Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
“You took those lessons?”
“Reluctantly. But yeah. Gradually, I came to realize that, for me, being a Dom was all about looking after someone else. Being in control of my partner . . . their pleasure, their health, their safety. About providing what they needed so they could give me what I needed. Their submission.”
She studied him in fascination. “I bet you are a very good Dominant. You seem to be excellent at reading people.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“You also like to be in charge and can be quite bossy.”
“Noted.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with last night.”
“I’m still going,” he said softly.
“Oh. I apologize. Please, continue.” It was taking him a while to get there, but she wasn’t complaining. Sitting here and talking to Ethan was no hardship. He had a very nice voice. When she spoke, she could tell he was really listening and not just humoring her.
“After a few years of going to the club, I was asked if I could help out in the Littles area. It was a recent addition. Most clubs don’t have a dedicated Littles area, but the owner of this club wanted to add one.”
Cate stiffened. Oh God. Now, she had an idea of why he was telling her all this.
It was her worst nightmare.
That she’d show that side of herself in front of someone else.
“I have to go . . . I have to leave.”
Right. Now.
16
“Cate, don’t, please,” he said. “Cate, sit down. Please.”
She stilled. Strangely, her body wanted to sit. But her brain kept telling her to run and hide.
Idiot. Such an idiot.
She grasped hold of the hair tie and flicked her wrist.
“What are you doing?” he asked sharply.
Crap. That was the last thing she needed to be doing around him. Ethan was far too observant. And she couldn’t have him telling Rhodes about this.
“Nothing.”
Ethan’s gaze narrowed, and he studied her closely. But she didn’t think he’d have been able to see her since the kitchen counter sat between them so she simply gave him a calm look back.
“I want to leave.”
“I’d rather you didn’t. I know that if you leave, you’ll retreat even further. You might start thinking that you did something wrong—something to be embarrassed about.”
“I did,” she whispered.
“No, baby. You didn’t.” He leaned forward. “I was telling you about myself so you’d know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. The more time I spent in the Littles area, the more time I wanted to spend there. It was like discovering a part of myself that had been hidden. Locked down. And it felt so right to let that piece of myself out. What I’m trying to say is that I’m a Daddy Dom, Cate.”
“Whatever happened last night . . . it’s without my consent.”
His eyes widened. “I didn’t . . . I’m sorry you feel as though I breached your consent, but I would never do that. All I did was try to keep you calm and happy until Rhodes got here. If it happens again, I’ll be sure to keep out of your way.”
What just happened?
Why was he upset with her? She didn’t want Ethan to be upset with her. He turned away, heading out of the kitchen.
A low whine escaped her. What the heck was that? She’d never made a sound like that before in her life. But she didn’t want him to go . . . not when she wasn’t sure what she’d done or how to fix it.
“I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “I apologize. It’s all my fault. If you tell me what to do to fix this, I will. Do you . . . do you wish to p-punish me?”
He whirled around so quickly that she stumbled back, tripping over her own feet and landing on her bottom.
Ouch. That hurt.
Cate rarely tripped. She was always very careful in her movements, not wanting to give people another reason to ridicule her. So, landing on her bottom like this was a shock. And she thought it was the shock more than the pain that brought tears to her eyes.
“Cate! Are you all right, sweetheart?” Ethan crouched down in front of her.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Baby, you’re crying. What hurts?”
“I . . . I . . .” Sweetheart and baby? She didn’t know what to do with that. How to react. “I’m sorry I upset you. I do that sometimes without meaning to. And then I don’t know how to make it better because I don’t know what I did in the first place. So I need you to tell me.”
“Whoa. Okay. I think we’ve got our wires crossed. But first, let’s make sure you’re all right. I’m going to touch you.”
Before she could reply, he’d lifted her onto the kitchen island.
“You shouldn’t keep sitting me up here. It’s unhygienic,” she told him.
“I’ll clean it after,” he promised.