Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

flinched noticeably. He’d hoped she’d begun to think of this house as her home, but apparently not. Desperate times called for desperate measures, he thought, taking the luggage away from her. He grabbed the handful of dog that was lying nervously on the coverlet and then grabbed the dog’s mistress, and brought all three of them to his room, finally allowing himself to do what he had wanted to do since he ended her spanking – comfort her.

When she hesitated to join him on the bed, though her traitorous dog was already comfortably ensconced, he picked her up and placed her on her left side on the bed, carefully not to touch her bottom to the bed. He then made his own place behind her, cuddling her back against him, with Butchie settled into the curve of her stomach with a contented sigh. He could feel wetness soaking through his shirtsleeve where her cheek lay, and the tears were all the worse for her silence. Barrett closed his arms very tightly around her, saying nothing, just being there.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Eventually, as he’d known they would, her emotions got the best of her, and she started to shake with sobs. He turned her toward him, and that was all the invitation she needed. Her arms crept around his neck as she hid her face against him. Barrett stroked and soothed her as capably as he had spanked and smacked her last night, until she was only hiccoughing slightly. His voice began to rumble into her ear through his chest. “You know that was a very severe spanking you endured. I’m sorry that your first punishment was such a hard one.” He did not apologize for spanking her, just that he was sorry it had had to be such a nasty punishment.

“It should have been harder,” she whispered.

Again, she had managed to say the unexpected. He drew back to look into her swollen, wet eyes. “So you’re not threatening to leave over the spanking,” he stated, not quite believing it.

“Well,” she backtracked a little. “I certainly didn’t like it, and I don’t want to be spanked EVER again.” He smiled, understanding that sentiment perfectly. “But I did deserve it. I don’t deserve to live in this beautiful house after I’ve tried to destroy it.”

A light went on in Barrett’s head. She had accepted the spanking as a just punishment, but had not embraced any feeling of forgiveness or absolution. Perhaps that was his fault. He forced her to look up at him with his fingers under her chin. “You listed to me, Meagan Honoria O’Reilly,” he said sternly. “and listen very carefully: You are forgiven. I am telling you that your beaten bottom is enough restitution, and I own the blasted house.” Tears still traced down her cheeks, faster than he could kiss them away.

“Hear me now and believe me later,” he intoned in a very bad imitation of an Austrian accent, which got him a watery smile.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

“I-I’m s-s-so s-sorry!” she wailed.

“Oh, Baby, I know you are,” he hugged her tightly. “But you have to let go of it. Once you’re punished, it’s over. Don’t dwell; I don’t. And I won’t allow you to leave me.”

The truth of his words shone in Barrett’s eyes – he had forgiven her, totally and without reservation or recrimination. But she didn’t know if she could forgive herself. “You should be shoving me out the door, Barrett.”

He rolled her gently onto her back beneath him. “No, Angel. There’s nothing you could do that would make me not – “

Love you, he finished in his own mind, but not aloud. “ – want you around.”

Stunned by his prior thought, he gazed down into Meg’s beautiful, blotchy red face, realizing the truth of his impulse. He did love her. His plans had been made on the basis of a very fiery mutual lust, but having spent the past month and a half with her, he had come to like her, too. The combination created a very powerful, overwhelming love. There was no way she could leave him now without taking his heart with her.

Meg was too concerned about her own struggle to notice the catch in Barrett’s voice. “Thank you, Bear,” she said quietly, finally allowing the tears to stop.

Barrett pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’re very welcome, Sweetheart. Besides,” he rolled off the bed and stretched. “If you leave, who’s going to feed me?” he baited deliberately, waiting for her to smack him, or throw a pillow or something.

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BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Instead, she rose to her knees, meeting him at the edge of the bed where she still only came up to his shoulder, and pressed her body to his. Meg linked the fingers of both of her hands with his and kissed him, a very deep, soulful kiss that whetted his appetite for other things. In the middle of this passionate, lusty kiss, Barrett began to feel something small and furry wiggling against his leg. He knew it wasn’t Meg, and it wasn’t him. They both looked down and laughed at the anxious little dog at the same time, who was desperately trying to weasel his way between the two of them. Butch had always felt that if there was affection to be doled out, he should be the one on the receiving end, not some undeserving humans.

~ ~ ~

Meg sat at Barrett’s desk, making out her monthly bills. It was getting a lot easier, with the exorbitant amount he paid