Page 40 of Reclaiming Home

“Yeah, that one is yours, but I’m making Ben and Max some too. Try to remember to bring all three mugs back?”

The silence behind me made me turn to him. He had that same kind of awestruck expression on his face again. I blushed and turned away.

“Any thoughts on how they like their coffee?” I asked, then squeaked when strong tattooed arms wrapped around me from behind.

Brodie pressed his face against my neck and inhaled in a way that wasn’t regular human behavior. He soaked in my scent, then made a happy, rumbly sound that vibrated from his chest to my back.

“I don’t know. Maybe strong lattes?” he said finally.

I explained what I’d made for him, and he chuckled, then dropped a kiss against my temple before stepping back.

There was a sleeve of chocolate cookies in the pantry, so I went to grab it and added it to the loot, then snatched a bag of Skittles from Carys’s stash.

“Okay, I think you’re set.” I showed the goods to Brodie.

For a moment it seemed as if he was going to kiss me again, but then his phone dinged. He dug it out and smiled, answering the call.

“Morning, sweetness,” he said, and my brain got the cold shower it needed.

I lined up everything on the counter for him, then waited for him to be done with the call.

By now I’d figured out that “sweetness” was his friend Rian who seemed to be his favorite person in the world. They were definitely closer than most guys were with their best friends,and I found myself unable to ask him if they had a romantic relationship as well.

It didn’t matter to me if someone was polyamorous, but I didn’t think I could handle my partner being with someone else, too. It worked for a lot of people, I was too possessive of my lovers—not that I’d had many—to be able to let them be with someone else too. Besides, if we were to have a kink relationship, too, that was a whole other thing as well.

I’d only ever played with Doms I wasn’t in a relationship with, but I couldn’t see myself sharing Brody with another sub when it came to sexual play.

Once he’d ensured Rian that he was about to go pick up the cousins and that he’d call when he got them to the airport, they said bye and he put the phone into his pocket.

“So, here’s everything,” I gestured at the coffees and treats. “I’ll lock up and move the dresser just in case. Let me know when you get to the airport and when you start the drive back, okay?”

Brodie tilted his head minutely, as if he was trying to figure something out, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll drive safely and be back when I can. I don’t know how the traffic will be, but I’ll be careful.”

I was glad he was conscious that those were the words I needed to hear.

I followed him out to the porch and watched him get into the truck. Then I pulled the door closed and locked it so that he could see me do it.

I walked up the stairs and frowned. I still wasn’t sure why I’d kissed him, but it had felt right. Not only right, butright.

Since Brodie had moved the dresser right next to the door for me, all I had to do was close the door and push the dresser in front of it.

Carys sat up in bed. “W-huh?”

“It’s okay, go back to sleep. I just moved the dresser.”

“Oh ‘kay,” she mumbled and curled back up under the covers.

Smiling, I left my slippers next to the wall and then crawled into bed next to her. I checked to see that my phone wasn’t muted on the bedside table and tried to go back to sleep.

It didn’t feel unsafe without Brodie there, per se, but I preferred him at hearing distance.

Iwoke up a few hours later when Carys shook my shoulder.

“Can you help me with the dresser?” she asked apologetically. “I’m getting up and I can’t move it alone.”

I stretched and got out from under the covers, then shivered in the cool room. “Of course.”

I pushed the dresser back to its original spot and went to the bathroom. I might as well wake up, too and get some more studying done in the kitchen.

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