Capturing Kate (15 page)

She moaned as the spanks got harder. If he kept spanking her just like that? Maybe she could come just from the delicious vibrations and the warm touch of his hand that lingered on her skin for just a second each time he landed a spank. But after some time, when the spanks got harder yet, and the sting started to burn and grow, she shifted uncomfortably. “Sloan. It hurts.” Her voice came out whiny.

“Uh huh.” He slapped a few more times. “That means you’re ready for the cane. You ready?”

“No.” She gulped. “You said you weren’t going to injure me. Canes can cause injuries. I read about that, too.”

“You do a lot of reading, don’t you? Yeah, canes can cause injuries, but not when I use them. It will hurt, but I’m not going to leave real welts. You’ll have red marks, but not raised welts. It’s entirely different. It’ll sting, though. I promise you that.”

She sucked in her breath, butterflies of fear and something else, maybe, zinging in her belly. He slapped her ass again, hard, and she jumped. “Sloan!”

“Stay still.” His voice was firm. “You move, you get extra. Here comes the first.”

Chapter Twelve

He raised his arm and brought down the cane, and she shouted in surprise. If the belt was bad, this was worse, a thousand times worse. She reared up and he pushed her back down, gently but firmly. “No. Stay in position. Here’s the next one.”

The cane struck again, just below the first line, and again she cried out. She forgot all about the discomfort from the ginger; all she could focus on was the sensation on her ass. Again. Swish. Crack. Swish. Crack. Swish. Crack. Thank God he was going easy on her, although if this was easy? Jesus, she never wanted to feel a real cane stroke!

By the time he reached six, tears rose in her eyes. “This isn’t fun,” she sobbed.

He sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. “Not this part, no,” he agreed. “It’s not really supposed to be, though, is it?” She shrugged into his chest as he continued. “I won’t make you stand in the corner while you wait this time,” he told her. “I’ll take out the ginger and you can lie on the bed while you wait. I’ll untie your hands so you can wipe your face. No touching your ass, though. You’re doing well, Kate. You’re halfway done. Soon it will be over and behind you.”

She shook her head. “Just please stop.” She didn’t want to look at his face. “My ass is so sore. I’m so unhappy.” What she really was, though, was frustrated and embarrassed, angry and confused. Yes, her ass was sore, but it wasn’t unbearable. He knew how to spank without making it too hard, apparently. But just the fact of being naked at his hand—and that she’d actually chosen this—made her feel strange and awkward with her own decision.

He examined her face. “I know. But you’re not at your limit yet, so we’ll keep going. Unless you say red?”

When she bit her lip and said nothing, he helped her lie down.

“You can wait here, and I’ll cane you again at the next timer. Here, I’m going to take out the ginger now.” He carefully extracted the root and tossed it into the trash, then came back and rubbed her back. “Think about how you’re going to obey me so I don’t need to do this again. Don’t touch your ass, and if you fidget too much I’ll give you a few with the belt, so stay in that position for me.”

She nodded into the pillow and sniffled to herself while he set the timer, listening to the sounds he made—doing something at his computer, then in a cupboard. Her ass throbbed and she was dying to rub it; to keep her mind away and her hands still, she tried to focus on her other sensations. Being untied was almost worse than being tied, because now she could reach back—and had to restrain herself. When the timer went off, she drew a deep wobbling breath of relief. Finally.

Sloan came back with the cane. “Last six, then you’re done. Shift onto your stomach. Lie still for these.”

She thought about saying it was too much for her to handle, and then having whatever discussion would result. If she told him to stop now, would he? Did she really want him to, in any case? She took a breath and pushed her toes down, waiting.

This time when the cane hit, she was more prepared, but she still cried out. He hit across the original stripes, crisscrossing on her ass, and she was in agony by the time he reached number six. He stood her up and rubbed her arms, then walked her to the bathroom. “Take as much time as you need,” he said softly, closing the door behind him.

She jumped into the shower, remembering how the cold water had helped soothe her stinging butt last time, letting the water wash down over her ass, rubbing, tugging her cheeks open to let the cold spray counter the heat of the spicy root and the whipping. She stayed there until the discomfort subsided and she wanted to lie down.

