“I don’t feel good about it.” The admittance escapes your lips in a tiny whisper; almost low enough that it wouldn’t surprise you if he doesn’t hear it. It’s a hard thing to put voice to. You make yourself look into his eyes. “I should have told you. Or maybe I should have told Walter. I don’t know. I just know that I could have made sure we planned better.”

Martin leans in and presses his lips against yours, the pressure light. You close your eyes, feeling his warm breath ghosting over your skin. When he pulls back, you continue your confession in a low, haunted tone. “I know it makes me unbelievably selfish, but I couldn’t face the thought of losing you again.”

His hand moves to the back of your neck, squeezing you like you’re a cub he’s scruffing. He kisses you again, a bit more firmly this time, enough for your member to stir in interest. Then, he pulls back and allows his hands to slide down your arms. “I’m going into the house. Get the paddle from the barn and meet me in the main room.”

You nod and watch, almost in a daze, as he opens the car door and gets out. It takes you a few moments to realise you need to do the same and you get out of the car. You walk towards the barn as you hear Martin locking the car behind you.

The barn is dark and you pause in the doorway, waiting for your eyes to adjust, before you walk in.

Your eyes can just about pick out the shape of the workbench and the toolbox that rests on top of it. Handing on a hook on the wall behind the bench is the paddle and you walk over to take it down, letting your fingers run over the smooth wood.

As you leave the barn, closing the door behind you with a quiet click, you remember the first time Martin paddled you. Was that when you realised you were in love with him? It seemed like such an impossible dream then. But now…now, you’re happy. You have Martin and you have Paul. They’re yours and you’re theirs. And once this residual guilt is taken care of, the three of you will be able to put all of this behind you.

Carrying the paddle in both hands, you breathe in deeply as you step into the house and walk into the main room.

Martin is the only one there. He’s sitting on the couch, in the middle of it, with enough room to support your body on either side of him.

“Where’s Paul?” you ask, as you step over to Martin’s side. Automatically, your hands go to your pants, unbuttoning and pushing them down. Then you pause, eyes shifting to Martin’s face. It’s not that you expect him to leave your underwear down; just you’re not sure if he wants you to take them down, or if he plans to do so himself.

Martin reaches out and takes a firm hold of your wrist, drawing you round and across his knees. “I told him he wouldn’t want to see you getting paddled.”

Being over Martin’s knee is a lot more comfortable than it should be, given he’s about to blister your butt. When his fingers graze the bare skin of your back to tug your underwear down, your member can’t help but stir in response. “When you paddled me before, did you bend me over because you thought I’d get too attached if you put me over your knee?” Okay. You never claimed your brain followed a logical thought process when you’re about to be punished.

The paddle taps gently against your bare backside, the cool wood a stark contrast to how you know it will feel in mere seconds. “I didn’t want you here,” Martin admits. “I didn’t want you to waste your life pining for something that could have been. I would have done anything to get you back to the world of the living. But we don’t need to worry about that now. You can be as attached to me as you like,” he offers, a trace of humour in his voice.

“That’s good to know,” you agree.

The paddle lifts and then thwaps down at the crest of your backside. It leaves behind an intense sting and you reach down to wrap your hands around Martin’s ankle, so you’re less likely to throw them back over your bottom.

The next strike from the paddle lands just below the first, overlapping with the sting. You squeeze his ankle tighter as the paddle continues to rise and fall, the sting quickly covering your entire bottom. While it’s not the worst spanking you’ve received, it’s painful enough for tears to form in your eyes.

When your whole bottom feels like it’s received attention and it’s harder to distinguish where each individual strike from the paddle lands, Martin begins to speak. “I know you were worried and scared, Grant. So was I. I thought I would lose you. That I’d be forced to leave you. Perhaps you could have told either me or Walter, but it’s understandable that you didn’t.”

His words hit home far faster than any words of censure or blame could. The paddle emphasises each word and by the time he finishes, you can’t stay still over his lap, your whole body shifting and squirming in response to the burning impacts.

After several more strikes (you lose count after five), your body slumps and the tears in your eyes roll down your cheeks. You begin to sob, your body loosening up and accepting the spanking. Letting it carry away your residual guilt and releasing your emotions through your tears.

Finally, Martin sets the paddle down and he begins to rub your back. You slump limply in place, letting his gentle touch calm you down and quiet your tears. By the time you’re just hiccupping softly, your backside is stinging, but your heart feels so much lighter.

Martin helps you to stand up and you cuddle into his warm embrace, hugging onto him tightly before you finally pull back.

Even if the spanking wasn’t as painful as you’ve received in the past, it still hurts enough that you don’t want to pull your clothes back over your backside. It takes mere seconds to kick off your shoes and then remove your pants and underwear. Then, finally, you pull off your shirt, dropping it on top of the rest of your clothes.

Now that you’re naked, you move into Martin’s arms once more, hugging him tightly and then pressing your lips to his in a deep kiss.

The two of you stay locked in that embrace for a few moments and then Martin pulls back enough to wrap his arm around your shoulders, guiding you to the bedroom.

Paul is already sitting up on the bed, only wearing a nightshirt. He looks at you and bites his lip before asking uncertainly, “You feeling better now?”

“Yeah.” You crawl onto the bed to kiss him, then add, “Well, except my butt.”

Martin joins you on the bed and wraps an arm around each of your shoulders. He kisses you both firmly and then the three of you make love.

Afterwards, you lay satiated, curled around Martin on one side while Paul embraces him from the other. You close your eyes and slip quickly into sleep, not waking until morning.