Page 75 of The Dom with the Kink Monsters

“This coming from the guy currently obsessed with Saya’s boyfriend. Very big of you to give me space like that.”

Lips brushed the back of her neck as she watched the SUV pull into the drivewayfrom the safety of the mostly opaque curtains. “No one hurts you like I do, and no one will suffer for me like you do. Forgive me for feeling mostly secure in our relationship. There is very little chance, in my mind, that you and Saya will run off together and leave Ramsay and me behind.”

“True. But how do you know I won’t go running off with Ramsay?” She looked up at him. His arched brow said he didn’t believe it for a second.

“The two of you are oil and water. Even if you could give in and submit to him, he won’t hurt you the way you like. And you argue too much. Can you picture the two of you living alone together? You’d be begging me to take you back within a week.”

“Begging?” she drawled. “Un-fucking-likely.”

“Okay. You’d just move back in and tell me to move the fuck out if I had any objection. You could let a man dream a little, though. It doesn’t cost you anything.”

“Letting you dream means crushing it later. Better to nip it in the bud.”

“Nip you in the butt? Sure! Don’t say I’m not accommodating.”

She backed away from him, feeling the unwelcome grin take over. He was making crazy, creepy faces and stalking toward her, like a black-and-white movie monster, hands up in front of him and curled into claws.

“Screw off, jerk!” she hollered, trying not to giggle. Giggling went against her personal rules. No silly, girlish levity. People didn’t take you seriously if you were a giggler.

He advanced, teeth snapping, looking like a doofus zombie.

“If you so much as lay a tooth on me right now, you’re sleeping alone tonight.”

“You don’t think Ramsay will agree to cuddle with me?”

The knock at the front door saved her ass from the zombie attack.

She let Mack answer the door, afraid she’d look excited to see them. A week apart had been difficult, even though Saya had found a few excuses to text her, and even a reason to call. It wasn’t the same as seeing her. Of course she could have called there too, but she didn’t want to interrupt their time with their nephew. Looking eager also wouldn’t do.

The four of them trailed into the living room, Ramsay’s index finger being clutched purple by the child.

“Mack, Winter, this is our nephew, Spider. Spider, these are our friends Mack and Winter.” Ramsay’s formality with such a small child was ridiculous, but cute.

“Hey, Spidey! Nice to meet you.” Mack stuck out his fist and the boy bumped it with his own. “So, are you secretly a superhero?”

The boy laughed. “No! I’m three. Superheroes are more tall.”

Mack looked to Winter and gestured at the boy. “The man has a point.”

“Hello, small child. Just to be clear, I don’t change diapers.” It was the most civil thing she could think to say. Usually she told kids not to talk to her or she’d sell them to the circus.

“I don’t wear diapers.” He snickered then pointed to her piercings. “Why do you have all those things in your face?”

The other three adults sputtered, but she gestured them to leave him be rather than correct him.

“Because I like them.”

“Oh. That’s good. People must be scared to talk to you sometimes.”

“I like it when people are too scared to talk to me.”

“Then it was a good idea to get them. Do you like my shoes? Uncle Ramsay got them for me. Look! When I bang my feet they light up!” He hopped up and down and the shoes flashed hard enough to give her a migraine. “They’re purple, they light up, and they have butterflies. Have you ever seen such cool shoes?”

His enthusiasm was startling. Intense kid. As long as he wasn’t whiny, he might be tolerable. It was only for another week, anyway.

“I don’t think I have.”

“Why don’t they make light-up shoes for adults? They’re missing an entire market.” Mack took a sip of his soda. “Can I get you guys anything?”

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