Page 92 of The Fates We Tame

I try to glance down but can’t really see. Instead, I run my hand over the tender skin. It burns a little to the touch, which makes my spent cock twitch with life and makes me sigh.

“Guess I learned something about me,” I say, taking her hands. “I fucking loved that you hurt me. Does that freak you out?”

Sophia struggles to her knees, and I offer my hands in assistance. It takes a second for her to maneuver her left leg beneath her, but she manages it. And I’m really fucking proud of her.

“No. I liked being told to bite you. But I don’t want to hurt you.”

She says the words, yet without thinking, she presses her fingers to the bite marks. They burn in response, and I close my eyes and sigh. There is something utterly peaceful about it. The way my brain settles, the way my soul sucks the heat in and warms me.

“You didn’t. At least, not in the way you think of hurt and pain. You think you’d be open to doing more of that?”

She blushes a little, her cheeks pink. “As long as you tell me what to do. What you need. And that you tell me to stop if it hurts more than you need.”

I tip her chin. “You really liked it?”

“It was hot, Theo. Yes. But I don’t know…”

I touch my knuckle to her cheek. “Safe words work both ways. I’ll say ‘Harley’ if it’s too much. And I’ll tell you expressly what I’d like so you never have to guess. I want that control, even in this.”

“Okay. You’ll tell me what you need. And we’ll both use ‘Harley’ if it’s more than we can do or take.”

I lean closer and kiss her.

Hoping she realizes just how precious she’s become to me.

24

SWITCH

Istudy myself and my wet hair in the mirror in my bedroom in the clubhouse. “You sure you know what you’re doing?” I ask Vex as he brandishes the scissors.

“You can’t be bothered to get a haircut, I’m gonna pin you down and give you one. It’s all uneven. And what you don’t remember is that I’ve cut your hair for the last four years.”

“Fine. Cut.”

“You normally take your shirt off so you don’t get hair everywhere.”

If I remove my shirt, Vex is going to see all the bruises and teeth marks Sophia left on my skin, and it’s all I can do to not get another fucking erection thinking about them. We lay in the mess of the bed, wrapped around each other for another hour, feeling utterly connected after we’d talked.

And when Sophia finally got in the shower, I searched online for whether you could be a dominant and a masochist. Turns out you can.

Which means I’ve got shit to explore, because I can’t remember where I was at on this journey, or if I even was on it, before the accident. I’m not ashamed of what we did. Knowingwe’re two consenting adults who had incredible sex, I don’t feel bad. But something tells me this is private and…precious.

I don’t want to have to explain it to anyone.

“Yeah. Well. Not today. Just cut the damn thing.”

Vex chuckles. “I’m on it.”

He begins to snip, and I see the hair fall. I can also tell this isn’t Vex’s first rodeo with the scissors. “So, you said you manage my investments?”

“Yeah. I do. You got quite the portfolio. Built it up to six million. You get paid a salary by the club as a medic, and you get your share of any take. You and I flip houses. Buy ‘em cheap. We pay my brothers cash in hand to renovate them. Give them cash for supplies. Then we sell the property at a profit and take the cash back out before repeating the cycle. The profit goes to the investments we have.”

It's a surprise to find out just how wealthy I am. “No shit.”

“It’s cool if you don’t want to keep doing it.”

Hair flutters down my face, making my nose itch. “Nah. If it’s working that well, we should keep doing it. You’ll have to tell me what my role is though.”