Claiming His Wife (Domestic Discipline 4)

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Alex wasn't sure what eventually woke him. He and Grace had slept in a tangle of limbs, both of them needing it after the emotionally fraught afternoon.

At first, he thought he'd be more frustrated that such a stupid miscommunication had kept them apart for so long. Then he'd realized it had been far more than that. Their relationship hadn't had the foundation of trust that it needed. If they had been more open about their feelings for each other, she would have felt more comfortable coming to him, questioning him, rather than running with little to no explanation. That was just as much his fault as it was hers. As was his conversation with her father.

He'd never make that kind of stupid mistake again.

Grace should always feel valued. Cherished. No matter whether he thought she could hear or not, he'd never disparage her again. She was worth far more than any deal.

Perhaps it truly had taken losing her for him to realize how much he valued her, because he wasn't sure if he would have had those same thoughts before. If she had come to him, if she had told him she overheard, he would have expected her to understand why he'd done it. Now he understood that it didn't matter why, he should have never spoken like that to begin with. It didn’t mattered what her father thought, or how he did business, Alex should hold true to his own standards. Standards that didn’t include running down his wife, just because the man in front of him didn’t value her the way Alex did.

Thankfully, it seemed that she had grown up as well, because she'd finally forgiven him. At least, he assumed that was why there were fingertips stroking sensu

ally down his chest.

When he opened his eyes, she looked up at him. Although her eyes were still pink around the edges, and slightly swollen, she looked beautiful. Her face was no longer flushed, and she looked... lighter somehow. As there had been a measure of sadness in her eyes that was now gone.

"Hello," he murmured, sliding his hand down to her bottom and rocking against her.

She winced and a little whimper escaped her lips, but she didn't stop stroking his chest, even though he'd just reawakened the fiery sting from her earlier spanking. Her reaction just sent even more blood surging to his already hard cock as she squirmed against it.

"Hello," she responded, almost shyly. Tipping her head back, she looked at him more fully, and he was overwhelmed by the trust he saw in her eyes. It was hesitant, wary, but it was there. "I'm sorry I threw that tantrum earlier... I should have just come to talk to you."

"Yes, you should have," Alex agreed, but his voice was also soft and mild. He kissed her, gently, tenderly. "I'm glad that this time you came to me though, rather than running. I'd rather have you throwing things at me than leaving me again."

Grace giggled, blushing as she thought about her childish behavior. She almost wondered if her display had been another test for him. To see what he would tolerate from her. Wanting to know how he'd react. If it had been a test, he'd certainly passed.

"I won't run again," she said. Even though it was true, she could still hear the slight hint of uncertainty in her voice. This new rapport between them was still fragile, even if she was finally giving herself leave to hope. She wanted to think that she would stay and try to work things out... but what if he did something awful again?

She squeaked as he rolled her onto her back, settling himself between her legs, pinning her to the bed. The position made her bottom throb a bit. Even though it had recovered somewhat during her nap, the surface was still quite sensitive. Still, she loved the feel of Alex's weight on top of her, solid and imposing. The head of his cock was brushing against her pussy lips, making her want to rock her hips and push him inside of her.

When she'd first woken, she'd started touching him, almost in wonderment that he was there... but also because she'd been aroused.

"If you run again, I won't make the same mistake I did last time," Alex said quietly, his eyes boring into hers. His words had the feel of a vow. "I will chase you down and I will blister your bottom. First, for leaving me again, and secondly, so you tell me why. I’ll admit, I'm not sure I would have handled it the way I should have, if you had come to me the last time. What I said to your father was wrong, and it did take our separation for me to realize how wrong. If you had come to me, I would have expected you to understand, but it's me who should have had a better understanding of how to be a husband. I thought I was happy with the marriage we had, but now I know I want more. I want what Edwin and Eleanor have, what Hugh and Irene have, and what I'm fairly certain Wesley and Cynthia are going to have. I'm sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my ass."

Grace reached up, cupping his face in her hands, feeling the wiry scrape of his facial hair against her palms. The tender, fierce look in his eyes was everything she could have ever wanted.

"I want that too," she whispered, unable to speak any louder when her throat felt so choked with his beautiful promise. Even the promise to spank her if she ran was beautiful, because it showed how much he cared. "I love you."

"I love you," he murmured back, his gaze flickering over her face, until he met her eyes again. The warmth and caring she saw in them slid through the last of her defenses, melting every sliver of ice still in her heart, and crumbling the remains of her walls to dust. She had no trouble believing that he meant every word that he said.

It would be so easy for both of them to resent the other. They'd both made mistakes, at the beginning of their marriage and throughout their separation, but neither of them wanted to dwell in the past. Alex had been focused on their future from the very moment he'd decided to reconcile, and Grace had joined him in that outlook after she realized he was serious and that there might be hope for the kind of marriage she'd always wanted.

She drew him down for a kiss, rocking her hips against his, wanting - needing - him inside of her. Alex pulled his knees up to take his weight, allowing him to slide his hands down her sides, caressing and teasing the sides of her breasts, before cupping them more fully. Moaning against his lips, she canted her hips upwards, seeking him, as he thrummed her nipples with his thumbs.

Hot pleasure flashed through her, making her need simmer. She craved the intimacy of love-making, a physical enactment of their declarations to each other. Whimpering as Alex pinched her nipples, her fingers tangled in his hair as she kissed him harder, more desperately.

Groaning, he rocked, and the length of his cock slid through her pussy lips, coating the underside of his rod in her honey. Grace moaned as the head bumped against and then passed over her clit, making the little bud swell. One hand came down to rake nails over his shoulder, clutching at him. The slight pain in her bottom from her previous spanking was already fading, melding into the pleasure that was growing in her core.

She made an impatient noise, wriggling as Alex squeezed her breasts, pinching and rolling her nipples between his fingers. It felt so incredibly good, and at the same time it wasn't nearly enough. The sensations went straight to her pussy, which only made her aware of how empty and needy she was. He was rubbing the outside of her pussy with his cock, rocking back and forth, teasing the sensitive lips, but leaving her so empty and aching inside.

"Alex, please," she begged, moaning, as she pulled his head up and away from her lips.

His dark eyes glittered at her, filled with dominance and heat, searing her with his gaze. It utterly took her breath away and she gasped as he pinched her nipples so hard that her back arched to try and relieve the pressure on the sensitive buds. The pain made her ache even more to be filled. She clung to his shoulders, digging her nails in, as her pussy clenched around nothing.

"What do you need, sweetheart? Tell me."

Like he didn't know. He just wanted to hear her say it. She'd felt his cock jerking against her thigh as she'd pleaded with him.