Falling For the Librarian – by Sorcha Mowbray #4
She blinked once as she tried to wrestle with his question.
One that was not truly a question, it was a command.
Should she have dinner with him? Surely not?
The man was stern and uncompromising. He made her heart flutter in her chest and caused a heat between her thighs she had never experienced with her husband.
The man was dangerous. Far too dangerous to be alone with. “I'm afraid I cannot.”
“Cannot or will not?” He watched her intently.
“Are they not the same?” Her quim ached with desire, but she refused to be ruled by a need that had been dormant for so long.
“I think not. Cannot suggests you are unable. Will not suggests you choose not to join me.” His words came low and firm.
She breathed deep, fighting the urge to say yes. “Will not.”
He continued to study her face. To watch her every reaction, even as he demanded, “Tell me why.”
“Because should I marry you, I would lose control of all that is mine. Once more I would be subject to a man's authority in ways I will no longer tolerate.” She eyed him warily as her pulse pounded and a strange desire to please him pushed against her resolve.
The sensual curve of Richard's lips tipped up in a soft smile. “I appreciate your honesty.” He leaned into her body and spoke close to her ear. “I promise you. I am not interested in a wife. I only wish to make you submit to me in the most pleasurable of ways.”
Bridget trembled as the heat of his breath feathered over her skin. Oh God … “I don't understand what you want from me.”
He gave her a wicked smile. “I want the same thing you want, my hands on you.”
Bridget felt the blood drain from her face as the truth of his words sank in.
Trying to deny the truth would be foolish, but that didn't mean she'd let the man win.
She couldn't. Something about him made her want to challenge him at every turn.
“Mr. Sheffield, you should not say such things. You cannot possibly know what it is I want.”
He grunted. “Perhaps not, or perhaps I'm just able to read your body better than you.”
She snorted, her anger roaring back like banked coals stoked to life as she clenched her hands into fists. “That's absurd. What makes you think you read my body better than me?”
As the silence stretched, she found herself nervously chewing her lower lip as she often did when around him. The urge to lash out at the presumptuous man was strong, but she restrained herself. Barely.
He slid his gaze down to her fisted hands. “As I warned you last night, if you strike me there will be repercussions you will not like.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his lids drooping heavily.
The tension mounted until he snapped the taut tether.
“I see the way your eyes search me out whenever you come to the library. I see the way you bite your lower lip when you listen to me speak. I hear the hitch in your breath when I take you in my arms, and I felt the way you melted against my body when I kissed you both last night and again just now.”
Her cheeks turned scorching hot as she realized everything he said was true and in a moment of mortification tinged with fury, she struck out with her right hand and slapped him across the face. “How dare you, sir!”
To her dismay, the man merely grinned at her. “I did warn you, Bridget.”
The next she knew, he bent over, jammed his shoulder into her stomach, and straightened up with her balanced like a sack of potatoes.
He then walked up to the front windows and pulled the shades down on each one before heading to the back of the store and the stairs for her second-floor apartment.
All the while, she pounded her fists on his back while demanding he let her down.
In her apartment, he headed straight for her couch, where he put her down. “Now you must face your punishment.”
Bridget's mouth fell open in shock even as her stomach did a delighted little flip and her knees turned to gelatin at the idea of this man punishing her.
He had mentioned spanking her the night before.
Was that what he intended to do now? Before she could consider it further, he sat down and pulled her over his knees.
Her instincts kicked in and she tried to stand up, but he had a firm hand in the middle of her back, holding her down.
With his other hand, he hauled up her skirts and the layers of crinolines until her muslin clad backside was exposed.
Then he shifted his hand from her back so that he could grab both sides of the slit in her drawers and yanked until they tore, exposing her bare bottom.
She made another half-hearted attempt to slide off his lap but found herself hampered by her skirts and her truly inappropriate curiosity.
He grunted but prevented her from sliding off his knees. “I won't make you count this time.”
