Page 184 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

“No... that is not what I said, and that’s not what I meant. I said you’re out of clothes, and I won’t be around much, and I don’t want you to be bored or lonely. Unless you’d rather stay here by yourself for two or three days, and I doubt very seriously you would enjoy that.”

“Right. Got it. Yes Sir.” She stood and took her half-eaten bacon and my empty plate to the kitchen and began to wash them without another word.

I checked my watch. I didn’t have time for this right now. I had a meeting in an hour.

“I need to go. We’ll talk about this lack of communication when I get back.”

She didn’t answer. I waited for an acknowledgement of my statement but heard nothing. I gave her another moment, but she refused to speak.

Where is the line for her? What is attitude, what is rebellion, and what is fear? How much is her disorder, and how much is just... her?

I stomped back into the kitchen to see her eyes welling with tears while she scrubbed a pan. Fisting her hair in my hand, I jerked her head up so she was forced to look me in the eye. At the action, her mouth popped open, and she almost dropped the pan into the sink.

“Tonight when I get home, we’re going to talk about this attitude of yours. I expect you to spend your free time today thinking about it so you’re ready for the conversation. Now. Tell me... who do you belong to?”

She clenched her jaw and her eyes flashed. But she said it. “I belong to Reuben Weston.”

“Yeah.” I leaned down and sank my teeth into her collarbone, biting down hard enough to make her cry out. Then I growled in her ear. “That’s so you don’t forget.” I smacked her ass as I pulled away.

She was still glaring, but I caught a glimpse of the pink in her cheeks before I walked out the door.

Ithought about Aliceall day. We texted a few times back and forth, but it was all related to the pantry. She sent me a link to download the app she’d told me about. When I opened it, I saw she’d already entered everything, including the things that were going to expire soonest, and I was blown away by how much easier this was going to make my meal planning.

When I got home, she was wearing nothing but my chastity belt and a loose t-shirt. Why was that such a sexy combination? With no bra, I could see her nipple rings through the t-shirt.

I want to bite and bruise every part of her body.Mark her up. Maybe I’ll write on her again.

Although the t-shirt looked suspiciously large on her. “Is that my shirt?”

She turned around and raised an eyebrow at me, and I saw her lips were locked around a tootsie pop.

“Nope.” She smirked.Well, someone is in a mood today.

“Are you sure?” I stalked forwards and lowered my voice, and then reached out and grabbed it by the base where she’d knotted it above her belly, jerking her forward and speaking low and clearly right in her face. “Because I think it’s my shirt.”

Her eyes widened but she didn’t pull back from me. She pulled the lollipop out of her mouth with a loud pop. “Not anymore.”

I snatched the candy from her with my other hand. “Didn’t I tell you no candy before dinner?”

“You did not.”

“I think I did.”

“Nope. You said no candyfordinner. That’s different.”

“I see. Thank you for clarifying.”

“No problem.”

I released the shirt and tossed the candy into the garbage can under the sink. “Rule nine. No candybeforedinner.”

“How much before? Because ten o’clock at night is before dinner the next day.”

“You’re an adult, Alice. Use your discretion, or I’ll change it to ‘no candy without permission.’”

She rolled her eyes and recited the rule with as much sarcasm as humanly possible.

I’d spent all day deciding how I was going to handle her attitude and what her punishment would be. That went out the window with the eye roll.Consistency. Break a rule, get punished. Easy.

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