Chapter 9
Nine
Grant
Kendall hadn’t stayed at my house as long as I expected, claiming she had other things to take care of.
It left me replaying the last few days and nights in my head since Dalton and I had agreed to be in a relationship with her.
That, combined with the need to talk to him in person about everything, led me to a poor choice.
My insecurities would only lend themselves to failure and dismantle our carefully crafted tripod.
That wouldn’t do. Both he and our sweet girl deserved a better partner.
I’d made a royally stupid decision and would no doubt feel Dalton’s belt after I informed him of it.
All of that showed me I wasn’t anywhere near done with our relationship, despite the insistence in my mind, but that was neither here nor there.
Liquid courage and freezing clothes from the icy cold weather and light snow propelled me to knock on his side door without another thought.
He cracked it open, peering through it before undoing the latch.
Scanning my posture, he glanced at the snow-covered walkway before stepping back and allowing me to enter his home.
“You’re supposed to be resting, Grant. Did you fly here?”
“No.” Stamping my boots, shaking off the snow, I took them off along with my coat, hat, and gloves.
I shook my legs a few times, doing my best to warm them up.
“I rode Chatterbox and brought her to the community stable.” My favorite horse.
She could handle the weather better than me.
A lot of places in the middle of nowhere had lodging for your horse that was manned by a guard, like a valet service only better.
“Have you also been drinking?”
“Yeah, a little.” In our town they could absolutely ticket you for riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but I’d scarcely cared when I headed out.
“Drinking, riding, and not resting.” He shook his head, assisting me out of my sweatshirt and jeans since they were damp from the snow. “You’re absolutely freezing! Did something happen?”
Seeing him in the flesh quieted all the things that had been circling my brain. He had texted me when he got home and promised he would stop by tomorrow, but it wasn’t enough.
“No, not really.” I shrugged. “Stuff on my mind.”
“Just because I can’t spank a better answer out of you at the moment doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
He wouldn’t punish me while I was inebriated, but it didn’t help the situation. “May I have some coffee, Sir?”
“Yes, but breaking out a title without my asking is a bit concerning.” Dalton hugged me, rubbing his hands over each of mine to warm them before leading me further into the kitchen.
His house was mid-sized, but there was plenty of room for a corner nook.
It was surprisingly cozy. He brewed two Keurig pods as I watched. “How do you take it?”
“Rough, but I thought you figured that out already.” I winked.
“You didn’t listen to what I told you to do this weekend. I will not let that slide. It’s true that we don’t have a rule about mindlessly riding out in the freezing cold, but you could have been in serious trouble.”
“Feels like I might be already. Am I correct?” I pushed my brat away because Dalton was not in a joking mood. If he wasn’t home or I miscalculated the distance or my ability to ride while impaired, it could have ended badly for me.
“I’m not happy with your actions. You could have called me.”
When he said it like that, it didn’t make the picture any better. “You’re right.”
“I’m right more often than not.” Dalton brought a steaming mug to me. “Cream or sugar?”
“Just sugar.”
He returned with several packets, holding up four, and I nodded. He fixed my coffee, as well as his own, before gesturing toward the den. “Your teeth are chattering. Let’s go sit on the couch under blankets while you warm up.”
For once, I didn’t argue or push back at all and mutely followed.
As promised, he wrapped several warm blankets around me.
I sipped from the mug, half leaning against his side.
Dalton ran his fingers through my hair, lightly massaging my scalp.
I enjoyed the quiet calm of the moment. We sat there not speaking while the caffeine broke through the headache that had formed.
“You should find someone else to balance out your relationship with Kendall.”
“Our relationship,” he corrected.
Despite everything in my head, I wasn’t going to simply give up on the three of us. I just needed to talk through my worries.
“If I bow out gracefully, I’m sure you can replace me with just about anyone in town.”
“We don’t want just ‘anyone’ in town, lumbersnack.
” Dalton set his mug on the coffee table.
He adjusted the cocoon of blankets, tugging me until I was lying on top of him staring into his face.
I’d never tire of him simply putting me where he wanted me.
“You can be in any sort of relationship you want, even if it’s not with me.
