Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

W hen she woke, Mandy could see it was still light out, but that the sun was beginning to set. John was still fast asleep. She didn’t want to wake him, so she slipped out of bed and into the shirt he had removed earlier. Holding the fabric up to her nose, she inhaled and smiled. There wasn’t anything about John Hampton, she didn’t find incredibly arousing and oddly, comforting. The shirt was a light cotton weave, but even so, as the tail skimmed over her buttocks, she was reminded he had spanked her.

She left their bedroom and idly wondered when she had begun to think of it as such. Probably about the same time, he referred to it that way. Mandy liked the fact he already included her in his life and blushed as she recalled his referring to her as his partner and more than just a girlfriend. Shaking her head, she tried to figure out when she had fallen in love with US Marshal John Hampton. Willa was going to have a field day with this. Of the two of them, Mandy had the more mischievous spirit, so for her to be the one to fall for a lawman was going to tickle Willa’s sense of humor.

Wandering into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and smiled. Killian Red. She grabbed one and opened it, taking a long drink. The kitchen was a true chef’s kitchen, and she wondered if John cooked. Certainly, the thin pancakes he made for her, stuffed with the tiramisu, had been delicious. The cookware hanging from the pot rack suspended from the ceiling looked to be the same or similar quality to Willa’s, who was a trained chef.

She found the large, sun-drenched space off the back of the kitchen. John had turned it into his office, but it also contained a leather chesterfield loveseat and an overstuffed chair. French doors led out onto an enormous, tiled patio, which she could see extended along the back of the entire house. There were two seating areas, a fire pit, a fountain, and an outdoor kitchen. Mandy wandered through the well-maintained planter boxes and trailed her hand through the water fountain. Turning to head back in, she saw John, dressed only in jeans, lounging in the doorway, quietly watching her.

Smiling as he walked toward her, he reached for her ale and took a long swig before handing it back and pulling her to him as his mouth descended on hers. One thing about John, he knew how to kiss a woman, so she had no doubt in her mind about his feelings.

“You all right?” he asked.

Mandy was unsure what to say. Part of her thought she should rail at him for his earlier treatment, but the other part, the greater part, just wanted to let go and accept, as he had said, he would be the dominant partner. Not trusting her voice, she merely nodded.

Softly he continued, “Do we need to talk about what happened?”

“No, not really. Part of me keeps saying I ought to deck you, storm out of here, and never see you again.”

“Not your best idea,” he said with a chuckle. “First, it’s difficult to make a dramatic exit without any clothes. Second, your car is in the impound lot, and we’ll need to get it tomorrow. And third, if you run away, I’ll come after you, bring you home, and paddle your bottom.” His hand slid down to gently cup her derriere. She moaned, not from discomfort, more from remembered passion.

“Is that going to be your answer to everything? Either I do what you want, or I get spanked?”

He thought for a moment. “In general, yes. That doesn’t mean we won’t talk about things, or you can’t persuade me I’m wrong and get me to change my mind. But once I make a decision, I’m going to expect you to mind me, and when you don’t, there will be consequences for your bad choices.”

She shook her head. “You really are a jerk.”

“No, sweetheart, I’m the guy who loves you. I know it’s probably far too soon to tell you that, but I do. I think I have from the very beginning.”

Mandy froze, then pulled away. She despised those three little words. In her experience, nothing good ever came from a man telling her he loved her. The last thing her father had said before he abandoned her and her mother was that he loved her. And every break-up with every man after that had been filled with those three little words—lies every time.

“Don’t. I don’t want you to,” she said, putting distance between them.

“Too late,” John said, reaching out to stop her retreat.

She snatched her hand away.

“I really think I need to get my things. I’ll call a cab or something. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll get my car tomorrow. I think we should call it a day.”

“Do you? Why does it upset you so much that I said I’m the guy who loves you? Talk to me, Mandy. If you think you’re just going to grab your clothes and walk out on this—on us—you haven’t been paying attention.”

The feeling of dread that had started when she realized she was in love with him was quickly blossoming into full-blown panic. It was one thing for her to love him—that she could handle—but for him to love her, then leave her? Oh, hell, no, she wasn’t going there again.

“I’ve got news for you, Marshal. You have no legal claim over me, and if I want to put an end to whatever this weirdness is between us, I will. You don’t get a vote in the decisions I make about my life.”

“I see,” he said evenly.

Mandy could tell he was working to control his temper. She thought if she pushed a bit more, he would fail, and she could walk with a clear conscience.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re one hell of a great fuck, but I really don’t have time for anything more than that. And I’m not signing on to be anyone’s little woman or doing as I’m told. I’ve been on my own for a long time, and I like it that way,” she said, lifting her chin defiantly.

“Are you done with your tantrum?” he asked solicitously.

“Not even close,” she ranted, failing to recognize his tone was edged with anger. “I have half a mind to report you to your superiors, and if you don’t leave me alone, I will.”

“Mandy, I’m going to give you to the count of three to walk back from this and apologize. If you don’t, much as I would hate to, I’ll spank you again.”

It took every ounce of willpower she had not to do exactly what he wanted. The truth was, she wanted it, too, with every fiber of her being, but her wanting a thing had never made it true, and giving in to those feelings had always resulted in being emotionally gutted before it was all over.

“Don’t hold your breath,” she said, pushing past him.

He didn’t try to stop her, which she found curious.

From behind her, she clearly heard him say, “One.”

Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Mandy rushed toward the door, grabbed his keys, and ran to his truck. She jumped in, started the engine, and pulled away.

“Two,” she heard him call as she roared down his driveway.

With tears streaming down her face, she drove home. She’d get one of the guys who worked for the company to return his truck to him. Making her way home, she parked in front of her townhouse, retrieved the hidden key to let herself in, then ran up the stairs and flung herself on the bed, alternately sobbing hysterically and telling herself she had made the right decision.

W atching as she got to the end of the drive and turned toward home, John sighed. The rational part of his brain told him he should let her go, get his truck back, and get on with his life. Unfortunately, at that moment, it wasn’t his brain or rationality ruling his decision-making—Mandy was. He knew it, and by God, so did she. He wasn’t sure what had upset her, but he meant to teach her, getting nasty and running from him wasn’t the way to handle it.

He picked up his cell phone and called Mac.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you until Monday.”

“We’ve had a bit of a setback. Mandy got upset and took my truck. I’m sure she’s gone back to her place, but could you drive by there, then come pick me up? I’ll call Equinox and see when they close and if I need to arrange for them to stay open late.”

“Let me get this straight. She storms out, steals your truck, and goes home, and your response is to buy her a ring? Maybe that’s not the best idea. You haven’t known her that long.”

“Not long, but better than I’ve ever known anyone, including you. I’m fairly sure I know what set her off, but we’re going to get this settled. The next time you see Miss Mandy Adams, she’ll have my ring on her finger after agreeing to become Mrs. John Hampton.”

“I see.” Mac laughed. “And does the future Mrs. Hampton have any idea what’s in store for her?”

John grinned. “When I say three before putting her over my knee, she’s damn sure going to remember what I told her.”

“I’ll leave now and see you in a bit.”

John called the proprietor of the high-end jewelry store, who told him he’d be more than happy to accommodate the marshal. John finished getting dressed and was waiting when Mac pulled up in front of the house. He joined him in his SUV.

“You were right,” Mac said as soon as John was in the SUV. “Your truck is there. I used your spare key and popped the hood and removed the starter relay, so she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere else. It’s in my glove box.”

“Thanks, Mac.” John removed the starter relay and put it in his shirt pocket. “The guy at the jewelry store said he had a couple of things he thought she might like. He asked me what color her eyes were, and when I said they were a fathomless brown, he said he might have just the ring.”

“You’re sure you want to do this? I mean, she did leave you.”

“No.” John shook his head. “She got scared when I told her I loved her and ran away. She needs to learn to run to me, not away when she’s frightened.”

“Do you have some kind of plan to get her to say yes?”

“I do indeed. Trust me, when you next see her, she’ll be wearing my ring and planning our wedding.”

“With most guys, I’d suggest we go get a beer to give you time to think, but I’ve known you too long and too well to bet against you. I fear poor Miss Adams is about to become Mrs. Hampton, whether she initially likes the idea or not.”

John laughed. “You got that right.”

They pulled into the parking lot of Equinox. It was a small commercial building, and nothing about it spoke of its reputation as the finest jewelry store in Arizona, if not the entire Southwest. They were greeted at the door by the proprietor.

“Marshal Hampton?”

“John, please, and this is Mac, who is going to be my best man.”

“I am?” Mac asked.

“You are,” John said with finality.

Mac shook his head, chuckling. “Like I said, the future Mrs. Hampton has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.”

They looked at several things the jeweler had to show them. Finally, John just asked him to bring the ring he had spoken of when they had talked earlier.

“I didn’t want to lead with it as it’s a bit unusual, quite striking, and well worth the asking price.”

The jeweler pulled the ring from under the showcase, and both Mac and John were speechless. It was truly exquisite—a large chocolate center stone, the exact color of Mandy’s eyes, surrounded by lighter cognac and white diamonds in a platinum channel setting.

“I can have it reset in yellow gold if you prefer, but I thought the contrast really brought out the color of the stones.”

“It’s perfect,” John breathed. He looked at Mac, who merely nodded his agreement. “She wears a size six.”

The jeweler smiled. “Then this must be her ring. It’s already the correct size.”

John paid for the ring and tucked it into the front pocket of his jeans.

“How the hell do you know her ring size?” Mac asked as they got back in his SUV.

“Easy. I took one of the rings she likes to wear, traced it onto a piece of paper, then measured it.”

“No offense, and it’s none of my business, but did you have to clean out your entire retirement account to pay for that thing?”

“No,” John laughed. “When my folks passed, they left me some money. I was already working for the marshals, so I decided to put it away for something special. When I met Mandy, I knew it was for her ring.”

“You knew that fast?” Mac asked incredulously.

“I knew before we finished the first piece of tres leches cake. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Bad temper and willful streak included?” his friend teased.

“She wouldn’t be my Mandy without them, and it’s Mandy I mean to take to wife.”

“Well, buddy, I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mac. I hope you find your Mandy someday. The only thing more satisfying than feeling her surrender to you over your knee is having her do it when you’re making love to her.”

“Maybe someday, we’ll be able to compare notes.”

“I hope so. I hope your girl makes you half as crazy and happy as mine makes me.”

Pulling up in front of Mandy’s townhome, John got out and waved to Mac as he drove off. He looked at his truck and thought about reinstalling the starter relay but decided against it. Squaring his shoulders, he walked to Mandy’s front door and knocked.