Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Submissive adjustment?
Oh.
“Um, well…” Shoot. He’d noticed.
Wondering if I could explain it without sounding stupid, I tried to sort through the options. “I liked how you took charge and decided I needed a shower.”
Okay, that hadn’t been too bad.
Master must’ve realized I wasn’t done because he waited patiently and kept petting my head. “Sometimes…sometimes when I’ve dated other humans, they don’t take charge of things like that and it makes me worry. I don’t know what to do next and I get stressed. That kind of ruins the scene.”
Deciding that hadn’t come out too badly, I let out a breath and stopped worrying obsessively over it. Master wasn’t looking stressed and nothing about his reactions said he was upset about hearing about my past dating failures.
After a few moments, he shifted and I got a hug. “It is a common trait for submissive humans to find decision-making to be stress inducing.”
He got it.
Relaxing into him, I nodded. “Yeah, I do really well at making decisions at work. Honest. I’m a good employee, but everything outside of that is hard.”
I didn’t want him to think I was useless, but dates and relationships weren’t the same as deciding what to work on next or how to handle a problem that’d come up. There were just some people that couldn’t understand the difference.
Master made a soft, almost thinking sound and tightened his hug. “You are a very proficient employee. The human mate Nicholas spoke highly of you.”
When?
Guessing the nosy bastard had been gossiping before I’d even decided to go to the dinner, I realized it wasn’t worth complaining about or questioning at the moment. “I’m glad.”
He was such a brat.
“I would ask that you remember I find happiness in making decisions.” Shifting his hold on me so I was looking up at him, Master looked serious as he stroked his limbs over me. “That is one area of happiness I am not confused on. My place on the ship required providing extensive decisions and it was not displeasing. My species is also…wired differently.”
Enunciating the phrase slowly like it was Greek instead of English, he looked proud of himself when he got it out. “I was explained that by a human.”
Yep, we were definitely built very differently.
“It is an odd expression that means I will not react the same way humans would.” He didn’t seem to mind explaining the obvious since I’d missed it. “I must restrain myself from making excessive decisions for humans.”
He gave a liquidy shrug that made me smile. “Most humans do not appear as if they are…confident decision-makers.”
We were all indecisive subs compared to them.
Yep, that shouldn’t have surprised me.
Frowning and looking adorably confused, he sighed. “Most are even non-decisive in grocery decision-making.”
We must’ve driven him nuts on a regular basis.
“That’s probably stressful since most of the time you can’t help.” I’d never be able to put myself in his shoes on that one, but I could tell from his expression how painful it was. “Most people don’t realize they’re stressing you out, though.”
And most didn’t understand how stressed they were making themselves.
Master sighed again. “I am filled with self-restraint.”
Yep.
“You don’t have to have self-restraint with me, though.” Ignoring how stupid that’d sounded and the red flags that were almost neon they were so bright, I kept going. “I like it when you make decisions for me.”
That was going to come back and bite me in the ass, but I couldn’t hold it in. He was so sad about not being able to help more people.
Limbs stroked over me more excitedly and it was almost like I could feel him getting lighter. “I am confident that is something that will make me happier, my Theo.”
I was an idiot…but I was an idiot with a very happy…boyfriend?
All I could do was snuggle against him and ignore the very logical points that popped up in the back of my head. I didn’t care that it could backfire. He was happy and I was getting lots of cuddles. I’d figure out how it would go wrong later.
Much later when future Theo would just roll his eyes and grumble about what an idiot past Theo had been.
“I’m glad, Master.” Yes, we’d just work on finding lots of ways he could make decisions for us.
It would be fine.
Yes, I could draw reasonable boundaries and tell him no if it came down to it.
Hopefully.
As long as he didn’t look sad.
After getting a kiss on the head and a few more snuggly hugs with wandering limbs that reminded me just how half-naked I was, Master relaxed his hold on me. “My first decision-making task is to let you know that you must be bathed.”
Definitely.
“Yes, Master.” My immediate agreement made him puff up with pleasure.
“Then you shall explain your physical sleeping preferences and nighttime relaxation rituals.” He said it so confidently I had a feeling he’d read that from some sort of manual. “Humans sleep in a variety of clothing and some even use sounds or music to be at ease.”