Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) (9 page)

“How come you’re allowed to swear and I’m not?” She turned her head to glare at him, her dignity in tatters. She had never been spanked in her life before, nor was it turning out to be the sensuous pleasure she had imagined earlier. Asher’s hand
hurt,
damn it.

“Because, as usual, you’ve pissed me off.” Ash was enjoying spanking Lissa much more than he should have. There was something hot about feeling her firm flesh beneath the palm of his hand, as well as the satisfaction of delivering the well-deserved chastisement.

“And now you’re pissing me off.” Those topaz eyes had fire blazing in their depths.

“I can live with that,” he dismissed as he landed another smack. “I’m still waiting for that apology.”

“Go to hell!”

Ash landed three smacks in quick succession. “I told you to watch your mouth.”

“I don’t answer to you.”

“News flash, Lissa—right here and right now, I’m exactly who you’ll answer to.”

“When hell freezes over!”

“I could just keep spanking you,” he considered. “Problem is, it’s not a punishment when you’re enjoying it so much…” Ash mused as he realized her squirms were now accompanied by throaty moans. “You like having your bottom spanked.” His hand squeezed and caressed the twin orbs of her shapely bottom.

The cheeks on Lissa’s face burned almost as hotly as the ones on her bottom at the truth of his words. Her only consolation was the windows were tinted, so hopefully no one else—including the man in the other SUV—had been able to look inside the vehicle and see what Asher was doing.

And, in spite of the pain, the sting to the flesh on her smacked backside had caused a heat between her thighs that dampened her panties and made her clit throb. Her nipples were also hard and aching.

Her head spun dizzily as she was suddenly flipped up and put back in the passenger seat, her abused bottom stinging more than ever.

“Do up your seat belt— I don’t think so.” Asher pressed down the central lock button as Lissa reached for the door handle.

“Unlock this door,” she ordered between gritted teeth.

“No.” He adjusted his seat and turned on the ignition. “I’m taking you back to your apartment so I can remove your jeans and then finish what I started,” he added determinedly.

“You have to be joking,” she scorned.

“Do I look as if I’m joking?” Asher leveled a steady gaze at her.

“No,” she conceded tautly.

“Going to apologize?”

Her mouth set in a stubborn line. “Absolutely not. Asshole!” she muttered, her tone resentful. Her sore bottom pressing down on the leather seat caused her to squirm with discomfort now.

Asher didn’t answer, his expression grim as he put the car in gear and drove out onto the road.

She had been spanked
in a public car park
, for goodness’ sake.

She didn’t care that no one else had been able to see what was happening, the loss of dignity alone was enough to keep her mulishly silent on the drive to her apartment.

After the way he’d just behaved, there was no way she was going to allow Asher inside her apartment.

Or spank her again.

“Take off your boots, jeans, and panties.”

So much for not allowing Asher into her apartment. Once he had parked the SUV on the street outside, he had got out of the vehicle and walked round to her side. His arm had snaked about Lissa’s waist as she stepped quickly down onto the pavement, intending to make a run for it. He hadn’t even paused as he threw her over one of his shoulders, putting a hand up in acknowledgment of the other man in the second SUV, before carrying her inside the building.

He had totally ignored Lissa as she kicked and pummeled his back in protest. Even getting into her apartment hadn’t proved difficult for him. Asher had just taken her bag off her and looked through the contents until he found the key. He had only put her down once they were inside her apartment.

Lissa had never felt as agitated as she did right now. She glared that anger and frustration at Asher as she answered him. “I want you to leave.”

“Feel like apologizing yet?”

“No.”

Ash had no idea why he was so set on Lissa apologizing.

Maybe lack of sleep.

Sexual frustration.

Genuine anger at Lissa’s earlier accusations.

Any and all of the above, probably.

Along with an ache to resume spanking Lissa’s bottom, bare this time. His flesh touching hers.

Whatever the reason, Ash wasn’t leaving here until he’d extracted that apology. By whatever means.

“Where’s the demon cat?” He hadn’t seen the tricolor cat since they entered the apartment.

“Probably sulking in the bedroom.” Lissa shrugged. “He doesn’t like it when I leave him on his own overnight.”

“Does it happen a lot?”

“No.” Her eyes narrowed at his implication. “Was it a guilty conscience that stopped you from sleeping last night?” she taunted.

“You sharp-tongued little…!” Asher’s jaw tightened. “It probably escaped your notice, but I stood guard outside your father’s hospital room all night.”

Her eyes widened. “You did?”

“I did,” he confirmed. “And one more crack from you about a ‘guilty conscience’ or ‘closing the door after the horse has bolted,’ and I’ll add another ten spanks to the outstanding total.”

“I wasn’t— What outstanding total?” Lissa eyed him warily.

“Ten for your earlier accusation of incompetence. Ten more for swearing at me. By my calculations, you have twelve left to come.”

“You didn’t give me any prior warning you would spank me if I did either of those things.”

“Well, I’m giving you one now.”

“You gave me no warning
before
the fact.”

“Argue as much as you want. It isn’t going to make the slightest difference. Now take off your boots, jeans, and panties.”

Lissa was very aware of how alone they were inside her apartment. As she couldn’t miss the determined glint in Asher’s eyes. He really did intend to continue spanking her.

And that knowledge shouldn’t have sent the heat coursing to her core or caused her nipples to plump into hard and tingling peaks.

What the hell was wrong with her?

Asher
was
an asshole. His threat to continue spanking her was the behavior of a Neanderthal. He—

“Do you want me to start counting down from ten?”

Her frown turned into a scowl. “What I
want
is for you to leave.”

