Impulsive (The Soldier's Firm Hand) (4 page)

“Betty!” I felt my cheeks burning. “I told you, it was nothing like that.”

As soon as I’d told her the story about being rescued by Jared, most of it anyway, I’d known I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I gave her an inch and she took a yard and started spinning it into my wedding dress.

“Too bad.” Betty crooked a finger to invite me closer. “I’ve watched those boys grow up, you know. Their family has been in this area for generations, and they’ve been in that cottage every summer from when they were barely walking. Such nice people, right George?”

He grunted and nodded. “Parents are decent bridge players, lousy at poker.”

“True, but I hardly think this young lady cares about that.” Betty rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Grant is an EMT at the local hospital so we see quite a bit of him. He’s dating a nurse with an adorable little girl, but Jared, on the other hand,” She paused, eyes twinkling. “That boy is single as they come and ripe for the picking. You aren’t seeing anyone, are you?”

The thought of Jared and exactly how well we’d fit together warmed me from head to toe. “I’m not really looking right now...”

“Oh, that’s fine. It’s better when you don’t seem needy. They don’t scare off as easily.”

“Betty, leave the poor girl alone.” George smiled fondly at his wife. “When it’s right, it’s right. If fate needed a push, it wouldn’t be fate.”

“Maybe my push is part of the fate? Did you ever think of that, wiseguy?”

They fell into what sounded like a well worn argument, and I left them with a wave. They were so lucky to have each other. I didn’t think I’d be finding that any time soon. In another place, another time, I’d have loved to find out if the spark with Jared could become something, but in the real world we were strangers living completely different lives.

I probably wouldn’t even see him again unless it was to return his clothes.

Like a high-schooler with her boyfriend’s varsity jacket, I was even still wearing his sweatpants. I promised myself I’d get them washed tomorrow, but in the meantime I was going to wallow in my desperation with smutty books and candy.

––––––––

“O
h
come on
you stupid machine!”

It was so typical. The candy bar I’d picked was hanging off the coil by one flimsy looking corner. Tantalizingly close to falling, but no matter how hard I pounded and shook the vending machine, it wouldn’t budge. I could have left it there and figured it was fate telling me I didn’t need more sugar to work off at the gym when I got home, but dammit, that shiny little package was taunting me.

I peeked out the doorway, but there was nobody in the hall and the front desk had been empty when I walked by. My eyes narrowed as I glared at my prize. Ignoring every scrap of common sense, I knelt down in front of the machine and snaked my arm up into the flap.

It was easier than I’d figured, right up until something scraped painfully against my wrist, but by then it was too late to turn back. That candy had become a matter of principle much more important than my lost dollar.

“Almost...” Tongue pinched between my lips and body twisted like a pretzel, the last thing I’d expected to see come into view was Jared’s astonished face looking down on me with baffled amusement.

“Is this some sort of starving artist thing, or is breaking in just your answer to everything?”

“Oh my God!” I tried to jerk myself out too quickly and felt something dig into my forearm. “OW! Crap...” I tugged, but the flap had shifted and my arm was pinned tight. “Don’t just stand there, help me!”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Do me a favor, okay, kitten? Never take up a life of crime. Nice pants by the way.”

Doubly caught.
I stuck out my tongue. “Ha. Ha. Ha. Shut up and help me out of this. It really hurts.”

All of those funny news clips about stupid people having to call 911 to get out of situations exactly like mine flashed through my head. No way, no how. I was
not
going to end up an entertainment piece in the local news, even if it meant swallowing what was left of my pride and begging.

Fortunately I didn’t have to, and for such a big guy, he was remarkably gentle about helping me. In fact, he was being so nice it almost made me guilty about the naughty fantasies having him so close brought out. His face was right next to mine, and I wanted to kiss my way across that sexy jaw of his.

Once I was no longer the kid caught with her hand in the mechanical cookie jar that is.

“It looks okay, but you should probably wash off that scrape.” His crystal blue gaze turned to me, equal parts concern and annoyance showing clearly. “What on earth were you thinking?”

