Page 77 of Resist

Maddie strokes my arm. “They say Mimzy doesn’t have long left.” She sniffs, and her empathy wraps itself around me like a warm blanket. “I don’t think I could face clearing out her house by myself.”

Foxy and I sandwich Maddie in a hug. “You’re not alone. When the time comes, we’ll be there for you. And I’m sure some of this group would enjoy a road trip to Iowa.”

“Without question.” Addison nods, Talia too. “Count me in.”

I ignore the urge to press my chest with the feelings bubbling inside me. I’ve never seen a group like this before. They’re ride-or-die for each other and even though they barely know Maddie, they’re all-in for her as well. It’s beautiful.

It’s another two hours before we’re finished putting everything away vaguely close to where it’s supposed to be. We’ll do another pass tomorrow when everyone has gone and the dust has settled.

“Who wants food?” Talia has her phone out and is already pressing the screen like a pro.

“It’s on me.” Sterling leans forward on the couch to grab his wallet from the coffee table. He produces a credit card and hands it to her.

“You know she’s going to have your details now forever?” Thor, our risk averse friend, wipes a cloth across his sweat-slicked face.

“I trust her. She seems legit.”

“So demure. So mindful.” Addison pipes up from the crook of Thor’s arm on the love seat.

“So responsible,” adds Foxy.

“So cutsey,” snorts Jagger. “But it’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch. She has more online packages delivered to the house than anyone I’ve ever met.” He takes a pull of his beer. “Wait. Never mind. Go for it. It’ll give our credit card a rest.”

Talia’s face is bright red. “Y’all’re’gettin’ whatever I order for you now. And for what it’s worth, Ilovepineapple on pizza.”

Jagger grins. “Better make it extra pineapple, Half-pint.”

She rolls her eyes and plops onto the floor at his feet, cradling her phone as she types out an order and Sterling’s credit card as she pays for it.

Maddie helps me get everyone drinks refills, and by the time everyone’s glasses are full and bottles of beer replaced, the only place there is to sit is on the floor.

Sterling pats his lap with a heated flex of his brows.

So my options are now the floor, or Sterling’s muscular legs.

He doesn’t take no for an answer, beckoning me toward him. He’s slouched in the armchair, a bottle of beer loosely gripped between his forefinger and thumb, and those gray sweats just pull me in.

I take a seat on the edge of his knees, but he curls both arms around me and hoists me back against his chest. He pulls my legs over the arm of the chair so I’m perpendicular to his body. My ass in his crotch. But I’m not thinking about that, obviously.

Something tight and ugly in my stomach unwinds as he wraps his arms back around my middle. I don’t deserve this affection, not after how I treated him last week after our wedding, but I have to admit there’s something nice about the connection.

He chuckles against my back.

“What?” I speak quietly into his ear so our friends don’t overhear.

“Your whole body relaxed against me.”

I nod. “I still feel like shit for treating you so poorly lastweek.” There’s no point in avoiding the truth. We’re going to live together for the foreseeable future. You can’t really hide much from someone you share a roof with. “I should have known better.”

It’s not always the case that a dominant drops when their sub drops, but right now, that’s what this feels like. A drop. A drop I deserved, so I don’t feel entitled to his comfort. Sub drop is often an everyday thing in the lifestyle, sometimes dominants feel responsible for their submissive’s drops which makes them slide into the darkness as well. But often, dominants drop for different reasons.

Right now, I’m dropping because he dropped because of me. And I didn’t give his aftercare a second thought when I hauled ass out of the hotel.

Fuck.

I deserve this misery.

“I know.” He squeezes me against him. “But we all make mistakes.” He chuckles. “I’m guessing from that shudder that just rolled through your body you don’t like making mistakes. It’s okay, Cece. I forgive you.”

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