Hardened
By Ashe Barker
- Stormy Night, 2016
- Contemporary erotic romance / suspense
- Approximately 73,000 words
- HEA ending
#bdsm
#eroticromance #ashebarker #discipline #dominance #spanking
#contemporary
Blurb
Despite
the fact that he is doing time for armed robbery, Molly MacBride is
drawn to Jared North almost from the moment she sets eyes on him.
Even behind bars his confidence and dominance are undeniable, and
soon enough she is willingly baring her bottom and placing herself
across his strong thighs, surrendering to both firm punishment and
intense pleasure.
When
all hell breaks loose during a prison riot, it is Jared who saves
Molly’s life, but she is so shaken by the incident that she quits
her job and does her best to put him out of her mind. As the years
pass, however, Jared never relinquishes his place in her heart—or
her fantasies—and when she learns that he has been released on
parole Molly cannot resist seeking him out.
Through
a combination of hard work and natural talent, Jared has forged a
career for himself as a world-renowned photographer, yet in spite of
his newfound sophistication and wealth he is no less dominant than he
was when she first met him. It isn’t long before Molly finds
herself submitting to both his stern discipline and his masterful
lovemaking, but can she truly risk falling for a man whose criminal
past could come back to haunt them both at any moment?
Publisher’s
Note: Hardened
is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes,
elements of BDSM, and more. If such material offends you, please
don’t buy this book.
Review Quotes
Wow!
I was really surprised by this book….the story is about Jared and
his choices and the consequences of those choices. The writing is
very good and the story absolutely kept me turning pages until I
finished the book. This book really earned its' 5 stars.
This
was a good page turner as I was keen to see where their journey took
them.
Buy Links
Amazon
(all territories)
About Ashe Barker
USA
Today Bestselling author Ashe Barker writes erotic romance and
spanking romance in a variety of genres including contemporary, BDSM,
paranormal, historical. ménage, gay romance and time travel. She is
a #1 Amazon Bestseller and all her stories feature hot alpha males
and sassy submissives, often with a lot to learn. Kink abounds, and
there’s enough dirty talk to satisfy the most demanding smut lover.
However dark and dirty the setting, love always emerges triumphant,
and her stories never fail to deliver a satisfying happy ever after.
Social Media Links and Newsletter sign-up
Blog Post Introduction
I’m
really ex cited about Hardened.
I’ve written quite a few M/f stories, and they mostly tend to start
out with the male hero in a position of power or influence. Hardened
is different. When we meet Jared and Molly he is a prisoner serving
time for armed robbery and she’s a prison officer. The chemistry
between them is off the scale sexy though, and even though it spells
trouble for them both, but especially for her, they can’t keep
their hands off each other. For a while I’ve been thinking about a
story that starts out a bit different and this is it.
Jared
is a bad lad (don’t we all just love one of those?) but he’s
bright too, and talented, and can see where he’s gone wrong. He’s
made some bad choices when he was younger but he’s determined to
forge a different life for himself, though it’s not always that
simple. I suspect the same is true for most ex-offenders – it can
be hard to completely walk away from your old associates and as Jared
discovers, the past has a habit of never being that far behind you.
EXCERPT
2 (X-Rated)
“Do
you want more?” Christ, I hope so, but for her first time this has
already been quite an introduction to the not-so-gentle art of kink.
“Yes.
Please.”
Her
voice is shaky but clear enough. I’m happy to continue if she is. I
intend to push her to her limit or as close as I can get. She’ll
leave here sore, a bit confused probably, but still craving more.
“I’d
like to use my belt. Is that all right?”
“Oh,
I’m not sure…”
“Yes,
you are. Remember, I’ll stop whenever you tell me you’ve had
enough.”
“Okay
then, just for a bit…”
I
don’t bother to correct that. In truth, I’ll be the one deciding
how much she needs, unless she calls a full stop to the proceedings,
but I think that’s unlikely. I’ve never had a subbie safeword on
me yet. I ease her forward slightly so I can reach the buckle of my
belt. I slide it from the loops of my jeans and fold it into a double
thickness, clasping the buckle within my hand.
“Ten
strokes with the belt, okay? You can count them if you like.”
Her response is a breathy squeak, and she grabs my ankle again. I
pull back my arm and take the first swing.
Molly lets out a yelp and her entire body jerks. I watch as the
darker crimson line of the belt blooms across her right buttock,
pausing to allow her to process the sensation and to settle again. It
takes several seconds, then when she becomes still I drop the next
stroke across her left cheek.