Sloan came in with a towel and enfolded her into his arms. She let him wrap her up and take her down the hallway, where he lay her on the bed. “I’m going to rub more of that lotion into your skin. The cane will leave you more sore than the belt, but the lotion will help.”

“I can’t believe you did that to me,” she said, her voice coming out small.

“That was punishment. Katie, if you cooperate with me, this won’t have to happen again. It’s really simple. We’re wasting time with you doing things on your own, and me playing catch-up, saving the day, and then punishing you. We don’t have the time for that anymore.”

“It was horrible. I don’t ever want you to punish me again.”

But the ache between her legs told her that it wasn’t totally true. She hadn’t enjoyed the pain from the cane, nor the burn of the ginger. But having him touch her ass and put in the plug, even though it stung, had aroused her. Being forced to bend over for the cane, even though it was terrifying and painful, had also made moisture surge between her thighs. She rubbed her thighs together, uncomfortable with the realization that she hadn’t hated the punishment. It was a disturbing, strange thought. How could she possibly
like
what he did? But she
had
liked it, to some degree. She realized that he knew it, and that it was the only reason he’d even done it. He
knew
that she craved it, even if she didn’t understand why. It was a complicated relationship they were building.

This was a strange thought, and she tried to push it away, focus on other things. The café drifted into her mind. She thought about the phone call and shuddered, realizing how close she might have brought them to being discovered. The danger she could have brought her mother into.

“I won’t do it again.” Her voice was firm. “I get it, Sloan.”

“So you want to work with me? Obey my rules, accept my punishments? Work together?”

“Yes.” She sucked in air. “Yes. Please. I want to work together.”

“If I tell you to do something, you’ll do it, even if you disagree?”

“Yes, yes, I will.” She nodded vigorously. “I want to work with you now.”

“Good.” His voice held a pleased note, and also—she thought—relief. “Kate, we’re getting closer. It’s going to be over soon.”

She winced as she rolled onto her ass. “I hope so. Ouch. My butt’s going to hurt tomorrow.”

He pulled the sheet over her. “I’ll let you sit on a cushion and I’ll rub the lotion in several times tomorrow to help.”

“Next time don’t spank me so hard.” She bit her tongue. “Shit. I mean, there won’t be a next time. God.”

“There won’t,” he promised, then added in an undertone, “Unless you disobey an important command. Or… unless you ask me to.”

“Unless I
ask
you to?” But her heart started to race at the mere thought.

He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll find it’s something you want, one day. For whatever reason.”

“It won’t. I won’t.” But her voice lacked conviction. She shifted on the bed, the arousal making her insane. She already wanted to beg for his touch. Unable to resist, she reached out and ran her hand over his hip. Even through his jeans, the touch was intimate, unmistakable. He stood still, and she settled her fingers into the loop for his belt, tugging. “Sloan.” Her voice was a breathy whisper. “You showed me how it can work for punishment. Now show me how it works for pleasure.”

“Kate, no.”

“Why not?”

His shoulders tightened. “I’d be taking advantage.”

“Oh, and stripping me down and spanking me isn’t?”

“It’s not the same at all.” He touched her hand and sparks travelled through her body. “Sex is different. Not appropriate.”

“Maybe sex would help me far more than a spanking. It would help me relax and stay calm, too. I’m willing to give you another shot at it. See what you can teach me. Seems like
inappropriate
is the exact
appropriate
thing to do in this situation.” She ran her hand so close to his crotch that she could feel the heat from his pulsing body. He was hard. “We’re grownups, Sloan. You said yourself that there are different rules for each situation. Let’s change them to what we want.”

A muscle in his jaw clenched. “Kate?” There was a question in his voice, and she knew that he wasn’t going to do anything without her consent, not now.

She nodded. “Sloan.”

“Are you sure?” He raised one eyebrow. “Think it over.”

“I already did,” she whispered. “More than once. I want you.” Her voice came out husky and low. “Do you like what you see?” She slid the sheet down, offering herself with her body, her eyes.

“Damn straight.” His voice was hoarse. “You have the prettiest tits, Kate.” He bent down and kissed her neck, so softly it was like a breath of air. “I’m sorry I had to spank you and punish you, but I’ll do it again if I need to. Right now, though, you want me to make you feel better?”

