Stone was relaxing by the fireplace when Parsons announced a guest. “The Earl of Brougham to see you, my lord.”

“Show him in.” Stone steeled himself for his first visit with his friend since they’d shared Theo.

Said friend stormed into the study, his face a mask of fury. “Stone, what the hell are you doing turning your wife loose on London like that?”

Stone shot out of his chair. “What the devil are you talking about?”

“You gave her your cabriolet to drive?” Cooper sputtered and huffed in agitation.

“I allowed her to take it out for a drive.” He groaned. “What did she do?”

Cooper snorted.

“No, wait. Just tell me who she raced.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

“Denton.”

“Dear God.” He collapsed into his chair. “How awful was it? Clearly, she’s not hurt.”

“Awful? The bloody wench trounced him. She beat him handily and took fifty pounds in the process. But you should have known better than to let her alone in that vehicle. She’s far too reckless.”

Stone had known this would happen. He’d almost reneged on his promise to her. But he’d wanted to trust her to be careful. It was clear that had been a bad idea. “I know. I had hoped if I trusted her a bit, she would prove to be worthy. Clearly, I am too besotted with my own wife to know what’s good for her.”

“Well, the worst I should expect will be the gossip. Though I doubt Denton will be touting his loss at the hands of a woman. But it was the middle of Hyde Park. Someone will have seen the race and will make mention of it.” Cooper poured himself a brandy.

“Yes. It seems Theo will be facing the cross a bit sooner than either of us expected. Thank you for letting me know about the race. I would have been much angrier to have heard it through the grapevine.”

“Yes, well, since I played witness, I knew you needed to hear of it. Do be sure to give her a good swat for me.”

Stone grinned ruefully. “Certainly. By the by, do you have a moment? Been meaning to run something past you.”

“Of course.” Cooper settled into a nearby chair.

Stone sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Well, I feel a bit silly, but I seem to have grown rather accident-prone. In the last few months, I have tripped and fallen in front of two moving vehicles, gotten caught in a snatch-and-rob carriage, and was attacked in an alley while attempting to rescue a lure.”

“Sounds as though you either need to be more careful, or something more nefarious may be afoot. Any ideas who might prefer to see you under the ground?” Cooper took another sip of his drink.

“No. I can’t imagine who dislikes me enough to wish me dead. Either way, I shall endeavor to be more careful. And if anything new comes to light, you will be the first to know.”

“Very well. Stay safe, my friend.” Cooper tossed back his drink and departed.

Stone remained seated and stared at the flames in the fireplace. His wife had turned out to be more trouble than he had ever imagined.

---

Theo opened the front door and peered around the solid wood obstruction. Lucky her. The foyer was empty. She eased the door closed and turned around to sneak upstairs. Without a doubt, Stone would have heard about the race by now. She had been approached by no fewer than three ladies on Bond Street while shopping to offer their congratulations.

She had one foot on the stairs when the silence shattered. “Theodora Denton, in my study.”

She cringed. Double damn. Word had obviously reached him. She turned and walked into his study.

“Attempting to sneak in, were you?” He sat behind his desk.

“Um.” Her heart raced as indecision warred within. Should she make a run for it and lock herself in her sitting room until he calmed down?

“I know you were. Just as you know that I am aware of your afternoon excursion.” He rose and paced around the desk.

She nodded, unable to force words past her parched throat.

“Please explain to me how you wound up behaving so recklessly after our conversation about how important the vehicle, cattle, and—most importantly—you are to me?”

Anger radiated off his towering body. She’d cocked it up. She had suspected, but now she knew just how badly she’d done so. She swallowed and wet her dry mouth. “I stopped to chat with Lizzy when your cousin Denton joined us. Well, it all started out friendly enough, I suppose, but then he suggested that a woman couldn’t handle a team. It was a challenge I could not let pass, not only for myself, but for all women.”

Stone turned his back on her, which made her stomach rise up, twist, and belly flop in her torso.

“I’m very sorry, my lord. I promise the cattle were never in jeopardy, and there is nary a scratch on the paint.” She bit her lip to quell its tremble.

“Go upstairs to our private room. You know which room I mean. There you will strip and kneel in the corner to await my pleasure.”

“Yes, Master.” She scurried from the study, up the stairs, and into the new room. There she hung her dress and paletot in the wardrobe that had been added since her last visit. She struggled with the rest of her undergarments but finally managed to free herself. With only one corner available, she knelt there naked but for her stockings, as was his usual preference.

An eternity might have passed as she waited. Perhaps it had only been ten minutes, but her knees ached and her heart pounded with such force that she was certain she would have an aneurysm. His heavy footsteps thumped down the hallway, and then he entered the room. The creak of wood bearing a significant weight indicated he had taken a seat on the throne.