Molly
flinches, but there is no sound this time. Neither is she counting,
at least not out loud. I wait for a few moments, then deliver two
more strokes in quick succession. This does elicit a sharp cry, and I
half expect her to ask me to stop. She’s shuddering, and her grip
tightens on my leg, but as the seconds pass there are no words of
defeat or surrender from her. I allow her ample time to call a halt
if she wants to, then I repeat the two strokes.
Molly
manages to stifle a squeal, for which I am grateful. I suspect we are
both mindful of the men milling about just on the other side of the
cell door and neither of us wants to attract attention. Had I had
longer in which to plan this scene I would have certainly opted for a
more secluded setting, but we are where we are. Next time, perhaps…
I
apply two more strokes with my belt, gathering in intensity now.
Molly is absorbing the pain well, riding it like a natural. She is
tense, still rigid across my lap, but if anything, she has lifted her
cute bottom up for me to spank. I can only guess at what else might
be going on in her head, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that
she’s loving what I’m doing to her.
“These
will be the last two. They’re going to be across the backs of your
thighs and they’ll really hurt. If you think you might scream tell
me now and I’ll find you a gag.”
“No,
thank you. I’ll be quiet, I promise.”
“Good
girl.” I spend a few moments stroking her flaming buttocks, the
heat radiating up into my palm. Molly makes a sound deep in her
throat, which I swear sounds like a purr to me. I continue the
sensual caress, pressing my hand into her punished skin to better
drive home the experience, to draw out for her that heady mix of pain
and pleasure that will set the endorphins coursing freely through her
system. This is why I didn’t want to rush.
“Are
you ready?” I murmur.
“Yes,”
she replies, pressing her bottom into my hand.
I
draw my palm lower, down over the curve to stroke the backs of her
legs, the crease where her bottom meets her thighs. This is the sweet
spot I am about to thrash. I rub her there as I lean to my right,
just enough to get a decent view of her pussy lips peeking out from
between her legs. She is swollen, glistening, the moisture betraying
her arousal. I trail my thumb along the length of her slit, ready to
withdraw at the slightest protest from her. She submitted to a
spanking, no more, and I won’t push her.
Molly
gasps, but doesn’t pull away from me. Encouraged but still cautious
I angle my hand so I can push my thumb between her folds to reach her
clit. She parts her legs and lifts her bottom up. I require no
further urging. Her clit is plump, swollen with her arousal. I take
it between my finger and thumb and squeeze, gentle at first then
firming up the pressure.
Molly is squirming on my lap, wriggling and writhing as she seeks to
direct the touch to her sensitive tip. I know just what she needs,
and have no intention of allowing her to set the pace now. I trail my
fingertips around her clit, then flick the end. I swipe it from side
to side, then from the bottom to the top. She is panting, thrusting
her hips back, wordlessly begging me for her release.
She is there, right at the top, hovering at the edge of the
precipice. I tease her for several moments, bringing her almost to
the point of no return, then allowing her to slide back down. Her
breath has been transformed into soft, sobbing gulps and her thighs
are spread wide. When I am convinced she can take no more, I lift my
hand from her.
“Close
your legs, Molly.” I issue the command and wait for her to comply.
She’s reluctant, but gloriously obedient even so. I transfer my
belt back into my right hand ready for the final two strokes.
I thrash her across both thighs.
“Aagh!”
Despite her good intentions Molly lets out a scream. I expected this,
but even so, she did promise me that she would be quiet.
“Molly,
I can still gag you.”
“I’m
sorry, Jared, truly. I won’t make a sound next time.” She sounds
so contrite I can’t help but smile.
“Good.
Make sure you don’t or I’ll add on more strokes to help you learn
that I mean what I say.” I keep my tone cool and clipped and the
words stern because that’s what she needs. Molly MacBride is a
natural submissive and she craves my authority and rigid control
right now.
I drop the final stroke across her thighs, just below the first. She
spasms hard, her entire body convulsing as she fights to absorb the
pain. She shudders, her muscles softening as she lets it seep through
her and away.
Even
before she has finished processing the sensation I slide my hand back
between her legs and rub her engorged clit. Her orgasm is instant,
racking her body as I squeeze and tug on her sensitive nub. Her
shudders, violent at first, subside but she is still trembling as I
lift her from my lap and cradle her in my arms. She reaches up and
locks her arms around my neck, her face buried in the dark grey
fabric of my prison-issue T shirt.
I pull her in close and hold her. She is sobbing, her tears dampening
my clothes. I rub my palm between her shoulder blades and kiss her
short, sleek hair. It smells of apples, and something else. Cinnamon
perhaps?
“You’re
okay, I have you.”
Love n stuff
Scarlett
xXx
