13. (JO POV)

(JO POV)

The discipline continued, and five more pops landed firmly.

By now, I was a total mess, the sobs overwhelming any attempt at composure. When I could no longer form the words, Dane began counting for me, his voice steady amid my distress.

The ordeal left me emotionally and physically spent, the fire on my skin matched only by the restlessness within. His actions, though harsh, were underscored by a sense of duty, a lesson he felt compelled to impart.

As his fingers slipped beneath the fabric, grazing the sensitive skin that was now tender from his discipline, an intense and unfamiliar sensation coursed through me.

The unexpected contact, meant to soothe, instead sparked a complex cascade of feelings...surprise, confusion, and an acute awareness of the intimacy of his touch.

After a moment of that bewildering contact, he withdrew his fingers and delivered another hard pop, abruptly shifting the atmosphere back to discipline. The sudden return to the reality of the situation