Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Right?
I swallowed hard as we trailed down the porch steps.
Ash threaded our fingers together and gave my hand a squeeze.
We’re in this together.
I exhaled.
James was certainly…very, very handsome. He and Ash shared that rough-around-the-edges, bad-boy look. Except James was slightly shorter, not as broad-shouldered, not as stocky. Sun-kissed, charming blue eyes, a smile that bordered on a smirk, and yet…I detected something sweet and almost demure about him. He flicked a glance my way that lasted less than a second.
“Baby, I want you to meet the best neighbors we could ask for.” Ash squeezed my hand again. “James, we work together. Jordan, the brat who knows his way around cooking and making trouble. Guys, this is my husband, Nathan.”
I smiled politely and shook hands with James first. “Very nice to meet you, James. Ash has told me a lot about you.”
“Yeah, definitely—I mean, it’s real nice to meet you too.” He cleared his throat and took a step back. I liked his accent. He was Southern. “I think I know everythin’ about you at this point.”
“Close to it.” Ash grinned.
I was gonna ask him about that later.
I tilted my head as Jordan extended his hand, but he seemed to struggle with eye contact far more than his husband. In fact, I was sure the hood on his pajamas felt like protection to him when it fell down past his forehead like that. The boy was in hiding.
“Hello, Mister Rigger, I’m Jordan,” he said shyly. “I was so happy to hear that you and Mister Ash reunited.”
I shook his hand—not as firmly as I’d shaken James’s hand. “That’s sweet of you, Jordan.”
Ash, who couldn’t spell finesse, ruffled the boy’s head and pushed back the hood.
“There’s no reason to be scared, kiddo. You’ll eventually beg Nathan to torture you.”
Jesus.
Jordan shot Ash a scowl, which was just fucking cute, but I guessed I was standing too close, because he got stuck on me a beat later.
He was undeniably gorgeous, and I recognized those beautiful eyes from his profile picture online. This was Lilducky, who’d signed up for my session tonight.
Those freckles were something else too.
“I’ll need a test subject for tonight,” I mentioned.
He blinked. “Um.” Then he stepped back and pointed at James. “He can do it.”
I smirked faintly. “That’s fair. I know brats aren’t…you know.”
He knitted his brows and tried to stand taller. “Aren’t what?”
I leaned forward as if I were going to whisper a secret. “Brave.”
Ash rumbled a laugh. “Yeah, that’s a rumor we’ve debunked repeatedly.”
Truly.
The corners of Jordan’s eyes tightened. “I can totally do it! I will do it!” He locked eyes with me. “I will do it. Sir.”
Adorable.
“We’ll see.” I smiled. “Nobody’s getting up there with me if I think they’ve been taunted or pressured into it.”
James cleared his throat. “I, uh…don’t feel pressured.”
Good to know.
“But I wanna do it,” Jordan argued weakly.
James shot him a cocky little look. “Then you should’ve volunteered yourself instead of me.” He glanced back at Ash and me. “Is there a dress code?”
I shook my head. “Come as you are. People show up in everything from jeans and tees to underwear.” That applied to Jordan as well. “And you wouldn’t be the first Little to join the Pajama Parade out there if you wish to wear that at Mclean.”
Jordan’s relief was instant. “Really? That’s awesome. Maybe next time, though. I picked out a pair of cute briefs for tonight.”
I was definitely looking forward to that.
CHAPTER 6
Ash Riley
Iblew out a breath and switched lanes before our exit. “Yeah, I ate too much.”
Nate chuckled, gaze glued to his phone. “Told you.”
Yeah, yeah.
I side-eyed him, admittedly excited to see him in action for the first time in a very long time. Even before we’d separated, kink had been an infected topic for me, so I hadn’t engaged as much as I had back in the day. But I still had my memories, and Nathan was a force to be reckoned with in his rigger mode. He came off as damn strict—because safety was his priority. His punishments were severe for the same reason. Mistakes, on the other hand, were forgiven instantly. It was the willful disobedience and recklessness that legit pissed him off, and nobody could blame him. Rope bondage wasn’t generally a safe kink.
“Have you decided what you’re gonna do?” I wondered.
He hummed. “I think so. It’s mostly beginners there tonight, so after my usual safety intro, I’ll have about forty-five minutes. Enough time for a Server’s Hand, maybe show some basic knots, and possibly a single-column waist harness.”
I understood about half of what he said, but it was 100% sexy as fuck. Nathan in his element. Unyielding, assertive, calculating, and more observant than anyone I knew. Whoever was his rope bottom had his undivided attention.
I wanted it fixed on Jordan tonight, but I’d leave that up to Nate. It was possible he’d prefer James.