Page 173 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“Sheesh, apparently not. But just because I was reading it doesn’t mean that you have to do anything.”

“Are you not ready for that?” he asked. “Because I am.”

“You are? But we haven’t even gone beyond kissing. Shouldn’t we do other things first?”

“Other things?”

“Yeah, other things,” she said.

“What other things?” he asked.

“Other things,” she said.

“Hmm, I think you’re going to have to explain it better than that.”

“Like more than kissing, like touching, getting semi-naked, and feeling me up, like sex. We haven’t had sex.”

“Hmm. And here I thought you might have been talking about being spanked.”

“Why would I talk about being spanked?” she cried.

“Because if you’re feeling well enough to have sex, then you’re definitely well enough to be spanked.”

Oh hell.

47

Amusement filled him at the look on her face.

She was definitely trying to think of a way to backtrack, probably wanting to keep sex on the table but remove spankings.

“But the two aren’t the same. One’s about pleasure and one’s about pain.”

“Not necessarily,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Well, I think one’s about pleasure and one’s about pain.”

Ammo gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t panic. If you don’t like any pain with your pleasure, that’s fine.”

“But you like doing that, right?” she said in a small voice. He reached over and grasped hold of her chin, holding her head up so she had to look at him. But then the little minx went and shut her eyes.

“Uh-uh,” he said as he lifted her onto his lap, and then lightly smacked her butt cheek. “Eyes on me.”

She opened her eyes with a gasp. “You just spanked me.”

“Oh, baby, you’re in for a heck of a shock if you think that was a spanking. That was just a slap to get your attention. Now, you need to listen to me.”

Aimee huffed out a breath. “You know, for a man that was really quiet when I first met him, you sure have become a Chatty Cathy.”

A Chatty Cathy? Had she seriously just called him a Chatty Cathy?

He shook his head at her antics. “Listen to me. Just because I enjoy giving punishments doesn’t mean that I need pain during sex or at any time.”

“Are you sure?” she said. “I don’t want you to say that just because you’re trying to make me feel better.”

“I’m not saying it to just make you feel better. What I really want is you.”

A small smile filled her face. “Now, that’s the last time we need to have a conversation about that.”