Coming nearer, he raised the riding crop and leaned sideways over the horse to perfectly aim a strike across the seat of her bottom as she ran. He ensured there was enough force behind the swat of the crop to make her jump and shriek with pain and clutch at her bottom. She turned to look at him in shock, surprised at his action. Alexander made sure his features remained impassive, cold, aloof, regal. He allowed her to run on, dropping back a little then charged the horse once more, driving the beautiful black stallion around an oak and a beech tree before he was able to repeat the action. Scarlett yelped and clutched her bottom as she ran.
“What are you doing?” she shouted breathlessly.
He looked up ahead. She was nearly out of the tree line and about to run in to the river. He smiled with satisfaction.
“Encouraging you to stop.”
“I won’t. I told you. Just let me go.”
“Then I will hunt you down and force you to come back,” he reprimanded striking the crop across her bottom and quickly aiming it again.
Having her ass whipped was conveniently slowing her speed down just as he had anticipated. He moved the horse away from her allowing her to feel a small sense of freedom for a moment then came back once more this time to aim the riding crop against the backs of her thighs and then to the backs of her calves. His little one was fast learning he did not take no for an answer or tolerate her going against his wishes even if it was meant well. As he’d told her he was a traditional man and his word was law to any woman in his world under his protection.
Alexander was able to execute the same set of whippings twice more then pulled back sharply hearing the gentle running of water as she ran out of the tree line unaware of the river. Unable to stop her momentum, which she had desperately tried to increase to avoid the swats from his riding crop, she plundered down the bank straight into the water and fell over on to her backside amongst the boulders filling the shallow side of the river.
Alexander jumped from his horse and waded into the water and stood over her flexing the riding crop in his hands.
“I’ve got you. No more running, little one,” he sounded darkly triumphant. “I am going to protect you whether you want me to or not. I won’t lose you, Scarlett.” His deep possessive voice was passionate. “You might not value yourself and your life, but I do. You are mine and you are not to blame for what happened today. We can keep fighting this battle over and over again, Scarlett, but you know I will eventually win. I love you and I am not going to let you go. It is time you trusted and believed in my love for you. Now get up out of the water, pull up your dress and bend over so Daddy can punish you for running away and whip some sense into you with his riding crop.”
“I won’t be chastised by you again. It is because I love you that I am leaving so you can be safe,” she said splashing him hard.
She quickly stood up and began wading further into the river where it was deeper, determined to make it to the other side and get away, prompting Alexander to recover quickly and follow her.
He made sure she didn’t get very far. Scarlett shrieked when he reached for her and pulled her back against his chest. He didn’t speak. He was too busy listening to her admit her love for him for the first time over and over again in his mind. He’d had no doubts she loved him but at long last she was finally able to trust herself and their relationship by admitting it out loud.
Alexander tapped the side of her legs with his foot to knock her off balance and forced her down into the water. With a cry she landed on all fours on top of the pebbles and clay. Alexander bent to weave his fingers through her hair. Cruelly he turned his hand and bunched a large section of her black curls into his fist and tugged. Scarlett’s head was forced to look up at him. He towered over her in his jodhpurs and black t-shirt, his shoes and his pant legs wet from the water, his handsome face full of dark fury and his black eyes swirling with concern and love for her.
“Crawl,” he snapped the command in a menacing tone and pulled her hair to encourage her to move.
He wanted her further in the water. Scarlett whimpered as she crawled obviously, a little afraid of what he might do. Alexander kept tight hold of her hair walking majestically beside her in the river.
Alexander watched her give a small shiver in the cool water running from the waterfall on the hill in the distance. He removed his hand from her hair satisfied she was deep enough in the water that her body was submerged apart from her bottom and head.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
Alexander took
