Page 73 of Love Without Demands

Her brow creased, and I wondered if that was something she was interested in. Until she asked, “What’s pegging?”

With a tiny smirk, I said, “Where you wear a strap-on and…” I lifted my brows, letting the rest linger, and Lehra’s mouth popped open.

“Well, darn. Guess I’ll strike that from my to-do list then,” she teased, her lips turning up at the edges. “This should feel uncomfortable to talk about, but it doesn’t with you.”

“I feel the same. Anything else we need to discuss?”

She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip a few times. “Are we exclusive during all this?”

“Yes,” I said immediately, probably sounding like a possessive asshole but not caring. “Are you on birth control?”

“I have the implant. Are you thinking…”

“I’m thinking a Viking probably wouldn’t have a condom in his wallet,” I pointed out with a wry lift of my eyebrow, and she giggled.

“I’ve always used condoms, but I’d be fine with it if we didn’t. If that’s what you want.”

“I always have too, but I don’t want to with you,” I told her honestly.And not just because it might take us out of the moment.

Her smile was tentative and vulnerable as she nodded her assent, and I leaned in for a gentle kiss because I was pretty sure we both needed it. The softness of her lips against mine again was indescribable. I’d wanted this woman for over two years, and now I was finally going to have her.

But how long would it last?

A week later, I was seated in a salon chair with a woman named Cecily running her fingers through my thick, dark hair.

“How blond do you want it?” she asked, her reflection peering intently at mine in the mirror.

“Not like platinum. Maybe a dark blond. And can we do it just temporarily? I really only need it blond for tonight.”

“You going to a costume party or somethin’?” she asked in a thick Brooklyn accent.

“Something like that,” I mumbled.

“Hmm. Well, your hair is really dark, so I’d have to bleach it, and that’s not temporary.” One hand slid down and fingered my beard. I hadn’t shaved all week, and since my hair grew quickly, it was pretty full. “This too?”

“Yes, please.”

Cecily pursed her lips in thought. “Huh. Tell ya what I can do. I’ll make you blond today, and then tomorrow afternoon, you can come back, and I’ll color it dark again.”

“Sounds good.”

As she mixed up the foul-smelling stuff in a little bowl, I glanced down at the list on my phone of three role playing fantasies Lehra sent me earlier this week.

I smiled in anticipation of tonight.

Be ready, baby. Your Viking warrior is coming.

Chapter 23

I scrolled through myInstagram feed, stopping to watch a video of a cat named Snoopy and a dog named Garfield. They were snuggled up in a pet bed together, and Garfield had one paw looped protectively over the black-and-white kitty. Snoopy opened one eyelid and gave the blond lab a long, affectionate lick before smacking him in the face.

The caption read,Snoopy loves her brother. This was quickly becoming my favorite account on the app. Monty had shown it to Cruz who then shared it with me. We’d spent an entire evening on my couch one night, laughing as we binge watched the adventures of the ill-named duo.

My hand reached into the bag beside me and pulled out a dried banana chip. I crunched on it, wishing I had sometater twatsinstead when my front door burst open.

I leaped off the couch in surprise, spilling banana chips all over as a man stormed into my apartment and kicked the door shut behind him.

Reaching up, I stifled a squeal with my hand.There’s a goddamn Viking in my living room.

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