Page 216 of All Packed Up

His face heated all over again. They’d been teenagers, they’d explored some kinky shit. However, Nic noticed a major difference in the memories of the lazy teases as they’d explored, and the smacks of intent laid across his backside now.

“You blame yourself,” Griffith accused, another smack emphasizing his words. “Count if you agree.”

Nic swallowed a gasp as heat blossomed across his skin. “Should I start with one or three?” he asked breathily.

Griffith chuckled, lowering his head to Nic’s lower back and kissing what he could reach. “I fucking love you so much, you know that?” he said with a chuckle. “But we can start with four,” he told Nic, and the beta tensed against him on the next smack.

Nic’s heart pounded against his chest, thumped against the bed, and he was surprised the alpha didn’t comment on it.

“You think you’re responsible for what happened,” Grif continued.

As his hand came down on his ass, Nic groaned into the bedding. “Five,” he agreed.

He was responsible for what happened. He’d been the one that placed the bet, that kept them so late at the location to collect their winnings.

“But you love me,” the alpha said, smoothing his hand over his surely reddened skin. He hesitated this time before he lifted his palm, and Nic held his breath until it landed.

“Six,” escaped in a whoosh of breath. He’d never stopped loving the damned alpha.

“You’d… never do anything to hurt me.” Griffith’s voice had dipped into a whisper, until Nic strained to hear him.

Nic’s skin was starting to burn, Griffith was running out of space with that big hand of his.

He smacked Nic lower, at the crease where his ass met his thigh. It was sensitive there, and he jolted at the contact. “Seven,” Nic responded.

Despite the sharp bite of pain, Nic’s cock was so fucking hard.

“You’d never do anything to hurt me,” Griffith repeated, and the next slap was restrained. It didn’t stop the arousal that zipped up his spine at the delicious contact. “Eight,” Nic agreed again.

He never wanted to hurt Griffith. Even at the naïve age of nineteen, he knew what they’d had together was special. He knew Griffith was special. Why would he ever want to hurt him?

“Me getting arrested wasn’t planned,” he told Nic.

Crack.

Of course it wasn’t. “Nine,” he rasped, a shiver trembling his bones.

“You didn’t know what was going to happen that night.”

Swat.

“Ten.” There was no way he could have known. If he had…

“If you had known, you wouldn’t have let us go there.”

Nic jerked against the bed with the next spank, his chest tight with emotions. “Eleven,” he whispered.

He caressed his hand over Nic’s ass, the sensation extra sensitive over his stinging skin. “You’re doing great, babe. Do you know how red you are?” Nic shivered, rolling his forehead against the bedding. Had this fucker been conspiring with Wendy? “But we’re not done yet. I know you’ve got a few more in you, right?” A press of lips to his lower back, a silent plea to match his praise.

Nic nodded, muscles tense as he waited for the next smack.

“It was me that chose to leave you behind,” Griffith bit out. “I made that decision,” the alpha continued.

Strike.

Heat bloomed in the wake of Grif’s hand, spreading through Nic’s entire, shaking body. At first, Nic remained quiet, thoughts racing. That wasn’t how he’d seen Griffith’s actions at all. Grif hadn’t left him behind, Griffith had been… had been…

Griffith leaned over him, pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Nic… I made that decision. Count, you fucker. Please.”