Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)
She watched him leave with her mouth hanging open, dying to know exactly what Carter had said to him. As guilty as she felt for calling her husband… she couldn’t deny the results. If that was all it took to put Edward in his place, she’d learn to ask for help.
Chapter Four
“What did I say to him?” Carter laughed as he stirred the thick stew in the pot. It was a cold laugh and lacked any real humor. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means that it doesn’t matter what I said, as long as it worked.” He shrugged. “But I’ve got an ace in the hole if he gives you anymore grief. You know what he’s doing is illegal, right?”
She leaned against the counter and shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I know telling on your boss doesn’t tend to help your career much.” After a second, she added, “Don’t think having my husband talk to him is going to help much either. He won’t respect me after this.”
Carter stopped and stared at her, and then he shook his head. “Ally… the man who called you a stupid bitch because you weren’t answering his texts after midnight didn’t respect you. The man who has been dumping half his workload on you for months didn’t respect you. What do you think is going to change after this?”
She opened her mouth and then closed it.
“Exactly. Nothing.” He put down the stirring spoon and pulled her into his arms. “You, love, have a problem saying no to people. It’s unhealthy.”
She squirmed, looking away as her cheeks heated. “I’m a sub, remember? It’s part of the gig.”
He snorted. “Even subs need to learn to say no.”
“Even to you?” She snuck a quick glance at him.
A low growl rumbled in his chest and his arms tightened around her. “Especially to me. You are allowed to have limits and boundaries, sweetheart. You know that, but you don’t have trouble saying no to me—just everyone else for some reason.”
He wasn’t wrong, and she didn’t really understand it either. It was just that, “You’re safe.” And then when he didn’t reply, she added, “I know you won’t freak out if I say no. I know you won’t get angry and … you know.”
Carter sighed and lowered his head until his forehead touched hers. “I know. I’m your safe place and that’s all I ever want to be. But you do need to learn to stand up for yourself against other people. Fuck Edward if he gets pissed. He’s a terrible boss anyway.”
“Can’t argue that.” She let herself relax against him. The tension slowly drained out of her body as he held her. “I was thinking… about what you said this morning?”
“Oh? About trying a new kind of dynamic?”
“That, and about how I need to learn to accept help.” She swallowed hard. It was difficult to get the words out, and finally she blurted them before she lost the courage. “I think you’re right.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. I like being right now and then. So, how would you feel about me trying out the Daddy role?”
“Daddy?” Her voice squeaked a little, and she could feel her cheeks getting hotter. It was as if he knew what she’d been thinking. “What made you come up with that?”
“Well, I’ve always kind of thought of myself as a Daddy Dom type anyway. It fits well with the discipline and the rules. I like taking care of people, even if I haven’t been doing a great job of that lately and Daddy Doms excel at being caretakers.”
Allegra let out a sigh. It was so weird that he’d gone right to that. Weird but a relief. It saved her from having to suggest it. “I-I’ve actually been reading a lot of Daddy stories lately,” she admitted.
“Oh?” He loosened his grip on her. One hand nudged her chin up until he was looking into her eyes. “Any reason for that?”
“It’s popular. I kind of stumbled down a rabbit hole.” She shifted from one foot to the other, feeling trapped suddenly. A few deep breaths helped. “I guess, with things changing between us, I kind of retreated into fantasy. The longer it went…”
“The more you tried to fill those needs with fiction,” he finished, nodding as if something had just clicked for him. “I understand. Again, I wish we’d talked about this sooner.” He blew out an exasperated breath. “Tell me about the things you read that interested you, and we can talk about how it might work in our relationship. Deal?”
She searched his expression for any hint that he was just placating her, but he seemed genuinely pleased with the idea. A slow smile curved her lips. “Deal.”
Dinner was almost done, so he sent her off to change into something comfortable while he pulled it off the heat and set it on the kitchen table. They had serious things to talk about while they ate, but despite that, the atmosphere was relaxed and she found herself smiling and laughing a lot.