Page 41 of Passionate Defense

He ruined her exit by grabbing her hand and spinning her back around. She lost her balance and fell into him, which suited him fine. “This is a little overdramatic because you didn’t like your outfit, don’t you think?”

“You made very meticulous plans for this weekend, including picking out all my clothes. You wanted a reaction, obviously. Which is fine when it’s only you and me. But to parade me around town in that?” She shook her head. “Congratulations, honey, this is me with my buttons pushed and rather than totally ruining the weekend, I’m going to the beach.”

“Guilty.”

Her lips parted, and though her eyes were covered by her ridiculously large shades, he knew he’d surprised her.

“I admit it. I saw it when I was buying the other things and couldn’t resist. Forgive me?”

Her mouth snapped shut, biting off her response. She frowned, opened her mouth again as if to say something, but closed it again.

He’d rendered her speechless. Amused by the rarity of that event, he pulled her close, his hands sliding to her bikini-clad bottom. “You seem surprised that I apologized. I’ve done it before. Why so shocked?”

Something he said made her frown. The singular moment soon passed as she quickly regained her ability to speak. “It might be rude to point this out, but you didn’t actually apologize. That would require action on your part. You asked for forgiveness, which requires me to act. That’s a rather twisted admission of guilt.”

“Point taken, counselor.” He reached up and pulled off her glasses. “Much better. Now I can see those beautiful and incredibly expressive hazel eyes. I asked you to forgive me because I truly am sorry, Lanie.”

With lips pursed and her brow furrowed, she stared up at him as if deciding. Her answer came an instant later. “You’re forgiven.” She scrunched up her nose as she often did when she was uncertain. “I overreacted about that stupid top. I’m sorry, too.” She then tilted her head, eyes gleaming with mischief. “In my defense, it was an extraordinarily ugly top even by the Orlando mouse’s standards.”

“I thought it would look cute on you, but clearly mouse fashion is beyond my expertise. Kiss and make up?” he suggested.

She eagerly lifted her face to his, and he met her halfway.

As he deepened the kiss, his hands ran over her naked back. He quickly found the ties at her hips and gave them a tug. Once the fabric was free, he spun her around and used the bottoms to bind her wrists behind her back.

“Ethan! Wait!”

With her hands secured, he walked her forward and up against the deck railing. “Since we have that out of the way, let’s address your disobedience.”

“But I thought we just did—and made up.”

“The top was only half of it. You were told to wait for me at the foot of the bed; a direct order you chose to willfully ignore. And, although I love the bikini, you deprived me of seeing the new white panties I bought you. That alone deserves punishment. But the most important reasons I’m paddling your defiant behind is because I’m in charge and I want to.”

Her grunt was full of outrage, although he didn’t believe her resistance for a moment.

“I object,” she exclaimed.

“On what grounds?” he asked, trying hard not to burst into laughter.

“It’s not fair.”

“Overruled.”

“But one act is an extension of the other,” she argued further. “We’d be on our way to town now if you hadn’t deliberately bought that butt-ugly top.”

“Lanie, you’re missing the point. Unless you say the word, I can and will do what I want with this gorgeous body.” His hand rubbed and squeezed her ass as he spoke. He loved the roundness, her skin firm yet supple—definitely spankable. “If I want to dress you up in cute pink polka-dot bows, or in a sexy-as-hell yellow bikini, or a flirty skirt with ruffles and skimpy see-through panties, I can. And do you know why?”

“Because you’re in charge?”

Her answer was muffled by the wind. He heard but wasn’t ready to relent just yet. “What was that? I couldn’t quite make it out.”

“You’re in charge, sir.”

“Correct. And who put me in charge and agreed to submit to my commands?”

“I did,” she replied, a bit reluctantly.

“And...” he prompted when she didn’t finish.

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