Free Shaken (Colorado Bold Book 1) by Maggie McCullough

standing in front of him naked? A sudden ache in her loins revealed she wasn’t as immune to him as she hoped.
    “Anne, I don’t know where to begin with you.” Evan placed his hat on the nearby table. “I would have thought by now there was trust between us, that you know I would never harm you.”
    He took one step toward Anne. She moved away. So much for trust.
    “Haven’t I made it clear that my aim is to give you pleasure? Only pleasure?”
    Evan advanced another step. Anne gave ground again, but found herself up against a wall.
    Evan towered over her, leaning against the wall with both hands, effectively corralling her between the wall and his arms. Further retreat would not be possible.
    Anne couldn’t concentrate. The scent of him clouded her senses, reminiscent of wind blowing through a stand of quaking aspen, of the afternoon sun warming the mountain meadow.
    “Why are you concerned with what you’ve read on the Internet? I’m not. That isn’t me. That isn’t us. You know that.”
    “But my job… My parents…”
    “No one but us will know what we do behind closed doors. This isn’t high school, and I’m not some immature jock hoping to make a name for himself.”
    “But what about wearing a collar? Everyone will know.”
    Evan put his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.
    “I don’t need you to wear a collar to know you are mine. I don’t think you do either. I know that as a teacher, you need to have a spotless reputation. What we do won’t detract from that.”
    Goosebumps raced across her skin. Why does my body react like this around him? Her breasts ached for his caress, for the rasp of those sexy whiskers against her sensitive nipples, her inner thighs.
    “I thought…”
    “You think too much. Pay attention to your body, how it responds to me. I’m not going to let you run away from yourself, from me, from us.”
    “I…I can’t.”
    Evan shut her up with a kiss.
    A kiss that staked possession, claimed ownership, gave notice that he would keep what he considered his.
    Strong hands held her head with gentle firmness while he plundered her mouth and demanded entrance with his tongue. Her arms wound around his neck as she pressed herself against his solid frame. She whimpered when he drew back.
    He sighed. His face grew stern.
    “You’ve given me no other choice but to punish you for doubting me.”
    Anne knew what to expect from her research earlier in the day. He would spank her. Had she left spanking off her list of won’t-ever-do items on purpose? Her ass tingled in anticipation, but she protested anyway.
    “This isn’t fair. I thought you wanted to have a discussion.”
    “I did and we are. This is a discussion about trust. Control. Submission.”
    Evan ignored her grumbling and walked back to the dining room, pulling out one of the chairs from the table.
    He removed his vest.
    Unbuckled his belt and took it off, unbuttoned and loosened his shirt.
    He did not rush. He moved with a deliberate lack of haste that indicated objections were futile. He sat down on the chair.
    “Come here, Anne.”
    His command hung in the air. Anne stared at him, as a mouse stares back at a snake before it strikes.
    “Now.”
    Still contemplating whether she would capitulate, she stood in front of him, hands on her hips, chewing on her lip.
    “Lie across my lap on your stomach.” He was calm and patient.
    “This isn’t a discussion.” She had to stop herself from stamping her foot.
    She trembled, not in fear, but in expectation. Only pleasure , he had said. Evan was a man who kept his word.
    “Anne.”
    His voice was dispassionate as a stranger; he sat on the chair, his back stiff as a board. For an instant, she was apprehensive. She wanted the other Evan back, the one who looked at her with smoldering desire, the one whose touch ignited her as no other man’s. Not this stranger she didn’t know.
    Perhaps that’s the point of discipline . It’s not about pain; it’s