Page 68 of Faith

“And I can see it there. You know that she insists on it too just like you. But this is different, for both of you. You have never been this close to one of your subs, have you?”

He shook his head.

“She has also never been particularly close to any of her Dom’s. Friendly, yes, but she rarely has experiences outside of the bedroom. Well, I mean, except for Micah.”

He blinked. “Come again?”

“I said Micah. He was her first Dom, so that makes sense.”

Serenity’s tone told him that she thought Nicola had told him. Bloody hell. Neither of them had told him. Jensen had known there was something more than just friendship between them. Her first fucking Dom, and she was still friends with him. Well, not for much longer.

Dammit, he couldn’t do that. She’d get huffy and kick him to the curb, and he wasn’t ready for that. Would he ever be ready for that? Probably not.

Jesus hell, he was a mess.

“Jensen, is something wrong?”

“No, sorry. So, you were saying?”

“You both have never had a real relationship outside of the bedroom. You two know each other now, better than some spouses probably. It’s going to be harder to walk away.”

“I never said I wanted to walk away.”

She nodded. “Good. Because I think you both could be happy if the relationship continued.”

“It is my intention, but I knew I had to agree to some kind of end date. Nicola wasn’t going to let it go on forever.”

“Yeah, Nicola is big on plans.” They shared a smile. “What are you doing for her birthday tomorrow?”

He said nothing.

“Please tell me you didn’t forget about it.”

“You just informed me I was in love with her. How would I have forgotten?”

“Good.”

“I wondered if you could do something to help.”

She gave him the blinding smile that had made her a child superstar.

“Anything.”

* * *

Nicola walkedthrough the Aloha Tower Marketplace, her mind still whirling with what the guys had asked her. They dropped it in her lap and then said they had to run. Jeff hadn’t changed since their years on the ice. He always threw out grenades and then ran for cover. At least they had paid for her lunch.

“Nicola?” she heard someone call out.

She turned and saw Alfie jogging toward her. He was the same age as Jensen but looked older. That said a lot because Jensen had been a user for a few years, while Alfie apparently had been into clean living. He wasn’t as fit as Jensen, or as tall, but she knew women liked him. He always seemed to have one by his side at every function.

“Alfie. I didn’t know you were on the island.”

He gave her a lopsided smile she was sure worked on most women. It had always left her cold. “Not much to do while the Johnson family squabbles about the negotiations. Jensen told me to take some time to enjoy the islands. Is he around?”

She shook her head. “I was just having lunch with friends.”

“Oh, I was going to ask you if you wanted to grab a bite.”

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