Page 10 of Never Too Late for Love
Tilly chose that moment to walk in, smirking. “What are we shushing about?”
KC glared at her and shushed her. “Never mind, Mommy.” She nodded her head at Bob.
Tilly leaned in to ruffle his hair and kiss his ear.
“Nice save, sweetie,” she breathed, and he realized she must have overheard their conversation.
Usually, he was pretty good about tracking people in the house, but KC’s left-field question had so focused him he hadn’t even heard the master bedroom door open where Tilly had been having her phone conversation, since Landry and Cris were closed up in the office on theirs. And since she was barefoot, she’d made no noise on the tile floors as she’d approached.
* * * *
Tilly went to pour herself a glass of iced tea and tried not to laugh. She’d stopped at the end of the hallway, listening, when she’d heard KC ask Bob about the ring.
Frankly, she’d been curious to hear his response.
Once she knew she wasn’t going to burst into happy tears like an idiot at how he’d answered KC—and that he’d obviously been deftly trying to defer to Landry and figure out a way to get KC to drop the subject, his response both touched and tickled her.
He considered himself married to them.
They considered themselves married to him, too.
Why,exactly, am I waiting?
The more she thought about it, the more she knew damn well it wasn’t likely she’d make it the full year, Landry’s interventions or not.
She didn’twantto wait the full year if she was honest with herself. Hell, she wasstillkicking herself in the ass that she had introduced Bob to Kim and Kylee in the first place. Maybe if she’d done what she’dreallywanted to do at the time—tell Landry she’d like to collar Bob to them permanently—they’d be long past that stage already.
At the time, she’d been too caught up in the fact that Landry had reached a secure place in his cancer recovery, and they were still getting their mojo together as a triad. Both she and Cris had put their feet down with Landry about three being the maximum capacity their crazy funhouse ride of a life could support.
And there was the fact that Bob and Cris weren’t exactly best buds at the time.
Still, that was past, and nothing could be done about it except put it behind them.
But shedidwant time with Bob first, more timealone. Without Landry and Cris around. Just to make sure.
She’d lived years with Cris before he’d left her. They’d been together nearly six years at that point, between dating and living together.
She’d been married to Landry for several years already.
Tilly wanted time with Bob before crossing that last borderline with him. Even though she knew what her heart wanted, and she knew what Bob wanted. Even if she never let that restriction drop, she knew Bob would stay, because Bob loved her, wasinlove with her, and had fallen in love with the sadist and Cris in the process.
Tilly also wanted something special with Bob for a little while. To have him all to herself without Cris or Landry around.
A short period of time to figure themselves out, what their dynamic would be without the others involved or any trappings of BDSM.
Just Tilly and Bob.
But she also wasn’t sure how fair that was to Cris and Landry—or even to Bob—or if the men might have an issue with that plan. She didn’t want to demand alone time with Bob, because she knew they’d agreebecauseshe’d demanded it.
She didn’t wantthat, either.
And Tilly knew Bob was just as eager to be fucked—and to be able to fuck—the two men as they were to fuck and be fucked by Bob. So it wasn’t only her feelings in play. She couldn’t say, “Yeah, I get to fuck him, you guys don’t.”
Well, shecouldsay it, and no doubt the men would agree to it, but again, she didn’twantto be like that.
It was a topic over which she was still trying to sort her own feelings, much less be at a place where she was ready to discuss it with the two men yet. And Bob.
Add the fact that if she did bring it up right now, no doubt the sadist would go into hyperdrive trying to find sneaky loopholes to help her make up her mind.
