Adored (Masters and Mercenaries #8.5)(24)

She always asked him multiple questions at a time. It threw him off. He’d thought on more than one occasion that was her intention.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go buy groceries and I’ll get rid of the beer.”

“Why?”

“It doesn’t seem fair that I can drink and you can’t. Besides, I lean on it too often at times, and I won’t do that when I have a submissive in my home. As for your job, you don’t have to have one or you can come back and work for me. I never actually did the paperwork to let you go. Technically, you’re still my employee.”

“Why didn’t you do the paperwork?”

Because he hadn’t wanted to let her go. Because it had seemed so permanent. “I’m lazy and Sharon gets confused about using the computer for anything but sending her grandkids e-mails.”

“Sharon is still there. I’m impressed.”

“Don’t be. I fired her twice. She keeps showing back up.”

A wide smile crossed her face. “I told her working for you would require tenacity. It’s good to know someone listens. I like my new job, Mitch. I like what we do. My only problem is my insurance doesn’t kick in for another couple of weeks.”

She would never have to worry about money. “We’ll pay out of pocket until then.”

“Okay.” Once he agreed to sign a D/s contract with her, she’d become quite amenable. She hadn’t fought him when he’d taken her to his home instead of her own. Lisa was dropping off a bag after she finished up her night class and tomorrow he’d take her to her place after work and figure out what she needed for a long-term stay. “So should we sign the contract? I filled out the list of places you can put stuff in.”

Ah, the hard and soft limits questionnaire. “It’s called my penis. Let’s not call it stuff.”

She shrugged. “I thought you played around with vibrators and those glass things. Why glass by the way?”

“Dildos, and the glass is for play. It can be heated up or chilled for the sensation. Don’t forget butt plugs, sweetheart. If you sign this, you’ll get familiar with those. I like anal sex. I’ll want you to try it.” It wasn’t a hard limit for her. She’d put it down as something she was curious about. “And you’re right, you have had a hard day. Take your time and read this contract. It’s got everything we talked about in it.”

She picked it up. “Anything new in there? You throwing me any curve balls, like I have to greet you at the door each night naked and kiss your feet?”

He liked the naked part. His feet were actually surprisingly sensitive. “No. I did write a specific clause that’s catered to our unique position and that goes on past the terms of the original contract.”

Her brows rose and she picked up the contract, flipping to the back. She knew him pretty well, it seemed. She knew exactly where he would put it.

“A pregnancy clause? Interesting. You know for a man who said he didn’t want kids, you sure want to be there for everything.” Her eyes moved over the words, taking them in before she set it back down. Her eyes were soft as she looked at him. “You know I would never lock you out. I agree to all the terms of the clause and I’ll sign it, but I want you to know I wouldn’t block you even if we didn’t have a contract.”

The clause stated plainly that he would accompany her to all prenatal visits, all parenting and childbirth classes, and be in the delivery room and welcome at the hospital. It also stated that both parties would work out a child custody agreement no later than a month before the anticipated birth of the Bradford-Daley child in the event the parties were no longer living together.

“Were you going to tell me?” He wondered. He believed her when she said the hospital was the first time she truly knew she was pregnant, but she had to have had a clue.

“Yes. I would have told you. I might have taken a day or two, but trust me, I would have shown up on your doorstep, Mitch. I’m not a ‘suffer in silence’ kind of girl.” Her lips quirked up and so did his dick. She was here. She was sitting on his crappy couch with her shoes off, relaxed and accepting.

If she signed that contract tonight, he was going to have her. He was going to have her every f*cking night he could until the day she woke up and realized it was all a mistake.

“Laurel, do you need time to read the rest of the contract? I’m a bit more hardcore than your brother. You should think about this. I need control outside of the bedroom. I’m not picking your clothes or telling you what to eat, but I’ll want a nightly routine. I’ll want you here with me at night. If you do go out with your girlfriends, I’ll want to know where you’re going and I’ll likely want to drop you off and pick you up. I’ll be obnoxious about your safety and god, Laurel, don’t ignore phone calls because I will never ignore yours.”

She started looking through the bulk of the contract. “And what happens if I’m working or can’t answer at that particular time.”

“I’ve set up protocols.”

She nodded. “Yes, I can see that.”

He was going to lose her. She was going to see all the crap he would put her through and walk away to find one of those “I only want control in the bedroom” Doms.

She picked up a pen and scratched through what seemed to be a paragraph. “I’m not doing that, Mitch. The no talking about our relationship thing is never going to happen, and anyone who tells you they’ll honor it is lying. I’ve got two sisters. I’m going to talk to them.”