Page 111 of Rules Of Our Own

She wrings her hands in front of her, and I reach out, steadying them. “Tell me.”

“Dr. Jones offered me an internship!” Mia’s voice pitches higher until the last vowel is practically a squeal.

Emotions slam into me. Pride, elation, excitement all come at once. No one deserves it more than this girl. “Congratulations, Love.”

“It’s not just an internship. It’s specifically under her. So I’ll be working in the pediatrics department. I can’t freaking believe it. Oh my God.”

She’s talking a mile a minute, and I have to give her all of my attention just to keep up. Her joy is contagious, and soon, my cheeks hurt from smiling. My girl’s happy, and that makes me happy. I cup her neck and rub my thumb over her cheek. “You’re amazing, Mia. I’m so proud of you.”

Tears form at the corner of her eyes, but the smile never leaves her face. “I can’t believe it’s happening.”

“I never doubted it.” I’m not lying—there was never any chance she wasn’t landing a new internship. She was made for this. She’s practically glowing right now, but nothing can top the way I feel knowing she’s not leaving. She has an internship in Boston.Boston.

I pull her toward me and capture her mouth in a deep kiss until my lungs scream for air.Move in with me.The words hover at the edges of my teeth, but I bite them back, not wanting to ruin this moment. I’d give absolutely anything to keep her this happy.

Her cheeks are flushed, and her chest rises and falls with her breaths when we break apart. “So, where are we going?”

My mind is momentarily blank before memories of what I have planned for tonight come crashing back. “I have a Shibari exam I need a partner for.”

Her eyes flash wide. “You mean like, tying people up?”

“Yeah, Love, like tyingyouup.”

* * *

I pull around an old brick building that blends in with the surroundings so well you’d never know what happens inside. The only giveaway is the dark tint on all the windows, preventing anyone from looking in.

I park the SUV and glance over at Mia. Her teeth are gnawing on her bottom lip, and I gently run my thumb over it, freeing it from the abuse.

“We don’t have to go in.”

Her movements are jerky, almost skittish. “I’m okay. I want to go.”

I lean in closer and wrap my hand above her knee where the hem of her dress has ridden up. “If at any point you aren’t comfortable, we’ll leave. You can tell me.”

She nods, but she’s looking away.

I want to push her against her boundaries, but I’d never purposefully cross them. “Love, look at me.”

Her gaze snaps to mine, and my chest hums. She’s such a good listener.

Entwining my fingers to stop myself from dragging her into my lap, I say, “We’re going to have safe words for this.”

Her mouth drops open. “Do we need them?”

“Yes.” I don’t leave room for debate. “Green for go, yellow for slow down, and red for stop. Repeat it back.”

Her brows pull together, and for a second, I think she’s going to balk at this. Which would be really fucking unfortunate because we aren’t going any further until we get this laid out. “Mia,” I warn.

There’s a small gleam in her eyes like she knows I’m going crazy. “Green for go, yellow for slow down, and red for stop.”

I run my thumb along her jaw and wrap my fingers around the back of her neck. “Promise me you’ll use your safe words if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I promise.”

I kiss her deeply, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and whisper, “You’re such a good girl.”

* * *

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