Page 166 of By A Thread

“Lady’s choice.” I stepped around the island but kept my distance.

She nodded. “If this whatever this is is going to work anywhere besides the bedroom—”

“Relationship, Ally. Say the damn word.”

Her glare was withering. “Relationship,” she said in a caustic tone that made me want to kiss her until she shut the hell up. “I need to feel like an equal partner. Which means I want my fair share of the decision-making, and I don’t want to be beholden to you financially.”

“That sounds not completely stupid.” It was fair. It made sense. But it left out the how.

“Gee, thanks. Your approval means the world to me,” she said, heavy on the sarcasm, slowly closing the distance between us. “Dominic, you’re not my winning lottery ticket. This can’t be based on you being some kind of benefactor to poor little old me.”

She probably didn’t mean it in the way I took it, but I was looking to stay pissed off. “I’m so sorry you don’t think I’m a prize,” I snapped.

“Stop deliberately misunderstanding me,” she said. “You know damn well I meant that I don’t consider you to be my very own ATM. I don’t want your money. I want you. I want an us. And for there to be an us, I want a say.”

Okay, so maybe that appeased me a little bit.

“Fine. How the hell do you propose we actually make that happen?”

She stepped into me, and I wasn’t certain that shewasn’tgoing to try to knee me in the nuts. “Oh, look who’s suddenly interested inhow,” she said.

When she moved, I flinched, and a smug smile spread across her face just a second before she slipped her arms around my waist. I was used to the bickering, the banter, but this physical affection was… different. Plus, I’d been in fear for my balls.

“Don’t be an ass.” I wrapped her up and tucked her head under my chin.

“How do normal people do this? Who’s in charge of what? How do they assume debts or keep assets separate without pissing each other off?”

Ally sighed against me. “I know you’re trying to be a smartass right now, but to be honest, I don’t really know how the dynamics of a long-term relationship work. Neither one of us has a solid example from childhood. Maybe it depends on the people in it having an ongoing conversation?”

“Fine. We’re conversing. What do you want a say in?”

“Everything that affects me that doesn’t involve your money,” she shot back.

“Ally, I don’t want my…youlying awake at night trying to figure out if you need to skip meals to make ends meet.” I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to take her worries and concerns and problems and solve every last one of them so she could focus all of her attention on me. And Brownie of course. I wasn’t a completely selfish monster.

She was going to argue with me again, but I was suddenly too tired to fight it out.

“Look, can we figure this out later?” I asked. I didn’t want her drawing lines when I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to redraw them properly.

She would live here. She would have anything and everything she needed. No one would ever take advantage of her or lay a hand on her ever again. End of fucking story. I was her Prince Fucking Charming.

“Okay. But only because I’m so tired I’m seeing two of you.” She sighed.

“Come on,” I said, taking her arm and leading her up the stairs.

Brownie bolted ahead of us.

“We’re just sleeping, right?” Ally asked as we turned into the bedroom.

“Just sleeping,” I agreed, dragging my shirt over my head. “Naked sleeping.”

“How’s your hydration?” she asked, pulling off her sweatshirt to reveal the stars of all future fantasies for me, her bare breasts.

“Great. Totally rehydrated,” I lied. “How’s the soreness?”

“Hardly feel a thing,” she fibbed. I could tell it wasn’t the truth because her neck flared red like a beacon.

I took off my pants, my cock already flying like a flag.