Page 106 of Quest for her Knights
“I’m glad I listened to you then.”
His thumbs stroke my cheeks and he smiles gently. “Me too. You’re getting much better at it.”
“Hey! I can be a good girl if I want to be,” I say in mock anger.
“Do you want to? Be my good girl, that is?” He licks his lower lip, and my mouth suddenly goes dry as I lose the ability to speak. “You know, my plans for apologizing keep getting interrupted. I brought you out here tonight to explain what I said in Shadowcross.”
“Oh?”
“You’re too good for me, Elora. I don’t think I deserve you. I put up walls and told myself it was because of my job, that I didn’t care, but it was all lies I was telling myself because I knew I wasn’t worthy.”
“Why would you think that?” I ask in confusion, feeling sad for him.
“Our mother died giving birth to Arrow. I always blamed myself for it, thinking I could have done more for her.”
“Oh, Ranger,” I sigh. “How old were you?”
“Six.”
“Six? You know there was nothing you could have done, right?”
“I’m starting to. Arrow’s helped me come to terms with a lot of feelings I had about it.”
“So you no longer think you don’t deserve to be with me?”
“Oh, I’ll always think I don’t deserve you. But the difference is, now I don’t care.”
I take a slow breath, praying he’s saying what I think he is.
“What do you want, Ranger?” I ask, moving closer to him, my hands resting on his chest, begging him to tell me the truth for once.
“I want to be able to hold your hand whenever you’re near me. I want to sleep beside you and hold your body against mine. I want to kiss your lips and taste your skin. I want to spank your ass when you’re naughty and call you my good girl.”
I suck in a sharp breath as his lip curls in satisfaction. “I want to be your dom, and claim you as mine.”
My eyes widen in surprise. I did not expect him to say that. “You want to be my dom? Do you understand what that means?”
“I remember what you told me. It’s my job to take care of you. To set boundaries for you. To punish you when you’re out of line, in a way we’ll both enjoy, but will help remind you that everything I do is to take care of you.”
Was this real life? Was this perfect man really offering to take care of me?
“You know… in my old world, some doms are just like that in the bedroom, not in the rest of their relationship,” I tell him, giving him the option.
He shakes his head. “No. You need me to be in charge all the time. You didn’t grow up here, and it’s vital to your safety and well-being that you let me take care of you. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
I stare at him in disbelief. This is everything I ever wanted. Not him being my dom, but having Ranger want me and want to take care of me. I realize you can’t necessarily put men in categories. They’re complex, just like women are. Trying to put him in a box doesn’t allow him to truly be himself.
“I don’t want to call you my dom.” A look of hurt flashes across his face, so I rush to explain. “That was just a term I used when I didn’t know any better. I just want you to be Ranger. If that includes rules and boundaries and spankings… so be it. But I’d still want you even if it didn’t.”
He pulls my body flush with his as a grin covers his face. “I don’t know what I did right to have the affections of someone as wonderful as you.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I say, suddenly feeling a little shy.
“Let me get one thing out of the way. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I lied and called you a job and said I didn’t care, because I do. A lot. I promise to be honest with you from now on.”
“And no more hiding from your feelings?” I ask.
“No more hiding. Now… do you accept my apology, baby?”
