Chapter Six
Raina woke up the next morning and smiled, thinking about everything that had happened the night before. She’d expected this Christmas to be lonely, since she couldn’t spare the time or money to travel home for the holidays, yet this was turning out to be the best time she’d ever had. She relished being naked and him entirely clothed. With every glance, she knew he wanted her and she wanted him. Glancing outside, she gasped when she saw the winter wonderland that awaited her.
She felt Eliot come up behind her, his fingers trailing across her shoulders. She shivered, looking back at him with a smile.
“Isn’t it pretty out there, sir?”
“Not as beautiful as the woman in my arms right now,” he said softly.
He turned her head toward his and kissed her. Sighing with happiness, she melted into his strong embrace.
“It’s Christmas Eve today,” she whispered.
“I have a gift for you. Something special for you to wear for me tonight, after we get back from having some fun on the mountain today.”
Looking up at him, she smiled. She felt so taken care of, so cherished in his hands. Gently, he grasped the back of her neck and steered her toward his bed. There was a gift-wrapped box waiting for her. Hesitantly, she looked back at him and grasped the edge of the red ribbon around it. Slowly, she untied the bow and took the top off the present. When she saw what was inside, she giggled a little bit.
It was a set of slinky Santa-themed lingerie. She couldn’t wait to put it on.
“It’s so pretty, Eliot,” she exclaimed. “What do you have planned for us in the meantime, before I can dazzle you in this little number?”
“I can’t wait to see you in it. Today though, we’re going to explore the mountain. I bought passes for us to go skiing together.”
“Oh, that sounds like so much fun! I haven’t gone skiing in such a long time!”
“I hate to say this, but go put on some clothes. I can’t have you catching frostbite out there in the snow, can I now?”
He pointed to her bag and she cheerfully grabbed it. She bounded off happily into the bathroom and pulled on a sports bra, as well as a pair of bikini-style panties. She knelt down and rummaged through her things, before dragging out her cute purple and green ski outfit. The pants were thin, yet incredibly warm. She pulled on a long sleeve cotton top before putting on her jacket and boots. The entire set matched and she felt adorable. She was ready to go out in the snow and have fun.
Eliot dressed in black pants and a sleek gray jacket. She twirled an arm around his waist and lifted up on her tiptoes to plant a shy kiss on his lips.
“Now let’s go enjoy that mountain,” he said, gently pulling his lips back from hers. Smiling, she nodded, followed him out of the condo, and shivered when the cool air met her skin. Gasping, she squealed with excitement when she saw what was waiting for them. There was a carriage, led by two beautiful dapple-gray horses with decorative Christmas bows around their necks.
The driver smiled down at them and Eliot helped her to climb into the high seat of the carriage. Once they were settled next to each other, the driver snapped the reins and they lurched forward. Smiling up at Eliot, she cuddled close to him to fight off the chill. She felt safe and well taken care of. He’d gone to such lengths to make this weekend special for her and it made her feel warm inside, like she actually meant something to him despite the short time they had been together. Maybe there was hope for the two of them after all.
Snowflakes began falling around them and she curled even tighter into him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and she purred in delight. They enjoyed the ride in quiet, loving the feel of each other’s warmth and the gorgeous snow-laden scenery around them.
The carriage brought them to the base of the mountain, where they were ushered through some sort of priority member line straight into the base camp lodge. In no time, they procured a set of skis and poles and were seated on the ski lift. As they were whisked up into the air, the seat rattled a little and Raina scooted closer to him nervously.
“Afraid of heights, little one?”
“Only a teeny bit,” she said softly, yet she felt safe in his hands. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, she knew it. The higher the lift climbed up the mountain, the colder it got. At last, they reached the top and slid off the ramp, but not before Raina fell straight down on her butt. Too excited to care, she climbed back up and skied around the corner. Eliot joined her not long after. Once she started moving, her body warmed from the exertion of the activity. She was a bit rusty at first, but before long they were skiing down the bunny hill with ease. She was having a blast and ready to take it to the next level. They selected the green Long John trail next, speeding down effortlessly.
