Page 115 of Piece Us Together
“This is where I’d say something sexual and flirty about filthy mouths, but my boy is sitting right beside me with an impressive scowl, so I’ll refrain.”
“Tell him I say hi.”
I hear him relay the message, followed by a soft murmur that makes Ash chuckle. “He says hi back if you’re calling to talk, but not hi and he doesn’t like you if you’re calling to ask me to do something dangerous.”
I chuckle. He and Nolan would get along great. “Is he unaware that it’s you asking me to do dangerous things?”
“He’s aware. He’s also aware I’m dying to join you guys. He’s not a fan.”
“Well, you can tell him it’s not about anything dangerous, and if anyone gets hurt, it won’t be you.” I clear my throat. “Actually, I’m calling for—uh—for advice, I guess.”
“Alright.” He makes a thoughtful sound. “Does this have to do with Ohio?”
My face burns at the mention of Ohio. I can still see the asshole lying naked beside me in bed, the both of us sweaty and sated, his fingers carding through my hair. I can still hear him when he said, so damn softly, carefully, “Don’t shoot me, but you’d make an excellent sub if you let yourself.”
I hadn’t shot him, but I’d told him to shut the fuck up and he’d listened. He never brought it up again. I did a very good job at pretending to forget it ever happened.
“Maison?”
“Ohio, yeah. Sort of.” I close my eyes, remembering why I’m doing this. Why it’s important. “What you said to me, mostly. That I’d be…you know. A good sub.”
“Ah. So, you found yourself a dom, then?”
I startle. “What?”
“Oh. Sorry. I just thought—well, my assessment of you was that you had a submissive side, but that it would never come out unless you found a dom that would bring it out. You’re not hardcore, you could be happy without it, you definitely don’t need it as a lifestyle, but you’d enjoy it. My assessments areusually spot on, so I figured you found that dom to bring it out of you, but correct me if I’m wrong.”
“He’s not my—” I pass a hand over my face with a groan.How did I forget that this asshole is like this?Cocky and all-knowing with just enough genuine kindness and caring mixed in to make it dangerous. It’s exactly how Hunter is.Is there a dom school somewhere that I don’t know about? Do they have to take a course on how to be unsettlingly perceptive while somehow maintaining an aura that calms their sub anyway? Are they handed paddles instead of diplomas? Do they have class reunions where they share tips about how best to drive their subs to insanity?
“He’s not your…?” Ash repeats, pulling me back on track.
“He’s not my dom. He’s—okay, so I’m seeing this man. I’m completely in love with him. It’s not even funny. It’s—he’s fucking everything. He’sit, you know? I can feel it. I could feel it even in the beginning. But he needs to submit. It’s something he can’t stuff down. Or, I won’t let him stuff down. But I can’t—I can’t dominate him.” I release a shaky, nervous laugh. “I tried. It was a fucking nightmare.”
“You can’t force it, buddy. Just like he can’t. But you have options, alright? If you called me for that, I can definitely brainstorm some—”
“We have a dom,” I blurt. Then I wince. “Hehas a dom, I mean. My boyfriend. Not me. I don’t, you know, do any of that. The submitting. I’m just there for the sex and to make sure he’s alright and all that.”
There’s a stretch of silence before he asks, “You’re sure you don’t submit to him?”
“I think I’d know.”
“You submitted for me, once.”
I laugh. “No, I didn’t. I mean, you were rough, but it wasn’tthat.”
“You handed over your phone, so nothing could weigh your mind down. We established thatnoandstopwould be respected, making them the safewords. You let me pin you down, let me push your shirt over your eyes, let me tease you and edge you while you begged for it. Do you even remember me coming that night? Because you were flying pretty fucking high after you came. You weren’t with me anymore when I finished. Not mentally. Then I cleaned you up and fed you a chocolate bar from the vending machine and put you to bed.” He sighs. “I don’t care how you want to label it, it was a scene. You submitted.”
I stare at the brick I had punched months ago, my entire world shifting around.
“But—” I stop myself, not even sure what I’m trying to argue. He was there. He did all of those things. He knows. He’s right.
“I don’t do that with him,” I decide to say. It’s the truth.It’s the truth, isn’t it?“I might skirt the edge because I participate, but it’s like…second-hand.”
“Do you want it to be more than that?”
I can hear Hunter whispering in my mind.I’d take such good care of both of you, if you ever let me.
He doesn’t know, though.