Page 51 of Draco's Defiance
“Sir.” His voice was firm as, grabbing her nearest wrist, he jerked her back toward him. “We talked about this.”
Defiance shone in her eyes as her chin rose. I’ll show him he can’t treat me this way. “I changed my mind and I’m using my safe word.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Draco didn’t hesitate as he pulled her past the open door into the guest bedroom. “Your safe word isn’t an option now.”
“What?” she shrieked, clenching her hands into fists when he closed the door. “You say you care for me, and then you remove my right to say no?”
“I’m giving you what you need and deserve.” A veil of calm fell over him as he watched the tension in her body mount. “You haven’t taken the danger of Monroe’s seriously, so I’m going to make sure you don’t make the same mistake again.”
“By spanking me?”
Her voice oozed disdain, but she needn’t have bothered with the pretense. Draco could read her mind, but he could also decipher her body language and delicate little Moira was ready to burst with desire.
How is he going to spank me this time? The query exploded in her mind? Will I like it? Can I take it?
“Yes, by spanking you.” His gaze ran from her face to her feet. He already knew what an amazing body she was hiding under his shirt. “You need to realize that your welfare is important to me, Moira.”
“As it is to me.” Her jaw tightened at his patronizing tone. “But being together,” she glanced around the well-appointed room, “if that’s what this is, isn’t an excuse to swat my ass several times a day.”
“Being together means I don’t need an excuse.” His voice lowered an octave as he presented her with the facts. “You refused to cooperate with my perfectly reasonable suggestion of accompanying me to my brother’s house and then you tried to run. For that, you’re getting spanked.”
“You told me to run!” Exasperation radiated from her.
“You’d already thought about it.” His tone was accusing. “As if you could hear the most personal things about me and then just flee. How do you think that makes me feel, Moira?”
Her shoulders fell, her gaze falling to between her feet. “I didn’t think about it that way.” Pulling in air, her attention flitted to his face. “Sir.”
Now, that was more like it.
“I didn’t mean offense.” Surely, he knows that, right? “I was just confused.”
“Here’s the thing.” He glanced to the nearby closet, recalling the selection of silk ties he’d left in there. “You’re a smart woman, Moira. If you’re scared or confused I’d like you to talk to me about how you feel, not just get defensive and bolt for the door.”
“Okay.” For the first time since he’d last taken her over his knee, her body seemed to relax. “Okay, I accept that. I’m sorry. That doesn’t mean I deserve another spanking, though.”
“Then why are you here?” Gesturing around him, he waited for her to respond, but despite her free-falling thoughts, there were no words from her lips.
He’s right. Her pulse sped up, a tiny change that only his amplified senses were able to detect. Why did I come up here?
“I opened the elevator for you,” he went on. “You could have gone downstairs and called a cab. Hell, you could have called the police if you’d been genuinely afraid, but instead you came to my bedrooms.”
“I went to the roof terrace first,” she countered, though Draco wasn’t sure how it helped her argument.
“The roof,” he repeated. “You went to the one place where escape was virtually impossible, and then, when I didn’t come after you, you came down here. Why do that unless this is what you wanted?”
Brow creasing, she stared adamantly at the bed. “It wasn’t like that. I don’t need another spanking.”
“Well, you’re getting one,” he informed her, growing tired of her constant denial.
He appreciated how conflicting it must be for a woman like Moira. A professional, who prided herself on being independent would likely struggle with the idea of being kept or chastened. He got that, but living in her world of ‘rebuff and run’ was something he wasn’t prepared to do. If they were together, then that meant talking and working through fears and concerns.
But, we’re not together. Draco was surprised at how much the words stung. We’ve promised each other nothing and I’m only knee-jerking into this because Cole let the cat out of the bag.
“You can’t make me do anything without my permission.” Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she looked less than convinced. Oh, God, he’s going to make me!
“I don’t need to make you.” His tone was even as their gazes met. “You’re here because you want to be. We both are.”
An oppressive quiet settled over the room as they both contemplated the truth of his words.