Raina relished the air whipping at her face, and the freedom that racing through nature provided her. It was amazing to be able to experience the great force of the gorgeous countryside on Christmas Eve with the man she was quickly coming to adore. She couldn’t have asked for more. After flying down the Long John trail twice, they tried out a slightly more difficult blue level trail, Cascade, which led to the Canyon trail. This combination felt like such a rush that Raina wanted more. After several hours of fun, they ascended the mountain one more time and stopped by the Summit Lodge for some refreshments. Raina happily enjoyed a cappuccino by the massive fireplace with her man.
“Having fun, sweetie?” he asked.
“So much! Let’s try a new trail when we get back. I want to see more of the mountain!”
He pulled out a map and pointed out a few other blue level ski trails, to which she readily agreed. Despite his enthusiasm, she had her eyes on one other trail, simply called Ledge. It was a black diamond trail, an expert level difficulty route. She figured once they were out on the snow, they’d explore and she’d hurtle down the more challenging trail. She’d never done one before and was dying to. Trying to stem her excitement, she settled on the soft couch and enjoyed the warm fire crackling before them.
For the moment, she enjoyed his touch. Sipping the delicious hot beverage, she imagined herself racing down the steep terrain, with the wind whipping at her face. Glancing back at Eliot, she hoped he’d be impressed with her skill. Maybe he would reward her later with a good hard fucking.
Her muscles felt sore, but in the best way possible, like she’d just had a hard workout and all her limbs were suffused with a gentle heat. Breathing deep, she closed her eyes and just felt his presence around her. Eliot hugged her close and they both finished their drinks not long after. Fully rested and ready to go, Raina jumped up impatiently.
“Let’s get back to the snow before the sun goes down! We’ve only got an hour or two left!” she exclaimed. Picking up her skis, she giggled as she rushed outside, and felt him following closely behind her. He grinned at her, before dropping his voice into the tone she knew so well.
“You best enjoy yourself, because I know just how to warm naughty girls like you up from the cold. I’ll make sure that naked backside of yours is red hot with a good hard spanking.”
She shivered; she couldn’t wait.
The two of them ventured back out into the cold and maneuvered toward the blue level trail named Choke. At the last second, Raina veered off down the black diamond Ledge path. She was so excited that she hardly heard Eliot yell after her with a stern tone.
“Don’t you dare, young lady! You’re not ready for the expert trails yet!”
She sped off down the snowy path at a breakneck speed. She banked hard into the first turn and barely made it. By the time she rounded the corner, the trail steepened at an alarming rate and she began skiing faster than ever before. She didn’t know if she could stop and if she tried, she’d probably wipe out. She began to panic and her legs locked, causing her to fall face first into the snow. Her body flipped over and she slammed down on her back, softened only by the remnants of the fresh snow from the day before. Her leg twisted painfully, causing her to cry out at the sudden agony. Skidding down the steep slope, she slammed into a large boulder near the side of the trail.
Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she lay there, her body aching with pain. She heard Eliot skid to a stop beside her. He sat back in the snow and pushed off his skis before rushing over to her.
“Raina, honey, are you all right? Does anything hurt?”
“My ankle, I think I twisted it,” she cried. “But everything hurts.”
“What were you thinking? You were going way too fast and on an expert trail. You didn’t even tell me you wanted to try one!”
She felt small, not enjoying being scolded like a naughty child by him. Feeling guilty, she didn’t meet his eyes and looked away.
“I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered.
“You’ll be sorry when we get home tonight, that’s for sure. I’m going to paddle that ass so hard that you won’t sit for a week for acting so foolish and reckless.”
Her insides fluttered at his threat. She wondered what would happen as the muscles in her bottom flexed almost instinctually. Would he use a wooden paddle or whip her with his belt across her bottom cheeks? She’d never experienced a real punishment by his hands, only delicious kinky foreplay. She should be scared, but her body reacted instantly. Her clit began to throb and molten heat pooled between her thighs.
Despite the fact that he was clearly disappointed with her, he did everything he could to make her feel comfortable. He gently prodded her body, checking her for injuries from the fall. Other than feeling achy, the only actual damage she had sustained was to her ankle, which she was pretty sure she’d twisted really badly. Luckily for them, a lodge employee saw them and skied over within a few quick minutes. He called into his radio and a small group quickly arrived with a sled. Eliot and a few other men lifted her gently onto it, making her feel safe at the concern apparent on all their faces.
