Her lip quivers. "You killed people, Tobias."
I nod, not ashamed of my actions. "I did. I'm not going to try and justify it. My father was a horrible person, and when he died, I was left with a lot of responsibility at a young age. I didn't know any other way, and the money was so good. Good enough that I was able to make this life. But I’m retired, doll.”
"And you're never going to kill again?"
"No. I'm out. The guns are locked away, and they won't ever see the light of day. I'm not going back."
She studies my face, and the look on hers softens. "I believe you."
I let out a breath. "I'll answer any question you have. Just...don't leave. Stay."
A small smile spreads across her face, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. "Yes. Of course, I'm staying."
"Thank God." I walk over to her, pulling her into my arms. She kisses me, but her frame is still stiff in my hands. She's afraid, and some of the careful trust we've built has been broken.
Fuck that. It's unacceptable.
"Did you think about going?" I ask, and after a second, she nods once.
"Yeah. I was scared. I still am. But I'm choosing you, and I want—"
I shake my head, and her mouth snaps closed. "Teagan, even thinking about it is unacceptable. You've been bad, snooping through my things and imagining that I'd ever let you go. That means you're due for a punishment."
Teagan's eyes go wide. "Tobias..."
I kiss her again, harder, and her body melts against mine. It's so easy to lose myself in her. In the way her lips part for me, the way her fingers slide through my hair and her nails scrape my scalp. The way her body yields to mine, soft and pliant.
And the way her pussy clenches around my cock when she comes. But it isn't her pussy I'm going to have today.
My lips move down her neck, teeth grazing the tender skin. "Turn around and pull those bottoms down. Bend over."
Teagan's breath is heavy in her chest as she turns around and slowly does what she's told, bending at the waist until her palms touch the bed. I step closer, running my hands up the backs of her legs. "Do you want me to spank you, sweetheart? Will that help you remember who owns you?"
Her response is a soft, "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
She glances over her shoulder, and says, "Yes, please. Please, Tobias. Spank me."
A groan slips from between my lips, and I lean over her body, kissing the bare skin between her shoulder blades. My cock is throbbing against the confines of my slacks, and there's nothing more I want to do than push her bikini bottoms to the side and fuck her until we're both spent.
But this isn't about my pleasure.
Standing up straight, I bring one hand up and smack her ass, watching the flesh jiggle. The sound is sharp, but she doesn't make a sound. Instead, she just arches her back and spreads her legs a little wider.
"So good for me," I snarl, rubbing her reddened skin. "You've earned two more."
The next spank lands on the opposite ass cheek, and the third goes a little lower. After each one, I rub the sting away and caress her curves.
"Such a sweet ass," I whisper. When my hand comes down again, my fingers slide between the cheeks, and she gasps. "I think I'm going to make it mine right now, and then maybe your punishment will be complete."
I step back, and when I look down, I can see her thighs are slick with arousal.
"On the bed," I order. "Ass in the air."
She crawls onto the mattress, and I'm right behind her. Once she's in the middle of the bed, her cheek against the mattress, she looks over her shoulder.
"You’re claiming every inch of my body, right?"