Page 37 of Inferno

Once we’ve eaten most of the appetizers and the server has cleared the plates, Henry eyes me cautiously. “You mentioned rules.”

Smiling, I nod. “Not really rules, more things that are important to me.”

“What are they?”

“I’d like for you to text me in the morning when you wake up and again before you go to sleep. We’ll talk during the day, but knowing I’m the first and last person you speak to is important to me, especially when I’m at work.”

“You’re a smoke jumper, like Danny,” Henry says, his cheeks pinking a little like he’s embarrassed to know what I do for a job.

“Yeah. We work a four-on, four-off rotation, but when I’m on shift, we live on base and are on call twenty-four hours a day during that time. When we get a call-out, we leave our cells at the base so they don’t get lost or broken. While I’m at work, I might not be able to reply to you right away, but I’ll always reply the moment I can.”

“I can…I can do that,” he says quietly. “What else?”

“No more bus rides. It’s too dangerous.”

“How else am I going to get to work?”

“I’ll drive you?—”

Shaking his head, he interrupts me. “No, that’s crazy, it’s a two-hour round-trip drive to Bozeman from here. The bus is perfectly safe.”

“I’ll buy you a car, then you can drive yourself.”

“What?” he shrieks, immediately hunching over when he realizes how loudly he’s spoken. “You are not buying me a car. We’ve known each other for a week, and I can’t drive.”

“I’ll teach you,” I say sternly.

“No, you won’t. I’m a nightmare. I get distracted and then panic. I can’t drive.” The more he talks about it, the louder and more frantic he becomes.

“Okay, no driving lessons. But I’m still serious about the bus. I’ll drive you to work and back on the days I’m not at work when I am, you can stay at my place and get a ride with Parker.”

“I can’t agree to that,” he says forcefully. “As soon as the Barnetts find someone permanent for the job, I won’t work there anymore. I’m a temp.”

Penn has already assured me that the permanent job is Henry’s if he’ll just accept it and that they plan to offer him the apartment over the garage as a job perk. But as they clearly haven’t spoken to him about that yet, I keep that information to myself. I’d much rather he move in with me, but for his sake, having his own place away from me will help keep my controlling urges in check.

“Okay, well how about this? While you work for the Barnetts, on the nights you don’t stay with me, you’ll agree to me driving you to and from work. I don’t care about the distance, and I’ll enjoy having the extra time with you. Plus, if I’m staying at your place, we’re both going to the same place anyway.”

A look of horror streaks across his face at the mention of me staying at his place. Parker told Danny it was in a rough neighborhood and that, from the outside, the building looked run-down. When I drop him off later, I intend to go inside with him to see if it’s as safe as he said it was. If it isn’t, I’ll be bringing him straight back home with me.

“What are the other rules?” he asks, avoiding agreeing to my suggestion.

“That we’re one hundred percent exclusive. Me and you, no one else. No flirting, no chatting, no sharing. You’re mine, every inch of you, and I’m yours.”

“Yes,” he says immediately.

Smiling, I lean forward and cup his cheek with my palm, and he leans into my touch, exhaling happily.

“Thank you, Kitten.”

The sound that comes from his mouth sounds more like a purr than a word, but I don’t point it out, happy to be allowed to touch him.

“Is that it?” he asks sweetly.

“You already know the other rule.”

“What?” he stiffens.

“I told you the other night. All of your pleasure belongs to me. You don’t touch yourself without asking my permission. Did you forget?”

---