Raven
Thursday and Friday passed by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, Saturday was here, and Chris had been withdrawn and quiet all day leading up to leaving for Harry’s.
Kashton slid into the driver’s seat as he’d given Oscar the weekend off to spend time with his aging parents. Caden took the front seat, and I slid into the back with Chris.
He gazed out the window, his jaw tightened as his hands clenched into fists on top of his thighs.
Reaching out, I turned his arm and loosened his fingers. Silently, he turned toward me, his amber eyes reflecting the sunset. “It’s okay, Daddy A.” I laced our fingers together. “We’ve got this.”
He gave me a wry grin. “I’m supposed to be the one reassuring you, kroshka. Not the other way around.”
I shrugged. “Who says we can’t both do it for each other? There’s no one-size-fits-all relationship, and we’re already unconventional, so let’s just roll with it.”
“You’re right.” I leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I should always be listening to the wise and all-knowing Charlotte.”
Wrinkling my nose, I shook my head. “None of that Charlotte stuff.”
Chris just laughed and lifted my hand to his lips. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me for anything,” I replied, saying their own words back to him. “Or at least that’s what a few smart people told me.”
“Brat.”
“Yes, and you love it.” I stuck my tongue out.
A moment later, I squealed as Chris struck, tickling my sides. “No! Ah! Stop,” I gasped out between peels of laughter.
“No sticking your tongue out at me. Remember, I still need to make good on my promise to give that pretty mouth something to occupy it.” His eyes blazed with lust, and I swear the temperature in the car rose several degrees.
“Promises, promises.” Man, I loved how he growled when I acted like a brat. It was so much fun to tease him, and the fact of the matter was he needed it and craved it, too. He’d spent too long stuck in his apathetic shell that he’d not really been living. He was a shell going through the day-to-day motions but didn’t experience life as it was meant to be lived.
“You just love to tease me, don’t you, little girl?” His voice was raspy, filled with the evidence of his desire, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I yearned for the way his accent thickened.
It made me feel like I was one of the most beautiful women in the world when I knew I wasn’t.
“Charlotte,” Chris, Kashton, and Caden snapped, almost completely and perfectly in sync.
Uh oh. That means I said the part about not being beautiful out loud.
“Do you really think you aren’t one of the most beautiful women in the world?” Chris asked, his brow furrowed with hishead slightly tilted. “Because that’s not how any of us think of you. Youareone of the most beautiful women. I think we need to work on some affirmations for you to see yourself as we do.”
Affirmations? That didn’t sound like fun.
“I think that’s an excellent alternative form of punishment,” Caden added as he twisted in his seat to face us. “Make her say twenty positive things about herself every day.”
“Or writing lines.” Chris nodded, and my gaze volleyed between them.
“You’re enjoying coming up with punishments way too much.” I grimaced, not loving the idea of having to write outlines or say positive things about myself. I’d much rather just have the spanking. It would probably be less torture.
They let out a chuff of laughter. “Kroshka, punishments aren’t supposed to be torture, but they aren’t meant to be fun, either. You need to understand the consequences of your actions, be challenged; and then earn forgiveness. Then it’s gone. As if it never happened, and we begin the day anew.”
I nodded, my throat thick. I appreciated what he was saying. If there was one thing about these men that I valued the most, other than their capacity for love, it was their patience. I knew I wasn’t the easiest of people to love or be in a relationship with. Trauma was a bitch that liked to rear her ugly head at the most inconvenient times.
But I knew they’d never harm me. Sometimes, their patience made me crazy, and I wanted to challenge them. But I knew that was my inner brat craving some structure and guidance.
“I love your brat.” Chris drew me away from my musings with his thick, accented voice and smoldering caramel eyes. “And I would never seek to stifle her too much, but I know you require that back and forth. The defiance and response.”
“Did I say my thoughts out loud again?” I gave a small chuckle. “Because I was just thinking how much I liked being defiant sometimes and getting a response.”
“You actually didn’t, but I could see the wheels turning, and knowing you as I do, I took a good guess.” Chris smiled ruefully. “Thank you for taking my mind off where we’re going. I know it probably wasn’t your intention, but I appreciate it all the same.”
I squeezed his fingers and gave him a grin. “I know what it’s like to need a distraction from your thoughts sometimes.”
His hand slid up to my neck, pulling me forward just enough to press his forehead against mine. “You’re too good for me.”
I clucked my tongue. “We discussed saying that and how it’s not allowed.”
“We did. I’m sorry, kroshka. I’ll refrain from saying it in the future.”
“Good.” I giggled. “Don’t make me use my stern voice on you.”
“Okay, love birds.” Kashton glanced over his shoulder after he put the car in park. “We’re here.”
The smile slid from Chris’s face, and he looked toward the front door as if it were about to reach out and bite him in the ass. “Is it too late to turn around and go back home?”
“Hey,” I grabbed his hand again. “We can do this together, remember?”
“Yeah,” he breathed out. “Together.”