Her protests were loud and forceful... Creative, too, he chuckled as he listened to her call him all sorts of ugly things.
"Son of a drunken whore!" she had shouted when he landed a particularly hard swat on her rump, an easy target as she squirmed over his shoulder.
"Now there's the god's honest truth," he muttered under his breath, memories of his childhood best left in the past.
"And your father was as much a slime ball as mine is!" she had yelled when he swatted her again, her butt beginning to ache after just a few swats.
"You knew him!" Caleb sneered with all the sarcasm he could muster for the memories of a childhood that always left him empty... void of any emotion worthy of mankind. And then he remembered why he was angry with her and hurried up the stairs to their bedroom.
He made short work of her clothes, baring her bottom first, smacking her rosy bottom with each twist and turn she took as she fought the punishing spanks. In his haste, he tore her garments, one arm holding her, the other spanking and shredding her clothing until she lay nude across his lap. And then he lit a fire on her bottom that caused her to scream so loud...
Taking a deep breath to get his temper back in control... he pulled her up into his arms and held her... so tight... so hard... so necessary. She was the best thing that had happened to him and as the realization slammed into him, warm feelings washed over him, feelings he didn't know he was capable of, feelings for her that had occurred sporadically since their wedding night. He wondered if she...? Shaking his head at the idea that Mara could care for him... Other than as a sex partner? Other than as a meal ticket? Other than...?
"You could have been killed!" he reminded her, his voice firm and harsh, masking his tumultuous thoughts. "I told you not to go into the stables alone! Why didn't you listen to me?"
Caleb didn't expect any answers and Mara didn't disappoint him; except for her sobbing, tears soaking his chest, she remained silent, their previous closeness momentarily shattered by her encounter with the stallion and Caleb's anger with her.
He swallowed hard. The danger she had placed herself in... the narrow escape... he had just found her... was just getting used to the idea that having her around was the kind of thing that made life worthwhile, that maybe there was more to them somehow...
"I... are you okay?" he asked softly, temper dissipated, energy dwindling. "I have no regrets about burning your butt for that act of stupidity," he was quick to add, "but believe me when I say..."
"Are you going to spank me again?" she whispered, knowing she had been in the wrong and leaning against him as she straddled him. Her butt was much too sore to make contact with his lap.
"Yes," he promised. "I'm going to spank you again."
Mara looked up at him, her tear-filled face making him ache in places he didn't know he had... like his heart.
"Again," he murmured as his mouth covered hers in a searing kiss. "And again and again and again until I beat some sense into you and you remember that you're not alone any more and if anything happened to you, I'd..."
"You'd...?"
"Lay down for a while," he mumbled, not ready to talk... not ready to bare his soul... not ready to commit. Laying her on her side in the bed, he covered her with a quilt. "If you feel okay later, we can still go into town for dinner and a show."
"Will you stay with me?" she had asked, her arm reaching out for him.
"Yes," he agreed, removing his boots and lay full length on the bed beside her.
~~~
They avoided the Las Vegas strip, dining in a secluded supper club off the beaten tourist path. Candlelight and good food with attentive but discreet wait staff created an atmosphere for much needed intimacy. Caleb kept her close to him, their chairs touching, his thigh pressed against hers throughout dinner, his focus on each bite Mara ate, each word formed by her lips, lips he felt a need to kiss at every possible opportunity. He was unsure of his new feelings - unsure but slightly optimistic.
"You're sorry you spanked me," she said shyly as he kissed her again, her bottom a sore reminder every time she turned in her chair.
"No, I'm not," he smiled. "You're the one sorry," he teased.
"Are you really going to spank me again for this?" she asked. "Wasn't it enough that you...?"
He cupped her face between his hands and silenced her protests with another gentle kiss. There was determination in his gesture and need... a need she seemed to recognize and when she did, she reached up to pull him closer and kissed him back with the same degree of determination and need.
An after dinner brandy with their coffee made them mellow, the soothing liqueur coating their throats, a solo saxophone filling their ears with the haunting tremulous sounds of "Poor Johnny One Note." The tune was more appropriate for the clarinet or French horn, but somehow... this evening, it worked. When the mood was sufficiently set... the sax cried a river... calling him with its sad song... the haunting monodies of the blues...
Caleb looked at his bride, grateful she was by his side... thinking that a saxophone could easily cut you in half if you were alone. There was a wall of beveled glass behind them and as he pulled Mara closer to him, he caught her profile in the glass... a hint of her mood... her face, her posture, her need a reflection of his own... in a mirror of hunger and loneliness.
And now... she slept. Her bottom retained its deep rosy shade from the spanking he had administered after dragging her back into the house from the stable. He had no regrets; if the ill-treated horse had injured her, he would never have forgiven himself. The spanking was necessary and he was certain she wouldn't chance going into the stables alone.
When they returned from town, he had removed her clothing with a gentleness that unnerved her and made love to her like he had never loved another woman. Passion's fury was satisfied and in its aftermath, both sought the solace of embrace, content in each other's arms. Restless, Caleb had left her sleeping, the satisfied glow on her face evidence that she had been thoroughly loved.
He stood at the foot of their bed and watched her sleep... the promise to sear her butt again in the morning had not been an idle one. He meant to keep his word.
~~~
Henrietta spotted the glow from the fireplace as she passed the den. Caleb sat alone, a brandy snifter in his hand and a look of sheer wanting on his face.
"It will work out," she said softly as she came into the room. "You're both headstrong and set in your ways. Give it time."
"How much time?" he asked, not surprised that the silver-haired housekeeper understood his moods. They'd been together for years; she was closer to him than either of his parents had been.
"She needs you as much as you need her," the older woman added as she laid a gentle hand on his sleeve.
"What makes you think I need her?" the bear of a man asked somewhat gruffly, not one to expose his vulnerable underbelly even to her.
Her soft laughter followed as she walked from the room, her parting words giving him pause. "Like you need air to breathe, Caleb Hollis. You need her like you need air to breathe."
"Maybe," he muttered, "but I'm still gonna burn her butt in the morning."