“Yes.” She reached out and pulled him to her naked body. “Please, Sloan. Make it better. Make it all better.” Her voice caught, and then his mouth was on hers, and they were kissing, so hard and hot that there was no air between them, just a desperate need for skin on skin. His hands were hot on her body, roaming and teasing, touching. “Aw, Kate,” he growled into her neck, biting gently and then harder, making her moan. “I’ve wanted to do this from the moment I first saw you in that damn coffee shop.”

“I wanted you, too,” she confessed, tilting her head, pushing her neck further into his lips. “Yes, right there. God.”

“Here?” He licked and bit down and she made a breathy noise in response, and ran her hands up his strong arms to his shoulders and back down, feeling the muscles, squeezing him.

“How about here?” He nipped at her clavicle, then at her lip itself.

“Ow!” she said, but it didn’t hurt, not really, and when he did it again harder, she growled and bit him back on his upper lip, biting in until he hissed, and then they were kissing again, teeth clashing together, lips crushed into lips, her nails digging into his back with all of her strength until he growled at her, “Fuck, baby. Fuck.”

She whispered, “Yes,” and their mouths fought again, battling, struggling for each other, until she was so dizzy with his scent and taste that she felt they were blending into one.

When they broke free, panting, she put a hand to her lips. It felt good. His lips looked swollen, too, and he swiped a hand across his mouth and stood up, silent, to strip, eyes locked onto her the entire time. When he came back to the bed, he embraced her in one fluid motion, and his mouth found her nipple while his fingers searched a path between her thighs.

She opened her legs to let him in, whispering encouragement to him;
yes, yes, please, yes, Sloan
, all mixed with little sounds and breaths.

“You like that?” His voice was a lazy drawl as he drew his fingertip over her clit, and she shot her hips up. “I guess so,” he said, a smile in his tone, and did it again. “Lie back, Kate, and open those legs. Let me touch you.”

They hadn’t agreed that he was in charge in bed, but it was what she wanted, and clearly what he wanted, so she lay back and parted for him, watching through lowered lids as he looked at her body, expression intense, worshipful. He ran his hands over her curves, her hip, her shoulder, her breast, and then back to her clit, where he stroked so softly that she gasped out her delight and frustration.

“Sloan, more.”

“Wait,” he chided her. “I’ll give you more when I’m ready. Don’t close your legs or I’ll turn you over and spank you. Trust me, you don’t want any more spanking on that red ass right now.”

She didn’t, not really, but she also did, or at least she wanted the idea of it, the fantasy; the thought of him tossing her over his knee and giving her another spanking on top of her already sore ass? It made her arousal skyrocket. She shifted on the bed, and he warned her, “I’m serious, Kate. This is going to tickle and drive you mad, and you’re going to let me, and you’re only going to come when I allow it. Understand?”

“Yes, Sloan, I understand,” she agreed, her voice a sultry murmur.

“You can say sir,” he encouraged her, tweaking one nipple, a spike of pain that made her gasp.

“Sir!”

“Good.” He twisted the other one and she struggled to keep her body still for him.

“Ow, ow, Sloan, ow, it hurts.” It did, but it hurt in a way that increased the pleasure underneath it, and she knew he knew it, and that was why he was doing it, because he put his body over her and whispered into her neck, “Good. I love playing with your tits, Kate. Next time you’re bad I’m going to put nipple clamps on you while I use the cane, what do you think about that?”

And the thing was, that
what she thought about that
, was that it was a fucking tremendous, incredible, amazing idea. She wanted him to do it right now. Right the fuck now: Clamp her nipples and bring out that cane and whip her again, because the arousal in her clit, in her whole pelvis, the feeling that was threatening to blow up like her own nuclear bomb, was so much more powerful when she thought about being punished.

Why or how that happened she had no idea; it just was. It was in her. She liked that he’d held her down and punished her. God help her, it had hurt like hell in the moment and she’d wanted it to end, but now, the memory of it was making her insane with a delirious, full-body pleasure, and in this moment she’d promise him anything, anything, just to keep this feeling going.