Impulsive (The Soldier's Firm Hand) (8 page)

“Good girl.” He tugged lightly on the plug. “Does that feel alright?”

“It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you mean.” I squeezed around it tentatively. “I’m not sure
alright
is the word I’d use.” Bizarre and uncomfortable sprang to mind first.

Jared laughed. “I’m going to do twenty strokes on each side, and I want you to count for me.”

“Forty?” I squeaked. That sounded like an awful lot for going easy on me. “Okay, just do it. I’m fine.”

He started light, alternating sides with easy slaps that barely hurt. I relaxed. This I could handle, no problem. My hips wiggled as warmth spread across my bottom. Dutifully, I counted off each jiggling slap. Partway through, I noticed a prickly, tingling heat surrounding the plug.

“What’s the count? Getting distracted already?” He chuckled. “Am I boring you?”

“No, it... what is that?” I squeezed the plug experimentally and winced as the intensity of the tingle increased enough to be uncomfortable. “It feels strange. Ten? Was it ten?” I couldn’t remember what I’d last called out.

“If you say so.” He squeezed my cheeks together for a moment, intensifying the burn.

The next blow was harder, making me jump and grunt with surprise. I could tell by the satisfied note in his voice that we’d probably been well past that mark and my inattention had just bought me some extra strokes.

Shoot.

His slaps had started with a light, almost pleasant sting, but each built upon the one before it and now he was gradually adding more force. I could really feel the blast of pain as his palm landed back and forth with a resounding crack on the tender spots where my thighs met my bottom.

“Eighteen,” I bit out through clenched teeth. Everything burned, inside and out.

Jared started slapping the backs and sides of my thighs. His palm would land on my skin with a echoing slap of flesh, and then the sharp pain from the last would just about fade when his hand came down again and new agony bloomed.

It was so hard to concentrate, but I was terrified of losing track again, and focused hard on remembering to count. My voice was rough and strained as I barked out each number with a gasp.

“Thirty.” Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes from squeezing them shut.

Had I ever really thought getting spanked was sexy? Well it wasn’t anymore. If I tensed, fire erupted in my poor bottom around the plug. I wanted it to be over, but all I could do was take what he gave. My legs shook and my head hung in shame.

“Almost there. You’re doing so well, kitten.”

I snarled, not really wanting to enjoy his praise. I wanted to be mad at him, but I knew I’d gone into this willingly. Even worse, I still couldn’t help leaning into his touch, taking what small comforts I could get.

On forty, he gave that horrid little plug a quick twist and it slid right out. It was all too much, and I let out a ragged wail. I was so glad it was gone, but the burn remained, a fiery reminder that lingered no matter how much I shifted and squirmed.

He sat down on the bed and pulled me into his lap. I sniffled miserably, pressing my face into his shirt like a child. His strong arms were around me instantly, holding me tight and making me feel safe and loved.

“Shhhh, it’s over now.” Jared tucked my hair behind my ears and stroked my back.

“That wasn’t nice at all, that hurt!” I smacked him lightly on the chest, which was about as satisfying as hitting a brick wall. “That
thing
you used wasn’t really a potato, was it?”

A deep laugh rumbled under my cheek. “A potato? Don’t be silly. That would be weird. It was only ginger.”

Just talking about it made me clench and wiggle but I laughed in spite of myself. “Oh right, because
that’s
totally normal.”

“I’ll have you know it’s a very traditional technique,” he said with a smirk. “And a hell of a lot of fun to watch.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but when he cupped my chin with his hand and pressed his lips to mine, I stopped caring about getting the last word. His tongue slid between my lips, capturing my mouth and coaxing me into a passionate dance. I straddled him, letting my hands roam over his washboard abs, and my nipples rub against his shirt until they were so hard they ached.

My legs spread wide, and I moved against the wonderfully solid length of him that was pushing against me from under his jeans. One of his hands moved down between us, and I whimpered as his fingers slipped through my folds and pressed up against my core. I tore my mouth away from his, gasping at how quickly he’d been able to take me from aching with pain to aching with need.

