Read Online Vulnerable by Allyson Young - Free Book Online Page B

be able to sleep now of course. Elise didn’t want to talk. She wanted to move forward and leave everything else behind. She didn’t want Ross’s pity, or worse, his disgust and censure. She would lie awake for the second night in a row and figure out a way to make him understand.

Chapter Seven
     
    Elise opened her eyes the moment her nose registered the smell of coffee brewing. She was lying on her stomach, a placement she never took in sleep, but the tenderness in her nether regions immediately served to remind her why it was she was in that position. The events of the evening came flooding back and with them her resolution to convince Ross to leave the past alone. She had taken her correction and made amends, and it was never going to happen again. She rolled onto one hip and hitched her way over to swing her feet to the floor without putting any weight on her buttocks. Hooey. That man sure packed a wallop. Her daddy had spanked her and her sisters when they were little, but he had just tapped them for effect. Her ex had hurt her, but had never spanked her. Ross had punished her and at the same time helped her make amends and forgive herself. It was twisted maybe, but it felt quite acceptable, and she would take it.
    She tottered into the bathroom and looked at her bottom, twisting to see herself in the mirror. It was still faintly red, and she thought it was swollen, too. Sitting would be a feat for the next while. At least he hadn’t used his belt. Elise looked at her reflection in not a little amazement. She had just accepted the fact that she would give Ross her submission and accept whatever he wanted to give her and give whatever he wanted from her, because he knew what she needed. Ross appeared behind her, reflected in the mirror, and her heart fluttered at the solemn yet caring look on his face. He was naked from the waist up and his big, muscled torso gleamed in the artificial light, his bare feet looking incongruous beneath his tailored pants.
    “I was going to bring you coffee, Elise, but I see you woke first.”
    Elise suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed and looked down at the vanity. Ross turned her to face him and took her chin in one of his big hands, tilting her head back and forcing her to look at him. His five-o’clock shadow was highly pronounced, and he resembled a pirate. His eyes locked with hers, and he leaned in to kiss her mouth. “S’okay, Elise. That part is done. You won’t make that mistake again. You will not run from me.”
    She nodded, still unable to respond verbally, and his eyes softened. He helped her lower herself to the toilet, and she did her level best not to show that sitting was a bitch. He then turned to start filling the bath.
    “A soak will help your ass, honey, and I’ll have a look at your bottom hole once you’re done. You hop in, and I’ll go get that coffee. What do you take in it?”
    “There’s sweetened creamer in the fridge,” she heard herself say, the total intimacy of the moment stunning her. He dropped a kiss on her hair and left the tiny bathroom. Elise put her face in her hands and decided she would laugh rather than cry. She carefully wiped herself and then flushed the john, the water pressure dropping in the tub and the sound of roaring water changing in cadence. It kind of resonated with the sound her brain was making.
    It was initially uncomfortable to sit in the tub but she piled her hair up on the top of her head and leaned back, allowing her hips to lift a little and ease the pressure. The lukewarm water actually felt really good, and she closed her eyes only to snap them open when the coffee smell increased in intensity.
    Ross held the cup to her lips and she sipped at the brew, reveling in the sweet, creamy taste overshadowed by the darkness of the java. It was dark like Ross, and sweet like him, too.
    “That chemical crap will kill you, honey. Better you use raw sugar and real cream.”
    Well, maybe not so sweet. Elise stared at him.