Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
When we finished, Aidan drove to the grocery store. He walked with me but didn’t do any of the shopping, letting me get items off my list and watching as I compared prices and used the calculator on my phone for amounts to get the best deals.
“I didn’t know you did that,” he told me. I had a credit card that was attached to an account Aidan kept for me to do the shopping and run his errands. It was separate from his main account and from the one he’d helped me set up when I first moved in with him, which was where he deposited my pay.
“Yeah. I remember my mom used to do it. Obviously, it was different for her. She had to, and I know you don’t, but I guess…you never know. Just because you have money doesn’t mean I want to waste it.”
He smiled, and I could tell I’d pleased him. He reached over and cupped my cheek, brushing his thumb over the bone there. “That’s a very good boy. I’m proud of you.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
An older woman, a bit down the aisle from us, made a disapproving noise, and I looked over at her, embarrassed.
“Is there a problem?” Aidan asked her.
“You and your son are blocking the pasta sauce,” she gritted out.
Oh God. She thought Aidan was my father? I didn’t plan it, but I automatically took a step back. The moment I did, I wished I hadn’t. There was no shame in who Aidan and I were. He was my world. I loved him. It was something I felt in my bones and not something I lied to myself about anymore.
Aidan placed his hand on my nape, strong and confident. He rubbed the back of my head, supportive and possessive. “I believe you’re aware he isn’t my son, because you’ve been watching the way I touch him and you listened to what I said to him. Quite nosy, hmm? If your intent was to shame us, you’ve failed.”
She huffed, mumbling something about sickos, and walked away.
“Don’t think twice about what she said, do you hear me?” Aidan said. He was like a god, and I wanted to bask in his strength and confidence. His care.
“Yes, Aidan. I’m proud to be yours.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, then relaxed into a smile, dropping his hand away. “You never cease to amaze me. Now, finish teaching me how to bargain shop, please, not that I ever intend to do it for myself.” He winked.
It was ridiculous, the idea that I could teach Aidan anything, but he listened as I spoke about my process and filled the cart with all our supplies.
When we got home, he stayed in the kitchen with me as I put the groceries away. We chatted about movies and planned dinners for the rest of the week—simple, everyday things.
Afterward, Aidan invited me into his office, where he sat working at his computer while I lay on the rug by his feet and did my homework. When I was done, we ended up in the living room, my head in his lap and his hand in my hair as we watched a movie.
The credits were rolling when he said, “Go upstairs, take off your clothes, then kneel by the chair and wait for me.”
Oh God. My punishment. After the day we had, I’d forgotten about it…or hoped he’d changed his mind. The instinct to argue was there, but I didn’t. I stood and said, “Yes, Sir,” before going upstairs, stripping, and waiting by the chair he now kept in my room for when he spanked me. It hadn’t happened a lot, but yeah, I wasn’t perfect. There was a time when I’d thought something like this couldn’t be a punishment, but it was, because it came from disappointing him. There was nothing worse than that.
My heart swooped, then thudded when Aidan came into the room with a brush in hand. He had never spanked me with anything other than his hand before, and I was filled with both curiosity and fear at the thought of it.
“I was upset with you before we left, for the way you spoke to me.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“But you also greatly pleased me after that—the shopping and your hard work at school—so I’m going to give you a choice. I can spank you with my hand, as I always do, but you won’t get to come. Or I can spank you with the brush, which will hurt much more. You can’t come while I’m spanking you, but I’ll allow you to come afterward.”
“The brush!” rushed out of my mouth before I could even think about it.
Aidan grinned. “How did I know you would choose that? Go to the bed. I’ve changed my mind about where we’re doing this.”
I crawled to the bed. I knew it pleased him, and I loved being at his feet. The carpet upstairs made that possible; he never allowed me to crawl on the harder floors downstairs.