Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

He still had a hold of her, and she was grateful her sleeves hadn’t ridden up to show the fading bruises on her wrist. She’d been wearing long-sleeved shirts all week. She just hoped that by Monday they’d be faded enough for her to go back to something lighter.

“I burned it,” she admitted.

“On what?”

“I’m guessing a radiator lid?”

He stared down at her in shock. “You did this the other day?”

Biting her lip, she nodded hesitantly.

“God damn it! You touched a hot motor? What were you thinking?”

“Well, obviously I wasn’t thinking that if it was smoking it would be hot.”

“Thea,” he growled.

“I’m not sure I know what you want me to say,” she told him. “I touched something I shouldn’t have, it burned me. End of story.”

“Not end of story. End of story would have been you telling me you burned yourself as soon as I turned up.”

“It was nothing.”

He gently held up her hand. “This is not nothing, Thea. Let me see it.”

“No,” she replied stubbornly.

“Thea,” he growled. “Let. Me. See. It.”

* * *

Carrick had never had the urge to spank someone more. He enjoyed dispensing discipline in the bedroom, but he’d never spanked someone outside the bedroom or a scene.

Maybe that’s where he’d gone wrong.

Maybe if he’d spanked Sally, his life wouldn’t have imploded the way it had. Perhaps she wouldn’t have turned into a complete bitch set on ruining everything in her path.

“Thea, let me see your hand. This is the last time I’m going to ask.”

Her gaze narrowed. “What happens if I refuse again? Are you going to force me?”

Yes.

Shit. She barely knew him. He couldn’t force her or she might just disappear on him. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly searching for patience.

“Please let me see it. I hate knowing you were injured and hid it from me. That you were hurting when I could have done something.”

The tension faded from her body. “I’m not your responsibility.”

But he wanted her to be.

“Please, Thea. I won’t be able to stop thinking about it until I see that you’re okay.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “Are you even real?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just . . . most people would have driven past me. They wouldn’t have cared that my car had broken down. That I didn’t have the money to pay for repairs. They definitely wouldn’t have bribed me to go on a date with them. Especially not someone who looks like you. Obviously, you don’t have a problem getting a date.”