Page 81 of Learning to Change

Subspace?

Exhaustion?

Drama.

“I’m so smart.” Joel’s voice sounded rough but he was incredibly pleased with himself. “First…first experiment was a success.”

He was such a brat.

“Thank you for making me so special.”

But he was a cute brat…and I didn’t care if he was manipulating me or not.

Chapter 23

Tate

“I think he’s manipulating me but I can’t tell why.” Dean looked like the sentence was painful to admit, but I wanted to smile as I watched him cross his arms over his chest and glare. “He said he can’t make dinner because he’s too cute, and somehow I ended up promising to make him more chicken nuggets for dinner.”

Good Doms didn’t laugh when their partners were frustrated.

Good Doms didn’t laugh when their partners were manipulating each other.

Good Doms didn’t laugh when their partners were playing stupid.

“Okay, I’ll make dinner later if you want, and if he’s being a pain in the butt, maybe it’s time to give his butt some pain.” Joel would be the type of sub to try to brat his way into a spanking just because he thought it was the best plan. I didn’t think that was his goal with Dean, but he’d like the outcome anyway.

Dean went still and his face got serious. “Is that what you think he wants?”

Oh, had he actually been processing everything instead of hiding from it?

“No.” I wasn’t going to lie even if I wasn’t sure I was going to lay everything out for him. “What do you think he wants?”

Our weekend had gone great, but once classes started back up again and the real world crept back in, we were falling back into old patterns. It wasn’t surprising, but I wasn’t sure how to fix it either.

“I…” Swallowing, his gaze started bouncing all over the kitchen and he shifted back and forth. “I’m not sure the signals he’s trying to send.”

“I can’t tell if you’re wussing out or just playing dumb.” Leaning back against the table, I mirrored his crossed arms and returned the glare he was aiming in my direction. “Maybe a bit of both?”

“You’re a pain in the ass sometimes.” His frustrated response said I’d gotten something right. “Fine. Both.”

His arms got closer to his chest and the glare held more of a pout than I knew he’d want to admit. I had more patience when it came to waiting him out, but I didn’t want to get him any more wound up than he already was.

Besides, talking about the littles and Daddy side of BDSM was kind of weird even if the other neighbors didn’t seem to think so.

“Alright, do you want to have this conversation here and keep glaring at me or do you want to try something else?” Might as well see how much he’d been thinking.

I stumped him.

Blink.

Blink.

Swallow.

“What do you mean?” His question came out quiet but smooth. I couldn’t hear panic in his voice but it wasn’t confident either.

“I think you’re feeling like you’re supposed to be self-assured and dominant, but you’re not there and you’re feeling unsettled.” As I wondered in silence if I’d misread the situation and the way he’d been wandering around the apartment frowning for the past hour, he let out a slow breath.

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