Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 106065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I smiled goofily.
“You also, Dominus,” I said, sniffling. And I touched his cheek. “I gotta aftercare your butt off.”
He leaned in and kissed me softly. “Looking forward to it, baby.”
Hoo boy, it was difficult not to regress right now. I’d never been more comfortable in my life! I mean, I was eating a delicious dinner in bed. I’d showered, I’d changed into my Baby Yoda jammies that Archie had washed for me, Greer had set up his laptop on the nightstand so I could watch Finding Nemo, and the house was full of life.
I heard them out there on the porch, and I didn’t feel left out for a second. Reese was teaching Sloan’s eldest how to quickly fold and extend the blade of his folding knife. That was how you impressed an eleven-year-old. And then Jamie went, “I wanna try too!” To which Greer and Sloan simultaneously replied, “When you’re older.”
I grinned to myself and chewed on a mouthful of ribs. The meat was so tender it fell off the bone, but I had to eat it fast, ’cause Greer came in very often to “steal cuddles,” which included food off my plate!
On the flip side, he brought me new food too. Best potato rolls in the world, fresh veggies, grilled chicken with the crispiest skin, and French fries.
“Daddy, I wanna play out there!” I heard Loki exclaim.
That little boy was so cute. He was three, if I remembered correctly.
“It’s too cold and dark now, baby,” Sloan responded.
Loki didn’t think it was cold at all, obviously. With the heaters running and all.
I pinched the skin off the chicken breast and crammed it into my mouth, and sometimes that was almost as good as sex. My gosh, I loved crispy chicken skin!
Shay had opted for a similar evening to mine. He’d spent a bit more time with the people outside, and he’d had his dinner there. That was when I’d found out that he, River, and Reese were evidently joining Colt’s crew and Ty on that mysterious trip to Florida over New Year’s. Macklin was also going.
Either way, Shay had retired to the guest room now, where Sloan had removed the plastic from his TV. It was important to wind down with TV.
River and Reese visited him lots too. I heard their steps outside the bedroom every now and then.
When all the meat and fries were gone, I reached for one of the Purell wipes Greer had tossed me, and I cleaned my fingers. They were clearing the table outside, and I knew what was next. S’mores! We’d been promised s’mores and grilled apples with tons of sugar and cinnamon.
I continued to be in awe of Archie’s creativity. Not that s’mores required much creativity, but he did a lot with a little out here. He could turn anything into a feast.
I’d gotten the impression from Greer that just because they possibly had the means to spend didn’t mean they acted on it. It was more important to have a buffer in case something went wrong. And many times when they discussed spending money, it was toward investments in the farm. Investments that would pay off in food and stuff.
He was the type of man who would shell out a minor fortune on the best bread maker on the market but wouldn’t pay five dollars for a loaf of bread.
I appreciated that kind of thinking, because it forced me to look at my own life and see how much I let go to waste. How many half-empty bags of chips had I thrown out? How much rotten fruit and veggies? How many takeout containers with leftovers?
Meeting Greer, Sloan, and Archie wasn’t all about finding my kinky haven. I loved everything about them and how family-oriented they were. They had structure and routines and chores. They had eight mouths to feed, nine with me. Two full-time incomes, with Sloan starting his job after Thanksgiving. But the farm itself was an extra income, and I bet Archie staying at home actually saved them money because of his resourcefulness.
I wanted that so bad. I wanted to be part of their life project and contribute.
It would be a while before I could, but nothing could stop me from preparing. Nothing could stop me from being sneaky. I’d done the grocery run already; now I was looking forward to the auction.
Three quiet knocks on the door brought me back to the present, and Sloan poked his head in. He wasn’t alone; he had Loki on his hip and Emma-Jo and Jamie at his side.
“I have one boy here who’s curious about the guy with the cool pajamas.” He smiled and combed his fingers through Jamie’s hair. “And one girl who’s wondering why you don’t like grilled vegetables.”
I grinned and set my plate on the nightstand. “Come on in.”