Victorious(19)

“That means,” he says softly, looking at me as he speaks, “that you can get out of this at any time without endangering other more important agreements already in place between us.”

“Thank you for that. It’s incredibly sweet of you to know I’d need that assurance.”

“You always have an out, sweetheart, whether it’s through safe words or deciding the whole thing isn’t for you or that your limits have changed. Despite how it may appear, you’re the one who’s actually in charge here.”

“I like that,” I say, giving him a sassy grin.

His low growl makes me laugh. “I’m going to like paddling that sweet ass when you get mouthy with me.”

“Maybe I’ll get mouthy with you just so you’ll paddle my ass.”

“Fuck, Nat,” he says, the breath escaping from him on a long hiss. “You have no idea what you do to me when you say things like that, when you play along with me. You’re my perfect match in every possible way.” He reaches for me and brings me close enough to kiss. “I have a feeling you’re going to make for a spectacular sub.”

“I want to be the best sub you’ve ever had.”

“You already are, my love. Just by talking to me about this, by reading the contract and considering all of it without judging me or deciding something has to be wrong with me to want this stuff... You’re perfect.”

I sign my name on the line Flynn has drawn for me under the paragraph he added. It is the first time I write the words Natalie Godfrey, and it gives me a thrill to see my new name in black and white.

Judging by his wide smile, Flynn likes it, too.

“So what happens now?” I ask him, tingling with anticipation.

“Now, I want to talk about your job and what we’re going to do about it.”





Chapter 5





I can tell I’ve taken her by surprise with my reply. She thought I’d want to get right down to business now that we’ve hammered out the details. There’s another detail that has to be seen to before we play, but I’ll address that after we talk about her job.

“I thought you’d want to… you know, now that we’ve agreed to everything…”

“Are you in a rush?” I ask with a teasing smile intended to put her at ease.

“No, well… I’m curious, I guess.”

Her curiosity is a huge turn-on for me. That she’s interested and willing to try… I can’t think about that right now when other decisions need to be made. “We’ll get there, but we have other things to talk about, such as your job and your visit with Candace. How was it to see her again after all these years?”

“It was like no time had gone by. We picked up right where we left off. And then Livvy FaceTimed us, so we all got to be together.” Her eyes sparkle with joy as she talks about her long-lost sisters. “They’re so grown up and fun and beautiful.”

“Of course they are. They’re related to you, aren’t they?”

She smiles at the compliment. “I missed so much with both of them, but we’ve promised to stay in close touch from now on. Livvy says she can visit next month when she has a long weekend.”

“We’ll set that up. You’ll see her soon.”

“We had fun at the hotel.”

“I hope you ran up a big room-service tab.”

“We sure did. Candace said if you were making us stay there and paying the bill, we ought to take full advantage.”

Laughing, I say, “I can see I need to be concerned about these new sisters-in-law of mine. They sound like characters.”

“They’re great girls, and they’re looking forward to meeting you. You’ll love them.”

“I have no doubt.” I take her by the hand. “Let’s go get comfy.” We carry our wineglasses and the nearly empty bottle to the sofa. When we’re snuggled under a warm blanket and Natalie is curled up in my arms, I rub my lips over her hair. “Talk to me about the job, Nat.”

She leads with a deep sigh. “I’d love to go back to my class and finish out the school year, but I don’t think I can.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The school announced that they’d offered my job back, and now my apartment, your place, the school… We’re overrun, and there’s a freaking blizzard going on. And they’re still staked out. For a while, when we were waiting to hear what would happen, I really thought I could go back if they asked me to and things would return to normal. But after the interview with Carolyn and the SAG Awards, I realized my normal has changed, and there’s no going back to who I was before I became your wife.”

Her words are like a spike to my heart, reminding me that while my life has changed for the better since we met, hers has been tipped upside down. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“Please don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. I knew what I was getting into when I took you on. Well, I mostly knew…”

A laugh rumbles through me. I’m glad she can joke about the thing that nearly ruined us. I started this day wondering if I’d ever see her again, and now anything is possible.

“I’m mostly afraid that if I go back, things will get crazy again with the paparazzi surrounding the school, and the board will regret asking me back. If that happens and I have to leave again… I can’t do that to my kids, as much as I miss them and want to be with them. I can’t jerk them around like that.”