Page 116 of Danger and Dominance

Pay rent.

Make a life.

Or go back to her old life.Go back to Stronghold and Marquis.Go back to the people who had saved her, who had been there for her, and who had let her go to keep her safe.

It all came down to one big question—what did she want?

41

Cassidy

“Alone at last.”David sighed with relief as the sound of Jennifer and Brenda’s conversation cut off with the closing of his apartment door.Turning to Cassidy, who had been standing with him to say goodbye, he reached out with his right arm and pulled her against him, burying his nose in her hair.She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.She couldn’t press herself against his chest; it was more of a side hug because of his sling, but it was as close as she could get.

Jennifer’s questions had brought up all sorts of thoughts in her head, and she wasn’t sure what she should do.She didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but it seemed unavoidable.

How strange was it to think that people would be disappointed if she wasn’t there, no matter which she chose?She wasn’t used to having people care about her.

Once Kincaid had given the go-ahead, her phone had flooded with texts from the other submissives from Stronghold, all of them checking in, most of them complaining that they hadn’t been able to talk to her.Every single one of them either offered to come up or asked what they could do to help.They were a community.

But she’d found a community here, too, and not just in David’s arms.

“I can practically hear you thinking from here,” he said, resting his chin on top of her head.“Is it about anything specific?”

She sighed again.It was probably better to talk about it than to keep it in.Besides, she wanted to know what he thought.Not just because his opinion mattered to her, though it did, but because he would actually have some say in the options since she was currently living in his apartment.

“Jennifer asked me what’s next, as in what am I going to do now that I don’t have to worry about Don anymore,” she said and felt David stiffen slightly against her.Not his dick; his whole body.“She said I could move in with Jensen and Mick again, or Yasmine asked her to offer to be housemates.”

“Or you could stay here.”

The words were said flatly, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, so she pulled back so she could see his face.His expression was carved from stone, but his blue eyes were steady, intent on her.

“Do you want me to stay here?”

“If you want to stay here.I don’t want to push you.”

“Well, I don’t want to push you.”She sighed, exasperated.“Is it really that hard to just tell me what you want?”

A glimmer of a smile curved his lips.

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?You’re doing the same thing.”

Scowling at him, she released his waist so she could reach up and lightly slap his chest right above where his left hand was resting against it.

“You know what I mean.You’re the Dom.Aren’t you supposed to be bossing me around or something?”She said it jokingly.She had actually been in that kind of relationship, and she didn’t want it, and she knew he knew that.

He laughed, tightening his one-armed grip around her waist.

“I do like bossing you around, but I’m also not going to make major decisions for you.I don’t want to push you, either, especially because of what you’ve been through.If you choose to live here with me, I want it to be because you want to, not because you’re doing what you think I want.”

Cassidy huffed because, well, same.

As she did so, David’s hand left her side and started traveling further south, off the back of her shirt and down to her jeans.She stared at him as his palm slid over her butt.

“Really?You’re injured.”

“My shoulder is injured; my dick is just fine.”He glanced down to prove his point.He’d now stiffenedeverywhere.The bulge at the front of his jeans was very obvious.“This is the first time we’ve been alone in days.Besides, a few orgasms might make you relaxed enough to just tell me what you want… and they might help you want to stay with me.”He winked at her.

“I still think it would be easier if you just told me what you want.I can’t just move in here because I want to.It’syourapartment.”