Sold To The Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance (9 page)

With my embarrassment quickly becoming replaced by anger, I didn't speak and instead, silently folded my arms across my chest.

Chase, who'd adopted the same posture and now had his own arms folded across his broad, muscular chest, took a step closer to me. "I'd also like an explanation. Please tell me what part of 'do not go farther down the stream than the copse of evergreen trees' you didn't understand the probably dozen times Grayson and I have told you that."

A little heat rose to my face again. I supposed I
was
a little past that specific copse of evergreen trees that he and Grayson had told me numerous times not to go past. Maybe I was even a quarter-mile or so past.

However, the accusatory tone I felt that Grayson and Chase were taking with me was making me feel defiant. I'd thought they might actually be proud of me for attempting to take on a wolf. No matter that the wolf had turned out to be a coyote. They shouldn’t have made me feel stupid about it. They didn't need to make me feel like I'd been a naughty little child.

Tightening my arms across my chest, I took a step forward, closing the distance between them and me. They were both dressed in battered jeans and fitted t-shirts, Grayson's navy blue and Chase's white. These t-shirts were fitted just tight enough to reveal the muscular contours of their chests and their twin six-pack abs, and just tight enough to get my mind wandering in a few different directions. One of these directions was the thought of me peeling these t-shirts off them so I could run my hands all over the muscular contours beneath.

Because Skye's kidnapping had put me in such a state of emotional upset and worry, Chase, Grayson, and I hadn't enjoyed any intimate activities during the couple of days after it had happened. Then, immediately after one of their pack members, a stealthy wolf who served as a spy, had reported that he'd spotted Skye in the wolves' camp, and she was alive and appeared to be fine, relieving some of my worry, I'd gotten my period.

Because the idea of engaging in intimacy during my period had always kind of turned me off, my dry spell with Chase and Grayson had continued. To their great frustration, I could tell. Mine, too.

But now, my period was over. And with both of them currently standing in front of me, all that lightly tanned muscle, strong, clenched jaws, and dark hair glinting in the sun, it occurred to me that maybe the forest was as good a place as any to end a dry spell.

However, I forced myself to ignore these thoughts. I was mad about the way Chase and Grayson had both spoken to me and had made me feel like a stupid little child, and I was determined to respond to them with a little zinger.

Glancing between them both, I jutted my chin out a bit. "Well, so I goofed. In case you both weren't aware, it happens. What are you going to do? Spank me?"

*

In response to me sarcastically asking if they were going to spank me for my little lapse in judgment with the coyote, Chase and Grayson exchanged glances. They actually appeared to be considering it. Much to my surprise, this actually sent a little current of something electric racing through me.

Though at the same time, I still felt more than a bit angry at Chase and Grayson for so clearly pointing out my mistake in thinking that the coyote was a wolf. Maybe I was more mad at
myself
for having been such an idiot to make the mistake in the first place; I didn't even know. All I knew was that I still felt kind of angry at
someone
. I still felt some sort of a need to express defiance, as if that would repair my wounded pride.

So, I jutted my chin out for the second time, glancing between Chase and Grayson. "Whatever the two of you seem to be considering, all I can say is that you wouldn't dare. You absolutely would not dare. Not with me in the mood I'm in right now."

With his muscular arms still folded across his chiseled chest, Chase snorted. "You're the one that suggested that you might deserve a good, hard spanking for putting yourself in danger this afternoon."

"I did not in any way 'suggest' that I '
need
' a spanking, let alone a 'good, hard' one. I was more like being sarcastic because of the way you and Grayson were-"

"Doesn't matter." With his jewel-green eyes glinting in the bright sun, Chase lifted his wide shoulders in a shrug. "It's irrelevant. No matter who brought it up, or what was said, all that matters is that Grayson and I now understand that you need and deserve a spanking as a consequence for you disregarding what we told you about not going past the safety boundaries we set for you.

“I, for one, think I'll enjoy administering or watching your punishment, on several different levels. And as for you, I think you might find that a good fanny-warming might go a long way to help snap you out of your bad mood and also correct the sassy attitude you've been displaying."

I sputtered, outraged, though curiously and suddenly turned on at the same time. "First off, my, you're presumptuous, Chase, and second, the whole reason I very sarcastically asked if the two of you were going to give me a spanking was because you were both making me feel like a stupid little child about the whole coyote thing. Key word...sarcastically!"

Now it was Grayson's turn to fold his arms across his chest, mirroring Chase and me.

He gave me a quick once-over, not even bothering to attempt to disguise a hungry, lustful look in his coal-gray eyes. "I don't care who said what, and with what level of sincerity or sarcasm. I agree with Chase. All that matters is that the idea of you receiving a spanking was brought up, and I think it's a great one.

“I have to say that it appeals to my natural tendencies as an alpha. In fact, I'm almost glad you decided to run right past the evergreen trees boundary this afternoon. I've actually had a few little thoughts about wanting to take you over my knee since the day we met. Just needed a good reason to do it. Just needed you to earn it first."

