[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
left almost nothing in the way of leftovers.
They ended up lingering as they always did over coffee and dessert right at the table.
Kim s dining room had a pocket door as the far wall, and it was just getting warm enough
to have it open a bit out into their big backyard, bringing all those loamy, deep scents
right into the room.
It was getting somewhat late, although no one seemed to be in the mood to leave, except
apparently Gray, who, watching his wife talking animatedly to her friend, took a last sip
of his coffee and said, Well, I think I d better be getting this one home to bed. She s
tired -
Without thinking or even looking at her husband s face Brynn responded with a
wealth of huff and indignation and interrupted him with, I most certainly am not!
Gray s soft, almost understated, Excuse me? should have been enough of warning to
her that she was treading on thin ice, but it wasn t.
And she couldn t even blame it on the wine, because she hadn t had any. She just wasn t
thinking, especially not about how ultra strict he had become about her attitude as well as
her behavior.
Unfortunately, she started her sentence before she turned to look at him or she would
never have started it at all. But Gray, I m not tired in the least -
Brynn came to a full stop right then and there, having laid eyes on her husband and seen
the expression on his face.
Then he did something that she never in all her days would have thought he d actually do
not that he hadn t threatened it all throughout their relationship, and even more so
recently, since tightening the reins on her: Gray stood and took Brynn s wrist very
carefully not her hand, but her wrist - tugging her up to stand next to him.
Then he turned to Hank again, distinctly not looking at Kim and said, May I borrow
your spare bedroom for a moment? Someone is in dire need of an attitude adjustment,
and I m not willing to wait until we get home to do it.
Kim s mouth opened immediately to deny him permission, at least until her husband
looked directly at her and then she it closed again instantly. Hank kept his gaze on his
wife as he spoke to Gray. Be my guest. It s down the hall to the left.
Hank! Kim finally got out as Gray lead a very reluctant lady behind him to the
bedroom. We can t let him - she stumbled on the word spank and said, instead,
do that to her now here!
On the contrary, Kimberly, we can and we will. I would expect the same
accommodation from him if you acted out while we were at their house. Just before the
other couple disappeared behind a closed door, Hank called helpfully, There s a
hairbrush in the nightstand.
Hank and Kim could hear Brynn s outraged squeal at that tidbit, which bode even more
dire consequences to her fanny than she would have had without Hank s eager assistance.
Kim had her hand raised to smack her husband for contributing to her best friend s most
certain misery, but she put it back down again at the look in his eye.
Smart move, honey. I suggest you don t put up too much of a fuss or you re going to
end up in your own bedroom, getting a taste of your own hairbrush, and I don t care who
the hell is in our house at the time.
Although she fumed, she didn t fuss outright, knowing he would be as good as his word.
In the spare room, Brynn had rounded on Gray as soon as he entered, closing the door
behind him tightly. But the both of them knew Brynn more acutely that a closed door
wasn t going to be much help to her. There would be no drowning out the sounds of
what was going to happen to her in just a few moments.
I can t believe you just did that dragging me in here like a child to be disciplined in
front of our friends!
Gray wasn t waiting for her to complete her little temper tantrum. He crossed the room
and extracted the hairbrush, which was right where Hank had said it would be, then sat
himself down on the end of the bed and patted his leg, holding his hand out to Brynn to
assist her over his lap, as calmly as if they were in their own house.
Brynn was having a very hard time coming to grips with her current circumstances
because she knew that her friends were going to hear pretty much everything that was
said and done in this room and the thought thoroughly mortified her. Somewhat more
mollified than she had been, she looked first at her husbands imperiously outstretched
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]