Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) (31 page)

Shane smiled. “It just so happens I have my overnight bag in the car,” he said. “I brought it, just in case.”

She grinned at him. “Just in case?”

“Well, I am an optimist.”

Shane grabbed his overnight bag from his car and followed Beth inside.

It was only eight-thirty, and since Gabrielle was at work, they had the house to themselves for the rest of the evening. Shane took Beth’s hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom, flipping on the light switch as they entered her room. He dropped his overnight bag on the floor of her closet.

Beth stood at the foot of the bed, smiling shyly at him, excited to have him in her bedroom again. The first time he’d been here, she’d felt so shy with him. Now she was a little more relaxed, and the idea of making love with him in her own bed made her stomach flutter. She sure hoped he had brought condoms with him this time, because she hadn’t thought to buy any.

“We’re having a sleepover, on a school night,” she said, grinning like a co-ed who’d just sneaked a boy into her dorm room.

Shane smiled at her, touched by her light-hearted enthusiasm. “So we are.”

“It’s early yet,” she said. “What do you want to do?”

“You’re asking me?” he said, as he slowly stalked toward her.

She took a few steps back as he neared, but he reached out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her close. His mouth closed over hers, his lips coaxing hers to open. His tongue slipped inside and found hers, stroking her. Her hands came up to grasp the lapels of his jacket.

“I know what I want,” he said against her lips. “I want dessert.”

“I’m sure we have some ice cream,” she said, chuckling.

“That’s not the kind of sugar I had in mind.” Shane took a couple steps backward, drawing Beth with him. When the backs of his legs hit the mattress, he sat at the foot of the bed, pulling her between his legs. “Gabrielle’s at work?”

“Mm hmm,” Beth replied.

Since he was seated, she stood a head above him. She leaned down and kissed him. It was still sinking in that he was hers, and she had the right to kiss him, touch him, any time she wanted. He was
hers
. The notion gave her an unfamiliar sense of empowerment. She ran her fingernails lightly along his scalp, ruffling his thick hair.

Shane groaned, closing his eyes as he leaned into her touch. “What time does she get home?” he asked, sounding a little distracted as Beth stroked his hair.

“Midnight.” She pressed her lips against his warm temple, her tongue darting out to taste his warm, slightly salty skin.

Shane made a sound low in his throat and leaned into her chest, pressing his face against her breasts. His hands came around to grasp the backs of her thighs through her dress, squeezing her gently. “So we have the house to ourselves all evening.”

“We do.” Beth felt her face heat. She had a pretty good idea where this was heading, and the idea of making love to him here, in her own bed, made her body tingle from head to toe.

“Perfect,” Shane said, pushing her back gently and rising to his feet. “Do you have any wine? Or perhaps something stronger?”

Beth blinked, thrown off guard by the swift change in topic. “Um, yes. Gabrielle has a well-stocked wine chiller in the kitchen, and my brother keeps a few bottles of liquor in a cabinet in the parlor.”

Shane pulled Beth out the bedroom door and down the hallway. “Let’s check out the liquor cabinet. We’re going to need a little liquid courage.”

“We are?” she said, following him down the stairs. “For what?”

“You’ll see,” he said.

* * *

Shane opened the door to the liquor cabinet and made a dismissive sound as he surveyed its limited contents. “Your brother’s taste in liquor leaves a lot to be desired. Bit of a cheapskate, isn’t he?”

Beth chuckled, thinking that was an apt description of her beloved brother. “You could say that.”

Shane selected the sole bottle of whiskey in the cabinet and two tumblers. It was bottom shelf stuff, but it would have to do. He made a mental note to bring a decent bottle with him the next time.

“Kitchen,” he said, motioning for Beth to lead the way. He followed her to the kitchen and set the bottle of whiskey and the two glasses on the island counter. Then he headed for the fridge, where he located some Coke.

Beth watched as Shane poured whiskey in both of the tumblers. He added a generous amount of Coke to one of the glasses.

“Drink up,” Shane said, handing Beth her glass.

She looked at the contents. “Are you plying me with alcohol again?”

