Page 49 of Leather and Longing (Island Tales #3)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Paul wasn’t sure he could face breakfast. There was no room in his stomach anyway—the butterflies had already taken up residence. He couldn’t even face the thought of coffee. He showered and dressed before Adam got up, but couldn’t focus enough to begin his morning routine.

Seth would be there after midday, Adam had said.

Paul had spent a fitful night, dreaming of a huge man dressed from head to toe in leather, brandishing a whip with a long studded tail.

He knew it wasn’t an accurate picture—he’d seen Adam’s floggers, for one thing—but that hadn’t stopped the dreams from creeping into his subconscious and disturbing his sleep.

He’d slept alone, vaguely aware that a restless night was on the cards, and he didn’t see any reason why Adam should go without his sleep, too.

Adam said if I wanted it to stop, it would.

He clung to those words like a lifeline.

Paul crossed the landing to descend the staircase. He needed to push aside his fears and apprehension, and get on with his day.

“Paul, come in here, please.”

Paul pushed open Adam’s door and entered. Adam was sitting in the centre of the bed, fully dressed, his back resting against a pile of pillows.

“Good morning,” Paul said quietly.

Adam smiled. “Your mind is all over the place this morning, isn’t it?”

“How did you—?” Paul broke off, shaking his head. Of course Adam knew. It was his job to know such things. “Yes,” he admitted. “I was on my way downstairs to make breakfast, not that I’m in the slightest bit hungry.”

“Come here.” Adam patted his lap. “Let me help you.”

Paul frowned. “Help me? How?” He remained where he was.

Adam raised his chin to gaze at him, those milky-blue eyes fixed on his face. “Remember that spanking I’m always promising to deliver? Well, now’s the time. I want you lying over me, your hips across my lap, naked. Now,” he added when Paul didn’t move.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Paul protested.

Adam became still for a moment, before opening his arms wide. “Come here. Let me explain.”

Paul climbed onto the bed and crawled across the aged peach bedspread to where Adam awaited him. Adam pulled him to sit on his lap and put his arms around him, holding him close. Before Paul could get another word out, Adam reached for Paul’s face, cupping his cheek as he leaned in to kiss him.

Paul all but melted into Adam’s arms.

When they parted, Adam sighed. “Let’s start again. Good morning. I missed you last night.”

Paul’s chest tightened. “I wanted to stay, but?—”

“It’s okay, I understand.” He stroked Paul’s jaw. “Spanking you isn’t meant to be a punishment. It’s intended to be therapeutic.”

In spite of his nervous state, Paul couldn’t hold back his chuckle. “Spanking my bare arse is therapeutic?”

Adam nodded. “I’m not going to smack you any old how.

I’m going to deliver spanks rhythmically and consistently, to allow your mind to focus.

I’m not going to use a paddle, just my hand.

It’s not meant to be painful.” Adam smirked.

“Unless, of course, you want it to be. And if it gets too much, you tell me to stop, and I stop. Simple as that.”

“It allows me to focus?” Paul was still trying to get his head around that.

Adam nodded. “You’ve got a big day coming up. You need to get into the right mind-set for it. This is meant to help you. This is whatever you make of it. If you want to cry, go ahead and cry. If you want to turn inward and think, then do that. Okay?”

Paul breathed deeply. “Okay.” He knelt up on the bed and stripped off his clothing, before stretching out over Adam’s lap as instructed. He shivered when Adam stroked over his arse, the movement gentle.

“Usually when I deliver a spanking, I cup the genitals in my left hand, but not this time. When I’m spanking you, think about where my hand is going, because that’s where Seth’s flogger will be going, too.

That should help focus you.” He rubbed and squeezed both cheeks.

“You have a gorgeous arse, you know. It feels bloody good when I touch it.”

Paul’s face heated up. This was so surreal.

“Ready?”

Paul inhaled. “Ready.”

Adam stroked across his shoulders and down his back to the swell of Paul’s arse. He gave a couple more squeezes before delivering the first spank. It wasn’t that hard and made little noise, and after a few similar blows, Adam stopped and gently rubbed the skin.

He began to spank Paul in earnest, delivering ten or twelve blows to one cheek before moving to the other, pausing now and then to rub the flesh.

Then it was back to spanking him, Adam getting into a rhythm.

Paul lost himself in it all: the thud of each blow, the sting that followed, the heat that blossomed and spread over his skin.

