Cole's Mistake (Haven, Texas 8)

Each thwap of the paddle burned her already seared skin. She moaned. Something started to loosen inside her as the paddle continued to land. That barrier around her darker emotions broke down and tears started dripping down her face.

She sobbed. Finally. It felt like she’d been given permission to let go.

“Wait, stop!” Cole called out to Jul

ian.

Behind her, her husband paused.

“No!” she cried. “Don’t stop! Please!”

“You’re okay, kitten?” Julian asked.

“Please keep going. Please.”

“She’s fine,” Julian said to Cole.

The other man gave her a doubtful look.

“She has her safeword. She’ll use it if she needs to,” Julian reassured Cole.

“I don’t want to stop.”

“You’re sure, Keira?” Cole asked.

“I just . . . the pain is helping. Please, Julian.”

The paddle landed again. It took three stripes of its scorching sting to bring the tears back. Another two to make her sob. One final smack and he was done. But so was she. She continued to cry, but she felt lighter. Freer. Oh, it was so nice.

Cole quickly untied her wrists. Then Julian helped her up, swinging her into his arms.

“She needs aftercare,” he shot over his shoulder as he strode down to their bedroom. She wondered how Cole would take being ordered around. But Julian was in full Dom mode right now. She needed care, and he was programmed to give it.

Hell, she wasn’t complaining. She’d take aftercare all day long. Nothing she loved more than being coddled.

Julian laid her gently down on their tiny bed, he lay on his back next to her, cuddling her into his side and running his hand up and down her back soothingly. The bed was a double, but with Julian’s wide shoulders and the dip in the middle of the mattress it felt like they were sleeping on top of each other.

Cole walked into their bedroom, his gaze roaming around. Their bedroom was like the rest of the house. Small and outdated. But she reminded herself that while they might have bought everything at a secondhand store, it was all clean and tidy. Julian was the cleaner in their relationship. And the cook. She could cook, but she hated it.

And Julian preferred to do all those chores anyway. He had his own demons he needed to exorcise and, for some reason, housework helped him tame those beasts.

Hey, who was she to argue, right?

She reached down and tried to grab her shirt to cover her ass.

“Don’t kitten,” Julian told her gently. “You’re beautiful, let him see you.”

She glanced over his shoulder at Cole. His gaze was heated, intent as he studied her. He leaned against the doorway. It was like he wasn’t going to set foot in the room without her invitation.

She licked her lips then removed her hand. If they were going to do this, then he would see her naked. And if he didn’t like what he saw . . . well, screw him.

Oh, fuck. She liked to talk the big talk but, in reality, she’d be devastated.

Julian rolled so he faced her then he cupped her face with his hand and kissed her gently. “You took your punishment so beautifully, I’m proud of you, kitten.”

More tears filled her eyes at his words. “Thank you. That level of pain, it helped free something inside me.”

“I could tell. We need to experiment with that to help you when you need to unwind.”