Page 50 of Under His Command

“I meant in the lifestyle. I swear it wasn’t a crack about your age, Flynn.” The gleam in her eyes and the slight twitch of her lips belied both claims.

While he shook his head, he murmured more to himself than to her, “And she wonders how I came up with her nickname.”He rubbed the spot he’d so recently chastised as he met her gaze. “Fibbers are dealt with harshly in my household. Be warned.”

She pushed up from his chest with another splash but ignored it as she stared down at him. With her breasts gleaming and soapy, and her skin flushed, she made a pretty picture, but she was unconcerned or oblivious to the fact.

“Your household,” she repeated. “Does that mean you want me to move in with you?”

He frowned. “Where did you think this was headed, Cassie? I don’t want you thirty minutes away on the mainland when I can have you in my bed. We’ll go by your place tomorrow and pack a bag, then worry about moving the rest in next weekend.”

She bit her lip. “Are you sure this isn’t too soon? What if I have a bad habit you can’t stand, like leaving the cap off the toothpaste?”

His fingers flexed on her behind as he gave her a reminder squeeze. “I have creative ways to correct bad habits. Besides, wasn’t it you, only moments ago, regretting all the time we wasted?”

“Yes, but living together, isn’t that a gigantic step? We haven’t even been out on a date. And we’ve barely talked about what we like and don’t like. You know, about sex and all the BDSM stuff.” Her face glowed pink with embarrassment as she tried to make her point. “Especially that. There’re limits and rules to discuss. Shouldn’t we hash everything out first?”

“Earlier, you said you were falling in love with me, Cassie. Was that true?”

He grinned at her shyness and the captivating flush in her cheeks, but she didn’t hesitate in her response. “I misspoke, Flynn.”

Dread lanced through his heart. Had he heard her right? “What was that?”

“I should have said I’ve already fallen—past tense. I think I’veloved you from the start.”

He pulled her down to him, and with her forehead resting against his, closed his eyes. “You scared me for a moment there.” As the pain receded, his lips brushed hers. Then, gazing up at her, he declared, “I love you, too, baby. And isn’t that the only thing we need to hash out before we get started?”

Her nose wrinkled as she considered his answer—so fucking cute. Eventually, she nodded.

Flynn couldn’t keep from chuckling. “That wasn’t very convincing. Nor was a frown the reaction I expected when I told you I love you for the first time.”

Her mouth rounded. “Oh my God, Flynn. I didn’t mean to brush off what you said, not at all.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “See what I mean. I’m awful at relationships.”

“Cassie, I was teasing,”he said, for the innumerable time since he’d met her.

He slid his hands to her face, cupping her jaw as he angled her mouth to his for a deeper, lingering kiss.

When it ended, she was breathless but still unconvinced. “I don’t want to mess this up; you mean too much to me,” she whispered.

“You won’t mess us up; I won’t let it happen.”

“We sent each other conflicting messages for months and have only played once. How can you know that?”

Taking in herworried expression, his arms tightened around her. “Fine, if you need to hash this out, here goes. A man of my experience, in the lifestyle, as you say, knows what he wants. And I want you.” He paused, seeing that wasn’t enough to end her worries. “Since we’ve eliminated the misguided assumptions keeping us apart, I want it all. And I’llbe damned if I let you go back to your apartment, only to see you every other Friday for lunch and when our schedules allow.I’vewaited six long months already. I want you with me, in my house, and in my bed.” He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears tracking down her cheeks. “As for the rest, Cassie, we’ll take it as it comes.”He nudgedher chin up and his lips whisked across hers. “I train newbies for a living, remember? That takes a patient man. I’ll have no problem teaching you what I like.”

“The methods you use for training in your day job are a bit extreme, sir.”

“I won’t haul you down to the grinder if you misbehave, if that’s what you’re worried about. Over my knee for a sound paddling is more my style.”

She sniffled, a hint of a smile gracing her tear-streaked though still-beautiful face. “I’ve already learned that about you.”

He quirked a brow and grinned. “See what I mean? We don’t need to hash out rules and formal protocols. We’ll work it out as we go. The exploring and excitement of discovery arehalf the fun anyway. I don’t need a list of what you’ve tried and with whom. Hell, the thought of you with anyone else pisses me off. It’s irrational, but I don’t care. You’re mine, and I can’t think of you any other way.”

He knew he had allayed some of her anxiety when the tiny lines between her perfectly arched brows disappeared. His hands slid down her back and curved around her bottom. He hoped his next decree would ease her worries even more. “As we build a future together, let’s leave history, both yours and mine, where it belongs, in our past.”

She raised her hand to his cheek and stroked his jaw with her thumb. “I love the idea of a future with you, Flynn. It’s not your past but mine that makes me worry. And my terrible track record.”

“Only because you hadn’t met me yet. Perhaps your poor track record was fate guiding you in my direction.”

“Do you think?”

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