Page 17 of Fastlander Fealty

“Twenty questions,” he said. “I’ll go first. If I didn’t have chiseled abs, would you still be at the river with me?”

“Not a chance. I’m shallow,” she teased.

“Lie.” He pointed to his ear. “I bet you hear lies too, don’t you?”

“I can,” she admitted with a nod. “Actually, the muscle boys aren’t really my type anymore.”

“Oooh, you’re into dad-bods now? Nice. Tell me the backstory on that.”

She dragged her finger tips through the river water lazily. “I had a muscle boy, and he just uses that to attract other females. I would rather have loyalty than muscles.”

He nodded slowly, eyes thoughtful on her. “I get that. There’s very little value in a person who doesn’t understand loyalty.”

“Amen.”

“Who is he?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Your boyfriend?” he asked, a frown drawing his blond brows lower under the hat.

“Once upon a time, he was supposed to be my mate, but currently he is…”

“Is what?”

“He’s…” She searched for the right word for Rook. “He’s my master. I owe him fealty.”

A deep rumble emanated from Owen’s chest, and it brought her out of her thoughts, and she realized what she’d just admitted to. She was talking about Rook! Openly! With one of the Fastlanders!

His eyes were such an unnaturally bright blue, she could see them glowing through the dark lenses of his sunglasses. He felt so heavy, and his face had grown sharper at her revelation.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He ticked his head hard, in a shake. “Don’t apologize when you aren’t doing anything wrong.” He removed his sunglasses, and put them into a little plastic pocket on the cooler innertube, then pushed his hat off and slid off the innertube and disappeared under the water, stayed there for twelve seconds while she internally freaked out. He reappeared near her feet and held onto her innertube, hands on either side of her thighs. He slicked his wet hair back out of his face and stared at the forest they were languidly floating by. “I don’t like that word. I don’t like the way you said ‘master.’”

“I could tell,” she whispered. “I’m…” She barely resisted the urge to say sorry again.

Owen did something that shocked her completely. He turned and cupped her calves, and laid a light kiss on her shin as he treaded water with her pace in the current.

Just a peck of his lips and then he rested his hands on either side of her innertube again. “No one owns you. They don’t have the right. I don’t care who your people are.”

His words were everything. They shifted something inside of her that had been crying for so long. He was saying it wasn’t right to be owned. It wasn’t right. All she’d heard from the Pride was that was the way it worked. It had never felt right, but it was the rules she had lived by for so long.

“What did you do to get the scar?” he asked.

And it was so tempting. Sooo tempting to tell him more about her real self. About her real life, but she’d just exposed parts of her relationship with Rook that she could get another mark for.

“You’re playing the game wrong. It’s my turn to ask a question.”

“Fine. Yes, I have a big dick.”

“Oh my gosh!” she whisper-screamed, looking around to make sure there were no families with kids too close. They were alone in this part of the river. “That’s not the question I was going to ask!”

“Yes, I know how to be gentle when I fuck you, but no it won’t stay that way unless you ask.”

“Owen,” she said on a breath, her cheeks on fire.

“Do you like it rough?” he asked, and she could see the hint of that teasing grin.

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