Chase nodded. "Can't say that I haven't had similar thoughts. And as much as I'd like to say I'm not going to enjoy this...well, I'm not in the habit of saying huge, bald-faced lies. Like Grayson, I'm not upset at all that the little coyote got you whipped up into a state of such complete irrationality as to make you cruise right past the evergreens. Nope, I'm really not upset at all. So, without further ado...."

He glanced at Grayson with an unmistakably eager gleam in his deep green eyes. An unmistakable eager gleam that was also present in Grayson's eyes as well.

I couldn't believe the two of them were actually going to go through with it. I couldn't deny that I was becoming more than a bit turned on, yet more than a bit anxious at the same time, which, bizarrely, seemed to be feeding into my increasing excitement.

However, my uncertainty and anxiety about what it seemed Chase and Grayson were actually going to do, rose above my strange excitement for just a second and made me take a stab at getting out of my little punishment.

"I still say the two of you won't dare do this. Not with Skye still being held captive. The two of you wouldn't dare do something as cruel as actually spank a person who has a captive sister."

Grayson responded with a faint scoff. "For the first day or two after Skye was abducted, when you were very upset and worried about her, I might have agreed with you. But for the past several days, ever since our spy reported that she's unharmed and actually seems to be looking pretty well, you've seemed to be doing much better.

“And, you know that Chase and I will soon be rescuing her, once our reinforcements arrive in the form of our wolf friends from the north, so that we have the numbers needed to overpower the large pack that has Skye. So being that's the case, and you seemed emotionally well enough to spend a good amount of time talking and laughing with Flora while out on your walk today...laughing so loudly, in fact, that Chase and I overheard it at times while out on patrol...."

At the mention of Flora, I realized something. Something I knew might sabotage Chase and Grayson's plans, and I just couldn't resist trying. Even though at the same time, I kind of
didn't
want to sabotage their plans. I was feeling a little confused.

"Hey. I hope you both know that Flora and Lily are probably still just a little ways up the river, right where I left them. They could come down here at any second. As could your pack, who I know is still close nearby on patrol. So, the two of you may want to rethink your little plan to-"

"Oh, those problems are easily enough solved." With his full mouth twitching with what I could only guess was a little smile of satisfaction at foiling my sabotage, Grayson pulled his phone from his pocket, swiped and tapped the screen a few times, and then put the phone to his ear. "It's me, Hunter. Rowan is fine. Turned out that the animal we heard her shouting at was just a coyote, and just a large pup at that.

“So, no big deal, though she is kind of upset, so Chase and I think we're going to take the afternoon off to comfort her. You can go ahead and take the afternoon off, too, just in case you wanted to collect Flora and Lily from the stream and spend time with them at home or another part of the village.

“Oh, and please go ahead and tell the pack to take the patrol around to the east for the time being. Chase and I are going to walk Rowan back to the village soon, and we don't need her being startled by any noise from the patrol. Lord knows she's had a hard enough day already. And it's about to get even harder."

With his full mouth twitching even a bit more than it had been at the start of the call, Grayson paused for just a second or two, seeming to be listening, before speaking again. "Oh, nothing. Just teasing Rowan, here. Thanks, Hunter, and we'll speak later."

Grayson's "teasing" and other little comments had the effect of making my blood boil for what felt like the millionth time that day.

While he ended the call and pocketed his phone, I glared at him, fuming. "Oh, so I'm 'upset' and you're going to 'comfort' me, huh? Because I've 'had a hard day' and 'it's about to get even harder'? Well, I hope you're going to be coming at me with your best, Grayson. Because I'm so mad at you right now, I'm pretty confident I can handle whatever you're going to dish out for my little 'punishment.' No matter
how
much 'harder' it's going to get."

He looked at me with all traces of amusement gone from his face. "You may regret saying that to an alpha. An alpha who's just been dreaming about having you squirming over his knee, with your gorgeous little fanny high in the air."

I really was becoming confused. Confused by my own strange mix of feelings right then. On one hand, I was a bit concerned about exactly how much "harder" my little punishment was going to be. Though, on the other hand, I was almost looking forward to it, actually excited about it. I maybe didn't want to reveal it to Grayson at that moment, but he wasn't the only one who found the prospect of me squirming over his knee to be an arousing one.

With butterflies rioting in my stomach, I looked him right in the eyes. "I don't think I'll regret anything I've said to you today. However, if you'd like to try to make me, be my guest. That is, if you think you're alpha enough."

I hadn't really even meant it to, but that last little comment seemed to tip Grayson over some sort of edge. After looking at me for a long moment with the faintest hint of a growl rumbling in his chest, just loud enough to be heard above the sound of nearby birdsong, he immediately scooped me up and literally tossed me over his shoulder.

I gasped, banging a fist on his muscular back. "How dare-"

"Here's to tide you over for a few seconds."

With that, he delivered a sharp, stinging swat to one of my rear cheeks, sharp and stinging enough to make me gasp again.

"That was actually very hard, Grayson!""Good. It was intended to be."He began silently striding away from the bramble thickets, toward a large fallen log some ten or fifteen feet away. Just far enough away for me to realize on the way over that my short flowered skirt was flipped up, revealing my bare legs and underwear.

I glanced up from Grayson's back at Chase, who was following Grayson and me. "Enjoying the view?"

He swallowed before answering, his gaze seeming to be locked on my rear.