Page 36 of Disciplined: His Forbidden Crush

“Enough!” Rafael’s patience snapped like a frayed rope, and he pulled down Summer’s jeans, exposing his pale, round ass. Without waiting another second, he brought his hand down with a stinging slap, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot.

It was unlike the first time Rafael had spanked Summer. Then, he had been trying to make a point. Now, there was nothing but anger and disappointment driving Rafael’s hand.

“Please, Rafael,” Summer begged, his voice cracking with pain. He tried to cover his ass with his hands.

“Save your excuses,” Rafael growled, grabbing Summer’s wrists and pinning them behind his back. The pain in Summer’s cries intensified, each yelp only fueling Rafael’s need to punish him for his thoughtless actions.

Inside, however, he churned with turmoil. He couldn’t deny that he felt betrayed, even though he knew he’d been a fool to trust Summer in the first place. It angered him further that he’d been so weak as to let lust cloud his judgment.

As he punished Summer, Rafael’s mind raced with self-reproach. How could he have been so foolish? To think that Summer would behave himself when all he’d ever known was a life of chaos and hedonism was absurd. And yet, here he was, taking out his own frustration on the one person who had managed to worm his way into Rafael’s guarded heart.

Summer’s cries grew harsher and more ragged, and then he seemed to break. Tears poured out of him, heavy sobs spilling from his throat. Rafael’s chest tightened, the sound cutting through him like a knife. He paused.

“Have you learned your lesson?” he demanded gruffly, his voice hoarse. “Or do you need more to remind you to behave?”

Summer shook his head violently, tears streaming down his face and soaking into Rafael’s jeans. The sight of Summer’s tear-streaked face caused a pang of guilt in Rafael’s heart, but he steeled himself, knowing he needed to make his point. With a deep breath, he delivered one final, hard smack to Summer’s reddened ass.

“Stop!” Summer cried out, his voice breaking with pain and humiliation.

“Tell me what the fuck you were thinking,” Rafael demanded, trying to keep his voice steady despite the turmoil of emotions raging within him. As he waited for an answer, he couldn’t help but reach out and grab a handful of Summer’s ass, squeezing it firmly as he tried to process the situation.

Summer sobbed harder, struggling to form coherent words through his tears. Rafael felt a sting of guilt, the anger that had fueled his actions now dissipating, leaving him feeling raw and hurt. As much as he wanted to blame Summer for this, he felt his own responsibility keenly.

If I left a dog alone with a steak, would I not be equally to blame when the steak was eaten?

“R-Rafael, I...I’m s-sorry,” Summer stammered, each word punctuated by a hitching breath. “I j-just w-wanted to h-help my f-friend...”

Rafael hesitated, tendrils of remorse threading through him. Perhaps Summer had a good reason for his misconduct.

Rafael hadn’t even asked.

“Tell me,” he said now, bracing himself for the worst.

***

Summer’s breath hitched in his throat. His ass throbbed with a deep, pervasive ache that seemed to radiate throughout his entire body, but the physical pain was nothing besides the shame of disappointing Rafael.

“R-Rafael...I...” Summer choked out, tears streaming down his face as he tried desperately to explain himself. The guilt weighed heavily on him, clawing at his insides like a relentless beast. Every sob wracked his body, making it impossible to form coherent thoughts or sentences. He felt lost, like he’d stumbled off the path into a bog and now he was drowning in it.

“Go on,” Rafael said tightly. He waited for Summer to collect himself.

Finally, Summer managed to find his voice again. “My friend...she’s in trouble. She needs money, and I...I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing.” He hiccupped through his sobs, wiping at his wet cheeks with trembling hands. “I was going to take her the money and come right back, I swear.”

Rafael said nothing as he listened. Summer knew that Rafael was unlikely to trust him again, which deepened his own guilt. He needed to show Rafael that he was sincere, that this wasn’t some ploy to escape or deceive him.

“Lo siento,” he whispered, choking back another round of tears and peering up over his shoulder at Rafael. “I never meant to break your trust. Please...please believe me.”

As those words left his lips, Summer could see the conflict written plainly on Rafael’s face. He knew that it wouldn’t be easy for Rafael to let go of his anger and disappointment, but he had to try.

Rafael’s brow furrowed, his voice low and demanding. “Why didn’t you wait for me to come home? Was it really that hard to trust me?”

Summer hesitated, feeling the familiar knot of guilt tighten in his stomach. “I...I didn’t think you’d listen,” he admitted, a fresh wave of tears welling up in his eyes. His voice trembled as he continued, “I thought you wouldn’t care.”

The silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever. Summer’s heart pounded. Rafael’s face was unreadable, leaving Summer to wonder if he’d made everything worse by confessing his doubts.

As tears silently spilled down his cheeks, Summer braced himself for another outburst from Rafael or even more punishment. Instead, he found himself being pulled into Rafael’s strong arms. The unexpected gentleness caught him off-guard, making his breath hitch again.

“I would have listened,” Rafael whispered, his grip firm yet comforting. “You should’ve trusted me enough to give me a chance. That was unfair.”

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