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“Since we’re home, this is the perfect moment to set out the rules. Lies are the one thing I won’t tolerate from you. Not even a little white one you believe won’t hurt anyone.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “My house, my rules. I warned you before we left of the dynamics of our relationship, Sera. You accepted it, and now, you will carry the consequences. Every action will trigger a reaction. Lie to me, and your cute little ass will burn for hours. Keep doing it, and sitting comfortably will become a thing of the past for you.”
“What the devil are you talking about?”
“You will address me in the appropriate manner, Babygirl.”
“Babygirl? Oh, please! Can’t you think of a better pet name? And—hey! What do you think you’re doing? No! Let me go, you degenerate—oww! Fucking hell, stop that!”
“Get used to it. You’re my little Babygirl from this point on.”
Crack! Crack!
“Gaawd!” she cried as his large palm connected once more against her soft buttocks. The way she quivered was proof that this swat was much harsher than the first one. More surprising to Tanner was how her body reacted. His arm tightened its hold on her waist to keep her pinned down on his lap. The luxury of surprise when he had toppled her over was gone, and yet, although he knew she was capable, she didn’t attempt to escape on her own accord. It was as though she was waiting with bated breath for him to continue.
At the same moment, she realized what she was doing and started struggling to get up. Cognizant of the pinch in his side, courtesy of a cracked rib, he allowed her to jump to her feet.
“I have a name. It’s Sera. Most definitely NOT Babygirl,” she snapped as she stepped out of his reach.
With one step, he was against her and threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair, tilting her head back painfully, so she was forced to look up at him. Cupping the side of her head, he reveled in the shiver trailing through her form.
“To me, you’re Sera, my little Babygirl. I suggest you don’t tease a spitting cobra by defying me.”
“I am no one’s little Babygirl.” Sera frowned as the protest was released in a soft whisper rather than the assertive statement she had intended. “Let me go,” she demanded as she attempted to jerk her head away. “Ouch!” She froze as the hold of his fingers in her hair tightened warningly. “I said to let me go!” Once again, the intended demand turned into a breathless plea.
Tanner was hard pressed not to smile as her face exploded beetroot red, with her body shaking under his strict regard.
“You don’t scare me, Senator Wilde.”
Tanner’s smile was wicked as he traced her jawline with his free hand before cupping her throat. “I’d be a fool if I thought you were, but you have just proven that you are afraid of what I make you feel.” His smile widened as the blush darkened on her cheeks. “More than that, you’re shit scared that you just might have bitten off more than you can chew by agreeing to my demands at the hospital.”
Sera swallowed as she returned his gaze as if mesmerized. “I’m not scared.”
He gave a slow, lazy smile at the spark of lust he could see ready to explode inside her. “What did I tell you to call me, Babygirl?”
“Goddammit, my name is Sera!” she said with a sharp glower at him.
Tanner was a firm believer in the potency of surprise. Leaning in, he placed a tender kiss on her unsuspecting lips, eliciting a startled gasp. The kiss, though short and chaste, was performed with the deliberate purpose of disarming her and perhaps kindling a burgeoning desire for more.
“I already told you… you are my Babygirl, so you might as well stop protesting. It’s not going to change anything.”
“I… you…” Sera was at a loss for words. By her furious expression, he would bet it was an unheard-of marvel for the very confident and assertive woman.
It filled him with joy. This was the validation he had been looking for—that although she was fierce and strong in her career, she was also inherently a submissive in search of a dominant to push her into a realm of pleasure only complete subjugation could offer… with him as her Daddy.
“Who am I, Babygirl?” he demanded as his gray eyes glowed like molten silver. For a moment, Sera forgot where she was as she became lost in his gaze. Worse! Her mind turned blank as the dark promise glimmering in their depths overpowered every thought forming in her frazzled brain.
“Daddy,” she whispered. “Shit!” she gasped as his eyes flashed, and she realized the word had inadvertently sprung to her lips. “Tanner. Senator Tanner Wilde,” she amended quickly.
Sera felt like kicking herself as the satisfied glow in his eyes turned them into heated embers of lust.
“That’s right, little one—Daddy. I suggest you don’t forget it.”
Sera didn’t understand the battle at war inside her. Emotions had never ruled her life. She didn’t have time for trivial relationships, and she had learned very early in life that love was an overrated phenomenon. All it brought was pain and mystery and the kind of path she had no intention of embarking on… ever again.
“Well, I don’t like it.”
Still, there was no denying that she was caught between a yearning so strong within her she had no way of countering it as she struggled to hold on to behaving in a respectable manner… the likes of which her career demanded… and her aunt always did, for that matter.
“Forget it, Sera. It’s unrespectable. Do not forget who we are in this community. What your Uncle Steve represents. I’m afraid we can’t allow it.”