“Yes. Drink,” he said, and then he took a sip of his own neat whiskey, frowning at the less than satisfactory taste. “Your brother has absolutely no taste in liquor.”

Beth chuckled at Shane’s expression. Then she took a sip of her altered drink and made a face of her own. Even tempered with the sugary sweet soft drink, she could still taste the alcohol. “This is awful,” she said. “Even for whiskey.”

Shane knocked back the rest of his whiskey in one swallow, grimacing. “How can your brother drink that stuff? He obviously doesn’t come from good Scottish stock. No self-respecting Scot would ever touch this garbage.”

Beth laughed. “Our mom’s Swedish, and our dad was American, of English descent, I think,” she said.

“Well, that explains it then. Drink,” he said, pointing at her glass.

Beth took another sip. “Ugh. Honestly, Shane. How can you stand to drink this stuff?”

“Amateur.” Shane leaned down and kissed her.

She looked at him expectantly. “So, why do you think I need liquid courage? Because I know this isn’t for your sake.”

“Do you remember the night we met?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember what you were reading?”

Oh, my God. Spanking stories.
Her face flamed. “Yes.”

He grinned at her. “We have the house to ourselves for almost four hours,” he said. “That’s plenty long enough for what I have in mind.”

“Which is?” As if she didn’t know.

“We’ll christen your bed properly tonight,” he said. “But first, somebody’s going to get a spanking.”

He gave her a salacious grin, catching Beth mid-swallow, and she choked on her drink, coughing and spluttering so violently Shane had to take the glass away from her and lay his hand on her back, rubbing gently. “Are you okay?”

She looked at him, her eyes watering. “Are you serious?” she gasped.

“I told you I’d meet all of your needs. You like to read spanking porn, so I’m going to give you a little taste of one in real life. Nothing too intense, just a little erotic paddling.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s erotic romance, Shane, not pornography!” she said.

He shrugged. “What’s the difference? It’s still spanking. Honey, I saw the titles of some of those books you were eyeing at Clancy’s. You’re turned on by kinky, and I’m going to give you some kinky tonight.”

“We can’t actually do that!” she said, her face turning beet red.

“Why not?” He smiled down at her. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m talking about some erotic kink. I’d never hurt you.”

“But I can’t,” she said, completely flustered. No matter how enticing it might sound, she could never go through with it.

“Why not?”

“Because!”

Shane raised an eyebrow. “Because why?”

Beth shook her head. “I’m not even sure I want to,” she said. “Reading about… spankings… is one thing, but actually doing it? Shane, I don’t think I can.”

“Don’t think about it, Beth. Let’s just do it. You can always stop me at any time.” Shane handed back her glass. “Finish it.”

Beth gazed down at the dark amber liquid. “Liquid courage?” she said. “I can understand why
I
might need some, but why did you have a drink?”

“Maybe I needed it, too,” he said. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Really? You haven’t?”

He shook his head. “I’ve done a lot of inventive things in my life, but spanking a woman isn’t one of them. But hey, there’s a first time for everything, right?”

After Beth polished off the rest of her drink, Shane set her empty glass in the kitchen sink.

“Come,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go get our kink on.”

“Oh, my God,” she moaned.

Chapter 28

Shane closed Beth’s bedroom door and dialed down the dimmer switch on the chandelier to a faint glow.

“Before we start, I want to make one thing clear,” he said, turning her to face him. His voice was low, hushed, adding to the sense of intimacy in the dimly lit room. “This is an erotic spanking, just for fun. You know I’d never hurt you, right?”

Beth nodded, and a shiver coursed through her.

“I guess we need a safeword,” he said. “Do you have one?”

Beth shook her head. She’d never needed one.

“I guarantee you won’t need it, but still we should have one,” he said. “How about... whiskey?”

She smiled at his choice. “Whiskey. Okay.”

“If you say ‘whiskey,’ we’re done. Got that?”

Her insides were quaking, but she still managed to say it. “Yes.”

Shane kissed her, tasting the sweetness of the Coke and the pungency of the whiskey on her tongue. He smiled, then pulled back to look at her, his hand cradling the side of her face. “Have I told you that I’m crazy about you? Every time I look at you, I get weak in the knees.”

