She glanced up, met his gaze and her eyes skittered away. How the hell had Dave been so lucky to find a natural sub like her? And then to discover her Little side.
Yeah, he was a lucky bastard.
And now, so was he. He gave her a last kiss then strode out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and back into the living area where Archer was pouring himself another of those godawful cocktails he’d made.
“Pour me another,” he said.
“Thought you said they taste like cough syrup.”
“They do. But I need a drink.” And Caley didn’t have any beer.
“She kick you out while she took a bath?” Archer guessed, handing him a beer.
“Yes.” He frowned as he sat. He could have demanded that she let him stay, let him help her. But that would go against the purpose of having her take a bath in the first place. To relax and unwind.
“Surprised you didn’t just tell her you were staying.”
“Thought about it. But she’s kind of shy about her body.” That wasn’t the only thing she was shy about. “She’s reluctant to show me her Little.”
Archer sat across from him. “It’s only been a few days, man. You have to realize you’re already moving fast. Give her time.”
He tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair. He didn’t want to waste time. If there was one thing he was not, it was patient.
“She’s happy to have me touch her.”
“Which just tells you how much she does trust you. And how vulnerable she feels letting her Little out.”
“Have you ever just known that something was right? That someone was meant for you?”
“No,” Archer replied quietly. “Because I’m thinking if I had, then I wouldn’t let that person go.” A strange look crossed his face. “You feel that about her, though?”
“Yeah. Guess I’m wondering if she feels the same.”
“Because she’s holding back.”
He gave a nod. He wasn’t used to talking about his emotions and shit. But if there was one person he could talk to, it was Archer.
“I’ve missed this.” He practically spat the words out. They made him kind of uncomfortable. Like he was admitting a weakness. And he guessed in a way it was.
“Me too,” Archer replied.
“Didn’t miss Evelyn, you know. Maybe for the first week I told myself I did. Told myself it was all about her, the reason I was so upset. But the truth is, I never really missed her. She wasn’t as important to me as I’d thought. It wasn’t her I was upset about losing.”
Archer leaned forward. “I was always there, Issy. You only had to call me.”
“Couldn’t. Stubborn. Too much damn pride.”
“Yeah, well, I guess we’re both at fault for not speaking up about things in the past. And things are good now. I’m here for you now.”
“Yeah. Ditto.” Verbose, he was not. “So how do you reckon I get her to trust me more?”
Archer looked thoughtful. “With what she’s told you about her past, I’m frankly shocked she trusts you as much as she does.”
He frowned, not liking that. “Those narrow-minded assholes.” She should have been treated like the treasure she was. Not ridiculed and hurt.
“A lot of people don’t understand the lifestyle. They think that just because it’s different and it doesn’t fall into their conception of normal, that it must be wrong.”
“Ass fuckers.”