Maybe they were really just two sides of the same coin, because that driving need overrode what little modesty I had left.

“I need you inside me.” It was the ultimate connection, and after the emotional rollercoaster I’d been on that day, I needed to finally feel him claim me. My fingers worked frantically at his belt. “Please tell me you picked up something else with me in mind.”

Jared kissed my neck, his stubble dragging against my ticklish skin. “Number one on my shopping list.”

I practically purred as we stripped off his shirt. “You. Naked. Right now.” My tongue licked a trail across his well-defined chest, he tasted like sunshine, sweat and the ocean.

“Yes, ma’am. Far be it from me to ignore such an important order.”

He tossed me unceremoniously onto the bed. I hit the mattress and let out a squeal as a rush of pain burst out from my well spanked bottom. There was no time to dwell on it though, because in no time flat, he stood before me like an erotic dream come to life.

Jared took my breath away, and by some incredible twist of fate, he was all mine. I leaned back and teased him with a view of me running my fingers down my body and over my needy sex as I took in the best view of my life.

A woman possessed, I’d never been so free, but the way he was looking at me left no room for self consciousness. He stalked forwards, eyes burning with intensity like a hungry wolf, ready to gobble up its willing prey. There was the quick tear of a condom wrapper and then his body settled on top of mine, forcing my legs apart to accommodate him.

I arched my back as his smooth hardness stroked against my core. He kissed my puckered nipples in turn, sucking them in as he pressed me into the bed. I pulled his head closer, encouraging every glorious pull of his mouth.

“Please,” I begged. My hips were twisting, attempting to get him just where I needed him even though each movement pressed my tortured skin into the bed. It didn’t even hurt anymore, the sensations had blended together until pleasure and pain were one and the same.

He pulled my hands away, capturing my wrists and pinning them over my head. It only took one of his huge palms to hold me in place. With the other, he held himself steady as his erection slipped between my folds and pressed slowly into my slick channel.

We groaned together as he sank in and my inner muscles stretched around his girth. The thick slide of him was like heaven, every feeling magnified by the fiery remnants of my punishment.

His muscles shifted and strained above me. Without my hands, I was helpless to do much more than take him. Something I was more than willing to do, because every rhythmic thrust brought me closer and closer to the edge until my hips were bucking underneath him, searching for that one extra touch, grind or caress that would tip me over into ecstasy.

With a growl, Jared let go of my arms and flipped me onto my stomach, pulling my hips up so he could take me from behind. I gasped as he impaled me to the hilt, this new position letting him go even deeper.

“I love seeing my marks on you. You’re so sexy like this, spread out for me.” His voice was low and rough, strained with passion.

Deep inside, he seemed to grow and fill me until I could barely stand it. His hips struck my tender thighs as he plunged into me.
So close.
My breath came in rapid pants, legs trembling.

“More,” I gasped. “Give me more.”

His response was a harsh growl before he put a hand on my shoulder and took me with a wild ferocity that was nearly feral. I cried out at the intensity, and again when his other hand landed on my bottom with a smack that I felt reverberating in every last corner of my body.

That unexpected sting of pain dropped into me like the last piece of a puzzle, and I exploded around him with an ecstatic cry. He moaned as my velvety channel pulsed around him, pulling him deeper and squeezing tight.

Jared’s hands dug into my waist as he gave in to my body’s primal urgings for his own orgasm. With one last plunge, he clutched me tight and emptied himself within me. His throbbing release felt like a second heartbeat in my core, and I was shocked by how much I wished I could’ve felt him fully, skin to skin.

This was more than just good sex. I’d been right to worry about losing my heart to him, because in only a few short days, Jared had managed to turn my life upside down and make me long for a future very different from the lonely track I’d been on.

Afterwards, cradled in his arms, I whispered, “Is it too soon to say I think I could love you?” I tensed, afraid my impulsive moment of honesty would leave me vulnerable to rejection.

He kissed the top of my head, quiet, but not letting me go or pushing me away. “It was never too soon, kitten, because I think I was already a goner when you fell at my feet.”

