Chapter Fifteen #2
Spiro’s thick muscled thighs were parted, and the imprint of his two cocks was unmistakable in his boxers. His bare chest lifted with even breaths as he watched me there naked in front of him.
I had not an ounce of shame about my body when facing this man. He’d shown how much he liked every inch of it. It was my behavior that I should be self-conscious about.
I didn’t think Spiro was offering sex, but I was willing to test whatever solution he’d come up with. Still raging inside, I climbed over his lap and lay like a plank of wood.
Spiro danced his fingertips over my thigh and my ass cheek, then moved his palm along my spine in a fluid caress. He gripped my hair at the nape and pulled my head back.
“I don’t think you need to be punished for misbehaving.
” He raked teeth over my jaw, then kissed it.
“Most of your brattish tendencies are in your nature, and I’d never try to change that.
I could work with you on regulating your routines, but you’ve proven that you’ve been working on yourself.
A little pain may help you cry out the drop. Will you cry for me, my kitten?”
My breathing accelerated as my body tensed even more. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to try?” He let go of my hair and squeezed my butt.
I nodded. Even the fire quietly crackling to my left annoyed me.
One of his tentacles swirled under my chin, offering itself like a pillow. I hugged it and rested my cheek on it.
“Are you comfortable?”
“Yes.”
Even though I was ready, the first delicate smack startled me, and I flinched.
“Count for me, kitten.”
“One!” I closed my eyes.
“What’s your color?”
“Green.”
Smack.
“Two.” The sting spread through my ass cheek, warming my skin.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
Smack.
“Three.” My breathing was fast, but my body relaxed.
“Good. Focus on that.”
Smack.
“Four.” My other cheek now stung too. I buried my face in the tentacle I was holding and screamed into it.
“Very good.”
Smack.
“Five.” My eyes stung with tears, and my throat hurt from reining them in. The buildup inside me seemed to want to crawl out of my skin.
“Let it go, my kitten.” Spiro’s low but gentle voice broke me.
Smack.
My floodgates opened, and my breath hitched. “Six.” I cried in earnest, squeezing Spiro’s tentacle to my chest.
I couldn’t think about what had happened, how happy I was with Spiro, and how little time we had left together. I was unable to plan how to tell him that he meant so much to me. All I could do was focus on counting, the steady slap of Spiro’s hand on my butt, and the sting it brought.
Tears streaked down my cheeks during the countdown to eleven, but when we got to twenty, I was full-on sobbing. My ass hurt, my face was wet, but inside I felt lighter.
“Thank—” My voice hitched. “Thank you, Chef!”
“Anytime, my kitten. Come here.” Spiro maneuvered my trembling body with grace until I was on his lap with my ass hanging in the air between his tentacles.
The cradle he’d built for me allowed me to hug him and bask in his comfort while airing my spanked cheeks.
I was still shaking, but when Spiro kissed my forehead and my salty face, I calmed to the point of becoming a bag of sand held by a man with way more patience and understanding than humanly possible.
“How did you know how to help me?” I wiped my face with the back of my hand.
“I didn’t. But sometimes when I have a good day, or a very exciting one, I need a break and some quiet.
Your highs are higher than mine, so it only makes sense that your lows would be lower.
” He stroked my hair gently. If I hadn’t cried my eyes out moments before, I’d bawl again from the sheer affection Spiro was giving me.
“I feel like such a failure so often, and somehow you make it better every time.” I sniffed.
“You can tell me anything. I won’t judge you, and I’ll do my best to be there for you, whatever that means, okay?
” He looked to the ceiling, then down at my tear-covered and insanely ugly face.
“You’re covering your ears and hiding your tail.
I get it. And I’m sorry that something caused you to be so secretive about who you are.
I’m your safe space if you ever choose to talk.
” He released a slow breath and sat back, wrapping his tentacles closer around me, keeping me warm. He didn’t expect an answer.
But I didn’t want to hide anything from him anymore.
“I’m a failed shifter.” I turned my head away from him and focused on the flames in the fireplace.
“How so?” Spiro stroked my shoulder with his thumb.
“It’s stupid.” I shook my head.
“I doubt it. But you don’t have to talk about it.”
I sighed. “I spent my childhood unable to shift into a cat. Then, when I hit puberty, I shifted and couldn’t turn back.
I was always clumsy, even then. So I got bullied a lot.
Once I finally regained my human form, my cat ears and tail stayed.
Now, sometimes when I’m distressed, my fur comes out all over my body, then disappears.
I was scared for you to see it. But now I’m kinda… not afraid anymore.”
“You know I adore your furry tail and ears. If you ever turn all fluffy, I’d love to cuddle you or whatever else you want.” He nuzzled my hair, inhaling deeply.
What did I want, exactly? I wanted so much more from him. More than he could probably give.
I began to doze off, snuggled up to him, luxuriating in his warmth. Would he ever invite me to sleep with him in his bed? Maybe I should ask him for it. Beg. On my knees.