Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 64929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
He pressed another kiss to the top of my head and gave a low chuckle. I closed my eyes and sighed, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. When one wandering hand reached down to grab my tail, I thought he was going to play with it again, so I was surprised when he took it out. It left me feeling… oddly empty.
“Is my pup being greedy?” Owen teased, his voice playful. I blushed a little but pushed my face closer to him so he couldn’t tell while he put the plug aside. “It feels weird without it. I like my tail. I like being a puppy with you… Master?”
“Good,” Owen replied, smoothing his fingers through my hair. “Because I like you being my puppy.”
Warmth ran through me, the idea of being not just a puppy, but his puppy making it sound even better. “I like being your puppy, Master.” Maybe it was too sappy, but I had to make sure he understood it wasn’t just a onetime thing for me or something that wasn’t important. I wasn’t sure what we were or what was going on, but it was more than that… It was special.
The way his breath caught told me he understood, and I was instantly on edge again. That knee-jerk expectation of rejection was still alive and well. But he only pressed his nose against my hair and breathed in, his arms briefly tightening almost painfully in the intensity of the hug.
“All… all of it?” he asked, stumbling over his words in a very not-Owen sort of way. “All of it.” Part of me wanted to hide and leave it vague, but I didn’t want to give him any reason to question what I meant. As weird as the whole thing was, that would just lead to drama and arguments. “The tail. Your touch. You taking control. All of it.” Taking a breath to try and get my nerves under control, I forced the words out. “What about you? Did you like all of it?”
He nodded, but it took the words a moment to follow. “I…” He paused again, then his voice took on the familiar notes of Master. “Yes. Every bit of it, Pup.” I believed him, and it made that warmth feel even more comfortable. “But,” and my heart started to sink, right until his finger gently nudged my chin so I could meet his eyes, so intent upon my own, “we need to get you cleaned up and settled. All right?” That lopsided half-smirk was so familiar, but at the same time, it felt utterly foreign, too. “You can add that to your research. You know what aftercare is, right?”
Nodding slowly, I tried not to look nervous. “It’s where you stay and make sure I’m all right. But you’re not just staying because you have to, right? I don’t want—” Owen broke in, shaking his head. “I know. I want to.”
Pushing away the fears I wasn’t ready to deal with yet, I attempted a flirty smile. “That means you have to help me wash up, don’t you?”
Owen laughed, a startled sort of sound that was surprisingly pleasant. I couldn’t help but be pleased that I could still catch him off guard. “Hmm… Guess I can make that sacrifice. For research, of course.” Before I could start to panic all over again, he nudged me gently. “I want to. I want this. Stop thinking, or you’ll end up collared and plugged again, Pup.”
Was that supposed to be a punishment?
His eyes were smiling but the words were serious. I couldn’t be sure. If it was supposed to frighten me off, it wasn’t working.
“You don’t mind doing it again?” Not really what I’d meant to ask. “I mean, you said you didn’t, but when I want to relax and just… be a pup, it’s okay with you?” He didn’t let me avert my eyes — not that I really tried, because it would’ve meant his fingers might move from my chin, and I didn’t want that at all. “Yes,” he said steadily. “I…” He sighed. When his hand fell away, I keenly felt the loss of his touch. “I like seeing you like that. Relaxed, letting things go, being free.”
I blinked at him. Of all the things I’d expected him to say, that hadn’t been it. “And I like being someone else for a little bit,” he continued. “Someone… confident, who isn’t just a loser and a slut.” The edge of bitterness was there, I was sure of it, but it vanished so quickly that I couldn’t even tell when he hid beneath his mask once more. “Only thing I have going for me is that I’m not idiotic enough to skip the condoms.”
“I’m glad about that part, but you’re not a slut.” Was I imagining it, or did he flinch? He didn’t meet my gaze, that was for sure. I kept going, hoping I could get him to really listen to me. “You just know what you want and go after it. You wouldn’t wait for life to knock you over the head pointing out what you’ve been missing. You would have just gone for it. You’ve explored things, and all I’ve done is ignore the crazy things going through my head. You took control of your life and didn’t let everyone else tell you how to live it.”