*** Jared ***

“W
hat do you think, are you next?” Grant fiddled with his tie as they stood at the altar, waiting for Janie to emerge and walk down the aisle.

Jared grunted noncommittally, but standing there in front of their friends and family, he had to admit that it was hard not to imagine being in his brother’s place. They hadn’t made any plans yet officially, but he knew without a doubt that Lauren was the woman for him. It was just a matter of timing, and figuring out how to make it work with their very different lives.

And hoping she’d say yes.

The three months they'd spent apart while he was in training had felt like forever. He’d only been home for a couple of days now, and they still hadn’t spoken alone more than once or twice since she came into town for the wedding. The bachelor party, rehearsals and an endless stream of errands his mother assured him were essential had been eating up every spare minute.

Admittedly, the few times he
had
managed to drag her aside were infinitely better than the email and the video calls they’d been making do with, but he’d hoped Grant’s wedding would give them a chance to reconnect, not just pass each other in the hall on their separate duties. How many things did you really have to photograph? In ten years was anyone going to care that they’d documented some of this stuff?

Not that he said that to the bride. He’d seen what had happened when his father had suggested not needing matching tuxedos.

The music started, the doors at the back of the church opened, and while everyone else was oohing and ahhing over the bride, Jared only had eyes for a certain photographer that was flitting around like a butterfly in a garden full of flowers.

Lauren snapped a picture of him and Grant, and for a moment their gazes met over her camera and everything stopped. She smiled shyly and looked away, quickly going back to work but leaving him choked up.

Jared coughed and stood up straight, trying to hang onto the shreds of his dignity.

“Oh yeah, welcome to the club. You’re doomed, bro.” Grant whispered.

He smiled and spoke through his teeth. “Shut up, squirt, or I’ll have those pictures I took at your bachelor party added to the album. I happen to have an in with the photographer.”

“Go right ahead. Just remember who’s in charge of the speech when it’s your turn.”

Janie’s father handed her off to Grant, and Jared moved to the side. It was hard to imagine that only a few months earlier he’d considered himself a dedicated bachelor, and now he couldn’t imagine
not
wanting to keep his little stray for good. Something had shifted when they met, and nothing less than the full package was acceptable anymore.

––––––––

*** Lauren ***

“O
h, honey, I’m so glad you’re here.” Betty wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight. “I knew it was meant to be. Didn’t I tell you? I don’t know why everyone doesn’t just listen to me in the first place. It would save us all a lot of time.”

I grinned and happily hugged her back. “Someone had to come take the pictures, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you think for an instant that you’re here just to take pictures, you’re out of your mind. I’ve seen the way that boy’s been looking at you, and it has nothing to do with your camera.”

I’d seen it too, and I was surprised nobody had noticed that I’d been walking on air all day long. I was happy for Grant and Janie too of course, their wedding had been beautiful, but now that the reception was in full swing I could relax a little, and all I wanted to do was drag a certain soldier out back to show him exactly how much I’d missed him the last few months.

“Do you mind if I borrow this lovely lady from you, Betty?” Jared had sneaked up behind us and put his arm around my waist.

“About time, young man,” she snorted. “You don’t leave pretty single women alone at weddings unless you want them snatched up by other men. Places like this give people ideas, you know.”

Jared laughed and pulled me out onto the dance floor. “Is that true?”

My arms slid around his waist and I leaned into him. “I wouldn’t know, but I’ve learned to take her at her word, so better safe than sorry.”

“I missed this.” He leaned down and rubbed his face against my hair. “You smell so much better than the guys I’ve been stuck with lately.”

“Glad to hear it. I would hate to not have anything to coax you back with.” I looked up with a glare into eyes that were sparkling with amusement. “I missed you too,” I added softly.

And I had, more than I would ever have thought I could miss someone. He’d come to visit a few times after I went home, but then he’d had to go out of town. It wasn’t all bad. Those three months had given us the opportunity to get to know each other better, and in my case, what they say is true, absence really did make the heart grow fonder.