Page 18 of Unzoned

“I wouldn’t have abandoned you, but I don’t know what we would have done. I couldn’t be just your friend anymore.” He shook his head. He wouldn’t lie.

“Either way, I was losing you as a friend.”

“No. You wouldn’t have lost me, not entirely.” He dragged his hand through his hair. He wasn’t getting his words out in the right order. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe they would have had to completely severe their relationship. But it didn’t matter. That’s what he wanted her to understand. None of that mattered now.

She sat back in her chair. He could nearly see the wheels spinning in her mind.

“Jade, don’t over think this. You didn’t say no. I didn’t have to pretend not to be hurt. And we didn’t have to have that awkward moment when we decided to still be friends or not. That didn’t happen.” He pulled on her arm until she moved from her chair and fell into his lap. He brushed away the hair from her face.

“But- “

He placed his finger over her lips. “No buts. It didn’t happen. You did say yes. And here you are. In my lap, like a good girl, letting me kiss you,” he brushed his lips across her jawline. “Letting me touch you,” he cupped her breast. She hadn’t bothered with a bra after rolling out of bed and throwing on one of his shirts. “Letting me be with you.”

An alarm sounded from his phone on the counter.

“Work calls.” She planted a firm kiss to his lips. “I have to get home and shower anyway. Hopefully, I remembered to wash a pair of scrubs for today.”

He slapped her ass as she hopped of his lap.

“Do I need to make up a task list for you?”

She paused in her step and gave him a flirty smile over her shoulder. “Would it be totally weird if I thought that was hot?”

He laughed. Damn this woman made him happy.

“Not at all.”

“I’ll call you on my lunch break?” She asked.

“Absolutely.” He got up from the chair and stalked toward her.

“What are you doing?” She laughed when he reached for her shirt.

“Helping you out of your clothes.” He pulled it up over her head and tossed it to the kitchen floor as he advanced another step. “You know, so you can get ready to go home.” He winked, and just like that, she was off. Running down the hall toward his bedroom laughing and throwing him teasing smiles as she turned the corner into his room.

He would catch her all right. And give her a proper send off to work.

Chapter 11

"I'm not sure that's the sort of dress Garrick will appreciate." Jade eyed the shimmering leotard ensemble Carissa held up.

Carissa looked it over. "Why not? It's New Year’s Eve, everyone will be sparkly."

Jade laughed. "It's not the sequins he'll have a problem with." She took it from Carissa and plunked it back on the rack, moving over to another section of the store. They'd been shopping for hours, and she still hadn't found anything to wear that he'd approve of or she liked.

"He's a stick in the mud." Carissa huffed and combed through the rack. "What Dom doesn't like his sub to be all hot when he takes her out. I mean, it's weird." Carissa gave up on the new rack, barely even looking at the dresses and turning toward another.

"It's not that. He just is kinda protective, or greedy, or selfish. He doesn't like all the goods on display." Jade pulled a strand of Carissa's hair as she walked past. "But it does making finding a dress for his party a bit hard."

"So, you two are working this all out?" Carissa dug through her purse, pulling out a tube of lip gloss and applying it.

"Yeah. I mean it's hard, sometimes a little weird. He's still Garrick, the same guy I’ve known forever, but he's different at the same time. He made me go to bed last night. I was starting to fall asleep on the couch, and he turned off the TV and sent me to bed. When I didn't want to go, he-" She waited for two women to pass them before continuing.

"He spanked you." Carissa blurted out.

"Carissa!" Jade ducked behind a rack when the women turned to look at them. "What's wrong with you? You've been in a mood all day."

"Nothing." Carissa sighed. "I'm sorry. Nothing. Just tired. I'm hungry, let's get some lunch."

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