Page 19 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes

To my horror, my feet were already propelling me back across the cement floor of my secret warehouse lair, as if I couldn’t stand the thought of keeping this man waiting a second longer.

For real, did I hit my head?

I frowned to discover Ihadreceived some bratty messages—from the Queen Brat herself. Kai.

Bestie:Excuse you, sir? I heard your slutty ass fumbling around your apartment this morning before you left again WITHOUT TELLING ME ANY DETAILS ABOUT YOUR HOT DATE WITH THE HIMBO.

Bestie:I fed Meowson like you asked.

Bestie:I expect payment. In the form of DETAILS.

I rolled my eyes at her behavior, not least of all that she’d apparently changed her name in my phone.

Probably when she was installing Bangers.

With a sharp inhale, I realized I not only wanted to delete the dating app frommyphone but Butch’s as well. It wasn’t just that the idea of anyone else touching him triggered a caveman-level possessiveness, but with howinnocenthe was…

It would be extremely easy for someone to take advantage of him.

I ran a hand through my hair—a nervous habit I thought I’d trained myself out of years ago. That Butch’s naiveté was turning me into a mother hen instead of a fox in the henhouse was concerning. He’d already provided me with the perfect excuse to infiltratebothThe Gloucester and Biggs Enterprises, along with providing the perfect dick, so I shouldn’t care if some wannabe dom or domme sniffed him out on Bangers...

My vision went red as I clutched my phone so tightly that the screen almost cracked. A few deep breaths later—shout-out to Dr. Ownit—I realized I still needed to reply to my…

Mine.

That depends on you. Be outside at 5:01.

It was a physical effort tostopmyself from texting more than that—from telling Butch all the ways I was going to reward him. There was no doubt in my mind he’d been good for me, like I’d instructed. While I had every intention of showing him how much I appreciated his obedience, for now, there would be restraint.

Later, I’ll blow his mind. And by blow, I mean…

A reply came through immediately, but of course, it was only Kai. Again.

Bestie:OMG, are you being super secretive and shady because you’re CATCHING FEELINGS?!

My eye twitched. Kai was out of her mind on a good day, but right now, she was grasping at straws to try to get a reaction out of me. I’d already planned on taking Butch out for dinner and drinks before bringing him home, and the last thing I needed was my next-door neighbor inviting herself to the after-party.

Just listen through the walls like you normally do, creeper.

I gritted my teeth asanothertext came through. My escalating tension bled out of me, however, when I saw it was fromhim.

Hottie Himbo:I’ve been good all day. I promise.

My eyes closed, and a shudder ran down my spine at the thought of Butch’s neglected cock aching for me forhours.He was just so perfect, almost to the point of being unreal. It was hard to believe there wasn’t a catch.

I know you have, sweetheart.

I can’t wait to see you later.

I hit send before I realized what I’d done. Sinking onto a nearby metal stool, I read over my disgustingly sweet text with growing panic.

Why the fuck would I say that?!

In the end, I reasoned Butch was so out of his depths that he would either take the tone of my text at face value or read so much into a deeper meaning he’d talk himself out of it again.

It’s fine. Everything’s fine.

Replacing my latex gloves, I scooted my stool closer to the gull’s carcass. I was determined to focus on my research—something with tangible results and a clear end goal. Science, notfeelings.