Page 6 of Eddie (Romance & Revolutions #7)

Shelby

Not-Henry was really sweet.

“They’re going to love how funny you are and how sexy you are.” Not-Henry’s gaze heated as he helped me step out of the jeans he loved. “Definitely how sexy you are.”

That would be really nice but we’d already had the sexy versus cute discussion.

Either way, though, as long as Not-Henry liked how I looked that was what was important.

“Do you like the underwear you picked out?” The nearly sheer, tiny light blue briefs had shown up randomly after I’d complained that all I owned was the dude version of granny panties. “They’re kind of small.”

Wiggling my hips got a smile from my…well, from the Dom I was now dating.

“They’re perfect.” Stroking his hands up my legs, he teased his fingers around the edge of the leg holes. “They decorate my toy perfectly.”

Me.

I was his toy.

That was never going to get old and I had to fight the urge to wiggle and do a happy dance.

It didn’t seem like the right time for that even though I didn’t think Not-Henry would mind. He already knew everything about me and liked me anyway.

Maybe even because of it.

Not-Henry was the type who needed to know everything about the person he was going to date in order to be comfortable, so I’d already done that for him.

“And they show off your erection perfectly too.” Not-Henry slowly widened his grip and brushed against the sides of my cock, sending sparks through me and making my eyes try to roll around like dice. “So sensitive…and I think it’s going to be even better once you’re tied up.”

It would.

I nodded but he was already making it hard to think and a verbal response took longer than I expected. “It…it will and…and I think I mentioned at some point that I like mild pain.”

When his head bobbed confidently, I knew he’d been paying attention to my rambling, which I appreciated. “You mentioned that several times while you were reading and reviewing books on that website I found for you.”

The mainstream online bookstores didn’t appreciate honest reviews about the dirty books they were pretending they didn’t have on their websites, but Not-Henry had been great about finding sites for me that were more flexible.

“Thank you for your help.” In my head I thought about giving him a peck on his cheek, but he leaned over and kissed the front of my underwear sending more crazy feelings through me. “That…that too.”

I was getting a lot more confident in his ability to take care of me in more physical ways than he ever had before. But it came at my ability to use my brain and ability to talk at the same time.

Not-Henry chuckled, looking pleased with himself. “You’re welcome.”

I wasn’t sure what to do next because very few of my dates had ever ended up anywhere near close to the situation we were in, but luckily for me, having Not-Henry as my Dom meant he would handle that part.

“And you’re going to be so sexy when I show you off.” Not-Henry slowly rose, gently running the pads of his fingertips up my sides. “Now, let’s see what else I have to decorate you with.”

Since it seemed like the underwear was going to stay on, I could put that question to the back of my head and start worrying about what he’d think of the stuff I’d picked out. I had an endless list of things I could worry about, so running out of them was the one thing I wasn’t worried about.

But Not-Henry’s smile as he looked in my duffel bag checked another one off the list.

So I pulled up worrying about if he’d like the colors I’d picked out.

“You match.”

Another smile.

He was running through them faster than I’d ever imagined. Most of the time dates only got through one or two, tops. Not-Henry was just firing them off as fast as I could find a new one.

He really was smart.

“I…I thought it would be nice?” Blue was his favorite color seeing how it showed up a lot in the random things he sent me and one time when I’d been wondering about his favorite color, he’d changed my screen saver to a pretty contemporary art thing that was a mix of blues.

He really had made his preferences very clear even if it was the first time we’d met in person, so I wasn’t sure what the Silas man had been worried about.

“It’s very nice.” Not-Henry shifted through my new goodies, smiling and making pleased sounds as he sorted through them in some way. “Yes. That one. Okay. Later. Yes.”

As my patience started to wear thin, he pulled out a half-mask that was made for some kind of masquerade party. “Do you want to be hidden?”

“No.” That answer seemed like it might need more information with it, so I kept going. “I wasn’t sure if you would because I wasn’t sure if anyone knew who you were or who I was or how we knew each other and I wanted to make sure we had options.”

His privacy was important to me and another thing on my worry list.

“Then we won’t use it this time but maybe for another scene…like the party one from that book you were reading earlier this month?” Not-Henry chuckled when I squirmed and grinned. “Yeah, I thought you’d remember that one.”

I’d liked that one.

Shaking his head as he grinned and put the mask back, Not-Henry looked like he was imagining wicked things too. “You read that scene several times.”

It was really nice not having to find the courage to share the dirty parts I really liked.

“It was good.” Not something I’d actually do with a stranger but it would be fun to play pretend with Not-Henry.

“The author has a good imagination.” Looking like he was picturing more of the fun scenes, Not-Henry kept whatever he was thinking to himself as he pulled out another one of my goodies. “Oh, these are perfect.”

My cuffs.

Not-Henry looked hungry and sexy as he held up the set of four cuffs that were supposed to be for some kind of weird anime costume. I wasn’t even sure the show they were pretending to advertise was real, but the censors online didn’t seem to care about accuracy…just the ability to justify things.