He closed his eyes and thought about the flogger’s leather tails connecting with his bared skin, whether they would land with a thud like Adam’s cupped palm or a sting.

It was a shock when he realised Adam had stopped.

Adam caressed his arse, slowly rubbing the hot flesh. “You focused.” It wasn’t a question.

Paul lay there and enjoyed Adam’s gentle ministrations, his mind clearer than it had been all morning. “You were right,” he said, when the burn had eased. He caught his breath when something cool and slick was spread over his skin.

Adam chuckled. “As it was your first spanking, I thought I’d deliver a little soothing aftercare.

I’ll be doing the same thing later, when Seth has finished with you.

” He withdrew his hand and Paul knelt up on the bed.

Adam reached for Paul’s cheek and cupping it, pulled him closer.

“You did very well for your first spanking.” He kissed Paul on the mouth, letting his lips linger there, soft, warm and chaste.

Paul closed his eyes and breathed Adam in, the musky scent of pure male, his fingers resting lightly on Paul’s cheek.

Adam released him and sat back. “And now you need to get dressed, go downstairs and act like it’s a normal day.” He smirked. “Try not to think about what’s coming.”

Paul shook his head as he climbed down from the bed.

Some hope of that.

Paul listened to the hum of voices in the hall below, drifting up the stairs to where he sat on his bed, the door ajar.

Seth’s here. They’re talking about me.

Paul concentrated on breathing, focusing on the memory of his spanking, his still tender arse a gentle reminder. Adam had left him to his own devices for the last hour or so, which was exactly how Paul wanted it. He didn’t want to lose his mind-set.

Footsteps on the stairs. Apparently, Paul was to be flogged upstairs.

Flogged…

A shiver pulsed through him, caused by a heady mix of fear and anticipation. Paul was conscious of one overriding thought: he wanted to please Adam, to make him proud.

God, please don’t let me screw this up.

“Paul? Can you come into my room, please?”

Shit .

It was time.

Paul stood and walked slowly to Adam’s door.

He paused before entering, taking another moment to breathe.

Adam was sitting on the bed, Seth beside him.

He was older than Adam, maybe in his late forties or even early fifties, and dressed in a pair of worn jeans.

His feet were bare, as was his chest which was covered in silver hair. His head was shaved.

Paul blinked. Seth was definitely not what he’d expected.

Seth smiled, his brown eyes twinkling. “Hello, Paul. It’s good to meet you.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand. Paul shook it, liking the firm, warm fingers that gripped his. “Come sit down for a minute while we talk.”

Adam patted the bed next to him and Paul complied, breathing easier when Adam reached around with both arms and held him close. Paul loved the feeling of Adam’s chest pressed up against his back, warm, strong and comforting.

Seth sat facing them. “Before we start,” he began, his voice low and even, “I need to make you aware of a couple of things, the most important being—you are not alone here. Adam will have physical contact with you the whole time, okay? If he doesn’t like something I’m doing, he’ll damn well say so. ” He smirked.

Paul laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like Adam.” The tension in his shoulders eased a touch.

Seth nodded, smiling. “Ah, there you go. You look much better when you smile. Adam, your boy is beautiful. His eyes light up when he laughs, and that smile is a killer.”

Adam’s arms tightened around him. “Thank you for that gift, Seth,” he said softly, pressing his lips to Paul’s nape in a brief kiss that sent a shiver through him.

“Now, are there any injuries I need to know about? Any sore spots?”

Paul snorted. “You mean, apart from my warm arse where Adam spanked me this morning?” Adam snickered.

Seth burst out laughing. “Oh, I like him, Adam. This one’s a keeper.

” He addressed Paul. “Nothing else apart from that?” Paul shook his head.

“Now, listen carefully to this next part,” Seth continued.

“If you want me to stop, simply say ‘Red’ nice and loud. You got that?” Paul nodded.

“Similarly, if you want a breather, if it’s all getting a bit much, you say ‘Yellow’ and we’ll stop until you feel able to continue. ”

Paul nodded again, feeling more comfortable. “Got it. Red to stop, yellow to slow it down.”

“Good boy.” Adam kissed his neck again.

Seth reached behind him and brought out his flogger. “There you go.” He held it up for Paul to see. The tongues were long and flat, coming to a point at each end. Paul stretched out his hand tentatively toward it and Seth nodded encouragingly. “Touch it, by all means.”

Paul fingered one of the tongues. “It’s soft,” he said, “just like Adam’s.”