Page 36 of Ward Willing
“Good. You don’t always have to live for other people.”
“I don’t.”
“Zoe. Me. Your students. Miles. Estelle. Beatrix?—”
“Bea doesn’t count. She loves Uncle Liam,” I counter, thinking of Miles and Stella’s infant daughter.
Orion huffs a laugh. “My point is, you’re like a mother hen for all of us. And if Chase and Juliet were still living in Crestwood, I’m sure you’d be hovering over them, too.”
I smirk. “I said I’d think about it, okay?”
Orion hops up and pats me on the shoulder as if he’s not the youngest of the brothers.
As ifhe’sthe one who needs to lectureme.
“Fine. Have a good day, big brother,” he says, smiling as he walks out of the office.
“Hey!” I yell when he’s almost out the door. “I’m proud of you.”
Orion’s cocky expression softens for a second before slipping back into place. “Thanks. Let me know if you want to come to a munch,” he adds. “They’re fun. And hey, maybe you’ll see a familiar face.”
And he thinks I meddle?
I lean back and take my glasses off, running a hand over my tired eyes.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at the blank browser page for a few seconds as Orion’s words sink in.
And Zoe’s.
You should do research on pleasure Doms. I think you might be one.
I must admit, the idea of domination is… kind of appealing. But only if I can utilize that control for someone else’s pleasure. Like I told Orion, I don’t want to hurt anyone—not really, anyway. But punishing someone with pleasure? The idea turns me the fuck on, especially if that someone is my best friend’s fucking daughter.
God, why am I so fucked in the head?
After a minute, I tap out a phrase in the search bar before I can change my mind:
What is a pleasure Dom?
CHAPTERFIVE
THE MUNCH
Zoe
I adjust my tucked in T-shirt a few times before pulling it over my head and tossing it into the pile of discarded tops on my bed. When I look back at my reflection, the neon pinkYou’ve Got Thissign taunts me from the wall behind me.I most certainly don’t have this, but okay.In fact, nervous butterflies have been continuously dancing inside of me all day.
And all because of that quiz.
Because it confirmed what I already suspected.
And that helpednothing.In fact, it made my feelings for Liam that much stronger.
Huffing an exasperated breath, I grab the nearest shirt and toss it over to the opposite wall where it covers the pink sign.
Liam and his fuckingsigns.
I’ve tried getting rid of them. In fact, when I first moved in, I removed the ones in the kitchen and bathrooms. They’re cheugy and basic, but Liam just replaced them with even cringier signs.
