Chapter 32
Ididn’t have to strip off a single thing to rile Allie up. It would be easy enough to tug down her pants and have my way with her on her desk, but I was enjoying her struggle to stay silent and wanted her to be soaked through her panties by the time I left.
The thought of her turning all that frustration onto me later had my body burning to take her. I refrained. It would be better for both of us if I could be patient. Delaying my own pleasure for another was a skill I was well practiced in, but this time I knew it wouldn’t be a long delay and that she was more than capable of making it worth my while.
I delivered a sharp nip to her scent gland and stood. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was shaky.
“How am I supposed to focus on work after this?” she asked.
I smirked and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “That sounds like a ‘you’ problem.”
“In a few short hours I’m going to make it an ‘us’problem.”
“Oh, I know. I look forward to it.” I pulled her in for another kiss and stroked her cheeks with my thumbs. “Your choice, kitten. I have a few more minutes before I have to head back. I’m not going to let you come, but I can give you more than a kiss.”
“I do like more than kisses.” Allie nipped my lip. “But I also know if you edge me, my work day will be shot, and I don’t have the clout at this job for that.”
“A fair point.”
“I thought so,” she said with a grin. “When I have a corner office, I bet we could fuck and no one would think twice. But, alas, I am a lowly peon.”
“Neither of our places are that far away,” I said.
“You shouldn’t tempt me with lunchtime sex.”
“Hey, if you’re tempted by the idea, that’s your own problem.” I laughed and pulled her up to standing. “You could come home for food and a puppy break since I’m ninety percent sure you were working through lunch and I can’t let the dark soul of capitalism ruin you like that.”
Allie snorted and threw her arms around my neck. “You’re such a dork.”
“Embarrassing that it took you this long to notice that.”
“We can’t all be perfectly observant all the time.”
“No, that’s true. We can’t all be perfect in general. It’s a burden I’m forced to bear.”
“Oh my god.” Allie laughed and covered her mouth to muffle the sound. “Quit being cute.”
“Come home tomorrow. I have a craving to be domestic.” Electricity fizzed between us, like static off a balloon, as I pulled her closer. “I should go, but you can rest assured I’ll be thinking of you all day.”
“You’re making me hate having a job.” Allie sighed and pressed a soft kiss to my mouth. “I’m off at four.”
“Five for me. Want me to bring the pups over?”
“God, yes please. I will never say no to floofs.”
When we parted and I was on my way back to the clinic, I had time to sit with my emotions. I knew I’d said there was no rush or pressure and I meant it, but I could see the future so clearly. Shared lunches, short meetups at work when things got too busy, evenings full of foster pups and time together, nights spent unraveling one another…
I squirmed in my seat. It wasn’t fair to either of us to think about permanence, but that didn’t stop me. It was impossible to tell what prompted the thoughts. It was equally unfair to assume it was all the bond and the hormones because I did genuinely think Allie was a delight.
It might always be a question, but, if we were happy, did it really matter what the answer was?
My thoughts continued swirling round and round in unanswerable circles through the rest of my workday. I focused myself with feeding the pups when I got home and seeing to their needs before packing them into my vehicle to drive to Allie’s. She was visible in the window when I parked. Her apartment was on the main floor, which made walking up to it with six pups wonderfully easy. I passed them through her patio doors and brought a playpen from the vehicle, along with some water bowls and toys.
“I feel like a proper mama,” Allie said, gazing down at the pups. “Look at all our babies.”
I snared her waist and looked down at them over her shoulder. “Six children and we’re not even married.”
“What can I say? We’re rebels like that.” Allie leaned back against me. “Do you ever think about adopting one?”
“Constantly,” I said with a laugh. “But if I adopted all the ones I wanted to, I wouldn’t have the time or resources to help new puppies.”
“I suppose that’s fair. I don’t know if I’d have the willpower for that.”
“Luckily you can just be the cool mom, and I’ll be the discipline dad who makes sure we willpower everyone into forever homes.”
“What if I sneaky-sneak adopted one myself?”
“I support you being a full dog mom.” I could absolutely see her in that mode, and it was cute as fuck.
“You’re tempting me today, and it’s all over the spectrum.”
“I like keeping you on your toes.” I gave her a smack on the butt. “Come on, let’s get some unpacking done so your apartment doesn’t look so sad.”
We worked through the evening with breaks for delivery pizza and a short walk with the pups. By the time she was satisfied, the sun had set. Her photos were on the wall, her books on the shelves, and her dishes tucked into the cupboards. We still had more work to do, but her apartment looked more like a home than when we’d started. Pups were passed out, snoring, all over her floor, which added to the homey feel, too.
“We should get the children home to bed,” Allie said as she sat down on the couch.
