Free Unexpected Consequences by Cara Bristol Page B

would have to resign himself to the fact that spanking Melania would be a sexually frustrating act. Jared smoothed his palms down his thighs. He didn’t know how he would endure the evening without touching her.
    He braced himself for a long, uncomfortable night.

Chapter Six
     
    Melania waved to their departing guests and reentered the foyer of their home. Alone again. Alone with Jared. She flattened a calming hand against her fluttering stomach. She had dreaded this moment all evening.
    After the women had finished the dishes and the men had smoked their cigars, the couples had reconvened in the living room for a final cup of coffee.
    Jared had patted the sofa seat beside him, giving her no choice but to sit next to him. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and when he stretched his arm over the sofa back, the heat from his bare skin enveloped her in an aura of warmth, disturbing in its pleasant intimacy. She didn’t understand why the simple gesture aroused her when her emotions were so unsettled. She should have been immune.
    Every time he had shifted, his thigh had brushed hers, and her butt cheeks had tingled as the sofa cushion moved. She’d found herself inhaling, taking in the rich scent of cognac and the bitter-pleasant odor of cigar. Memories of tender, intimate moments surfaced, warring with remembrances of the too recent, too painful events in Jared’s office.
    The women’s confidences and concern had provided another perspective of domestic discipline, but that only muddied the waters instead of clearing them. As much as she loved Jared and desired to be obedient, she couldn’t endure another spanking. Poised in her foyer, she shook her head with confusion. Liz and Candi had raved about it. How could their experience be so different from hers?
    What the heck was she going to do? She didn’t have a clue, although she realized she needed to consider her situation carefully and not act impulsively. Her future was at stake. She was a married woman—at least for the time being—and any decision she made would affect the rest of her life. Running away wouldn’t solve her dilemma. Thank goodness her father hadn’t been home when she called.
    Like Sleeping Beauty, Melania had been awakened by her prince, but not by his kiss—by his spanking. She couldn’t forecast the future, but she now saw her marriage as the daunting challenge it was. Could love be enough to save it? Homes filled with love slid down flooded hillsides as easily as rancor-filled houses did.
    She’d also gained a better picture of herself, and it was not a flattering one. She felt ashamed for buying and hiding the shoes. She’d acted like a little kid who had stolen a cookie and denied doing it. How immature. She conceded Jared’s anger was justified.
    But spanking? Melania might be able to tolerate a swat every now and then, but a paddling like Jared had delivered was untenable. Melania rubbed her butt cheeks, soothing the ache. She had a hunch she would be sore for days.
    Yet the whisper of her conscience questioned if her regret would have been as deep or genuine if Jared had gone easier on her. He must have been very disappointed to have spanked her so fiercely.
    She sneaked a glance at her husband, who was locking the front door. All her senses shifted from yellow alert to code red.
    “Melania.” The rumble of her name on his lips and the heat she spied in his eyes made her legs tremble. An answering need she hardly understood flooded her pussy with moisture. Jared always affected her that way; he had only to look at her, and her body would begin to hum with desire.
    “You did a wonderful job tonight,” he said.
    “Thank you.” She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and watched the flame in his eyes flare as if doused by accelerant. She expected him to kiss her, but he remained still. She told herself the sinking feeling was relief, not disappointment. She wasn’t ready for him to touch her; her emotions were in