Lila's Loves (Haven, Texas 1)

“About twenty minutes out of Freestown.”

“Freestown?” Trace asked, sounding surprised. “What you doing there?”

“I got some groceries, we were nearly out,” she explained. “I left a note,” she added quickly. After her accident, when she’d nearly ended up spending the night in the open by herself, she’d been very careful to make sure they knew where she was going.

“Oh, right, here it is. Sorry, I didn’t see it. I was going to get groceries this afternoon. What vehicle are you driving?”

“Clay’s truck.”

“Goddammit, that’s too big for you to be driving around in. You better not be driving right now,” he warned.

“No,” she said with exasperation. “I pulled off the road, Trace. I’m not stupid.”

“Well, good,” he replied. “I’ll wait at the house for you to get here and help you unpack.”

“I’m fine,” she told him. “You can go back to work.”

“I’ll see you soon,” he said, ignoring her. “Drive slowly and carefully. If you run into any trouble I want you to call me. We really need to get you a car. See you soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, sugar lips.”

Rolling her eyes, a grin on her face, she drove home. Trace walked towards the truck as she pulled up. Opening her door, he caught her with a surprised chuckle as she launched herself at him.

“Now, that’s a greeting a man could get used to,” he told her, squeezing her tight. “You all right?” He stared at her in concern.

“Yep, fine.”

“You’re pale and stressed looking,” he said. “You didn’t run into any trouble while driving the truck, did you?”

“No. I really am all right. I do have something to talk to you about, but later, all right? It’s nothing urgent.”

He watched her for a long moment before nodding. “You go on inside,” he insisted. “I’ll haul these in and you can unpack.”

Grabbing her handbag, she stuffed the bag with the sexy nightgown she’d bought into it and went inside to hide it in her room.

Fifteen minutes later everything was unpacked and she and Trace were sitting in the living room, each with a glass of iced tea.

“Right,” he said, leaning forward with a look on his face which had her bottom clenching. “I’ve sat here waiting for you to speak and you haven’t said a word. So are you going to tell me what you’re fretting about or am I going to put you over my knee and start spanking until you start speaking?”

Her jaw dropped at his words. This wasn’t Trace. Trace was the sane, calm one. That sounded more like something Gavin would say.

“You can’t spank me to make me talk. That’s torture!” she protested indignantly.

He snorted. Then his eyes turned devious. “Well maybe there is another way to get you to talk, how about erotic torture instead?” Reaching for her, he easily pulled her over her lap, holding her as she wriggled and swore.

Goddammit, why couldn’t she have fallen for a weakling? Someone she could have overpowered?

“Let me go, Trace!”

Trace chuckled. “I don’t think so, I like you here like this, at my mercy, open to my touch.” He raised her skirt and tugged down her panties.

“Trace!” she groaned.

“Part your legs, Lila.”

She hesitated and he slapped her butt cheeks.