“Come to me, pet.” His command startled her, but she stood and approached him immediately. “Kneel, please.” He waited for her compliance. “Do you know why you are to be punished?”

“Yes, Master.” She nodded. “I was reckless, I put your cattle and your vehicle in danger, and myself at risk.” A tear slipped down her cheek as the guilt of her rashness settled on her chest like a weight. It was how she always felt after each scrape. Usually she hid in her room and cried until the feeling passed, but Stone had not allowed her such retreat.

“Most importantly, you put yourself at risk. Beyond the possessions and the horses, you could have broken your fool neck. Come here.”

---

Stone pulled her back to her feet. He could see the misery etched on her face as she realized how rash she’d been. He took pity on her, enough so that he would not strap her to the cross as punishment. By all accounts—and he had heard more than one over the course of the late afternoon at his club—she had acquitted herself well. Poor Denton appeared the cad for goading her into such a display, even if it hadn’t been malicious.

“Yes, Master.” She stepped up beside him and hesitated.

“Bend over and settle your hips across my knees.” He helped her get into position. “You will take twenty spanks as punishment for your disregard for your well-being. This is not about the carriage, nor the cattle. This is simply about you risking your neck. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Master.” Her muffled response was enough.

He could no longer delay the inevitable. He landed the first swat and paused.

“One, Master.” Her voice waffled with the sting of the first strike.

Then the second. “Two, Master.”

The next four came in a flurry of quick slaps. Her bottom was nice and pink, and she counted for him without his direction to do so. While the need to spank her made him unhappy, her capacity to remember that he preferred someone to count was gratifying.

The next four strikes of his palm came in an even distribution across the meat of her backside and increased the color to a bright pink. Heat radiated off her flesh now as he continued on to an even dozen. Just over halfway, and he could hear her tears between her accountings.

“Almost done, pet. Eight more and you will be clear of your misbehavior. Do you promise to never again put yourself at risk in such a manner?” He rubbed her inflamed flesh.

“I promise, Master.” When her voice cracked, he almost stopped the punishment.

He much preferred pleasuring her to punishing. But if she was to respect him and his authority over her, then he must follow through with this onerous task. He shifted the next four strikes to the cuff of her bottom. They fell slow and hard to ensure as she sat for the next day or so, she would remember this lesson. He ranged the last four blows from the top of her bum down to the newly spanked cuff.

Theo cried, though she never thrashed, fought, or otherwise attempted to prevent the spanking. She accepted her punishment with the grace and poise he had come to admire her for. When it was over, he helped her stand, gave her a sip of water from the pitcher he’d placed in there earlier, and settled her on his lap.

“How do you feel after your first real punishment?” He tried to hide his worry that he’d been too rough with her.

“First? Master, you spanked me our first night in here.” Her face flushed at the memory.

“I did, but that was less punishment and more an aid to help you past your fear. It is the motivation that determines if it is punishment or discipline. Discipline is a way to help you push your boundaries or remind you of what they are. Punishment is the result of wrongdoing or poor behavior. The other more significant difference is that I do not enjoy punishing you, whereas I shall always thrill to watch you respond to discipline.”

“I’ll have to mull that over a bit before I can fully understand the nuances of each, Master.” Theo’s brow wrinkled as it always did when she thought hard about something.

“There is no rush. Once you are sure you understand the difference, we should discuss it to make sure we are in accord.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Yes, Master.” She sighed and settled closer against his chest.

“Now that the ugly part of the night is over, you will refrain from speaking again until I grant you permission. Simply nod your understanding.”

She dipped her head forward in acknowledgment.

“Good. Stand for me, pet. I want to introduce you to something we will both enjoy.” He stepped toward the St. Andrew’s Cross but drew up short when she did not move. He glanced back to see her eyes wide and her chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow bursts. “Theo, I promise you will not be struck again tonight. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

He tried to ease her forward, but she remained rooted in place. “Are you still ashamed about your desire to be tied to the cross?”

She nodded.

“And do you remember what I told you the other night?” He pitched his voice low and warm to soothe her.

She nodded and let her gaze lock with his.

“I am as eager as you to tie you to the cross. I intend to restrain you and make you orgasm until you are too weak to stand on your own. Then I shall lay you down and make love to you until dawn.” His cock throbbed after painting her a picture of what the evening held in store.

She drew in a long, slow, and very deep breath. Then she nodded and smiled at him.

“You please me beyond measure, pet.” This time when he stepped toward the apparatus, she followed.

