Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
But it shouldn’t have surprised me because only he could’ve gotten us together like this to begin with.
Doms were clearly more magical than I’d realized.
Chapter 13
Bates
Deciding whether or not it was safe to move and wake my cuties up had turned into one of the great mental debates of my life. Gareth had been so easygoing and happy that it seemed entirely logical that he’d wake up with a what the fuck panic.
Cashel on the other hand could go either way. He’d been brave and incredibly turned on as he’d listened to Gareth orgasm, but then he’d crashed after the barest cleanup. I couldn’t decide where his mind would be at, so a distraction as soon as they woke up sounded like the best idea.
Working out the details kept my mind occupied as they started to stir, still completely in sync with each other.
Gareth opened his eyes as Cashel buried his head under the pillow, not quite awake enough to panic. “Hi.”
His quiet whisper didn’t seem to disturb Cashel, so I focused on him and the fact that he seemed very at ease with the whole situation.
“Hi.” Since he hadn’t rolled away, I slowly leaned in and kissed his forehead, sparing him morning breath. “Thank you for coming to me last night. I’m glad you knew you could trust me and it was wonderful to be included as you deepened your relationship with Cashel.”
Cashel had gone entirely too still to actually be asleep, but he was playing possum, so I kept my focus on the cutie who was ready to talk. He beamed, snuggling closer and letting out a happy sigh that had Cashel silently relaxing again. “I didn’t think you’d be frustrated, but Cash wasn’t sure you’d understand the logic.”
I had a feeling that was an understatement.
“Well, this isn’t quite the way his relationships usually go, so that’s probably making him uncomfortable sometimes.” Yep, another wonderful understatement. “He’s also not used to having a Dom in his life.”
And something about that seemed to be making him…I didn’t have a good word to describe it, but he was slightly off balance. I couldn’t decide if that was from how different this was in general or if there was something he needed I hadn’t figured out yet.
“Yeah, this is different. You’ve stuck around a lot longer than any of our other dates and you didn’t get angry at how close we are. You’re smart and just decided to date us both.” Gareth closed his eyes and smiled as he nuzzled against my chest. “You took charge last night too. That was really helpful.”
Adorable.
“I’m glad.” Kissing the top of his head as he made happy wiggles, I ignored the relieved-sounding breath that Cashel let out. “I want to be helpful, and while I want our relationship to grow as well, I want to make sure your relationship with Cashel stays good too. You’re both very important to me.”
Another fun understatement.
But one I thought Cashel got more than our take things at face value cutie Gareth.
“That’s really nice.” Gareth’s earnest answer somehow made my heart ache. “I like being important.”
I wasn’t sure what the story was behind that innocent statement but it felt filled with meaning. However, all I could do was give him a hug and kiss his head again. “You are very important to me and Cashel, and that’s not going to change.”
Gareth scooted tighter against me so he was draped down half my body and made a happy sigh. “This is a lot nicer than waking up by myself. Do you think Cash would sleep in my bed sometimes? Do you think he’d need more space than that?”
Those very interesting questions finally had Cashel giving up on playing possum. He eased his head out from under the pillow and slowly shifted so he could see Gareth’s face. “I…I wouldn’t mind. I’m glad you like waking up with us.”
Us.
That seemed like a good sign, but I stayed very quiet so I didn’t spook my nervous sub.
“This is so much better than waking up by myself.” Gareth didn’t seem to have the same caution that I did because he squirmed until he was draped over me and gave Cashel a quick kiss. “Good morning.”
Cashel nearly giggled, hiding his face against my shoulder. “Good morning.”
After a second, he peeked up again. “You’re going to squish Bates.”
Gareth gave a little wiggle. “Nope, he’s pretty sturdy.”
I couldn’t help laughing and rolling my eyes. “One part of me is getting sturdier by the second with all those wiggles.”
As Cashel groaned in embarrassment or maybe nerves, Gareth grinned and wiggled his hips. “Good morning to him too.”
Chuckling, I gave him a quick peck. “Someone seems to be a morning person.”
Technically I was talking about Gareth as a whole but he rocked his hips forward and grinned. “He is. Thanks for noticing.”