Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
I huffed as he left with a quick, “I’ll be right back.”
He could be bossy.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced around me as I ran a hand through my hair. Last time I’d peeked in here, Sloan and Corey had recently made the room their home, so it’d been messier. There’d been a desk and moving boxes, all of which were gone now. The bed remained, with two nightstands, a small flat-screen attached on a mount in the corner of the wall, a rocking chair below it, and new wallpaper. I remembered Corey telling me once that he was sick of white and sterile because of what he was used to, and I was sure that’d dictated the remodel of this room. Rich, rustic colors in shades of red, blue, green, orange, and teal. Same mismatched theme as the rest of the house. And a bunch of pictures on the walls.
It made me wanna redesign the bedroom I shared with Lucian. Ours was a little too dark for my tastes, and I couldn’t fault him for how it looked. He and KC had bought a ridiculously expensive house from a time when wallpaper was white and baseboards, paneling, and crown molding ran in the darkest of browns.
Christ, how restless was I if I was planning bedroom makeovers in this relationship mayhem?
I guessed I was desperate.
If I couldn’t cling to my Owner, I wanted to cling to projects and responsibilities.
I needed to find my place in whatever chapter would begin when I went home tomorrow.
And it scared the crap out of me. As much as I itched to go home, I had no idea what life would look like from now on. Somehow, I had to accept and reconcile that my stability wouldn’t come from Lucian. How the hell would that work? How could I serve someone and not lean on them?
Tears filled my eyes as I saw a future that exhausted me. Would I always be afraid? Would I always worry? Would I grow closer to KC for his dominance? Did he want that?
Actually, that one was easy to answer because he’d never once made me feel like I was a side character in his relationship with Noa. If the three of us were together, usually when Master worked late, KC was my Dom too. He loved me, and he was protective.
“Fuck.” I sniffled as tears spilled over, and I wiped at my face.
I hated this so much. My brain refused to settle, and how could it? Everything was up in the air. And I wouldn’t get any damn answers for as long as I was here. Even less so when I didn’t have my phone—
I straightened automatically when the front door opened, followed by a brief pause and then, “The fuck? I’m used to having a mob of kids and dogs greetin’ me by the door.”
Master Greer was home.
I heard Archie’s warm laugh from the other side of the house. “I’m so sorry, Owner. I’ll act as the stand-in mob in a few seconds! Sloan and Corey took the children and the dogs out for a walk.”
I sniffled again and wiped my cheeks in a lame attempt to compose myself.
“I’m used to having at least four dogs alert me to your arrival,” Archie added in a teasing tone. His voice was sounding closer. “Welcome home, Master. How was work?”
Master Greer hummed, and I heard them kiss.
And that went on for a while.
“Best part is comin’ home to you,” Master Greer murmured. “But it was good. I got a lot done. Unlike you, I gotta finish everythin’ on my list.”
Archie chuckled, out of breath. “You made that rule, Sir, not me.”
“And you know why,” Master Greer said firmly. “Speaking of, what do you have left on your list?”
Archie sighed. “Laundry. And it’s silly, because I totally had the time for it earlier today.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want my property stressed out.” It sounded like he was taking off his jacket or something; fabric rustled and boots clanked against the wrought iron of their shoe racks. “How’s Cam doin’?”
Oh, he was doing peachy. He was sitting in here, eavesdropping.
“He can probably hear us,” Archie answered. “I sent him in there to rest. His sub mind is spiraling, I think.”
I made a face.
I wasn’t spiraling.
“I’m not spiraling,” I said.
Footsteps came closer, and soon enough, both Master Greer and Archie stood in the doorway.
“Love, if you can’t sit still without practically begging for a chore, your mind’s hardly at ease,” Archie told me.
“I napped for two hours earlier!” I exclaimed.
Master Greer smirked faintly and came into the room. “Spiraling or restless or outta sorts—doesn’t matter what term you use, pet. It’d be weird if this situation didn’t unsettle you in some way.” He sat down next to me on the bed and gave my leg a squeeze. “I can tell you’ve been upset.”