Rosemary's Double Delight (20 page)
Read Rosemary's Double Delight Online
Authors: Heather Rainier
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Western, #Erotica, #General
* * * *
Evan leaned down and kissed Rosemary on his way out the back door. Her lower lip tingled where he’d flicked it playfully with his tongue, making her want to stop him and claim another, more thorough kiss from him.
He looked back at her through the screen door as he closed it behind him and grinned.
Big tease.
Grace smiled knowingly and sighed. “Those two sure do look like your little trip last weekend agreed with them. I never knew Evan had dimples.”
“Yeah, he’s been smiling a lot more lately,” Rosemary said, watching the man in question through the screen door that led out to the back deck where all the men were milling around the grill, relaxing with beers in their hands.
“So did you have any more encounters with that woman, Davina?” Grace asked with a snicker.
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Rosemary giggled loudly, remembering the next day at the Convention Center. “Oh yeah, did we ever. The next day, she looked like she was hurting so bad that I actually felt a little sorry for her.”
But only a little.
“So, you crashed the erotic writer’s convention dance party?”
Grace began, leading her back to the subject they’d been discussing prior to Evan’s exit.
Rosemary giggled gaily. “Yeah, we did. The dance was by invitation only, so I buzzed Tessa’s cell phone from the hallway, and she and Max came out and got all three of us in.”
“Lorelei DeVeaux is a man. I still can’t believe it. So, did he and Tessa ride off into the moonlight?”
“When we finally left around two in the morning, they were really into each other on the dance floor, dirty dancing and grinding together. I danced with both Wes and Evan at the same time for a few dances. Let me tell you, that got some attention!”
“Let me guess! Everyone there thought you were cover models acting out one of your cover shoots from a ménage romance novel?”
“No, someone asked Max, and he told them we were the real deal!
They all wanted to talk to us. But we promised Tessa and Lorelei the exclusive. They cannot wait to talk to
you
. So, is Rachel doing okay?”
“Oh yeah. She’s healing up fast, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they’re married by Christmas. Eli absolutely adores her. Don’t you know they’d make gorgeous babies?”
Rosemary looked out the screen door and added, “Speaking of gorgeous babes, here come our men.”
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Chapter Sixteen
Mid-October
Standing on the sunlit sidewalk outside of Cheaver’s, Rosemary looked up into angry, brown eyes then turned and looked in to an equally irate pair of green eyes. She felt her core tighten, knowing she was
really
in for it this time, and probably not in a good way. Evan being angry didn’t surprise her, under the circumstances. Wes
never
got angry. He wasn’t wired that way. But looking in his eyes right now, she knew her ass was grass.
Rosemary held both palms up and implored almost silently before either of them could say a word.
“Not here, okay?”
Both men gritted their jaws, fuming. She didn’t think it was her imagination when she felt heat spread across her ass cheeks. That realization made her face cheeks warm up to match.
Focusing on the issue at hand, she turned back to Randy as the Divine police officers handcuffed the thief she’d just chased down and apprehended with help from the store owner next door.
The thief had switched his worn boots for a pair of expensive new ones from their boot department and left the worn ones in the empty box then left the store without paying for them. Rosemary had watched the exchange from behind a two-way mirror in the stockroom. He’d carried a tool in his pocket, which he used to remove the theft deterrent device.
She’d followed the thief into the store next door, where she had alerted the store owner. The thief had been helping his mother and sister to hide merchandise from Arnold’s store in the false bottom of a
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tote bag and a diaper bag. They’d confronted them moments before the police arrived. The officer searched them in the manager’s office, he found all the merchandise they’d tried unsuccessfully to ditch on their way back, even the clothing folded and hidden beneath the tiny infant that lay sleeping in a stroller.
Rosemary had help in apprehending the thieves, but she’d still gone after a full-grown man alone because there had been no time to track Randy down and let him know. She would not have tried to apprehend the thief personally without the other store owner’s help, but she knew none of that mattered right now. Her heart sank, and she felt confused.
Her safety was the issue, and the shoplifter’s timing had really sucked. Wes and Evan had shown up while she was in the store next door, and one of her co-workers had informed them helpfully that Rosemary had just chased down a shoplifter and his thieving family.
A bit of an exaggeration, she felt, but they didn’t see the distinction between her merely following him and actually chasing him.
“Randy, I’m going to take lunch with Wes and Evan now. I’ll finish the incident paperwork when I get back, okay?”
“Take extra time if you need it, sweetie.” Randy pulled her aside and asked quietly, “Are your okay? You’re looking pale all of a sudden.”
“Maybe a little shook up, but I’ll be fine,” she replied, hoping like hell he didn’t notice the way she was shaking.
“I know you feel it’s your responsibility to protect the family store, sweetie, and I appreciate that you’re so diligent. But it’s not worth it if you get hurt in the process. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” Randy gently held her upper arms and looked into her eyes. She had to steel herself to keep the tears from falling at the concerned look she saw on his face. He smiled at her and said, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
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Turning to Wes and Evan, she said, “I’ll get my purse and be right out.” Rosemary tried to smile at them but failed miserably. She could see the trouble brewing in their eyes.
They nodded and turned to each other, speaking quietly as she went to her office and retrieved her purse from her desk. She sat in her chair for a second to catch her breath.
Rosemary was certain they viewed this event as one of those times when she’d knowingly put herself in danger, but if she knowingly permitted thieves to get away with this sort of thing, Cheaver’s would become an easy mark to other shoplifters. She couldn’t let that happen and felt like this was one of her less enjoyable responsibilities. That probably wouldn’t matter to Wes and Evan. It was best to get the confrontation over with. Maybe if she explained the situation to them, they’d understand.
