Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
He leaned in so he could whisper in her ear, “Where I come from, little girls do as they’re told unless they want to be taken across their daddy’s lap.”
She yanked her chin away from him and looked away. Shit. She was pulling this now? He scraped the last of his food with his spoon and ate it quickly, before he stood and handed his bowl and Aida’s to Doc. He took her by the hand and squeezed, pulling her so that she stood close by his side.
Her lips were still pursed, and she continued muttering. “Crick in my neck the size of a goose egg. Filthy men who eat with their mouths open. My dress needs a good scrub, and this coffee is the worst swill I’ve ever downed in my life.” She tried fruitlessly to pull her hand away from his, but he held fast. He’d not abide brats at any time, least of all at a time when her safety was in a precarious position. Cole held tight to her hand and clenched his jaw.
“Aida, you mind your tongue,” he ordered.
To his surprise, she finally yanked her hand away from him, planted both hands on her hips, and glared. “No.”
A sudden flash of shock hit him a split second before his instincts kicked in. Didn’t matter what had gotten into the little brat. Didn’t matter who was there, or that they had a schedule to keep. She needed a firm hand. She needed a good, hard spanking to get her head on straight. His gaze flitted to his strap before he turned his head, narrowing his eyes on the thin branches of a nearby birch. The strap would be loud and draw unwanted attention. He needed something that would be quiet and sting enough to make a good, lasting impression.
Doc eyed him wordlessly as he stacked the dirty bowls. Cole tucked Aida by his side, and marched her past the rest of the men. Junior stood with his arms crossed, his eyes focused on Monty in undisguised hatred. At least they’d be able to get by him without raising his goddamn protective instincts of all things feminine. Justice sat close enough to Monty’s crew that one would think he was one of them, laughing his fool head off at something one of Monty’s men was saying to him. The sight set Cole’s nerves on edge. It might do well to feign friendship, but he wondered how much Justice was actually feigning. He was not amused by the fact that her behavior was taking him away from what he needed to do here, with his men. She’d get another good round for that.
“Let go of my hand,” Aida hissed.
He held her hand harder. “One more word, little girl,” he warned. “One more word and I’ll bare your backside in front of all of them.”
He regretted the words the second they left his mouth, as Cole never made idle threats. But he’d spoken too soon. He didn’t want to bare her in front of the other men, but now that he’d said it, he would follow through, if only because he was a man of his word. Better to teach her he meant what he said than risk her losing the edge of fear she’d been taught in the short time they’d been together. But fortunately, the threat had the desired effect, and she fell into silent but furious step beside him.
“We’ll be back soon,” he muttered to Doc, who merely nodded and continued scraping the dishes clean. Cole felt the eyes of Monty and his crew on his back, but he continued dragging her along with him down to a secluded area, wooded but dimly lit with moonlight.
“You’re hurting my hand,” she protested, trying again to pull away.
“Darlin’, I’m gonna hurt more than your hand.”
“You brute!” she said in a furious whisper.
“At your service,” he replied with a dark chuckle. “And you’re a brat, so don’t we make a pair.”
“Let go!” she said, trying again to pull away, and she even kicked her foot at him. They were now a good enough distance away from the rest of the crew, so he no longer had to endure her childish fits in silence. He spun her around and gave her two rapid swats over her clothed bottom, which made her stomp the ground, but he held fast. Dragging her to a tall white birch tree, he pushed her so that her back was up against it. Her eyes flashed at him, splotches of angry red on her cheeks as she glared.
His own anger rose as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Young lady, you’ve earned yourself a good lickin’. You’ll stand here until I call you to me, and if you move, I’ll finish our little talk tonight with a good round with my strap.” He paused and dropped his voice. “If you think I’m lyin’, darlin’, try me.”