Corbin (The Theriot Family)

“I’m going to discipline you.” As soon as I said that, I knew I’d be looking for any opportunity to put him over my lap, push his pants to his knees, and spank his bare ass.

That was the road to hell, and I knew better than to set one foot on it, but damn, he was calling to me so loudly. Every protective instinct inside me, every urge to tame his bratty nature, made me want to take steps I shouldn’t. I wanted him to know I could bend him to my will. I could make him obey. I could make him beg me for more.

He scowled at me. “Do you really think you can get away with that?”

“Do you want to earn respect or be rescued? Because if you want their respect, you won’t go crying to them because I pushed you to actually work for something.”

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was soft now, and confusion was clear in his eyes.

“Because I can. Because I like challenges.”

“You like seeing just how much you can take advantage of people.”

“And you don’t?”

Corbin rolled his eyes. “I do what my family tells me to.”

I shook my head and laughed. “No. I don’t think you do. I don’t think you’d be in this mess right now if you did.”

“I made a mistake, and I’m trying to fix it.”

“You made a mistake, and you’re trying to bully me into fixing it for you, but I won’t bend to what you want. I don’t have to do what you say, and I don’t care who you are. Is this the first time you’ve ever encountered someone like me?”

His teeth sank into his lower lip, and I wanted to pull it into my mouth and suck on it until it was swollen and bruised. I wanted to put my mark on him. I was a fool. I had no business messing with him. I should fix the damn car and send him on his way, but I was in this now, and I wasn’t going to walk away.

“What’s it going to be?”

A second passed and then another. “I agree to your terms, but I’m not answering any more questions tonight.”

I studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. Go home and get some sleep. I’m going to work you hard starting Monday.”

“I should be treated like any other employee. You don’t get to—”

“I get to do whatever I want because I’m doing you a favor.”

“You’re a mechanic. I want to pay you to fix a car. That’s not a favor.”

“It is when I’m not supposed to let the car’s owner know I did the work.”

“Do you actually want to make me work or are you just looking for a chance to be an asshole to me?”

“If you do what I tell you, there won’t be any reason for me to be an asshole.”

“I didn’t know you needed a reason.”

I grinned at him. This was going to be a hell of a lot of fun. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I held up a finger indicating Corbin should wait while I looked at the screen.

It was my brother. That wasn’t good. I answered the call, even though I’d much rather continue to push Corbin’s buttons.

“I’m scared, Beau,” Travis said.

“What happened?”

“Someone threw a flaming brick through my window. If I hadn’t been here, the place would’ve burned down. I put it out and nothing else happened, but I’m scared to be here by myself.

If he thought I was going to let him come here, he was very wrong. I was willing to help him, but he wasn’t bringing more of his shit down on me, and I wasn’t going to spend my time protecting him when he hadn’t given a damn about me.

“There are weapons in the shack. You’re going to have to deal with things yourself.” I wanted to keep him safe, but I wasn’t going to put more energy into that when I had people here who were loyal to me and Corbin, who was… What? An arrogant brat? Or something more?

“I can’t do that, Beau, I’m not—”

“If you’d made trustworthy friends, you’d have someone else to call.”

“You said you wanted to help me.”

I had said that, but there were limits. “Are you still going to pretend you don’t know who’s behind this?”

“I don’t.”

“Bullshit.”

“Please, Beau. If you help me, you’ll help yourself. They want you back in prison.”

“That was obvious when they—” I’d almost forgotten Corbin could hear every word I said.

“You can’t just leave me to die?”

Couldn’t I? “Isn’t that what you did to me?”

I considered telling him I had alerted my old crew to his predicament, so he wasn’t as alone as he thought, but I wasn’t feeling very charitable, not when he was trying to guilt me into helping him.