I didn’t answer. My defense, not that I had much of one, caught in my throat. I was too busy watching his fingers as they lightly skated over the angry red welt on the inside of my forearm. Sure it stung, but my real problem was that as soon as he touched me, the intervening day vanished and left me lusting after him just as badly as back at his cottage. The memory of those hands on my body sent tendrils of need right down into my core.

His gaze softened, as if he could read my thoughts. “I think you’ve been misbehaving again. It’s almost like you want to be punished.”

“Yeah, right.”
Oh, yes please!

Jared leaned down, his lips right next to my ear, his breath tickling my skin like a feather. “I think you do. I think all of these childish impulses of yours are just crying out for a little discipline, and you’re in luck, because I’m only too happy to oblige. Now turn around and put your hands on the wall,” he ordered, voice low and full of authority.

My stomach flipped. The instinct to obey him was strong, but still I hesitated. “I’m not sure...”

He grabbed my wrists and did it for me, putting my palms against the wall with my fingers spread. They were raised high enough that I had to stretch to stay on my knees.

“You need to learn to think before you throw yourself into these ridiculous situations.” His warmth was right behind me, like a furnace against my back.

So close.

My breath hitched as his hands traveled up my arms and down my sides, fingers brushing over the curve of my breasts. “We can’t do this. Someone could see,” I whispered. There wasn’t even a door to the vending room. Anyone with a sudden need for ice or a midnight snack would be able to come right in.

“Then I guess I better be quick, and you better be quiet.” Jared held me tight, one hand flattened over my stomach, the other cupping my trembling bottom. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before you do something crazy, but I almost hope you don’t.”

Me too.
My thoughts were racing as fast as my heart. Dominance had always attracted me, but most of my boyfriends had been all talk and no show. Jared didn’t seem to care about posturing, he just went for whatever it was that he wanted. I’d thought maybe it wasn’t something I’d ever experience outside of a fantasy, but he was proving me wrong.

He swung his arm, and his hand landed squarely on the right side of my bottom. Stinging pain radiated out from the point of impact, making me gasp and clench my teeth to keep from shouting.

“That hurt!,” I hissed.

“Kitten, it’s supposed to.” He chuckled and patted the spot he’d just spanked. “Shhhhh. You don’t want to make anyone curious, do you?”

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. I hated this but wanted it just as badly, almost as much as I wanted him. The only thing I knew I
didn’t
want was an audience.

His grip tightened around my waist, and he yanked down the baggy sweatpants to expose me further. Thankfully I was wearing panties, but they would be poor protection against what was coming, and my face flushed at the thought that he’d be able to see exactly how much I wanted him.

There was a fleeting moment to revel in the feel of his hand caressing my bare skin, and then a quick flurry of smacks peppered my bottom. Back and forth, he slapped my cheeks with fast, hard strikes that made me jiggle and squirm.

The urge to scream and yell was overpowering, but I clenched my teeth and managed to only let out a small whimper.

Jared stroked his hand over my throbbing flesh. It felt a hot iron against my skin. “Good girl, not much more. You can take it.”

His murmurs soothed me and made me want to please him in spite of how another part of me was rebelling and wanted to stamp my feet and whine like a child. Instead, I leaned into his solid frame for support, concentrating on breathing in his masculine scent and enjoying the feel of his body so close to mine.

I gasped at his next two blows. His aim was unerring, landing right in the center of my wobbling cheeks. Each impact rocked my body, and I could feel with perfect clarity the outline of his hand as it came down, sending out ripples of stinging pain. My fingers clenched, but I didn’t move from my position. I could do this.

It was just like before, the sharp pain of his spanking somehow getting all mixed up with arousal. Even more against my bare bottom, as his touch was much more intimate. The first time I’d been in shock and we’d been strangers. Now that I’d had time to develop a full fledged crush on him, the effect was electric.

Could he tell I was getting turned on by his punishment? We were both breathing hard. I knew without a doubt that if he slid his hands between my legs, he find me wet and willing. I didn’t think I was the only one but I couldn’t know for sure.