He placed her so that her back pressed against the wood beams and then used the buckles on each extension to bind her at the wrists and ankles.

Theo drew a deep breath and sighed as he let his fingertips trail up her leg. Her thigh quivered and her flesh prickled with goose pimples. He reached the apex of her thighs and dipped the tip of his finger into her folds. Her juices coated his skin and made him weak with the need to taste her. With a wicked smile, he lifted his hand to his lips and sucked the digit. Her sweet-tart flavor burst over his tongue as he savored the taste.

He looked up to find she avidly watched his every move. Lust gleamed in her eyes and sparked a reciprocal feeling within his own breast. It still boggled his mind how desperately he wanted this woman.

He reached between her spread thighs and gathered more of her feminine essence. As deliberate as any artist, he painted each nipple with her juices. Then he leaned over and sucked one until she moaned and pressed her peak deeper into his mouth. Satisfied with her response, he switched to the other side and repeated the process.

When he reached down to find her thighs damp with her cream, he dropped to his knees. More her supplicant than her master, he wedged his shoulders between her legs and parted her labia. With her tender pink flesh exposed to his gaze, he eased closer. Hungry to have her musky taste on his tongue, he leaned in and licked her from her channel to her clit.

Theo muttered something that sounded like the start of “Master,” but since she was under orders not to speak, he dismissed it as faulty hearing. As he delved deeper into the matter at hand, his cock gave him an angry throbbing reminder that he had kept his own needs at bay for far too long. And still, he remained determined to melt her with pleasure.

He swirled his tongue into her pussy and pumped in and out in mimicry of what he would soon do with his cock. She thrust her hips and tried to grind against him. He recognized she was close to the edge, so he swiped up and over her clit until she screamed with her climax. He drank her in and ruthlessly worked her back up to another peak. She broke on the dying waves of her first crisis. Her knees softened as she flooded his mouth with her pleasure. Still not satisfied, he continued to thrash her sensitive nub, forcing her to yet one more climax. This time, her body resisted his demands, so he took one wet finger and pressed against her tight sphincter until she relaxed into the pressure. As he slid in to the knuckle, she yielded, and she fell over the edge once more. Her voice hoarse from her bliss-driven screams, she could only whimper as the orgasm ravaged her.

Content with his efforts, Stone worked to release first her ankles and then her wrists. Her limbs weakened by satisfaction, she sagged against him as promised. Shaking with his need to be inside her, he hefted her up and carried her to the bed.

Having settled Theo on the mattress, Stone stripped to the skin and lay next to her. The way she cuddled closer to him caused an odd warmth to suffuse his chest. Having had very little experience with any pleasure outside the physical realm in the past five years, it took him a moment to recognize his state of happiness. The sense of rightness that came from caring for her, tending to her needs.

With his prick eager to be warm as well, he took but a moment to savor the heretofore forgotten emotion. Could it be love? He pushed the notion aside, certain his desire played tricks on him. Then his amorous side took over, and he embarked on a deeper exploration of his wife’s form. He let his hands stroke over her ribs and down to the flare of her hips.

She curved into a delectable backside that begged for attention of any type. He caressed her pink cheeks and gave a gentle squeeze that garnered a response from his pleasure-drunk wife. She silently slipped her hands up his chest to loop around his neck and then pressed her breasts against his chest.

“I see my pet is recovering from her stupor.” He wanted to bury himself inside her, but he also wanted her awake and coherent enough to enjoy their lovemaking. Because, despite the equipment, the rules, and his overbearing nature, it would be something gentle and tender. And that was something he had never done before.

Still bound by silence, she pulled his face down to hers and plunged her tongue into his mouth. Though she initiated the kiss, he immediately took over and ravaged her tongue, teeth, and lips. He tasted and touched every part of her mouth as they shared their air, their joy, and their very souls.

Then he rolled her over and sank into her cunny with a swift, sharp thrust of his cock. She moaned and shook beneath him as he breathed through the initial rush of bliss. Ever so slowly, he withdrew to the huge swollen tip of his shaft and hovered. As he pushed both himself and her to their breaking point, he knew without a doubt he could never touch another woman, let alone master one. He was as much a slave to Theo as she was to him.

With a groan, he drove back into her channel and proceeded to pound into her depths with a fierce determination born of his newly discovered tenderness. As she exploded around him, her hips jerked up to meet his powerful thrusts. He pumped into her over and over until his own release burst through him in a jolt of cosmic sensation that would have brought him to his knees were he not already there.

Never again would he share her. Never again would another man be allowed to touch her as he touched her. Theo was his wife, his slave, and the physical embodiment of his heart.