We go to my en suite bathroom so I can run a hot bubble bath infused with all the essential oils women love. She moans when I lower her sweat-soaked body into the tub, gathering her heavy hair in my hands and pinning it on top of her head with a clip that I bought especially for her.
“Did I hurt you?” I’m frowning as I study the red marks around her wrists and inspect her for more damage.
“I didn’t say Fiji.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“In a good way. I’m aching everywhere, but it’s so delicious.”
Her eyes are closed, and I can’t help but smile at how serene she looks. “I’ll kiss your pussy better later.”
“Mmm, yes, please.”
I leave the room to pour her a glass of wine and then set it on the shelf beside the imported clawfoot tub. “I’m going to have a shower while you relax and get ready for round two.”
“Can I watch?”
I chuckle. “You haven’t had enough of the view?”
“I barely got to see,” Mia complains. “And I’ll never have enough.”
I comply and use the glass shower stall across from the tub, her gaze heavy and meaningful on my body while I lather soap all over it. My showers are usually militant and done as quickly as possible to avoid wasting time. But I take a lot more care than I usually would, knowing that she likes what she sees.
“Were you serious about round two?” she asks sleepily.
Oh, yes, Mia is going to need long-term lessons in endurance to keep up with me. “Woman, I’m serious about round seventy-two.”
“I won’t be able to walk.”
“I can afford to have someone carry you wherever you need to go.”
She giggles, and I love the innocence on her face now that her guard has completely dropped. “How rich are you?”
“Very.”
“Like…millions?”
“Quite a few of those, yes.”
“I don’t care about any of that shit,” Mia says earnestly, giving me the sweetest smile. “You don’t have to buy me anything or take me anywhere fancy. I just likeyou. I’d be happy ordering pizza and repeating what we just did next time.”
My hands freeze at the same time my heart stops. The fucked up thing is that I think she means it. I didn’t think there were any other firsts left for me, but apparently, I was wrong because tonight is a mental clusterfuck.
“I like buying you things and taking you places,” I tell her. “You’ll come with me to a fundraising event next weekend. And if you don’t like the food, we’ll order pizza afterward.”
She giggles again. “You’re bossy as hell.”
“Good thing you like it.”
I need to tell her what the rules are if she wants to be with me until I grow tired of the monotony. But she looks so peaceful that I can’t bring myself to do it because her face will fall. I know without asking that Mia doesn’t feel the same way about relationships as I do. But I need her to be available and easy, not needy and demanding.
She’ll need to learn the boundaries and understand that I will never be hers, at least not in all the ways that she will inevitably want.
But not tonight.
Chapter Ten
Mia