AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Angry and hurt at his low opinion of her, she forced herself not to plead with him this time. She didn’t care if he spanked the skin right off her ass, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing her beg for mercy.
Emilio pulled a chair from the table and sat down with his legs spread. A moment later, she found herself tipped over one muscular thigh, with his other clamped down over her legs. Cool air caressed her bottom when he flipped the skirt up over her back.
“I know you hate me right now. But dammit, Amara. You can’t live your life just diving headfirst into these reckless adventures. Need I remind you, that’s why you’re here in the first place? Because of some harebrained prank you decided to pull?”
“It wasn’t a prank,” she snapped, twisting around to glare at him.
“Then you’ve been lying to me from the start, and we can address that once you decide to come clean. For now, you’re being punished for disobeying Benny and trying to sneak out.”
She’d thought she was prepared for the crack of the wood against her bare skin. But apparently, he’d been holding back the first time he’d used it on her. Nothing could have prepared her for that explosion of pain.
And before her brain could even begin to process it, a second blow landed, nearly right on top of the first. Over and over he paddled the same spot, building a burn so fierce he might as well have actually lit her ass on fire with a lighter as far as she was concerned.
Her resolve to not beg or plead didn’t even last for half a dozen swats. “Daddy, please! Please, stop!”
Of course, he didn’t stop. He merely switched to the opposite cheek, laying down another six blistering swats one on top of the other. With every ounce of strength she had, she thrashed and twisted and wiggled, desperately trying to escape the next impossibly painful blow.
“I won’t allow you to so foolishly risk your safety, Amara.” The next round was delivered to the sensitive juncture between her bottom and thighs, pulling a high, sharp scream from her throat. “My little girl is not going to sneak out and go wandering around the city with no shoes or phone or money.”
“I’m not your little girl!”
“You certainly are. Once we have this all sorted out, I plan on marching you right down to the courthouse, with or without Gio’s permission.”
The shock of his statement momentarily overshadowed the pain of the brush mercilessly blistering her skin. “Was that a proposal?” she shrieked, torn between outrage and joy.
“Focus,piccolina.” The next set of swats was delivered to the tops of her thighs. “We can discuss our pending nuptials later. Right now, you’re supposed to be learning a lesson.”
“I learned it, I learned it!” It really did feel like he was taking the skin right off her ass and she would have said anything to end her torment.
“Not quite. You’re still fighting me, baby.” He refocused his attention on her already scorched bottom and she felt a sob catch in her chest. “Let me take care of you, Amara.”
How she wished it was that easy, to just let go of all the worry and the fear and let him handle everything. Could she have that, even after all she’d done? The pressure in her chest built with every painful crack of the brush against her ass until the dam broke and she went limp over his thigh, her tears coming in great big gasping sobs.
“There we go. Come here,piccolina.” With practiced ease, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the large armchair. She curled into him when he settled in, craving his touch, his closeness.
“I’m s-sorry,” she croaked out. “I’m a hor-horrible person.”
“We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of,piccolina.Whatever it is you’ve done, it doesn’t make you a horrible person.” Soft lips brushed across her forehead and he chuckled. “It’s not like you’ve killed anyone.”
His words sent her heart racing. Screwing her eyes shut, she dug for the courage to say what needed to be said. “And if I had? Would you still want me?”
The hand stroking her hair stilled. “What are you saying?” he asked, his tone carefully neutral.
“If I had killed someone, would you send me away?”
“I suppose it depends on why you killed them. Did they deserve it?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“Then I would say you did what needed to be done.” He resumed petting her. “You’re a good girl, Amara. And a good person. Whatever you’ve done, it won’t change how I feel about you.”
God, how she wished that were true. But it was only a matter of time before he discovered all of her secrets. And when he did, he would want nothing to do with her.
