Page 39 of Harmless Scandals

Adam opened his mouth to answer, but she decided it was better to face this head on.

“Just what is it that you want to ask me?”

twelve

Adam glanced over at Serenity and sighed. She looked as if she had been well loved. Her hair was a rumbled mess of curls spilling over her shoulders. She had whisker burn on her neck. And, she was wearing one of his shirts. She was damned adorable even as she eyed them both suspiciously.

“Well?”

He looked at Mick and, of course, his lover had lost his ability to speak. Anytime there was a confrontation in a personal relationship, Mick wanted to smooth it over. If he couldn’t, he shut down.

He turned back to Serenity.

“Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll get you something to drink,” Adam suggested.

“Coffee, with cream.”

He nodded and went about the task. She sat at the bar. He set the coffee mug in front of her.

“So?”

“Drink. If we are going to talk about this, I want you awake.”

“If not, the discussion might just wake you up,” Mick muttered. He was the one who pushed this so fast and now he was complaining? Typical Mick.

“Go ahead. Give me the sell,” she said. She didn’t look as wary now, but there was a guarded quality to her words. It was the false bravado that hit him. He had an idea that as a former child actor, Serenity knew just how to handle a situation like this.

“You know we’ve been together for a while.”

She nodded.

“We also play.”

She cocked her head and studied him for a long minute. Then, she straightened her head to take another sip.

“Play at what?”

He glanced at Mick again, who apparently was overly interested in what was in his coffee cup.

“When we are with women, we like to engage in bondage and submission.”

She said nothing as she took another sip of coffee.

He glanced at Mick, who was now paying attention.

“And?” she asked.

“It’s that…

Why was he having a hard time coming up with an explanation for her? Before, it had never been a problem. Lay it out on the line, and if the woman wasn’t interested, no big deal. This time, it seemed more important. He had to word it just right, or he would scare her off.

“Yes? Wait, you expected me to be freaked out?”

He nodded. She burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Mick asked.

“Sorry. You two really didn’t hear all the stories about my wild and crazy teenage years, did you?”

---