I think something has wormed its way into your head and you’re overthinking. ”
“Maybe.” I swallowed hard. “I’ve been taught my whole life not to let anyone see my vulnerabilities. A weakness I can’t overcome.”
“If you believe the rhetoric drilled into your head, they could view any emotion as a weakness.” Dalton traced a finger across my cheek.
“I’ve taught myself not to get overly emotional in front of patients when I’m seeing them at their worst, but if you don’t think I’ve cried while in the back of my rig on the way back to the station, you’d be mistaken.
Emotions keep us tethered to reality. They let us experience the good times along with the bad. ”
I nodded, processing everything he’d said.
“I’ve denied myself a lot of things over the years.
Whenever I’m around you and Kendall, it’s like all the pieces fit.
I’m falling for the two of you so hard that I’m scared.
” I hated to admit it, but it was true all the same.
“Scared of not being good enough for Kendall. Terrified of bratting so much you throw your hands up and walk away.”
“Our connection was unexpected, but I’ve been pressing my nose to the grindstone for far too long.
I’ve been missing genuine connections since I’ve let other things get in the way.
” Dalton sat me next to him and kissed me gently.
“I went into this relationship with my eyes wide open, Grant. I’m not going to simply walk away.
When you poke me, provoke, tease, taunt, or whatever the hell else you want to call it, I’ll respond. ”
“Every time?”
“Yes.” He reached around to the back of my head, sliding his fingers flush against my scalp.
Dalton tugged with enough force to arch my neck and cause a moan to fall out from between my lips.
He licked a long line from my earlobe all the way to my throat.
“I want you to get out of your head. Will you do that for me?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Fuck. Using the title Daddy had been buried under mountains of suppressed emotions, untruths my parents fed me over the years, and mounting insecurity regarding my true desire to be submissive.
Though I expected some smart ass reply, he simply stared at me as if waiting for me to figure out what I meant to say. “Uh, Dalton,” I corrected.
“I want to step into that role for you, but I’d never force you to call me anything you weren’t comfortable with.
” He looked at me, his gorgeous blue eyes nearly glowing in the dim light surrounding us.
“Try not to get hung up on what other people have told you. Our wants and needs are the only things that matter.”
“Will you punish me tomorrow for not telling you everything on my mind?”
“No. I will not punish you for that. However, you will be sore since you broke a rule and put yourself into a dangerous situation. It will remind you I’m paying attention.” Dalton tugged on my hair again. “After your ass is red hot, I’ll make you beg to suck me off.”
I’d been way off the beaten path in my head.
Dalton didn’t view my brat as a burden, or any other part of me in such a fashion.
I should have known better since I never saw my previous partners in that light.
Hindsight was twenty-twenty. I swallowed hard.
“Then were you planning on fucking me, charming?”
“If you take your punishment well.”
Out of all the things I’d imagined him saying to me in response to my question, I hadn’t expected that. I closed my eyes, fantasizing about what it might feel like to have him physically claim me. “I’m not sure you’ll fit, man.”
“When we’re alone or with Kendall, I’d like you to call me Sir or Daddy until I tell you otherwise.”
The longest I’d ever ordered a submissive to use a title was a week. No end time meant it could go on for much longer. “Yes, Sir.”
“Getting back to what you said, we’re at my house.” He attempted to hide a smirk and failed. It made him appear downright diabolical, knowing how much he enjoyed torturing me. “I picked up all sorts of nifty toys during my trip to Cheyenne. Once we’ve used them, I’ll slide right in.”
“That word again,” I said, chuckling despite the heaviness in the air. “It doesn’t sound like it’s in the right context, Sir.”
“It is for me.” He caught my chin in his hand, kissing me. “No more overthinking. Let’s go to bed and we can talk after breakfast tomorrow.”
“I get to sleep next to you, you’re cooking me breakfast, and giving me orgasms?” I asked sarcastically as I stood up. “It sounds like you’re missing the punishment part.”
Dalton rose from the couch, and I kept my eyes on his. He kissed me hard, biting down on my lip and I moaned into his mouth. “Tell me how you feel after I plug your ass and take my oak paddle to it.”
“Probably sore and no longer wanting to battle, Sir.”
“Good.” He kissed me once more. “It’s bedtime.”