My body sagged in place when he stopped. It had felt like forever, but I knew it wasn’t really that long. He didn’t let me go right away, replacing the blows with soft strokes that still made me whimper and squirm, but for entirely different reasons. My entire bottom throbbed, from the tops of my thighs and almost up to my lower back. The warm burn seeped into my core and made me want him so badly I was afraid there was something wrong with me.

Jared must have known, and he didn’t seem to mind, because he teased me mercilessly. He pushed aside my panties and slid his fingers everywhere but where I wanted them most, buried deep between my thighs. One lone fingertip finally parted my folds, slipping easily through the wetness that had gathered there.

He hummed deep in satisfaction. “What do we have here?” he whispered.

I moaned, and my pussy clenched, trying to pull him inside.

“What a naughty little kitten, enjoying your punishment.”

“Please,” I begged softly as he pressed against my opening without penetrating me the way I craved.

He nipped my earlobe. “No, not here, not like this.” But he didn’t abandon me when I needed him. His slick fingers circled my clit, expertly working me right up to the edge.

“Don’t stop, I’m so close.” My head hung, and I panted. Each slide of his fingers over my nub fired off sparks that shot through my nerves, and made my sex clench around the disappointing emptiness inside me.

A low masculine growl of satisfaction steered me even closer, tightening every muscle as I strained towards my peak. He rolled my clit between his fingers and my legs shook. One more quick little squeeze was all it took to shatter me, and my climax roared free. I bucked against him, but he held me close, letting me ride it out in his arms.

He pulled me in, capturing my mouth in an urgent kiss and swallowing my moans of pleasure. I didn’t care anymore how or why he made me feel this way, or even how risky it was. Hot tendrils of pleasant fire crawled through my limbs, and I slumped, trusting him to hold me up and take care of me.

Slowly, tenderly, he straightened my clothes and pulled me into his lap. “Let me take you back to your room and get you settled. Okay, kitten?”

I snuggled closer, but couldn’t resist getting the last word. “I’m not your kitten.”

Jared snorted, apparently unconvinced. “Mmmhmm.”

Before my sex addled brain could think of something suitably witty, there was a loud thunk behind us as my chocolate bar came unstuck. After all that, the damn thing dropped down on its own. I pressed my face into his shirt and a giggle bubbled up, escaping before I could catch it, and paving the way for the rest that burst out on their own.

A polite cough came from behind us. “Are you going to get that?” It was George, standing in the doorway, a dollar bill in his hand and a eyebrow raised so high it almost disappeared beneath his hair.

I looked back and forth between them. One look at their faces, and my giggles turned into hysterical laughter. With as much dignity as I could muster, I snatched my hard earned candy and stood, brushing off my tender backside with a wince. My legs still felt like jelly, but I gave them a big smile and held my head high as I walked out the door.

“Good night, gentlemen. Watch out for E6, it sticks.”

*** Jared ***

W
hat the hell just happened?

Jared followed Lauren slowly back to her room in a daze. A few minutes of awkward small talk with George had cooled his raging libido down a bit, but even though he tried telling himself that nothing more might happen, every step towards her room had his pants fitting a little more snugly.

That girl had done more to shake up his life in the past 48 hours than anyone since his very first kiss had opened his eyes to the wonders of the fairer sex. For better or worse, she’d forced him to re-evaluate what he wanted in life these days. He wasn’t happy. Complacent? Definitely. Successful? Even though the budget seemed to be a constant source of stress, his military career was luckily still on track, so yes. But on the homefront? No, no even close.

Joining the service at 18 with his buddies had been a no-brainer, but they’d mostly drifted off to civilian life over the years, and at some point he’d driven himself straight into a rut. Those first couple years he’d lived for coming home and relaxing with his family, maybe picking up a girl to pass the time with until he was sent off again. How long had it been since he’d even bothered with that?

Years, that’s how long, and he knew why.

His friends and now even his little brother were all off getting mortgages and having kids. There was something pathetic about competing for chicks with guys who could barely buy their own beer, and then finding out he had nothing in common with them anyway. Not having his own girl to come back to had turned from a blessing into a lonely trap he hadn’t seen a way out of.