They guided her gently down the mountain and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. She felt so stupid, so thoughtless for racing down that trail without a care in the world. She had assumed she could handle it, but she’d been very wrong. Quietly, she sobbed as tears trailed down her face. Now Eliot was disappointed with her, which was the worst part of it all.
Back at the base lodge, she was maneuvered into the medical area, where she was made to put on a hospital gown. A resident doctor ordered x-rays just to make sure she hadn’t fractured or broken anything. By the time they were cleared to leave, the sun had set and it was well past dinnertime. Raina was told to stay off her ankle as much as possible until it healed. She’d been diagnosed with a rather severe sprain, with only a few scratches and bruises otherwise.
The ski lodge arranged transportation home for them, rather than a horse-drawn carriage. Eliot gently placed her in the backseat of the big SUV and sat beside her. Feeling sad and guilty, she leaned into him as the driver drove them home.
“I’m so sorry,” she said softly.
“I know, sweetheart. Let’s get you home and to bed to get some rest. We’ll deal with the consequences in the morning, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed quietly, knowing better than to argue.
When they arrived at their condo, the doctor helped Eliot get her upstairs and into bed with as little pressure on her ankle as possible. He left them with a pair of crutches for her, before telling her to take it easy the next few days. When they were all alone, Eliot sat down with her and took her hand in his.
“How are you feeling, honey?”
“Stupid,” she responded meekly.
He pressed his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that he could meet her eyes. She felt tiny under his scrutiny and she tried her best to look away. She was afraid that she’d done something so dumb that he would think her too young, too reckless to be with anymore. Why would he want her after all this? She was just an immature young graduate student, unworthy of his attention. Choking back tears, she tried to break free from his hold.
“Raina, I know you’re probably scared about being punished by me, but it’s going to be okay. Once it’s over, it’s done with. I will never bring it up again. I love you, little one and I never want to see you get hurt. When you fell, I was so scared. You could have been seriously injured. You could have died. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you. Can’t you understand how I feel about you?”
She nodded, finally having the nerve to raise her eyes to his. His words left her feeling guiltier than ever, but still cared for. He loved her.
“I love you too,” she said, reeling with the warmth that his words had awakened in her body.
“It’s going to be a true punishment and you’re going to be one sorry little girl before I’m through. But afterwards, I have lots of presents for you to open since it’ll be Christmas Day tomorrow. Luckily for you, I just give out spankings and not coal for Christmas.”
“That’s right, I almost forgot,” she whispered with a bit more confidence. Reaching forward, she took his hand in her own. He gripped her palm fiercely.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart. You’re mine, little one, and I won’t ever let you go. Let me get you some ibuprofen so you can relax and get some much-needed rest.”
“I wish you’d spank me now and get it over with,” she murmured.
“No, that’s out of the question. You’ll receive your punishment in the morning. We need to make sure your body is healing and that nothing else seriously wrong happened during the fall. Don’t worry, that bottom of yours will be hot and red and you will be one well and truly punished woman by the time I’m finished with you.”
Shivering with helpless desire, she clenched her hands in the quilt. She should be afraid of his heavy palm, nervous about how much the spanking was going to hurt, but she wasn’t at all. Instead, she felt safe and well taken care of, like a true submissive under the hand of a confident, yet caring dominant. He wasn’t going to leave her after all, despite the fact that she’d done something so thoughtless. Full of lust, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, needing to feel him.
He took her gentle kiss and claimed her with a wild hunger. His fingers threaded through her messy hair and fisted around her straight locks, pulling the strands tight. In the end, he drew away and she whined at his absence. Shaking his head gently, he kissed her forehead.
“Bedtime for naughty girls,” he declared firmly and she knew not to fight him. He wandered off into the bathroom and came back with a cup of water and a bottle of painkillers. He gave her two and waited as she swallowed them. When she was done, he smiled and tucked her in. Exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and hardly noticed when he climbed into bed shortly after.
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