Then he proceeded to rub his hand over her bottom for a few moments before he landed the first blow. Pain flared across her left butt cheek before it fizzled out into a gentle warmth. “That was one.” The resonance of his voice seemed to only add to the frenzy building inside her.
The next blow landed on her right cheek and followed the same pattern of pain, followed by warmth. “That was two.”
Swats three and four came quickly and caused the delicious heat to grow along with the dampness between her thighs. Mr. Sheffield counted both out as well. “Only one more since this is your first spanking, my dear.”
The last blow fell straight in the middle of her backside and brought with it a sensual heat that had her groaning aloud as she pressed back against his hand.
And to her great consternation, she wished he would slide a finger inside her to relieve the ache that he’d caused to take up residence there.
When he did not do that for her, her eyes grew watery as she realized that he would leave her aroused and unfulfilled.
Instead of easing the need searing through her, he assisted her in sitting up and putting her skirts back in place before she took a seat.
When he saw the tears in her eyes, he cursed softly.
“Damn it, I shouldn't have done that.” He stood up, a stiff and unnatural movement.
“My apologies. This won't happen again.”
Without another word, Richard stalked out of her apartment, leaving her sitting on her couch a jumbled mess of confused emotions.
On the one hand, she was outraged that he'd spanked her.
And on the other hand, she wanted him to do it again but finish it properly this time.
The question was if she asked him, would he?
If there is a God, he will smite me where I stand despite the bright morning sunshine.
Regret weighed Richard down, making his every move feel like a Herculean effort.
He'd ruined everything with Bridget when he'd allowed his overwhelming need to spank her, to see her submit to his will in some small way, to rule the day.
As opposed to having dinner with a lovely and vivacious woman, he'd sat alone in his rooms eating cold chicken and a heel of bread.
It seemed fitting after his behavior. The thud of the library door closing announced a patron had entered.
He looked up to see the woman currently dominating his thoughts standing there, limned by the morning light.
She straightened up and strolled toward him. “Good morning, Richard.” Then she turned and disappeared into the stacks before he could gather his wits enough to reply.
What is she playing at? He stared after her, trying to sort out what this meant.
She'd used his name. She'd smiled and acted, mostly, as though nothing untoward had occurred the previous day.
Fortunately, she did not make him wait for long before she approached the circulation desk with a book in hand.
“Good morning, Bridget. What brings you into the library?” He managed to rasp out the words despite his mouth and throat feeling dry as Death Valley.
“I forgot to select another book the other night when I was here.” She smiled at him with a hint of teasing.
“And do you plan on returning it on time for a change?” He eyed her sternly as he processed the book for checkout.
She bit her lower lip for a moment, as if indecisive, and then smiled. “That depends.”
He let one eyebrow rise as he handed her the book with the due date carefully recorded inside. “What would it depend upon?”
She leaned toward him as far as the counter would allow. “It depends on what my punishment might be if I don't.”
His cock rose to attention as images of her lightly pinked bottom came to mind. He wanted to make it glow red with heat. “What are you playing at, woman?”
She straightened up. “I am playing at nothing, Richard. Have dinner with me tonight.”
Her lashes dipped down, hiding her eyes for a moment. She had come here and extended the invitation, despite what had happened in her apartment the day before. He had to believe she did so of her own volition. “What time should I come?”
She looked pleased with his answer. “After you close up the library?”
“I will be along as soon after as I can.” He nodded as the door to the library opened again and three children scampered into the space, their mother trailing behind. He looked over at the woman and smiled. “Good morning, Mrs. Matthews.”
“Good morning, Mr. Sheffield.” The woman nodded and followed her children into the stacks.
“Excellent. I will see you this evening.” Bridget smiled and then turned around and strolled out of the building.
He stood there for more than a few minutes, willing his cock to settle down. It was going to be a long day.
Richard knocked on the back door of Bridget’s store, nerves he couldn't account for swirling in his stomach. Certainly, he was excited about the evening to come, but it seemed there was something else at play. Something he perhaps didn’t wish to consider.