She laughed. “No, you don’t.”

Shane shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t think you comprehend your own allure.” He led her to the foot of the bed, and then he sat down and gazed up at her.

When he sat there for the longest time, saying nothing, she started to fidget. “Oh, for goodness’ sake!” she said, and she started to move away. Anything to hide her nervousness.

When he made a sound in his throat, Beth froze and looked back at him, captured by the searing heat in his gaze. “What?”

Shane pointed at the floor between his legs. He didn’t say a word, he just pointed.

Beth felt a sudden rush of moist heat suffuse her body, starting low in her belly and radiating outward. She was practically melting inside, and he hadn’t even said a word. How could he do that to her with just a look? Even now, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his.

Shane continued to point at the floor between his legs, his demeanor a mixture of patience and demand. Even though he hadn’t said a word, his message was clear:
Come here.

Beth walked back to him as if lured there by some invisible chain.

When she was within his reach, Shane captured her hand and pulled her between his legs. She was breathing heavily now, her slender nostrils flaring and the edges of her cheeks flushed with color. Her eyes were wide with both anticipation and trepidation.

The mixture of longing and fear in her gaze floored him, and he knew exactly what she needed from him. It wasn’t a spanking she craved so much as the feeling of submission that went with it. The idea of smacking her didn’t sit well with him, even if it was all in play. But the idea of getting her to submit to him, well, that had tremendous appeal.

“Take off your sandals,” he said, how voice low and even.

Beth closed her eyes and took a deep, tremulous breath. She felt like she was standing at the top of a high dive platform, looking down at the water so far below. Did she dare jump? Did she dare step out into the open, knowing she would surely fall, and trust him to catch her?

She knew she could say no. She knew that if she told him to get out of her house, he would go. She
knew
that. And yet, she didn’t want to do either of those things. Her heart yearned to take this chance, to take this leap of faith and trust him to catch her.

“Beth.”

When he used that tone of voice, her insides melted. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest, and stepped off the platform.

Shane found himself holding his breath, his heart kicking in his chest like a jackhammer. They were at a crossroads, a defining point in their budding relationship. He was going to test his suspicions and see how she responded. He was taking a hell of a gamble – what if he was wrong? What if it wasn’t submission she was looking for?

He didn’t release his breath until she placed her shaking hands on his shoulders to steady herself as she slipped off her sandals and nudged them under the bed. She stood between his legs with her eyes closed, as if trying to hide from him as well as from herself.

But there was no hiding from this.
“Look at me, sweetheart.”

Beth’s eyes fluttered open, and he watched her pupils adjust as she focused on him.

Slowly, he reached out and removed her sweater, letting it slip off her shoulders. He caught it as it fell and laid it aside. Then he reached behind her and unzipped her dress. He drew her dress off her shoulders, so slowly, and laid that aside as well. She started trembling as she stood before him in her undergarments. He tugged the half-slip down her long bare legs, leaving her in her panties and bra.

He’d never felt such awe and pleasure from the act of undressing a woman. He traced the top edge of one bra cup, his finger just lightly grazing her soft skin. She shivered at his touch, and he smiled.

“This is the bra Sylvia gave you.”

“Yes.” Her voice was little more than a whisper of breath.

He reached behind her torso and unhooked her bra, then slowly pulled it off her body, watching mesmerized as her pink nipples puckered at exposure to the night air.

Putting his hands on her hips, he gently eased her to the side and closed his legs, creating the perfect platform for her to lie across. He shifted a little, sitting at an angle, so that when she lay across his lap, her torso would be supported by the mattress.

“Lie across my lap, Beth.”

She looked down at his lap, then she looked him in the eye.

“You know the safeword,” he reminded her. “It’s whiskey. You can say it at any time.”   

Beth felt a curious mixture of fear and giddy excitement. She was afraid of the unknown, but at the same time she felt weak-kneed with anticipation. Shane was offering her an experience she’d only read about, something she’d fantasized about for so long. And now here was her chance to experience it firsthand.