Irritable by Joanne Locker Read Free Book Online Page B

He forced himself to remain
calm. They would discuss this later.
    "It's
my fault he got inside the house so easily, Cleve," she confessed. "I was
angry and in a temper and I unlocked the doors just to spite you. How
stupid. How very, very stupid that was!"
    "It
wasn't smart," Cleve agreed.
    "I
know you're going to spank me." She looked at him and tried to pout.
    "Oh,
you bet I'm going to spank you, young lady." He saw her eyes widen and he
quickly added, "But not until you're all better. Right now I just want to
baby you and take care of you and be thankful you weren't seriously
hurt." He'd read the reports and seen the pictures of his other
victims. Pebbles was luckier than she knew.
    Cleve
was true to his word. He drove Pebbles home in his car and took care of
her for the next few days. He slept in the same bed and was there when
she had nightmares, and he was there when she gave her statement to the
detectives. He cooked soup and she didn't complain even once, swearing it
was delicious. Her bruises turned a rainbow of colors but each day saw an
improvement in the way she felt.
    Kelsey
had butterflies in her stomach but she knew what she had to do and she was
determined to get it over with. When Cleve returned with their dinner she
had the table already set and glasses of soda poured to go with their pizza.
    "You
look upset, honey. Are you in pain?" Cleve asked worriedly. "Were
you afraid while I was gone?"
    "No.
I am doing all right, Cleve. If you must know, I am trying to work up my
courage to ask you to get my spanking over with tonight. I hate having it
hanging over my head," she explained when he looked at her in surprise.
"I feel so guilty, and I need to get past this once and for all so I can move
on and think about other things."
    "I'm
not sure you're ready for a spanking, honey," Cleve answered her. "I
wouldn't want to hurt you, and I know you're still sore from fighting off that
bastard." She'd already told him that she'd fought hard in her office to
get away and thought if she could get upstairs to her room she could lock the
door and he would be held off until help could arrive.
    "I'm
okay, Cleve. I need to have this over with so it's not hanging between
us. I am ready for us to make love, but it just won't seem right until
this is all settled. I shouldn't have acted like such a brat that
night. I was foolish to unlock those doors, especially when you warned me
that you felt I could be a target after what happened in the parking lot with
my tire. I was irritable and bad tempered because our dinner was ruined..."
    "Which
you had every right to be," Cleve said regretfully. "I felt like an ass
when I saw the stove and saw your lovely dinner was ruined. I let my fear
for your safety control my actions, and I should have waited until I was
calmer... and definitely until after dinner. I'm sorry I ruined the meal
you worked so hard to prepare, honey. Forgive me?" he asked.
    "Of
course. How could I not when it turns out you were right?" she crossed
her eyes. "I promise I won't ever ignore your instincts again,
Cleve. Forgive me?"
    "I
forgave you days ago, Pebbles," he said truthfully. "Eat your pizza now
and I'll think about this. I'm not sure you're ready for a spanking...
especially for the spanking you're going to get, young lady."
    Kelsey
swallowed hard. She was so close to chickening out, and she had a feeling
that if she said she was truly sorry and begged off the spanking, Cleve would
let her off the hook completely. The problem was that she felt so
guilty. Her darn temper was always getting her into trouble... And if ever
she deserved a spanking, this was it... for sure. She tried to imagine what
Steven would have said, but after ten years it was getting more difficult for her
to feel like his wife. She was older now, and she should have learned not
to do spiteful things. She wasn't going to beg off... not this time.
    Cleve
could see that his lovely Pebbles was doing some serious thinking and it was
plain to