Page 115 of Lesson In Honesty

“Not sleeping caught up with me. I slept harder and longer than I intended. When I woke, she was gone, although she did think to leave a note for me.” He took a slow swallow. “Seems she’d been a busy little bee in the Nursery, setting up her wares. Violet spooked her, knocked her ass first into a box, and had to rescue her.” He laughed, rolling his eyes. “When I found Sierra a while later, she’d fallen into the giant vat of stuffies. She wasjust laying there, holding up the most godawful-smelling thing you’ve ever sniffed, talking to it.”

“Yeah, that’s her to a tee.”

“She apologized with a blowjob, then was building up to a tantrum when I said we were coming home. Oh, and someone sent her a package. She was still fuming when I hauled her back, so I cuffed her to the bed, told her to get some sleep, and after arguing with herself for twenty minutes, she finally dropped off.” He checked his watch. “I let her loose when she woke, an hour ago.”

“I heard the shower running when I came in. She’ll be down when she’s hungry.”

“Do Littles get hungry when they sulk or just hold a grudge while ignoring bodily needs?” Mack wondered idly.

“Both, I think. Maybe that’s why she always wants a snack when she calms down. Was she still sulking when you uncuffed her?”

“I’m assuming so. I got an irritated huff before she picked up her box and flounced off into the bathroom.” Mack scrubbed a hand over his face. “I got a call I’ve been expecting so I came down here.”

Liam tilted his head. That was a sore point, he thought. The call or whatever it was about had gotten under Mack’s skin. “Anything I can help with?”

“I think the lawyers have sorted one part of it. We need to sit down and talk, but not tonight. Not about that.” Waving it off, Mack shifted forward enough to snag the top pizza box. “I don’t know what was in the damn package she got, but as I came down the stairs, she was laughing like a hyena. No, not laughing.Cackling.”

Tipping his beer toward the bear, Liam covered a yawn with his free hand. “I think someone sent her the biggest repair job in the history of stuffie rescue.”

“Holy shit, that’s… excessive. That’ll teach me to be preoccupied when I enter a room; I could’ve been bound and gagged if that thing had nefarious purposes.”

“Probably on Sierra’s orders.”

“She’s a real character.” Mack rubbed his finger along the edge of the box but didn’t open it. “I’ve been thinking about what we talked about the other day. After we, uh, kissed.”

Personally, Liam had been thinking a great deal about that kiss. “Uh-huh.”

“Circumstances are changing with my business. I’m not sure quite how yet, but it’s likely I’ll have a lot more freedom in the near future. The gist of it is, I either won’t have a company to worry about chaining me down or I’ll be able to move the company. Base it here, or in Phoenix if that’s where you and Sierra ultimately want to settle.”

“That’s a big step, Mack. Are you ready for that?”

“Yeah. I realized earlier today that I don’t want to continue directing the company the way it’s heading. Once I gave those thoughts a voice, I relaxed. All the pressure I’ve put on myself fell away. When I think about marrying you and the pixie, I get that same feeling in my gut—that it’s the right decision, theonlyone that’s going to give me that sense of sereneness—and I don’t want to wait.”

A soft noise got lost in the barrage of cursing erupting from the TV. Some half-trained chef was getting her ass roasted by the big boss, but Liam cared about nothing except the man in front of him. “I… wow.”

“I know you’ve got your own reasons for waiting, Liam, but honestly, Sierra isn’t going to think you’re substituting marriage in lieu of a baby. She wants to belong, and after five years of being with you, taking your name is the best way to achieve that.” Mack lifted a shoulder. “I want to belong, too.”

“People will think we’re crazy.”

“Fuck people. I love her. I love you.”

Maybe the reason he’d waited to propose wasn’t what he originally thought, Liam mused. A moment of clarification was all he needed to see that he wasn’t afraid of Sierra believing marriage was a trade for pregnancy, but that he’d been waiting for someone, their right someone, to share the moment and the love.

“I decided that if we’re sharing the rest of our lives together, then we share everything. No half-tipped scales; we go all in. Intimacy between us on an equal basis. I’m not after a Daddy Dom who spends our play time alternating fucking me and Sierra. I’m giving as much as I’m getting.”

Tiredness cast aside, Liam shoved his bottle onto the table and sat up, stretching the kinks from his shoulders. The pizzas were gonna be cold, but hell, the chance of them being edible anyway was so-so. They’d reheat when Sierra got her ass into gear and came down for dinner.

“That’s a big statement from a guy who likes giving it up the ass and has never taken it.” The air around them charged, superheating from one second to the next with chemistry. “Think you’ve got what it takes to be equal with me, Mack? To top me, dominate me, bend me to your will and keep me there?”

Mack’s hand lashed out to capture Liam’s nape. “We’re both aware we’re already equal, Liam. We’re a perfect match for each other, which makes us perfect for the pixie. The real question is, can you submit after so many years of being top dog?”

Would there always be this alpha versus alpha tension between them, Liam wondered, or would it settle into something more mellow? As much as he enjoyed the primal thrill of pitting himself against Mack, he also yearned for the sweeter, softer moments.

Curious, he mirrored Mack’s position, cupping the back of his neck without the subtle aggression, kneading the tense muscles.They were barely six inches apart now, eyes locked, challenge accepted.

“Submission isn’t the issue, Mack. I’ll happily get on my knees and give all I am to another Dom…” He leaned forward until their noses almost touched. “As long as it’s the right one. Are you the right one?”

He thought he heard movement, but dismissed it when Mack’s eyes darkened. No wonder Sierra was fascinated with them—it was like shaking a Magic 8 ball and watching the answer form.

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