Page 24 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

“Yes, sir.”

Jake chuckled. “It’s a good thing for your bottom I changed my mind about us staying out of it.”

Her cheeks pinked up, but she relaxed into him. “So what were you going to tell him?” she asked, and Ethan would have sworn she was enjoying his obvious discomfort.

Scowling, Jake drilled a finger into Ethan’s chest. “I get why you’re pissed. But Izzy deserves a chance to tell her side of the story and to make things right. Daddies don’t just walk out like that, Ethan. You need to take some time, cool off before you talk things out and dole out a punishment, that’s fine. But you’re an asshole to just drop her like that.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that,” Ethan mumbled, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “I’ll talk to her. Is she working today?”

“Yes. She had the breakfast shift, so she gets off at about noon.” Tilting her head to rest on Jake’s shoulder, Mari smiled. “She walked to work this morning, so I’m sure she could use a ride home.”

Two long, painful hours later, he was stationed outside Mal’s Diner, leaning back against his cruiser as he waited for her shift to end. Everyone who walked by waved or smiled at him, which just made him feel like even more of an asshole. He’d been so concerned with the potential damage to his reputation, and nothing had ever even come of the complaint.

The girl who’d reported the overheard conversation had turned out to be a tourist. Since she wasn’t local, she hadn’t told anybody but Deputy Johnson about what she’d heard, and so far, Bobby had kept the whole thing under wraps.

All in all, he’d ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him, for nothing.

When she stepped out of the diner, his heart constricted at the sight of her. Even from a distance it was impossible to miss the circles under her eyes.

He could tell the moment she spotted him. Her eyes went wide, and she froze, like prey caught in the sights of a particularly fearsome predator. And while he wasn’t averse to seeing such a look on her face, he’d have preferred for it to be under different circumstances.

But to her credit, she recovered quickly and instead of walking the other way like most people would have, she marched up to him and met his gaze head on.

“Need something, Sheriff?”

You, under me, writhing and begging. “We need to talk.”

“I tried to talk to you, remember? You walked out on me.”

Somewhere during the week, she’d found her mad. It sparked in her eyes, turning the brown to molten amber. Good, she deserved to be mad. He could work with mad.

“Get in the car, brat. We can talk at my place.”

He half expected her to slap him, and for a moment she looked like she wanted to. But when he opened the door to his cruiser, she ducked inside. It took several deep breaths to get his emotions under control enough for him to join her in the car.

The short ride back to his place was filled with silence so thick it threatened to suffocate him. God, he wished she’d say something, anything. Call him an asshole, tell him to fuck off. He missed his mouthy brat, and he was beginning to worry he’d fucked everything up beyond repair.

Until they walked into his house and she turned on him, jabbing a finger into his chest. “I didn’t tell anyone about us. I want that clear from the beginning. I told Mari, and I admit I should have waited until we were alone, but I didn’t go telling everyone about our sex lives. I’m not perfect, but I’m not a liar, Ethan Clarke.”

“I know.”

The simple statement seemed to knock some of the wind from her sails. Her shoulders relaxed and she took a step back, but the hurt and anger still burned in her eyes. “You know?”

“Yeah. Mari came over and - ”

Just like that, she was back at full speed. “Oh, so you believe Mari, but not me. Newsflash, Sheriff, there are two people in this relationship and Mari isn’t one of them.”

“I know!” The words burst out of him and she physically jumped. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice. “I know, baby. I fucked up, Izzy, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t let you explain and I’m sorry I walked out on you. You deserve better.”

“You’re right. I do.”

Fuck. It hit him then, like a ton of bricks, that she might not forgive him. That she might not accept his apology or even if she did, she might not give him a second chance.

Before he could drop to his knees and grovel, she jabbed her finger into his chest again. “I deserve the man you are, the man I’ve always known you to be. That man who walked out on me without so much as a look back, whoever he was, I don’t ever want to see him again, got it? You walk out on me again, especially without giving me a chance to tell my side of the story, and we’re done. Forever. Got it?”

The fire in her eyes still burned hot, but the hurt had mostly disappeared. And there was something primal burning alongside the anger, a challenge he recognized in those deep, dark places within himself.

Relief flooded him, so strong and heady it nearly knocked him on his ass. “Poke me again, brat, and you might just find the man you’re looking for.”

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