The Drake Unwound Complete Collection (The Drake Series Book 9)(52)

She sighed and pulled her sweater over her head. "You're here with me but you still need to keep it all separate. Now, you do it all with me present. But none of it really mixes. It's like you're keeping that part of yourself separate, not emotionally involved in sex, so that it’s pure. You can control it. Protect yourself. It means you can never get really close to me."

I frowned and rubbed my forehead. "I don't understand. What more do you want from me? We sleep together. We eat together. We f*ck. A lot."

"Not lately."

"I have a good reason," I said, hurt that she wasn’t giving me the space I needed, considering everything that had happened.

She shook her head as if she realized she was being insensitive. "I'm sorry, that was wrong of me. Of course you have a good reason. But I can't be the one who initiates. Why? Does it threaten you that I have desire outside of your actions?"

"No, of course not. I know you do. But submission requires that you turn over your desires and choices to me. It frees you so that you no longer feel responsible for your desire or when we have sex. That's what submissives crave."

"I want it spontaneous sometimes,” she said, her voice frustrated. “Whenever either of us feels a need, we f*ck. I also want bondage and dominance. I love it. But can't we mix it up a bit? What's wrong with that?"

"I'm a Dominant,” I said firmly. “You knew that when we started this." I stood there, hands on hips. "For God's sake, Kate. That’s what you were looking for when you found Lara. Now, it seems as though you don’t really want it. You want a vanilla relationship with me, with a bit of bondage and kink thrown in when you decide you want it. Submission doesn’t work like that."

"You were a lot more spontaneous when we were first together at 8th Avenue. What happened?" She put her hands on my chest and stared up into my eyes. "Things have changed since Maureen came here and you learned about Liam."

"Kate, I'm a Dominant," I said again. "I need control. We've been over this." I studied her face. "Are you unhappy with me?"

She sighed heavily. "I love you, Drake but you told me to tell you if I felt neglected. Well, I feel neglected."

I stared at her. "I understand, but I'm not f*cking you now," I said, forcing myself to be calm. "You'll have to wait."

"Fine," she said and pulled on her socks. She went to the closet and grabbed her things. Then she picked up her bag and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, standing in the entryway, watching her, feeling completely helpless and out of control.

"Outside to work off some of this unresolved sexual tension. Outside of sex, I'm a free agent, Drake. I'm not submissive. I can do whatever I please. I'm going to the studio. Then, I might go to my parents. I might go to an art gallery. Who knows?"

"Don't do this, Kate. Don't leave angry."

"See you later," she said, slamming the door behind her.

I was left alone in my apartment, the way I had been for five years since Maureen left me.

Was I already blowing it with Kate?





CHAPTER SIX



When Kate slammed the door and left me alone, it really threw a damper over my morning. As soon as Kate left, I thought of Lara. I needed someone to talk to and Lara was the only person I knew who understood me. There really was no one I could talk to about Kate except for Lara so once more I found myself calling her up to ask for advice.

“Problems in paradise?” she said in her droll way. “Shouldn’t you be on your way to Africa?”

“We haven’t even left yet,” I said. “We won’t be at least until the end of February. Maybe later, depending.”


“Depending on what?” she asked, and I could tell she finally was giving me her undivided attention. Until then, she sounded a bit distracted, probably clearing cases off her desk.

I sighed. “You won't believe what’s happened in the last few days.”

“Try me.”

I took in a breath. “I have a son.”

There was a moment of silence. “What?” she said, her voice rising.

“Maureen was pregnant with my child when she moved to California. She thought it was her new boyfriend’s. She hoped it was his, but the boy is mine.”

“A boy? How do you know he’s yours? Jesus, Drake…”

“I know. Total shock. I know he’s mine because she had her husband tested and he wasn’t related to the boy. Whose name is Liam, by the way. He’s five years old and dying of leukemia. I just went through a round of treatment so I could give him a stem cell donation.”

“Wait, what?” she said. “Whoa, Drake. Slow down. He’s got leukemia? The same as your brother? The one who died before you were born?”

“The same. I passed it to him.”

“Christ. And Maureen never bothered to tell you he was yours all these years?”

“She honestly didn’t know or didn’t want to know. It wasn’t until they tested Chris as a possible stem cell donor that they learned the truth. You can imagine their shock.”

“So the slut was f*cking the two of you.”

“Lara…”