(Insightful, humorous, decadent, or romantic, the comment that most touches my heart and tickles my fancy, will receive a $10 Starbucks Card.  Thank you for participating).

THE PROMISE

Made visible by her breath, the frost’s cold hung in the air. She didn’t want to be there but she’d promised she would meet him, and at the time she’d wanted to, but now…!

A shuddering ripple cascaded down her spine. The park was desolate and forbidding, but it shared its eerie stillness with its beauty, and sighing heavily, she allowed herself to fall under the spell of the glacial grandeur that surrounded her.

Reflecting the full moon’s silver glaze, the icy shards clinging to the trees twinkled as brightly as the canopy of sparkling stars overhead,  The bench where they had first kissed, suggested she should sit, but it didn’t seem right without him, and as much as her feet hurt in the too-small boots, she couldn’t bring herself to accept its silent invitation.

park

“I’m so glad you came.”

His voice, deep and comforting, sent the much missed, familiar fluttering through her belly, and she turned to see him sauntering towards her, his hands stuffed in his overcoat pockets.

“I said I would,” she replied, immediately wishing she hadn’t sounded so defensive.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”  Dammit, why am I here?  I know I’m a physical masochist, but I’m not an emotional one, or am I?

He smiled, and the dimples that once had charmed her, worked their magic again. She wanted to sink against his soft wool jacket, feel his engulfing bear hug, smell the rich aroma of his-

“Let’s sit,” he said, interrupting her thoughts as he moved confidently towards the bench.

“So, what’s up?” she asked, attempting to appear nonchalant as she perched on the edge of the wooden seat.  I shouldn’t have come.  I’ll sit here with a brave face, pretend I’m fine, then go home and end up crying with my dog.

“Do you remember the promise I made you this time last year?”

The glint in his eye set her butterflies wildly flapping, making it impossible to concentrate.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked, rising from the depths of his gaze.

“I asked if you remember the promise I made you last New Year’s Eve.  You were sick, too sick to go out.”

She swallowed hard and glanced across the icy lawns.  Of course she remembered the promise. She remembered it every hour of every day, sometimes as a fuzzy shadow, other times with crushing clarity.

“Yes,” she sighed, “but like you said, that was last year, before we…before you…”

“Before I was an idiot,” he finished.

“I didn’t say that,” she retorted.

“No, but you could have, and you would have been right.”

Her heart did a quickstep, and as she caught her breath she felt her teeth clench.  This was not what she’d expected, but then, she wasn’t sure what she’d expected, and she realized she was there because every part of her had ached to share his space, even if only for a few minutes.

“I’ve figured something out,” he continued.  “There’s a problem being a Dominant.  No, that’s not right.  There’s a problem I used to have, being a Dominant, or at least your Dominant.”

“I don’t understand?” she muttered, unable to make her voice work properly.

“I thought I was supposed to be smart all the time, infallible, have all the answers,” he frowned, “but I’m just a human being, with all the flaws and weaknesses of any other human being.  I’m sorry, Beth, I let you down.  I tried so hard to be perfect, and all I did was make an absolute mess of things.”,

Her hands balled into fists. Was this just an apology, or…?

“If you want me to,” he said slowly, “I’d like to keep that promise.”

Heart thumping, her eyes searched his, seeking the glow of love behind his words.

“I want to spank you right here, now, on our bench, in the freezing cold,” he said softly, locking her gaze, “just as I promised.”

A hot lump began forming in her throat.  She wanted it…she wanted him…

“And then what?” she managed.

“And then I’ll take you home, and kiss every single inch of you.”

She brought her gloved hands to her face, covering her eyes.

Take a leap of faith.  You miss him like crazy.  Be brave, Beth, go on, do it.

Wordlessly, tremulously, haltingly, she crawled across his lap, and sighing deeply, sank into her surrender.  As she felt the comfortable familiarity of his lap, she sighed heavily, relinquishing her fears..  She was home.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Easy relationships can sometimes be difficult, difficult relationships can sometimes be easy, and going back, can sometimes mean, going forward.

https://www.amazon.com/author.maggiecarpenter

_________________________________________________________________________________

RULES:

Follow the links to read the blogs–comment on the blog to prove you were there (or answer the participant’s specific question, if they have one). COPY AND PASTE COMMENTS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED! Each comment earns you one entry for the grand prize. You must provide your email address for your entry to count. Individual pages may also have their own form of entry (Rafflecopter, etc) for additional chances to win prizes. Enjoy all the free stories, posts, & fun!

PLEASE VISIT OUR OTHER BLOGGERS

1. Spanking Romance Reviews

2. Saturday Spankings

3. Corinne Alexander

4. Katherine Deane

5. Natasha Knight

6. Patricia Green Books

7. Casey McKay

8. Kathryn R. Blake

9. Renee Rose

10. Lily Harlem

11. Cara Bristol

12. Adaline Raine

13. Tara Finnegan Romance

14. Celeste Jones

15. Leigh Smith (aka Sunny Girl)

16. Tara Crescent (BDSM Romance)

17. Sue Lyndon

18. Anastasia Vitsky (Governing Ana)

19. Normandie Alleman

20. Maddie Taylor

21. Liv Honeywell

22. Joelle Casteel- author of bdsm erotica

23. Sadey Quinn

24. Holla Dean spankin’ good romance stories

25. Paige Tyler

26. Thianna D

27. Emily Tilton

28. PK Corey

29. Constance Masters

30. Lucy Felthouse

31. Paloma Beck

32. Kristin Elyon

33. Patty Devlin Author

34. Abigail Armani Erotic Romance Author

35. Johnna Maquire

36. A Voice in the Corner

37. Michelle Graham, Erotic Romance

38. Kates Cravings – Batteries Not Included

39. Korey Mae Johnson

40. Sheri “WTF” Savill

41. Disciplinary Tales

42. Elegant Erotica – Maggie Carpenter

43. Trent Evans Letters

44. Jaye Peaches

45. Dinah McLeod

46. Daizie Draper

47. Draven St. James

48. Jolynn Raymond’s Dark Obsessions

49. Shoshanna Evers

50. Acknowledging Imperfection

51. We Love Kink

52. 1950s Wife

53. Shelly Douglas

54. The Cover Artisan

55. Penelope Hasler

We have some wonderful Grand Prizes & more rolling in every day!