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"Get the need to punish me out of your system yet, Daddy?" She spoke, her voice husky, though the look on her face told me she hadn't meant it to be.

I cleared my throat and maneuvered her off my lap, trying to keep my movements from appearing hasty. I'd almost let it go too far, and I needed to get the fuck away from her before it did. I grabbed her by the shoulders as I stood and spun us carefully, noting how her eyes had taken on a slightly glazed look and the flush on her face.

Pushing her down into the chair, she hissed as she sat. "Now, sit there until you've found your sense of self-preservation and can make better choices." I said firmly, turning on my heel and making a beeline for the greenhouse. I needed the fresh air and distance.

I was only a few yards from the greenhouse door when Leighton appeared from the tree line. He looked at me, and a wicked grin split across his face. He closed the distance, practically skipping across the grounds, and tossed an arm over my tense shoulders.

"What haveyoubeen up to, Rich?" He laughed. "The look on your face tells me it was something…naughty."

I schooled my features, peeling his arm from my body. "Not now, Leighton."

"Aww, but I never see you crack." He pulled his lips down in a ridiculous imitation of a pout. "And you can't tell me you haven't been wound up by our pretty Princess lately. You're not as good at hiding it as you think. Besides, your palms are a bit on the red side, and I know what kinda shit you like to get up to." Leighton waggled his brows at me as his grin returned. "If I head inside am I gonna find her tied up? No… wait. That's Craig's thing. Oh, I remember. She's gonna have a hell of a time sitting for dinner, huh?"

Leighton cackled as if he found what he was saying hilarious. We were most definitely not on the same page in that regard.

"If she does, it's something she earned." I clipped, stepping away from him.

Leighton's laughter stopped, and his features grew severe. "What happened?"

I paused, not quite sure what to make of the genuine concern in his voice. "There was an incident while they were out. I don't know the details yet, but it involved that ex of hers. Bentley, or whatever. She said Joey handled it, but not before she ran out of the store and nearly got herself kidnapped again. And getting her lip split for her rashness." I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

Leighton went still, his chest barely giving away that he wasn't a statue. It was a dead giveaway that a storm was brewing beneath his calm exterior. The sort of storm that would cause far-reaching damage, and one he reserved for the only five people in his life he truly cared for.

"I'm on it." He spoke finally, turning toward the manor and leaving me alone at the greenhouse door.

I shook my head and stepped inside. I didn't have space to sort through whatever was happening with Leighton. My thoughts refused to stray too far from Victoria's reaction to being spanked.

I rolled up my sleeves, closed the door behind me, and leaned against it momentarily, taking a deep breath of the sweet floral scent. It soothed my mind a little, but it was like that moan was on repeat, like a song stuck in my head. I shook my head, like I could shake it out, and moved away from the door. Absently inspecting the row of red passion flowers.

I was angry with her and frustrated. I–We just wanted to keep her safe, and every time we turned around, she was making that harder to do. Her defiance was straining my patience… and my resolve. It wasn't the first time I'd wanted to put her over my knee, and now that I'd done it, the desire to do it again was burning a hole in my chest. I had to find a way to shake the feelings because not only was it crossing a line for what we were meant to do… she didn't see me that way. I was her Warden, the rule maker, for all the good it did any of us.

"Fuck!" I yelled, swiping at a passionflower at the end of the row, sending the pot and flower across the room. It collided with the side of another shelf before spilling across the floor.

Looking at the mess on the ground, I immediately felt guilty as I crouched down and started to pick up the broken pot pieces and gather them into piles to dispose of. The stem and roots of the flower were broken as well. I sighed as I gingerly collectedthe damaged plant and inspected it. There wasn't enough new growth for me to remove and regrow a cutting.

"You alright, bro?" Joey asked from the door.

I hadn't heard him come in, my mind too focused on my tumultuous feelings about the Princess. I turned my head to look at him; his eyes were on the pile in front of me, his brows and lips pulled down into a concerned frown.

"Fine, just an accident." I replied.

He pinched his lips together like he intended to say something before he shook his head and spoke. "I got a call. It seems the Jackals are intending to hit our warehouse on Senna around midnight, two days from now."

"This intel is good?" I asked, straightening myself to my full height.

Joey snorted. "Of course it is, Rich. Have I ever brought in bad intel? Don't answer that. The shit I messed up when we started out doesn't count." He chuckled. "Anyway, this info is good, now we just need to figure out what we intend to do about it."

I dusted off my hands and started toward the door, pushing my spiraling emotions into the back of my mind so I could sort out business. Joey grabbed my arm and made me stop as we stepped out of the greenhouse.

"You know, even though you're technically the boss here, you're allowed to–" I raised my hand and cut him off.

"No, Little Brother, I'm not. Let's just tend to business."

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Az

"I'm not sure I'm the right choice to leave behind to babysit the Princess." I said.