Page 134 of Piece Us Together

Maison groans.

“It’s so early,” Maison practically whines. “And cold out.”

I settle him with a look that has him giving up his argument, but his bottom lip definitely puffs out. Hunter looks torn between amusement and distaste for my morning plans.

“You know, I’m the one in charge here, right?” he asks, eyebrow arched.

“Of course, sir.” I bat my lashes, overdoing it enough to have him smirking knowingly. “But don’t you want to make me happy? I’d be so happy if we could go shopping. We’ll stock the place full and then we can just hole up for days and be warm and naked and I’ll do whatever you ask and feed you super yummy food.”

“This is what I warned you about,” Maison informs him in a falsely serious tone. “This is the heart eyes. Watch out. Candy canes above your toilet are coming.”

Hunter sighs, but it’s soft, happy, loving. “I draw the line at candy canes in the bathroom—fake or otherwise. Wecango shopping, though.”

It’s a fair enough bargain.

Besides, I’m pretty sure I can find some wiggle room on the candy cane front. There’s plenty of time before Christmas, after all.

I offer him my hand to shake, which he accepts in amusement. “Deal.”

Maison and I have been through a lot of things, but grocery shopping together hasn’t been one of them. Doing it for the first time with Hunter feels symbolic, somehow. It has me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

That lasts about as long as it takes us to finish the very first aisle.

“Stop,” I say for what’s already the third damn time, stealing yet another box out of Maison’s hands. He’s like a child in a candy store. A child who isn’t even interested in the candy, but isjust curious about it. I take the box from him, glancing at it. “Do you even like pumpernickel bread?”

“How would I know if you don’t let me try it? It sounds cool. Pumpernickel. It feels like an experience I need to have.”

“You’re alreadyexperiencingpumpkin spice oatmeal and mushroom jerky,” I tell him. “And we still have—” I pause, glancing up at the tops of the aisles. “Thirteen more aisles, plus the frozen, produce, and bakery sections.”

“Hunter, he’s being mean,” Maison pouts.

Hunter gives him a look that’s a mix between a super-done-with-your-shit-dominant and a patient-man-disgustingly-in-love. “I’m never taking either of you grocery shopping ever again.”

“Aww, come on, this is romantic,” Maison counters.

“You werejustcomplaining!”

“Abouthim, not our shopping experience.”

“I hate both of you,” I inform them as I finally find the right kind of bread. I want to make fancy French toast tomorrow morning. This is the perfect stuff for that. I place it carefully in the small area next to the handle, not trusting them to know well enough not to toss something heavy on top of it. I’ll have to put the eggs up there too.

Neither of them seem to buy my hateful act. Which is fair, considering I’m holding Maison’s hand with my free one and have most of my weight leaned into Hunter’s side as he pushes the cart.

It’s a hard life, being in love with idiots.

“Maybe next time we should make a grocery list,” Hunter offers, his inner-dom taking over. “It’ll help us budget, too. Remember—I’m the sugar daddy coupon guy.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll pay for all of this,” I tell him as we head into the next aisle. “But a grocery list might still be a good idea. At least for the basics. Sometimes I get ideas once I’m here.”

“You don’t have to pay.” Hunter puts a hand on my arm, frowning. “I’m not broke. I’m just saying, it’s good to be smart with money.”

I look at Maison, biting my lip. He winces and decides to find something new to be interested in. Yet another box of food. This time, it’s a jar of sriracha.Fat lot of good he is.

“I’ve got a lot of money,” I tell Hunter quietly, pretty sure this isn’t the best place to have this discussion but also not wanting to start our relationship off with lies or secrets. “You can pay for other stuff, but food can be my area, okay?”

Hunter eyes me. I can practically see the wheels turning in his mind. Usually when that happens, he shuts himself down, remembering it’s not his place to ask about stuff that’s outside of our dom/sub dynamic.

Then again, that was before. Things are different now.We’redifferent.

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