“They’re going to make you look even more naked than just wearing the briefs will.” Setting the soft, light blue cuffs down on the bench, Not-Henry carefully wrapped the first one around my wrist. “They’re going to highlight all this skin and those sexy undies.”

Especially if he kept giving me those looks and making me so hard.

“And the undies are going to match the ropes I picked out for you.” Not-Henry’s eyes twinkled when I gasped in surprise. “Yes, I picked out ropes to match those too. They’re my favorite.”

I was going to match.

Just picturing it had my cock trying to jump and get attention, but he had to wait while Not-Henry did my other wrist and crouched down on the floor again. Being so close to my dick had him giving it another kiss over the fabric, but he didn’t forget about restraining me.

There was something about being tied up and just having the cuffs on was enough to have the fuzzies curling around the edge of my brain.

I tried to take a deep breath and tune back into reality, but Not-Henry shook his head as he rose.

“No, Shelby boy. If they make you feel floaty and good, I want you to sink into it.”

“I…” He really was such a nice guy. “I’m supposed to pay attention to you too.”

Yes.

Everyone needed attention.

“No.” Not-Henry was getting stubborn again. “I want to be able to see you distracted and floaty. It shows that you trust me and that I’m giving you what you need. I like that, don’t I?”

Oh, he had a point.

“I guess so.” Nodding slowly seemed to make him happier, which made it harder to figure out my original point. “But…but I want to make sure you want to do it again. So I don’t want you frustrated. Even a tiny bit. I…I like you.”

Real him and the online him who was so helpful.

“I like you too.” Not-Henry leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, sending warm sparks through me. “But you need to remember that taking care of you and all the different ways that can look makes me happy. It’s not just about me tracking your spare change and caffeine intake.”

He was going to hold a grudge about that coffee forever.

“How can I take care of you then? Beyond stuff like tracking me.” He was definitely going back to tracking my steps again, so I wasn’t going to be able to get away with not wearing the watch any longer. “You…you take good care of me but I don’t know how to take care of you.”

I didn’t have the skills to stalk him.

Not-Henry’s head cocked and he really thought about it before he answered. “How about we make a list later? I don’t know what it will look like yet. I’m…I’m usually more focused on other people, but I’ll try and you can make sure I don’t brush it off.”

He’d try.

But I could be stubborn too.

“I’m not going to forget.” We were going to figure out a list even if I had to drive him crazy to get it. “And I’m going to make sure you get to come later too.”

He had to have a favorite way to do that even if he didn’t realize it.

Not-Henry seemed to realize I wasn’t going to let him distract me with my favorite foods or dessert later because a smile flashed over his face before his serious one settled back into place. “You’re cute when you’re stubborn.”

He was going to be a pain in the butt.

“I won’t let you try to start distracting me already.” He was going to be a sneaky pain in the butt. “I’ve had a long time to think about you. Don’t forget that.”

He wasn’t the only one who could think and plot.

My plotting just involved different things.

Chuckling softly, Not-Henry nodded. “You are going to be very dangerous when you put your mind to something.”

Yep.

“You’re my something.”

I was definitely scarier than people understood.

But Not-Henry wasn’t just anyone.

“Noted.” Looking pleased with himself, he smirked as he reached into the bag again. “I know just what this something needs.”

Oh.

My collar.

I could admit it’d been an impulse purchase, but it’d been too pretty to ignore.

And it matched my underwear too, so it had to go in my cart. That didn’t mean I was a complete idiot, though. I was possibly just a tiny one. “What…what does that mean to you?”

I’d mentally prepared myself for any and all responses, including having to explain what I thought it meant, but it seemed like Not-Henry had read enough romance novels to understand at least some of it.

“That you’re mine.” His simple response sent a shiver through me as he carefully wrapped the soft leather-like collar around my neck, and the way his fingers were stroking my skin had my brain getting fuzzy again. “You’ve been mine for a very long time, though, haven’t you, Shelby boy?”

I could feel my head bob, but it took a few seconds longer to realize he might want words too. “Since…since you sent me cookies.”

Not-Henry made a soft thinking sound as he finished putting my collar on. “You’d had a long day…a long week really.”

Sometimes work was hard but he’d always understood that.

“And you…you sent me cookies and a new book showed up on my ereader.” He was good at picking out new ones. “I knew…at that point I knew I belonged to you even if you didn’t know it yet.”

Smart people were sometimes slow to catch onto social cues.

I’d seen that at work too.

Don’t flash your boobs.

Keep your pants on in public.

They just needed real people to point out stuff that usually everyone caught onto faster.

“I was stubborn and missed the obvious.” Not-Henry proved he wasn’t missing it anymore as he looped a finger through the ring on my collar and pulled me against him to give me another kiss. “I won’t miss anything else, Shelby boy.”

Thank goodness.

Waiting to see if he was real and would ever figure it out had gotten exhausting.

And I was going to tell him that as soon as I could clear my head and make my brain work.

Later.

Yes.

We’d talk about that later.

“Let me show you.”

Best words ever.