“Not going to happen.”

“This is way out of line—”

“No,
you’re
the one who was way out of line earlier.” His hands were clenched at his sides. “The person you’re pissed at is whoever shot your father. Not me. Not anyone at Knight Security.”

“Sensitive, much?”

“You should know.” He gave a taunting smile.

Lissa felt the blush warm her cheeks at exactly how she knew of Asher’s “sensitivity.” In certain places, at least. Unfortunately, his heart wasn’t one of them.

She gave a shake of her head. “I’m not going to apologize.”

His smile took on a triumphant edge. “I was really hoping you would say that…”

Lissa took a step back from his predatory one. And then another. And another. Until the backs of her knees made contact with her coffee table. She held her hands up defensively. “You can’t do this, Asher.”

“Oh, I believe I can.” He loomed over her. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned as Lissa raised her right leg, bending it at the knee as she did so.

She froze, Asher’s tone all the more dangerous because he spoke so softly. “Think about what?” She played for time as she tried to think of a way out of this situation, and came up empty.

“Sticking that stiletto heel in my foot or kneeing me in the groin,” he drawled. “It will just piss me off even more, and the count will go up exponentially.”

Lissa slowly lowered her foot back onto the carpeted floor. “Okay, I apologize.” She forced the words out. “You’re a brute and a bully, and I can’t imagine what I ever saw in you, but I apologize. Satisfied now?” She glared at him resentfully.

“No.”

“I apologized, damn it!”

“But there was a distinct lack of sincerity in your voice when you did.”

“Yesterday was traumatic. I’ve been awake most of the night.” Tears stung her eyes as she blinked up at him. “I’m just so tired, Asher.”

“Okay.” He sighed. “I’m willing to commute your sentence of twelve spanks until after we’ve both had some sleep.”

Some of the tension drained out of her shoulders. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

“I’m pretty happy about it too.”

“Well?” she prompted seconds later when he made no move to leave.

He raised his brows. “Well, what?”

“I want to go to bed,” she reminded him.

“I thought you would never ask.” Asher grinned as he bent to lift her up into his arms, one arm under her knees, the other about her shoulders as he strode down the hallway toward her bedroom.

“Asher…?” Her arms clung about his muscular shoulders.

He quirked one dark eyebrow. “You said you were tired.”

“Not too tired to walk.”

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there? Can’t you see I’m being gallant, woman.” He scowled.

“You’re being a—mmfph.” Lissa’s next words were muffled by Asher’s mouth taking possession of hers.

So much had happened since the last time Asher kissed her. Ethan’s interruption of their lovemaking. Learning her father had been shot. The rush to the hospital. Dealing with her mother’s coldness. Sitting alone at her father’s bedside all night. The argument with Asher this morning.

And yet it was as if no time had passed at all as her lips parted and she returned the passion of Asher’s kiss.

Lissa gave a groan as she lost herself in that kiss, only Asher existing at that moment, and the release they had both been denied yesterday morning.

She broke the kiss long enough to murmur, “Stay.” She had spent all those hours alone at the hospital last night. She didn’t want to be alone again now.

His brows rose. “I thought you’d realized that was my intention all along.”

“Arrogant bastard,” she said without rancor.

He gave a low chuckle. “Not sure if that’s an improvement on asshole or not.”

“It is,” she conceded dryly.

Ash shrugged. “If you say so.” He entered the bedroom to see the tricolor cat sprawled across the middle of the bed. “I’ll leave you to remove demon cat.” He placed her down on the side of the bed. “While I go and run the shower.”

“Is that a polite way of telling me I smell?”

“Polite? Me? Do you have me confused with someone else?”

She gave a tired chuckle. “I’m not sure I have the energy for a shower.”

“You’ll feel better for it,” he promised, knowing from personal experience that he always felt like shit if he didn’t shower after being up as long as Lissa had.

“If you say so.” Lissa picked the sleeping cat up and cuddled him in her arms. “One angry male in my life is more than enough right now,” she added ruefully as the cat wriggled out of her arms and jumped to the floor, landing on all fours before walking out of the bedroom, his tail held disdainfully high.

Ash paused. “I’m not angry, Lissa.”

“You were earlier.”

“When you get to know me better, you’ll realize that I don’t stay angry for long.”

She arched her brows. “Does that mean you’re letting me off those twelve more spanks?”

“No,” he answered dryly. “It means that
when
I spank you again, not
if
, it won’t be done in anger. Our father taught all of us never to hit anyone when we’re angry. By the time we reached our teens, my brothers and I were all pretty big and could have done serious damage.”

She gazed at him quizzically. “Is he still alive?”

“Unfortunately, no. He and my mother were both killed in an airplane crash thirteen years ago.”

“Do you still miss them?”

“Every day.”

She sighed shakily. “My family is all screwed up, isn’t it?”

“It’s far from ideal, I’ll grant you that. But you turned out okay.” His voice lightened. “So your parents must have done something right.”

Her brows rose to her hairline. “I
turned out okay
?”

“Fishing for compliments?” he teased.

“Is that likely to happen?”

“Not right now, no. You’re tired and cranky, and you smell— Ouch!” he complained as a pillow hit him in the chest. “That wasn’t nice.”

“Neither was what you said. Besides, I’m allowed. I’m tired and cranky, remember?”

Ash liked Lissa in this playful mood. Even if he knew that a lot of it was forced. The trauma of the past twenty-four hours had to have taken its toll on her, physically as well as emotionally. “You forgot the smelly part,” he drawled, throwing the pillow back at her before disappearing into the bathroom.