion on what kind of boyfriend he would be, but she already knew he was a good one.
"This doesn't look like the living room to me," Luca said, clearing his throat.
Teagan startled. "I was getting there."
"Oh? Taking the scenic route?"
"I noticed the dining room had been cleaned up, and I was curious to see how many dishes were in the sink." Teagan walked toward Luca as she spoke. Reaching him, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Thank you."
"You are more than welcome, darlin'. I saw a mess and cleaned it up."
"I appreciate it. I hate doing dishes."
"I don't mind doing them. Growing up on a working ranch, we all took turns doing the chores. Some were harder than others. Housework was done by the men and the women alike. I can pull my weight in more than one way, and I like taking care of my little girl."
"It's taking some getting used to, not being completely independent and doing things on my own, but not having to do the dishes by myself, that, I could get used to," Teagan said, and they both laughed.
Taking her by the hand, Luca led her into the living room. "Someone needs to take control of things between us, and that someone is me. I'll take care of you and us, darlin'. All I need you to do is show up and love me. Can you do that, Teagan?" Luca started.
"That, I can do. You, Lorenzo De Luca, are easy to love."
"As are you, even if you might not be easy to lead." He sat, pulling her with him onto the couch. "God, you are soft. You smell so good." He buried his face into her hair and inhaled.
"You don't smell too bad yourself," Teagan said, leaning in, kissing his neck.
"No. We can't start this again. We have other things to do at the moment. Although, these," Luca snapped the band of Teagan's lacy underwear, "are a nice touch."
"Daddy, I…" Teagan swallowed hard, looking for the right words.
"Yes, darlin'?" He waited, allowing her the time to figure it out.
"When I was getting cleaned up, I had a lot of thoughts going through my mind. I was wondering why my first reaction to your scolding, even your gentle scolding, is to fight back, sarcasm, or defensiveness. I thought I-I…" She tugged at her hair, her continuous nervous habit, one she'd developed as a small child.
"You thought what, darlin'?" Luca pried gently.
"I wondered if I was pushing you, maybe? Seeking to see how far you would go before you would punish me or what you would and would not let me get away with. I like to tease you, but sometimes, I don't know where the line is. I don't know. It's stupid. I'm stupid."
Just like that, she was face down over his knee feeling his iron-like hand come crashing down onto her bottom, her red lace panties, specifically picked out, doing little to offer protection.
"I will have no more self-deprecating talk out of you, darlin'." He emphasized each word with a swat. "You are not stupid." Spank. Swat. Slap. Smack. "Your thoughts are not stupid, either." Swat. Slap. He sat her up on his lap then, her bottom warmed greatly, the warning impressed upon her in more than one way.
"Now, before that last sentence fell so disgustingly out of your mouth, I was going to tell you," he tipped her chin up, stroking her face, "how proud I was of you for opening yourself to me. I understand what you are saying; you are testing your Daddy to see how much you can get away with. I've drawn a line in the sand, and you want to see how close you can get, or even if you can cross it, before you will face my displeasure. Knowing you the way I do, I think you have probably always been a rule tester, yes?"
She thought back through the years of her life. In high school, she never believed anything she was told, and she had tested everything. It wasn't just rules, mathematical and science facts included. She had a hard time trusting people and found herself looking things up and verifying just to know, herself.
"Yes, Daddy."
"It is okay to test me, darlin'."
