Shit.
Was her Little slipping out already? That shouldn’t be happening, right? She normally had better control over herself.
It seemed like these guys had managed to fire right through her walls, wearing them ultra-thin.
“Being naughty doesn’t mean you’re a bad person, does it?” Roman asked her. His voice was calm but firm. “Everyone has naughty moments, everyone makes mistakes. You don’t need to beat yourself up about it. All right?”
“Not when that’s our job,” Alexei told her.
She stiffened. Beat her?
“Alexei,” Salem said sharply. “No one is beating you, Little one.”
“Aw, shit. No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Alexei told her. That was probably the closest he came to apologizing. “I meant beating your ass.”
“I don’t believe saying it like that is really any better,” Roman said, sounding exasperated.
To her surprise, a giggle escaped her.
“What are you laughing at? Huh? What do you think is funny?” Alexei reached for her, his fingers going under her arms.
She tensed at first, ready to rip his fingers off if he touched her wrong, unsure what he was doing.
This is Alexei.
He will not harm you.
So why was he brushing his fingers against her neck and sides? Was this some sort of torture?
He’s not harming you.
Then she realized he was tickling her.
More giggles escaped. She couldn’t stop them.
Holy heck.
She’d never been tickled before.
And it was definitely torture!
“Stop! Stop it!”
“Tell me why you are laughing,” he demanded.
“Because of you!”
“Laughing at me, you cheeky bunny. That’s a reason to spank you right there.”
“I think you just like to spank me,” she challenged.
“You’re right. I do. But there is a difference between spankings for punishment and spankings for fun.”
She squirmed on his lap.
“Spanking for laughing at me would be for fun. A spanking for climbing up on an unsafe table with socks on would be about making sure that doesn’t happen again,” Alexei told her.
“It’s good to have clear boundaries and expectations,” Salem said, brushing hair off her face. “It’s not just about spankings.”