Page 100 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

Seriously? He’d followed them across the park? Enough was enough. Scarlet rounded on the guy, ready to give him a piece of her mind then froze.

Malachi grinned down at her. Her mouth went dry. He was standing close, his head tipped to look down at her. One of his earrings caught the sun and flashed, but it was dull compared to his smile. It took all of her self-control not to stand on her toes and kiss his beautiful mouth. How had she not recognized his voice?

“This is weird,” he said. “I swear I didn’t know you two were going to be here today. Cross invited me at the last minute.”

His excuses made him sound guilty, even though she knew he was innocent. Was he feeling awkward because he cared about them past friendship? Or was that hoping for too much? If he did, it wouldn’t matter – not if he and Ivy were making it work.

When Scarlet looked to Reece for help, she found her staring down at her cute sandals and blushing. No help there.

“We actually came here looking for you,” Scarlet explained. “Winter told us where you were when we went to your shop.” She looked at Reece, whose eyes were apparently glued to the ground.

They all shuffled forward with the line.

“Looking for me? Why?” Was he surprised? It was better than angry.

She sighed. Might as well come clean. “Fuck, Mal. You hung out with us for ages and became part of our life, and then you went back to your ex and never even called us again. It was like you disappeared. We just wanted to check on you to see how you were doing. It’s what friends do.” She watched him, but his expression was impossible to read. “We had to make sure she hadn’t gone crazy and chained you in the basement or something.”

He laughed. “You two, more than anyone, should know that’s not my role.”

Reece finally looked up at him. “She forgot to mention that we miss you.”

Malachi’s blue eyes widened and he looked almost panicked. He stepped out of the line and gestured for them to follow. He found a bench in the shade and sat down. They joined him. “I started thinking I was ruining your relationship, even by staying friends with you. You’d learned everything I could possibly teach you about being a Domme, Scarlet. I was in the way. I’m just trying to do what’s best.”

Fuck, she was a shithead. “You weren’t ruining our relationship, you were part of it. I know things were supposed to be temporary, but it really hurt when you left.” A lump formed in her throat. Stupid emotions. “We didn’t know how bad it would hurt until you were gone. We shouldn’t have strung you along like that, making you wait and wonder how we felt. It was selfish.”

He stared at them then shut his eyes.

“I’m sorry. It was stupid to come here. Just pretend you didn’t see us today. I’m glad things are working out well between you and Ivy. You deserve to be happy.”

She shouldn’t have brought Ivy up, but she had to know.

“Ivy didn’t even get to the point of setting foot in my house and we knew it wasn’t going to work. It was obvious that neither of us could change enough to suit the other. I’m not extreme enough for her. What she wants, I don’t even think Cross could give her. I can’t micromanage a person. Fuck, I can barely remember to feed my chickens. Besides, I didn’t love her anymore. I found her sitting on my doorstep the first day, and that’s as far as we got. I was her back-up Dom, at most.” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation.

“I’m sorry, Mal. That’s awful.” Reece made a move as if to hug him then stopped herself and patted his hand instead.

He half smiled. “At least it wasn’t all one way this time. She’s not what I want. I just kept thinking I was throwing away what I really wanted.”

“Which is?” Reece asked hopefully.

Malachi rolled his eyes. “I want myCall of Dutybuddies back. I just didn’t want to be a selfish bastard and wreck your life.”

“So you want to be friends with us again?”

“No, Reece. I don’t think I can handle just being friends with you two again. If the three of us are going to be together, it’s going to be for real, not just a weird unspoken thing like we had before. Friends with benefits was fun for a while, but I have other needs that I refuse to ignore. I need affection. Attachment. A chance for permanence. If we’re going to be together, I won’t accept less than an equal share in the relationship.” When the words stopped coming he looked surprised with himself.

“You’ve been thinking about this,” Scarlet observed. She was trying to play it cool, but her inner Julie Andrews was twirling in a mountain meadow and about to burst into song.

“Shit. I haven’t stopped thinking about the two of you.” He smiled and rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s been driving me crazy. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have the former girl of your dreams in your evil clutches, then suddenly realizing she isn’t what you want anymore? It’s awkward – damn awkward. It’s you two that I want.” His voice had gotten loud and he looked around to make sure he wasn’t making a scene. “Anyway, that’s what I need. I’m not sure if you can handle that, or if you even want me back. Maybe I was just an entertaining diversion to you. I couldnever tell.”

That last bit was pain talking. How could she have been so unintentionally cruel? She’d thought her feelings were clear to him, but she was so busy trying to sort out how Reece felt and tiptoeing around her that she hadn’t really given much thought to Malachi’s feelings.

Reece started to cry. “It wasn’t all our fault, either, you know. You kept saying you were leaving, and then you did without even talking to us first. Do you think I’d let just any guy do what you’ve done to me? You took me apart and tinkered with me then walked away when you had me figured out. I felt like I was your college psych project!”

His brow creased and he shifted to face her. “That was never my intention, kitten. I thought I was in the way, so I left. That’s all. It was so hard to leave. I was trying to do the right thing.”

She fished in her bag for a tissue. “If you can’t be honest with us about how you feel, this is never going to work.”

“Come here.” He opened his arms and she slid closer. When she was within reach, he dragged her into his lap and held her. Scarlet slid over until she was next to them. “The only reason I didn’t talk to you about it was because I didn’t think I was allowed to fall in love. I broke the rules.”

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