Page 58 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“Well, that’s good. You were too thin when you got here. I’ve been trying to fatten you up, young lady. You ready to come out and start your day? Traci and Troy are going to be here any minute.”

Oh goodie. Just what she needs, the man himself here to confuse her more than he already has.

Hallie answers truthfully. “Well, I could use coffee, that’s for sure.”

The ladies join Adam, and they spend time chatting over coffee and rolls, meant to tide them over until they eat the full brunch in a couple of hours. Hallie is just finished helping her aunt by putting the large ham in the oven when the doorbell rings. While Uncle Adam heads to receive their guests, Hallie takes the stick of lip-gloss out of her front jeans pocket. She’d done it subconsciously and quickly shoves it back in her pocket when she realizes what she’d done, angry with herself for feeling nervous.

She takes a deep breath, hoping to calm herself so her guests never suspect how nervous she is to see the tall, handsome spanker. Yes, that is how she vows to think of Troy from now on in an attempt to remind her body how much she doesn’t want to be attracted to a barbarian who thinks it’s okay to light up a perfectly good ass.

Her resolve crumbles the second she turns to see him walking confidently into the room. His presence commands her full attention, his eyes trained on her as if to assess how she is doing this morning. He must approve because his face lights into a broad smile that has her knees feeling weak. She’s luckily close enough to the island to nonchalantly reach for the counter to hold herself steady.

Had he kept his distance, all would have been fine, but he circles the end of the island stopping first to hand a bottle of wine to Aunt Gina, hugging her back when she throws her arms around him to deliver a big hug. Their eyes meet over her aunt’s turned back, proving she has his full attention. The second he is out of Aunt Gina’s hug, he continues forward to scoop a panicking Hallie into his arms for a similar greeting, although Hallie is pretty sure he hadn’t allowed his hands to rest against Aunt Gina’s ass during their brief hug.

Hallie pulls back far enough to look up into his mischievous eyes. He’s in no hurry to release her. “Good morning, sunshine. How did you sleep?” Did he have a camera in her room or is it just her own worry making her feel as if he knew exactly how she’d slept?

“Oh, I slept like a baby. How about you?” Two can play at this game as Hallie lifts her right leg until her knee presses up against the package between his legs. She knows she struck gold when she hears his sharp intake of his breath followed by a long, quiet groan. She smiles up at him sweetly.

After a long exhale, he answers her quietly. “Honestly, I didn’t sleep all that well. I felt a bit like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning so he could see what presents he might find under the tree.” Was it her imagination or did he squeeze her ass on the word present?

“Well, sorry. I didn’t have time to go out to get you the new bike you asked for.”

The look on his face is playful. “How did you know I wanted a bike? Oh well, I’m sure we can come up with an alternate gift.”

She’s thrown off by his bantering and even more flustered by the fact that while he’s moved his hand to her back, he continues to hold her against his body, forcing her to crane her neck to look up into his playful eyes. Troy had been dangerous last night. This playful Troy is lethal.

Hallie is saved by Uncle Adam stepping into the kitchen. Troy releases Hallie quickly, stepping back trying to put distance between them.

“Merry Christmas again, Traci and Troy. We’re so glad you could make it.” Uncle Adam has moved to hug Traci before shaking Troy’s outstretched hand. “Who’s ready for some eggnog?”

“Now, Adam, isn’t it too early for eggnog? It’s not even noon yet.”

“It’s never too early for your eggnog, Gina.”

Memories of wonderful Christmases past flood Hallie. “Is it Nana’s recipe? She used to make the best eggnog.”

Gina smiles sadly. “Of course. Mom always did have the best recipes. You know what else I remember?” Gina has moved to the entertainment center in the alcove and a few minutes later Christmas music fills the space. Songs Hallie remembers listening to as she baked Christmas cookies with her Nana and mom in Baton Rouge what seems like a lifetime ago. She loses herself in her memories until she senses Troy nearby again.

“Everything okay?”

She feels a tear trekking down her cheek and swipes it away, hoping not to bring the mood down. Troy moves closer, replacing her own fingers on her cheek, taking on the job of tear swiper. She wants to be angry with him for overstepping his bounds. They barely know each other, yet she can’t be angry because it just feels too good to have someone actually giving a shit about how she feels.

He is still waiting for her answer. “I’m fine. It’s just this music. It’s special. My Nana, Aunt Gina, Mom, and I used to bake Christmas cookies every year. We called it ‘cookie day’ and we would bake non-stop from sun-up to sundown, drinking eggnog, singing these same Christmas carols over and over and making treats we would pass out to neighbors and friends. I just haven’t thought about cookie day in a long time.”

Aunt Gina is there, scooping her into her arms and the two women spend a few minutes hugging, grateful they have each other again, but mourning the loss of their Nana and Gina’s older sister. It’s Traci, not Troy, who joins the women in the kitchen and Troy eventually heads out to the living room with Uncle Adam, eggnog in hand.

Troy is disgusted with his own lack of self-discipline. He hadn’t slept well the night before, running over in his brain the twenty reasons why being attracted to Hallie Boudreaux was a bad idea. He had coached himself endlessly as he took his shower, resorting to lecturing his reflection in the mirror as he shaved about how he was going to keep his distance from her today. He’d had to lie to Traci and tell her he’d been on a cell call when she’d asked whom he had been talking to in the bathroom this morning.

He’s relieved his sister finally stopped trying to psychoanalyze him last night when they returned to her house after taking Hallie home. Traci had tried to pump him for what he was thinking… what he was feeling… It was the first time he had ever been personally aware that his sister was indeed a therapist. Now today, he doesn’t like the way she keeps looking at him as if she can read into the depth of his internal struggle where Hallie is concerned. The fact that she is smiling like the cat who ate the canary when the women join Troy and Adam in the living room tells Troy she is enjoying watching him torture himself.

Troy had wanted to exchange gifts quietly with his sister at her house before coming to the Newberry’s, but Traci had put her foot down, insisting they open their gifts as a group. Luckily, Troy does have an awesome gift for Hallie, something he is pretty sure she might have had to leave behind on her escape to Colorado and is most likely missing. He wishes now he had brought more than a bottle of wine as a gift for Gina and Adam as it feels rude to be sitting around to open gifts empty handed for the hosts.

Adam takes charge. “It’s time for opening gifts. I’ll go first. Gina, I’ve been dying to give this to you. It took all of my self-control to keep it a secret.” Adam hands a small box to his wife who looks surprised.

“Another gift? I thought… well… you gave me a gift last night.” Troy can see Gina blushing pink and he can only imagine what kind of a gift Adam had given his wife in private that elicits a blush like that. At least that explains why Adam had been anxious to pawn Hallie off on Troy and Traci so they could have the house to themselves.

“Now, just get opening this, will you woman?”

Gina opens the box and must look at the contents for thirty seconds before letting out a wail of a cry. “Oh Adam, you didn’t? New York, really? You know I’ve been wanting to get back east for a visit. And you’ve already bought the plane tickets and everything?” Gina is so happy she has launched herself into her husband’s beefy arms.

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