Feeling a little calmer, Rosemary walked out of the stockroom and found her men talking with Randy while waiting for her at the front door. They were silent as they walked her out to Evan’s pickup. They headed down FM 709 in the direction of their house.
Shit
. “I thought we were going to Rudy’s.”
Wes sighed and looked down at her sitting between the two of them. “We need to go to the house instead. We can still go to Rudy’s after we talk and deal with what happened today, if you want to. Or you can eat at the house if you’d like.”
“Why do we have to go to the house?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Wes sighed quietly. “You know why, baby. You shouldn’t have been the one to chase down that thief. You could’ve been seriously injured or worse. You don’t really understand how much you mean to us if you are willing to risk yourself that way.” Evan pulled up to the house and shut off the ignition. He’d been silent the entire trip home.
He climbed out of the truck and reached to help her down.
The men looked at her, and she realized she was trembling. She wasn’t afraid of them spanking her. She was more afraid of them
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thinking she didn’t care about their feelings. Rosemary didn’t want them to think she didn’t care if they were upset.
“I endangered myself, right? I know I did. I should’ve gotten someone else to come with me or called Randy from my cell phone. It wouldn’t have gone as well if I hadn’t had Arnold’s help next door.”
Sternly, Wes said, “‘
Wouldn’t have gone as well?’
You’d probably be in an ambulance right now, on your way to the ER.” His normally tranquil green eyes were stormy with his emotions.
“Or worse,” Evan added grimly as they escorted her up the front steps, and he unlocked the front door. Without preamble, they walked to her bedroom through the quiet house, and she followed behind.
“You’re really going to…” Rosemary tried but failed to complete the sentence, in shock that they truly intended to
spank
her. On the one hand, she agreed with them that going after a thief twice her size was a
really
dumb thing to do. She should’ve had her cell phone on her. But sometimes you had to utilize the tools at hand to get the job done.
Evan looked almost sick and so disappointed. She realized she’d backed him, both of them, into a corner. “Yes, Rosemary. We talked about this, remember? I hope to hell this is the only time we ever have to do this. I hate the thought of spanking you for a reason other than your pleasure, but we made a promise to you. I warned you that, as far as you were able, you were to see to your own safety as a first priority. Today was an example of what
not
to do.”
“But I had help. Arnold would not have let anything happen to me—”
“You are not Arnold’s responsibility. What if that guy had been
armed
? What if he’d met up with other guys like him instead of two female family members and a baby?” Evan didn’t paint a pretty picture.
“Well, that didn’t happen, and I’m all right. It all ended well,” she added weakly, knowing Wes and Evan were right.
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“That doesn’t matter. Come here,” Evan said evenly as he sat on her big bed.
Rosemary walked over to him, not wanting to believe that he’d actually follow through on this.
“Do you remember your safe word?” His voice was soft and emotionless. She looked up at Wes, and he met her eyes, waiting expectantly. Something crumpled a little inside of her. Motionless, she looked back at Evan as he sat there patiently.
Part of her wanted to make a run for it, but she could see the conflict in his eyes. He didn’t
want
to do this. Another part of her wanted to make this right with him. For them. She nodded, but didn’t use the safe word.
“I need you to unbutton and remove your blue jeans, Rosemary.”
“Why do I have to take off my jeans?” She didn’t think she’d benefit from the additional humiliation of being undressed.
“Because I don’t want to spank you too hard. I need to warm your bottom first so that you won’t have any marks or be so sore. It needs to sting, but we don’t want to physically harm you. Wes and I agree that you’ll receive five licks.” The muscles in his jaw were bunched and tense. She didn’t want to push him any farther.
“I’m scared,” she whispered, her fingers clutched together.
Wes knelt down in front of her, beside Evan, and took her hands.
“Rosemary, please don’t be scared. Our intent is not to harm you but to teach you to take care of yourself, to protect yourself.
Please
, can’t we get this over with?” His tone implored, asking
her
for mercy.
None of them wanted this, but they had to move forward.
Rosemary had waited years and had overcome all kinds of obstacles to be with these men. She knew they were right about apprehending the shoplifter. It was unsafe to follow him, regardless of the circumstances or her responsibilities. Rosemary came into this relationship with them knowing that they felt strongly about this issue. She also knew without a doubt that they’d never really hurt her.
She trusted them.
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Rosemary unbuckled her belt and unzipped the fly on her jeans.
She toed her boots off and pushed her jeans down and slipped them off, pushing her socks off with them.
“Panties, too, baby,” Wes said quietly, and she thought she heard a repressed groan slip from his throat.
Biting her lip uncertainly, she slid her black, lace thong off, confused that she felt a throb between her legs, whether at the thought of them seeing her naked or the thought that she was about to get a spanking, she wasn’t sure. She wanted to kick herself. She had a feeling this
wasn’t
going to be one of the fun spankings Evan had teased her about.
“Come here, baby.” Wes led her to Evan’s lap and drew her over his thighs as Evan laid a hand across her back to brace her. She was balanced on her tiptoes and fingertips. Wes stroked her arms, and she was grateful he stayed nearby, grounding her.
She whimpered when she felt Evan’s other hand slide down her lower back and then over the cheeks of her ass. This was such a vulnerable position to be in, and her cheeks burned in mortification as she made close eye contact with Wes and saw that he hated this, too.
Rosemary hung her head in shame when she almost opened her lips to appeal to Wes to save her from this spanking. She knew she could no longer play the brothers against each other like that. She needed to take her licks and get on with it.