Page 66 of Sliding into Love
The fact that they asked to be called a dominant title comes to mind. The desire they have to take care of me is apparent from their actions. And the need I have to make sure they're okay as well hints at a dynamic I wasn’t expecting.
This connection we have, this relationship that was only meant to be business, it's definitely more.
The question really is how much more?
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ROYCE
LeavingKenneth's bed was difficult. Not because his mattress was trying to eat me or I had suddenly become paralyzed. More because I didn't want to leave his side.
There was a sort of comfort being wrapped up in his arms. My little menace is a koala when he sleeps. It's funny because he's bigger than me. Anyone would think that our roles would be reversed
Thankfully, he seems on board with what I need.
I crave dominance and control. It's a part of my life now after everything that transpired in my youth. Kenny, for all his size and power, doesn't want those things.
It's clear to me from working with him that he wants someone else to take care of things. He likes being in charge of the baseball team because he knows the ins and outs, but anything else is pointless to him. Why put all that time and effort in when he just feels overwhelmed by it all?
It's why I went to grab breakfast. One look in his fridge when I woke up needing sustenance told me he didn’t have nearly enough for a single person, much less two people.
It makes sense with our schedules. We're not home often, and I suspect Kenny's parents don't dare set him up the waymine do. If my mother hasn't heard from me in a week, she sends a random food delivery to my place.
It's her way of saying, "Hi, you must be busy. Here's some food. Now come see me."
I love that woman.
She's one of the reasons I'm still a good person despite everything. That and the calm nature I inherited from my father. They really were the perfect parents.
Kenny happily eats and sips his drink while I take the latte and go about enjoying my blueberry muffin. The same muffin I saw him eye but decide against.
Pretty sure he thinks I'm obsessed with them.
And while I'll admit they're delicious, it's not as if I can't have another treat. Just further proof at how good we are for each other. We take care of one another.
Not in a toxic codependent way.
More so, I guess I'd say more like a couple. I have to swallow the emotions that rise up with that realization. It's not like I didn't know we were behaving in a couple-ish manner. It's just that when I start to dig deeper into my feelings, I have to excavate all the negatives to make room for the good.
Speaking of good. “What all do you have planned for today?” I ask Kenny once he's done eating.
He licks his lips, then looks around his place. “I don't know. We have today off, right? Or am I confused?”
I smile. “You're not confused. We do have today off. I probably have some things I could take care of business wise, but other than that, I'm free.”
He sighs. “I don't have anything planned right now. I think most of what I need to do involves actually buying groceries and probably cleaning this place up.”
“Do you want some company for that?”
He jerks upright, looking at me like I just gave him the cure to cancer. “You want to grocery shop and clean with me?”
“I want to spend time with you,” I correct.
"Okay, so time with me means grocery shopping and wearing a sexy pair of latex gloves to wipe down my countertops." His tone is teasing and light, and there's a sparkle in his eye that makes the nickname I've given him, Little Menace, even more accurate.
I set down my cup and cross my arms. "Do you want the company or not? I can go into my office and get some work done."
"No," he shouts. "I want you with me, please. Your Majesty, Your Highness, Your Grace."
