15. Raven #3
He rubs at his chin. “I need to come up with a better system. All those notification bubbles overwhelm me.”
“You’ve been saying that for years, but you never do it. Can you please follow through with something in your goddamn life so I don’t have to keep cleaning up all your messes? Now I have to take time off from my workday to go to the school.”
“I’m sorry. Do you—” He’s cut off by the beeps of the call ending. “Want me to go up there?” he finishes his thought with a lack of his normal gusto.
“Does she normally talk to you that way?”
“It’s my fault. I completely forgot about the project. This is what I was talking about. I’m terrible at keeping up with stuff.”
I swipe on his screen until I find the clock app and pull up the alarms.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you.” I set several alarms, labeling each one.
His face tilts to mine briefly, his eyes still trained on the road. “If it’s coming from you, I’ll take any help I can get.” His eyes flick to mine for a split second before he looks forward again, and the smile he gives me loosens something in my chest.
——————
We enter Home Depot with purpose, Sawyer walking ahead of me on a mission to grab the items he needs.
I follow him to an aisle, and he stops, pointing up to a sign.
There’s a list of items on it indicating what’s further down the aisle: lubricant, rope and chain, screws, tie-downs.
He smirks as he leans closer to me. “I’d love to tie you down with rope or chains, make sure you’re nice and lubricated, and screw you till you scream. ”
Laughter bubbles out of me as my hand flies up to cover my mouth. “I think that’s the dirtiest dad joke anyone has ever said to me.”
“If you like white caulk, I have more where that came from. Speaking of, I’m almost out of caulk. I should pick up a few more cartridges.” He grabs my hand and tugs me through the aisle, throwing what he needs in his basket as I try not to smile like an idiot.
When we get to the self-checkout, I tap my phone to the screen to pay before he can pull out his wallet.
“I was gonna pay for that.”
“Gotta work on your reflexes, old man.”
He grins, the lines around his mouth deepening, adding character to his ruggedness. “Whatever you say, spitfire.”
My mouth goes slack as he steals the bag of supplies from my hand.
“The look on your face when I called you that. I think that’s the one that’s gonna stick. It’s the first time you didn’t look like you wanted to punch me.”
His phone chimes in his pocket, and he pulls it out, confusion on his face. “Did you set an alarm on my phone for when we needed to leave Home Depot?”
“I did. It’s a better system than relying on texts or notifications. Just set an alarm when you need to do something so you stay on task.”
We head out to the parking lot. “Now I need to remember to set the alarm,” he says as he opens the door for me.
“I’ll remind you.”
He leans on the doorframe, holding the door open with one hand. “Does that mean you’re gonna keep hanging out with me?”
“If you play your cards right.”
He laughs, shutting my door before running around the front of the truck, climbing in the driver’s seat, setting the bag of supplies between us.
“I need to make one more stop. It’s close by.”
His fingers tap the wheel. “Do we have time?”
“That’s why I set the alarm.”
Sawyer parks the truck in front of the adult store and gives me a curious glance.
“How badly do you want to please me?”
“More than I want to take my next breath.”
A smirk creeps up my cheek. “Be a good boy and stay in the truck. I need to grab something.”
“Okay.” He frowns as I hop out of the truck. It’s fun teasing him. I walk into the store and smile to myself as I grab what I need.
Over the past month, Sawyer has become a dependable, steady presence in our lives.
His renovation schedule was chaotic at first, but once I explained my need for a plan, he accommodated it.
Can I tell you how sexy it is that he listened to me and followed through?
He’s slowly weaseling his way past my defenses, and I’m oddly okay with it.
Now I need to see if we’re compatible sexually.
I have specific tastes in the bedroom, and I need to make sure Sawyer is on board before I go any further with him.
I’ve learned a lot about myself since I started writing romance.
It began with internet searches to learn more about kink.
Then it evolved into visits to an adult club in Denver to observe.
It was important to me to have accurate kink representation in my books. At least that’s what I told myself.
I’m not a regular or anything—it’s hard making time for yourself as a single mom, let alone a special needs mom.
But I have friends who watch the kids every now and then when I want to play.
And in my self-discovery at the sex club, I learned that I’m a switch.
I like to dominate but also be dominated.
If this is going to work with Sawyer, he needs to be okay with both.
I’m not worried about his dominant side.
He’s in charge of a crew of people and is used to giving orders.
But I want to see if he can submit to my demands.
I climb back in the truck, holding the bag out. “This is for you.”
He stares hesitantly at the bag, then me. I thrust it toward him again, and he reluctantly accepts it.
“What is it?”
“You’ll find out when you get home.”
He frowns at the bag stuffed with multiple layers of tissue. “Is this a prank? Is there a spider in here?”
“For fuck’s sake. There’s no spider. Text me once you open it.”
“Anything for you, spitfire.” He leans over the seat and kisses my cheek, then bends down, grabbing the mask on the floorboard. “The guys said the house was clear. What do you want me to do with this?”
I stare at the mask. We’ve had such a great day. I don’t know why he’s still pranking me and pretending it’s ghosts. Maybe this is something couples do? Maybe it’s like foreplay to him? I should say something, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. “Just get rid of it.”
——————
Sawyer
Did you give me a cock ring?
Good, you can follow instructions.
Ray, I’ll do anything you tell me. Haven’t you figured that out by now?
Ray?
Sorry, autocorrect.
It’s okay. I like it.
Now what am I supposed to do with this thing?
Put it on.
Right now?
Right now.
Should I call you?
No.
Crying face.
Did you type out crying face instead of using an emoji?
Sorry, I got excited. Normally the emoji pops up when I type that.
Okay, boomer.
What am I supposed to do with this thing?
I’m waiting for your instructions.
I feel like you have something planned.
Put it on and make yourself come.
I love it when you talk dirty to me.
The waiting is agonizing. What am I doing? I should be writing. I check my watch. How long does it take this man to come? Should I take this as a sign he’s got stamina? Or is he trying to figure out how to put his dick in a cock ring?
Several minutes pass before he replies.
Done.
He sends a pic of his face with a self-satisfied grin. I swallow, trying to tamp down my emotions. The fact that he followed my orders so easily, without hesitation, has me hopeful for the first time in years.