“Want to sleep over?” I asked.
“You bet your sweet ass I do.” She stuck out her tongue. “I have plans for tonight that are many years in the making.”
“Ominous.” I laughed and hoisted her back up. “Pack some things to keep at my place. You can take over the spare bedroom and bathroom as your domain if you want.”
“I do like having a domain. I only have one bathroom here, but I can keep a drawer and a shelf in the medicine cabinet free for you.” She tucked against me and kept her gaze on the floor. “That’s not moving too fast, is it?”
“For the unbonded, maybe.” I shrugged. “But I prefer to think of it more as a comfort and convenience thing rather than a relationship milestone. It’s easier to have essential supplies on hand in both our homes for whenever we end up in either place for any reason.”
Allie nodded slowly. “Okay, that’s fair. I want to spend more time with you, but I’m pretty sure the compulsion to make a fort out of your bed and keep you in it is the hormones talking.”
I snorted and held her tighter. “You are one hundred percent permitted to make a fort out of my bed.”
“I’ll make it super stylish, I promise.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss me until one of the pups let out a yip in their sleep and stole her attention. “The babies are fussing. Okay, I’m going to pack and shower. Be right back.”
I leashed up my fluffy herd and got them loaded into the back of my vehicle for the drive home.
Allie emerged shortly after with damp hair and a small rolling suitcase in tow. “I think I got everything. I’ll have to do a bit of a shop to acquire doubles of some things, but I’m all set for now.”
We took separate vehicles back to accommodate work schedules, and I set about getting the pups settled in their nursery for the night while Allie unpacked some things into the spare room. I hopped into the shower to wash the day away when I’d finished with the pups, and when I emerged I found Allie waiting for me on the foot of my bed in red lingerie and a black silk robe that hung open to expose the red lace.
A ripple of lust rolled through me. “Sweet fuck. You’re going to give me a heart attack, surprising me with an outfit like that.”
She grinned adorably wide. “That’s the reaction I like. You should put on something spicy, too.”
“I have a few things. Any preferences?”
“Nope. Surprise me.” She propped one foot up on the bed as she watched me. Her slender fingers sliding down her body to stroke over the lace guarding her clit held me in rapt attention until she giggled and broke the trance. “The sooner you get dressed, the sooner you can touch.”
It took considerable effort to tear my gaze away and step into the closet. I stripped down and replaced my clothing with leather pants and the strappy harness I knew she loved. Since she’d hinted at it, I also grabbed the strap-on, along with a pair of leather cuffs with detachable ropes and a bottle of lube. I stepped back out into the room and was greeted with a desperate groan of appreciation.
“Who the fuck gave you permission to look that good?” Allie slipped off the bed and glided toward me. “I’ve never seen you in leather pants before.”
“You like them?”
She hooked her fingers in the waistband and yanked me closer. “Maybe.”
Her gaze slid to the assortment in my hands, and she picked up the strap-on with a wicked gleam in her eyes. The attached dildo was slimmer than I could take, but I was too impatient to work up to my maximum tonight.
“I haven’t done this in real life,” she said. “I’ve done extensive research, though.”
“Uh-huh, what kind of research was this?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Okay, some of it was valid, proper research. The rest was porn, but still.”
“Well, I’m available to answer questions if your research left any gaps.”
“Help me put it on?” Allie asked.
I set down the rest of my supplies, held out the straps for her to step in, and tightened them until it fit snugly around her hips. I gave her ass a smack while I was down there for good measure. “Perfect.”
“I’m kinda nervous but also really fucking excited.” Allie shifted from foot to foot.
“You’re going to do great. Now, how about you cuff me to the bed and have your wicked way with me?”
A small, desperate sound escaped her mouth. “God, yes.”
She’d already cleared off the blanket and pillows from the bed, but I grabbed a towel to spare my bedding before she hooked my cuffs to the wrought iron frame.
“Has anyone ever told you how goddamn delicious you look tied up?”
“You a fan of having me trussed up and helpless?” I flashed a grin at her as she squeaked and fumbled the last hook.
“Maybe.” She slid a hand down my bare back, nails lightly scratching on the return journey. “I’m happy to take turns with this down the road.”
“Good to know.” I tugged on the cuffs and found myself sufficiently secured. I let myself relax, sinking down against the soft sheets. Allie stroked down the curve of my back and over my shoulders, kneading muscles on the way.
She dropped a kiss onto one shoulder and tugged gently on my hair until my face was up high enough for her to kiss me. Her grip was steady, guiding me. As much as I was used to taking control with clients, I sometimes craved the relaxation of not being in charge. Partners I trusted enough to do this with were few and far between. It might only be the bonding that allowed me to relax with Allie, but whatever the reason was, I was grateful for it.