Page 72 of Jase
“It’s more than a mere commitment. When I say you’re mine, you’re exactly that. There’s no running from our problems. There’s no getting bored and leaving. You think marriage is scary or binding? It doesn’t compare to the vows I’ll make you take. Those will be permanent—in flesh and in contract. So again, let that sink in. Don’t try to rush this because of a need. I can fulfill that without my cock.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Neither is your life without me, but you’ll have to let me prove that to you. Come on, let’s go inside. The food should be here by now.”
Kody’s brow drew in as she reached up to the arm I offered. As I opened the door and led us inside, Rian was placing the food on the table. The mask he wore earlier was long gone. He wasn’t having to cover lies or pretend anymore. There was no point in trying to get on Kody’s good side to buffer the news of her friend. She knew, and now we could finally face the reality of what we were dealing with.
“Chinese again?”
I disconnected from Kody’s hold, turning her towards me just short of the table. “It’s your favorite. Beef fried rice. Egg rolls. Double fortune cookie. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
“You’d figure right. What about you? Aren’t you tired of…?” She smiled. “General Tso’s?”
My laugh couldn’t be contained. “I was eating this long before you came here. You and I are creatures of habit.” I lifted my hands from her biceps, not even realizing I’d stepped in and was holding her. “I got you something else.”
“Tell me it’s crispy noodles and egg drop soup and I will bow at your feet.”
Bow…Her, on her knees with her head lowered before me? There went my pulse, pitter-pattering, pounding and thumping like Kody had just injected my heart with speed. I glanced at Rian, who was staring at me as if he was looking at a ghost. And perhaps he was. Someone was lurking around inside of me. Someone I thought was long dead and gone.
My eyes scanned her face as I reigned in composure. Running from these feelings wasn’t working. Delaying them wasn’t either. If giving Kody more time was the right thing to do, I was failing miserably. Hadn’t I just had her against the wall? She wanted my cock and fuck if I didn’t want to give it to her.
“You might be on your knees sooner than you think.” My voice lowered to barely a whisper as I kept my eyes on hers. Words…they were leaving me and despite knowing I should draw this out, I couldn’t while she was looking at me like that. It was as if she was the only one who existed. The only one who mattered. I could read her. Feel her. See her. Why was it that what I held locked inside, she could so easily display with her expressions?
“Kody, there will come a time when I want just that. A time of my choosing. You, kneeling wherever I say. Waiting for whatever I want to do to you. Imagine that for me. Time for you will be irrelevant. You may hurt. You may get frustrated that I don’t come to you in a reasonable manner. Maybe you’ll even get emotional and question everything you’re doing with me. I hope you do. If you choose to continue, I will test you in ways you could never imagine. Like I am right now.” I traced my finger along the side of her jaw. “Do you want me to keep going?” With my other hand, I wrapped my fingers around the back of her bicep, bringing her even closer as she nodded. She went to glance at Rian, stopping as I gave a swift shake. When I leaned down and leveled my lips with her ear, Kody shivered.
For seconds I didn’t speak. I breathed in her perfume, tuning in as her breath caught and she waited. As she did, Rian’s hand came to a fist over his mouth and his surprise couldn’t be hidden.
Our personalities weren’t the only things that were similar. We’d frequented the same club years back. Whether he still attended, I wasn’t sure, but my absence meant nothing for who I really was. Rian knew that part of me. Here, with him, I had nothing to hide.
“You may not understand why of all times, I’m doing this right now,” I said, lowly. “But I’ll tell you why. Outside factors must never come between us. Not now in the middle of a dinner, not ever. If we’re committed,if you’re mine, nothing exists but you and me. Not a friend sitting over at a table. Not the food. Not devices or work. Us. Do you think you can handle putting me before anyone else?”
Seconds passed before Kody nodded.
“If we’re going to continue this, we might as well start now. There are key words and phrases you must learn. When I speak or gesture with my hand, you’re to obey immediately. Who’s near us is irrelevant. Your wants are no longer yours. Every desire you harbor belongs to me. Nod, again if you wish to go further.”
I pulled back, returning to green eyes as she stayed focused on my face. One nod. Confident. Assured. Ready.
“First word: rest. The phrase will be clear. You won’t miss it. When you hear my cue, this is what I want you to do.” I turned Kody to face the table, moving back down to her ear. “You’re going to obey, stand, and go to my room. There you will take off your clothes and go into my closet. Along the top, you will see a small pillow. Beside it, there will be a tool of your choosing. What will you do then?”
Kody’s chest rose with her deep intake, and I could feel the heat leaving her face. She turned to look back towards me, her cheeks flushed as she began to whisper.
“I will choose, kneel, and wait.”
“For however long I make you.”
“Yes.”
The certainty in her answer was as good as a stamp in a passport. Kody’s sureness never wavered. She seemed to want this. Whether she still would by the time I got done with her was yet to be seen. I wouldn’t go hard, but she had to at least get a glimpse of what she was in for. Maybe that time wouldn’t be tonight, but it was coming, and she had to be prepared.
“Good. Time to eat.”
A smile briefly jerked her lips back as she leaned in.
“Eat. Can that be a phrase in the future as well?”
“On this table right now if you don’t get your ass in that chair.”
“Tempting.”
