Page 22 of Little Did We Know
My mouth was full of food, so I could only nod and point my fork at him, ’cause he was dead-on.That was how I viewed it too.
“I’m not sure we’re the lifestyle kind of guys,” Reese said thoughtfully.He was watching his brother.“Granted, our jobs don’t allow for any deeper relationships—we travel too much—but it’s mostly been one session after another, nothing that bleeds into everyday life.”
River went for another rib and sucked some glaze off his finger.“I don’t know—you wanna explore Daddykink.That’ll be a lifestyle thing, right?”
“I guess.I go back and forth with that,” Reese said.“I’m not sure there’s a Little out there I can click with.Most of the time, it just feels weird when I see ’em runnin’ around at events.”
I found them charming as fuck, at least those who were also brats and masos, but it was one of those fetishes I wanted to observe from afar.I wasn’t a Daddy whatsoever; I just loved to beat up mouthy little brats.We riled each other up with constant teasing and testing the waters.It was an addictive push and pull.
Lucian tilted his head, visibly curious.“Do you and River play together?”
“We co-top,” Reese confirmed.“Our ma used to joke that we share a brain, and…”
River snorted.“I got 80% of it.”
Oh-ho!I chuckled.
Reese didn’t miss a beat.“You’re not very self-sufficient for havin’ the biggest chunk of it, are you?”
River scowled and shut his trap.
Lucian and I exchanged a grin.I didn’t know if he had siblings, but this was like coming home.My brothers and I were always at one another.
“Either way, it sounds fascinating with the co-topping,” Lucian said.“If you ever host a demo together, I’d like a front-row seat.”
“Count me in,” I said.“One of my first ventures into kink—it was actually the first time I came to DC—I watched two cousins demonstrate interrogation with their partner, and it was heady as fuck.They had a connection that went so far beyond verbal communication.”
Lucian looked intrigued.
Reese hummed and finished another wing, and he exchanged a brief glance with River.“We’ve hosted a couple—when I convince his antisocial ass to join me.But, uh…” He cleared his throat and shrugged.“A lot of people obviously think it’s strange seein’ us together in that atmosphere.”
Understandable, I guessed, but…fuck it.“Youse’re consenting adults.Others can fuck right off.”
“Agreed.”Lucian inclined his head.“It seems, even in a culture of the unconventional—with kink, alternative lifestyles, relationship dynamics that defy social norms—we’re incredibly judgmental at times.”
Reese seemed to lose some tension in his shoulders, so I hoped that meant he knew he had nothing to worry about in our company.
“To the unconventional,” I said, raising my beer.
* * *
Lucian didn’t live far from the steakhouse, so we decided to walk.
He and Reese were immersed in a conversation some ten feet behind River and me; last time I’d overheard a portion of it, they’d been discussing punishments.Lucian appeared to have a creative knack for it, without calling himself a Sadist.
River and I were talking DC—and Winchester; I’d shown him the listing.
I wanted his “antisocial” take on my moving there.I was far from antisocial, but at the same time, I really didn’t want to live smack-dab in the middle of a larger city.I’d grown up that way.My whole life had come with a touch of shoebox.It’d actually been an upgrade to get to the barracks in the service.Not only was I used to sharing everything with others, but I’d been free of my brother’s terrorizing.Mainly, Cullen’s.He and I could go at each other like archenemies, even though we’d always have each other’s backs.
“Fellas, you can take the next left across the street,” Lucian called.
I looked back and acknowledged what he’d said.“Aye-aye.”
“…but it’s not like we wanna stay there forever,” River was saying.“It’s close to work.That’s the one perk.But in the future, we want a house with a bunch of hedges and trees to shut out the rest of the world.I don’t like the feelin’ of staying on top of each other.”
“Exactly how I feel,” I said.“I want a piece of land too, where I can grow food and keep chickens.”
“Sounds nice,” he commented.“In other words, you should definitely call the listing agent in Winchester.”
