CHAPTER SEVEN #3
"With discipline."
The distinction caused her pulse to shift. Brynn looked up. "Color?"
"Green."
"Sit on the sofa."
Dana moved carefully. Each step reminded her of the discipline without overwhelming her.
She lowered herself onto the blanket Brynn had prepared and adjusted when the pressure against tender skin sharpened.
Brynn noticed. "Lie on your side." Dana obeyed.
Brynn took the jar of lotion and warmed a small amount between her hands.
"What is that?"
"Arnica lotion. Your skin is not broken. There is mild redness."
Dana's face heated. "You examined it?"
"I watched what I was doing."
"That answer is annoyingly reasonable."
Brynn sat beside her. "May I touch you?"
"Yes."
Brynn lifted the sleep shirt only enough to expose Dana's lower back.
She did not lower her underwear. Her hands worked the lotion gently into the surrounding muscles, avoiding the most sensitive areas at first. Dana closed her eyes.
The contrast between impact and soothing touch affected her more strongly than either sensation alone.
Brynn's hands were patient. Nothing hurried toward sex.
Nothing demanded that Dana transform vulnerability into desire.
She was simply cared for after having been held accountable.
A tear moved across the bridge of her nose. Brynn noticed. "Talk to me."
"I did not know whether you would be different afterward."
Brynn's hands stilled. "Different how?"
"Colder. Disappointed."
"No."
Dana stared at the fire. "I thought perhaps discipline would make me less desirable to you." Brynn resumed the slow movement of her hands. "Why?"
"Because you would see how much I needed it."
Brynn leaned down and pressed a kiss between Dana's shoulder blades. "Need does not make you undesirable." Dana's eyes closed.
"Disobedience might," she said.
"No. Dishonesty can damage trust. Disregard for boundaries can end a relationship. Imperfection does not make you unworthy of affection."
Dana absorbed the distinction. Brynn lowered the sleep shirt and covered her with the blanket. Then she crouched beside Dana's face.
"Look at me."
Dana opened her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
"Sore."
"Emotionally."
Dana considered the answer. "Quiet. Exposed."
"Regret?"
"No."
"Anger?"
"A little."
Brynn's mouth curved. "At me?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
"You were right."
"That is difficult for you."
"Almost intolerable."
Brynn brushed damp hair away from Dana's forehead.
"Are you angry about the discipline?"
"No."
"The number?"
"No."
"My injury affecting the position?"
Dana frowned. "No. I am relieved you were honest."
"Then what am I right about?"
"That I was hiding from myself."
Brynn's expression softened. Dana reached toward her face. "May I?"
"Yes."
She traced the scar along Brynn's jaw. The gesture had become familiar enough to soothe them both.
"I did not disappear," Dana said.
"No."
"I thought pain might make me."
"I would have stopped."
"I know."
Brynn turned her face into Dana's palm. Dana's chest tightened. "Come onto the sofa." Brynn raised an eyebrow.
"That was a request. Will you lie beside me?"
"Yes."
Brynn moved slowly, protecting her side as she settled along the wide sofa.
Dana turned toward her, the blanket covering them from shoulder to ankle.
They lay face-to-face. Dana touched Brynn's jaw, throat, and the soft hair behind her ear.
The intimacy carried desire, but neither woman attempted to turn it into sex. Brynn's hand rested at Dana's waist.
"May I kiss you?" Dana asked.
"Yes."
Dana leaned forward. The kiss was soft and unhurried. She did not try to control it. Brynn did not use the moment to reassert authority. They kissed as equals whose private imbalance had been chosen rather than imposed. When they separated, Dana remained close enough that their breath mingled.
"I was afraid you would refuse intimacy because you had disciplined me."
"Aftercare is intimacy."
"I know that now."
"It is not a reward. I would care for you even if you stopped the discipline after the first strike."
Dana looked into her eyes. "That may take me longer to believe."
"I have patience."
Brynn kissed her forehead. Dana rested her head beneath Brynn's chin. For several minutes, they lay without speaking. Then Dana's stomach growled. Brynn's body shook with restrained laughter. Dana closed her eyes. "You will never mention that."
"I intend to mention it immediately."
"I am the president of the United States."
"You are a woman who skipped two meals and is now audibly objecting to the consequences."
"It was not an objection."
"It was testimony."
Dana lifted her head. Brynn's smile remained. The sight was rare enough that Dana surrendered her irritation.
"Dinner?" Brynn asked.
Dana was comfortable beneath the blanket. Her body remained tender, her mind quiet, and the idea of leaving the sofa held little appeal.
"Yes."
Brynn studied her. "That sounded reluctant."
"I can be willing and reluctant simultaneously."
"An advanced presidential skill."
Dana sat up carefully. Brynn rose with her.
Before they left the room, Brynn retrieved Dana's robe and held it open.
Dana slipped her arms into the sleeves. Brynn drew the fabric around her and tied it gently at the waist. The act felt more intimate than undressing would have.
Dana turned. Brynn placed both hands on her shoulders.
"The discipline is over. The three violations have been addressed. I am not carrying anger downstairs."
Dana's throat tightened. "Neither am I." Brynn kissed her once, then opened the door.
They ate dinner in the small kitchen again.
Brynn did not monitor every bite. Dana did not make her.
Later, they returned to the bedroom and climbed beneath the covers.
Dana lay on her stomach to avoid pressure against the lingering soreness.
Brynn settled beside her, one hand moving slowly through her hair.
No sex followed. There was no need to prove desire through escalation.
Dana listened to Brynn breathe and felt the warmth of discipline fade into the deeper warmth of being kept.
"I need to tell you something," she said.
Brynn's fingers continued combing through her hair. "Tell me."
"I am tired."
Brynn's hand stilled for one approving beat. "Thank you." Dana closed her eyes. "What happens now?"
"Now you sleep."
"Will you stay?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation. Dana shifted closer, careful of Brynn's injury.
"You have carried enough for today," Brynn said.
The words no longer sounded like rescue from responsibility. They sounded like permission to rest after meeting it. Dana placed one hand over Brynn's heart. Then she slept.