Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“What’s the other thing?” Shane asked, having missed that amazing exchange.
“She’s also my sub,” Josh reiterated.
Shane backed away as though the word itself could hurt him. “Nope. Just guarding the dude’s body. I’m here to take the bullets and nothing else. Nope. No penetration except for the bullets. Jeez. Why did I take this assignment?”
He needed to let that dude get to bed. “Come on in. I’ll get you both a drink and we can discuss my and Kayla’s serious relationship. We have a contract and everything. I’m surprised she hadn’t told you about me. She likes to talk a lot. It was inevitable, darling. You were going to show up on my arm at some point in time.”
“Hey, isn’t the sub stuff supposed to be like secret?” Jared asked.
“Yes. Yes, it is,” Kayla insisted, her eyes narrowing on him.
“Well, no one on the face of this earth respects my secrets. Why bother to keep them? Isn’t that what you told me to do? Tell the truth and shame the devil.” There was something a little freeing about saying it out loud. Kayla was his sub. There was nothing wrong with that. They were adults. They consented. Hell, they consented so much they had a contract to prove it.
Fuck. He was going to tell her. He was going to tell someone what happened to him, and it was going to be Kayla. That was why he’d finally relaxed. It was also why he was drawing out this scene.
Because she could hear about what happened to him and be disgusted, be shocked that she’d slept with someone as dirty as he was.
He had to tell her. He supposed he’d known as he’d sat on the trail watching her run toward the drop. He’d known the evening would end one of two ways, with him telling her everything and giving them a real shot, or he would play it safe and kick her out.
He couldn’t play it safe anymore. He needed her too badly. The little boy inside him was shaking and rattling the cage, begging him to protect them, but the man needed something more than safety. The man he’d become needed her.
She turned her head up slightly. “This is punishment, then?”
He turned and did something he promised he would never do. He should wait. He knew that. It was right there on his conscience to wait, tell her everything and then give her the option of accepting what he was about to do. He leaned over and kissed her anyway, brushing his lips across hers in a way that set his world right again. “No punishment. This is complete and utter surrender.”
She went still for a moment and then her hands came up, cupping his face like she couldn’t quite believe he was standing there. She went up on her toes and tentatively kissed him. He let her, his hands finding her waist.
And then she was back on her feet, her arm hugging him close as she looked at her dads. For as dark as she’d been since the moment they’d met on the trail, now she was all about the light. She practically glowed. “Dads, this is Josh and I’m totally his submissive, and I mean that in a sexual fashion. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Shane winced and shook his head. “And I’m out of here. I have something to monitor I’m sure.” He stared at Kayla’s fathers. “I don’t know what you intended to do for her, but she’s way too open about that shit. You needed to shame her way more than you did.”
Finally something that seemed to stun the couple. They stood there, and even the dog seemed a little shocked.
“Shall we take this inside? I’ve had a long night and I personally would like to go to bed at some point.”
Kayla tilted her head up. “Where are we going to put them?”
Because she was in the guest room. Shit. In for a penny… “The guest room, of course. I’ll hurry up there and make sure everything’s ready for your dads while you…explain stuff.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” she replied but that smile on her face…damn, that was everything.
He’d put that smile on her face. He’d done that. Somehow even with all his accomplishments, it was making her smile that made it all seem worthwhile. “We still have things to talk about.”
She went up on her toes again. “We’re going to be okay, you and me. I promise, Josh. Whatever the fallout is from tonight, we can get through it.”
He was awkward when he leaned over and kissed her. He was out of practice and too emotional to make up some character in his head. He was nothing more than a man kissing the woman of his dreams and hoping he could be enough for her.
She looked up at him like he’d done something amazing. “It’s going to be okay.” She turned to her dads and finally ran up to them, hugging both men. “I’m sorry I’m being weird. I’m happy you’re here. I can tell you all about Josh. And I can show you all the clothes, Papa. You always said you loved me in yellow. Come inside.”