Chapter 24

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Juniper said, looking up at him with her sad puppy-dog eyes.

Magnus wanted to be mad at her but couldn’t muster that emotion. His Little girl was always going to be a handful. It would seem she had difficulty staying out of harm’s way. All he could do was hope that now that Edmund and Eric were in custody and surely wouldn’t see the light of day again, Juniper would no longer be in danger and unlikely to climb out of windows or run toward men with guns in the near future.

At least, she was remorseful. She kept wringing her fingers and pursing her pretty lips where she sat on their bed while he paced the room. He wanted her to stew for a few minutes before he took her over his knees.

“I shouldn’t have run toward danger when I heard Sammi screaming. I know. But, Daddy, it was instinctive. She was so scared. I couldn’t just turn away.”

“Juni, you had Kestrel and Phoenix with you. You should’ve let them handle it.”

She slouched. New tears ran down her cheeks. “Are you really angry with me, Daddy?”

“Nope. I’m not angry at all, Little one.” He came to her and cupped her face. “I was scared out of my mind. I was also glad that Kestrel had been wearing a comm unit. That’s how I knew what was happening. You wouldn’t believe how fast I flew down to that tunnel and caught up with you.”

She swallowed.

He leaned in closer. “You’re my life, Juni. My world. I love you so much that I want to roll you in bubble wrap and never let you leave my side. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Daddy, because I love you, too.”

“You’ve shaved years off my life today alone, between climbing out a fifth-floor window and running after bad guys. Can you maybe not do anything dangerous tomorrow? I need a day to recuperate.”

She grinned. “Sure, but I can’t promise about the day after. Just tomorrow,” she teased.

He was glad she was no longer crying and frantic, but she still needed a good, firm reminder to help her stay out of trouble in the future. “Daddy is going to spank you now. Naughty Little girls who make poor choices need to be disciplined to help them make better choices next time.”

She sighed. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Naughty spankings that follow bad behavior are not followed up with orgasms.” He lifted a brow to make sure she understood.

“Okay, Daddy,” she repeated.

How the hell was he going to spank her bottom and withhold orgasm? Especially when, right about now, what he really needed was to be buried inside her so deep that he forgot everything that had happened over the past several days.

Magnus wanted to strip his Little girl naked, thrust into her, and stay there. He needed the life-affirming effects sex would give them both. However, he also needed to be a good, firm Daddy, and right now, that meant spanking her bottom until she cried. If he didn’t, she would think she could get away with anything.

Magnus slid his hands to the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

“Do you think Sammi will be okay on the fourth floor? Should we check on her?”

Magnus chuckled. “Sammi is fine. She was so tired, I’m sure she passed out. You don’t need to bother her. You can spend some time with her in the morning before her flight home.”

“But…”

“Lie back, naughty girl. Let me get the rest of your clothes off.”

She sighed dramatically as he removed everything else, leaving her naked. He loved the way she wasn’t as shy about her body as she had been the first few times he’d disrobed her.

“Roll over, Juni. I want you on your tummy at the edge of the bed.” As she did as she was told, he grabbed a pillow. “Good girl. Now, lift your hips.” When she did, he slid the pillow under them to elevate her bottom.

Her breathing was ragged, and she bent her arms and brought them up close to her body along the sides of her breasts.

“Can you keep your thighs parted for Daddy? Or do you need me to put another pillow between your knees to remind you?”

Her breath hitched, and she hesitated before saying, “I’ll try, Daddy.”

He chuckled as he rubbed her bottom. “I told you before, Little girls who need a punishment spanking aren’t allowed to come, and that means no attempting to get friction against your clit, understood?”

Her shiver was delightful. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Why is Daddy spanking you, Juni?”

“Because I could’ve gotten hurt when I ran into a dangerous situation.”

“That’s right. I want you to think twice before you do anything like that again. Your Daddy is going to die of a heart attack if you keep testing your mortality.”

“Sorry, Daddy.”

Magnus set one palm on the small of her back and lifted the other to swat her pretty bottom.

Juniper’s breath hitched, and she stiffened. She needed a warmup to remember what it felt like to be spanked, and he would give her that. He swatted her several more times, peppering her skin while she slowly relaxed.

When he paused to rub her pink globes, he asked her, “How are you doing, Juni?”

“Okay, Daddy.” Her voice was firm. She didn’t sound distressed.

“May I continue, Little one?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl.” This time, he spanked her harder, watching her profile as she winced and then settled. She pursed her lips, and when she lifted her feet, flexing them, he knew she was aroused.

Magnus increased the pressure again, covering every inch of skin, including her upper thighs. He wanted her to remember this spanking every time she tried to sit tomorrow morning.

Juniper finally started to cry, her breath hitching with soft hiccups as she whimpered and wiggled.

Magnus paused again to make sure she was okay. He didn’t rub her bottom this time, knowing the burn would linger. “That’s my good girl. Let it all out. Daddy is going to keep going.”

She nodded vehemently, leaving no doubt that she wanted this, so Magnus continued, picking up the pace, giving her no time to recover between swats. No time to catch her breath. He let his spanks overlap, increasing the burn she had to be feeling.

When she finally let herself go completely, she switched from quiet sobs to full-blown wailing. That’s when he knew it was time to stop.

Magnus rolled her over and scooped her into his arms, gathering her against his chest. He kissed all over her forehead while she cried against his chest. Huge sobs wracked her body and made her nose run.

Still holding her, he padded to the bathroom to set Juniper on the vanity. Cradling her against him with one hand, he used the other to wet a washcloth. He gently wiped her cheeks and eyes. “Such a good girl,” he repeated over and over. “Let those bad feelings out.”

She cried for a long time before finally slowing to sniffles, burrowing herself against him.

Magnus headed for the rocking chair in her playroom and settled in it, careful not to rub against her bottom more than necessary. “How do you feel, Juni?” he asked when she stopped sniffling.

“Better. Thank you, Daddy.”

“Your poor choices are erased now. Poof.”

She twisted her head to look up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Really?”

“Yep. That’s how a spanking works. We won’t talk about those infractions again. Daddy forgives you, and you need to forgive yourself, too.” He lifted a brow.

She frowned and sat up straighter in his lap, wincing as she rubbed her bottom across his jeans. “How do I do that? I was so naughty. I shouldn’t have snuck out and basically lied to you. How can you trust me in the future if I keep sabotaging things between us?” She fiddled her hands as she tipped her head down to her lap.

Magnus lifted her chin with one finger. “Because I love you, Little girl. Bunches and bunches. There’s nothing you could do to change that. My heart is yours. It scares me to death when you do dangerous things, and I’d rather you didn’t do that quite so often, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

She sniffled again and threw her arms around him. “You really forgive me?”

“Always.” He rubbed her back, his chest feeling tight from the overload of emotion. His Little girl was everything to him. She was his world.

“I promise I won’t be so naughty in the future.”

He chuckled, making her shake on his lap. “Yes, you will, Juni. Little girls are mischievous sometimes, especially when they all get together. There are four of you now. There will be mischief, and then there will be spankings. Maybe don’t climb out a fifth-floor window or chase after bad guys, though, yeah? How about you hide my favorite pen or sneak candy into your playroom? Things that have no chance in ending with a broken neck or a gunshot wound.”

She nodded, her expression serious. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Now, let’s get you ready for bed. It’s been a very long day.”

She pushed out her bottom lip. “You’re really not going to have sex with me?”

“Nope.” He tapped her nose. God, how he wanted to make love to her. He’d like nothing better than to slide into her and remind himself they were both alive and together, but he had to stick to his guns on this.