Please stay with me, Master Greer, I desperately wanted to cry out. Please stay!
No, I didn’t know what love was anymore, and yet…I knew with every fiber of my being that love was what I witnessed when I saw Greer with Archie. Greer with Sloan. Sloan with Archie.
They burned for one another and their future together. They worked hard, they communicated, they showed affection and appreciation. It was Archie’s responsibility as a domestic slave to put food on the table, but that didn’t stop Greer and Sloan from showing how much they appreciated Archie’s submission.
“Look at you,” Marcus growled. “You think you can trade me in like that? You think you can jump from one thing to another? You don’t know what the fuck you want.”
I knew what I didn’t want! Anger exploded within me, and I spun around. “Where are you?” I yelled.
His laughter echoed.
I balled my hands into fists.
I knew what I didn’t want. My two-night stay with Greer, Sloan, and Archie had revealed all the things missing from the relationship I’d had with Marcus.
“We’re over,” I whispered. “We’re so over, Marcus. Maybe I haven’t been a good Little for you. Maybe you’re right about me being difficult, but you’ve been so mean to me. You’ve been unfair and…”
“…and wake up, Corey. Can you hear me?”
I whimpered and shifted toward the touch on my forehead. The darkness faded, and the cold was so good on my skin. It felt like a damp towel.
“Get down, boys.” Was that Archie?
I sucked in a breath and came to. Buddy and Beast jumped down from the bed, and I grunted and wiped at my face. Fuck, I’d been sweating buckets.
“Was I loud?” I croaked.
“Not at all, but I heard you were sleeping poorly.” It was Archie.
The dampness started grossing me out, and I sat up and blinked against the disorientation. My pillow was soaked. Sheets too. Ugh.
I supposed with the door open so that the doggies could come and go as they pleased, it was easier to hear when something was wrong. But that didn’t explain why Archie was up in the middle of the night. Dressed, to boot. I liked his pajama bottoms. They looked comfy. And his white T-shirt fit his body perfectly.
“What time is it?” I whispered. Other than it being pitch black outside the window, I had no clue.
“Almost four.” He folded the damp washcloth he’d used on my forehead. “You’d think I’d get a good night’s sleep when Kyla isn’t here, but I still wake up when she does. And this is her usual time to make a fuss before she zonks out again.”
“She’s with her mom?” I shifted to the edge of the bed and grimaced. I hated running hot and cold, and I hated sticky skin.
I loved to cuddle, but the room temperature had to be pretty chilly.
“My sister. She took Kyla and my nephew to the zoo yesterday. Kyla’s a surrogacy baby.” Huh. All right. He reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry you’re having nightmares. Is there anything I can do?”
I shook my head. “Can I shower?”
“Of course.” He furrowed his brow in concern. “You don’t have to ask. You go shower, and I’ll change your sheets. Would you like something to drink?”
Gosh, he was so nice to me.
“Really cold water, please? And ice if you have it?”
He nodded firmly. “Ice water coming right up.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
I took the fastest shower in history. I just needed to freshen up and lose the feeling of stickiness and sweat. I borrowed a bit of body wash and suddenly smelled like Greer and Sloan. Then I washed off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around my hips.
Archie was in the guest room when I reentered, and I had no words. He’d opened the window a smidgen, and he was almost done changing my bedding. He did nothing, absolutely nothing, half-assed. The glass of ice water he’d set on the nightstand was apparently not enough for him. It had to come on a small silver tray and with a bowl of strawberries.
“You don’t just go the extra mile, do you? You run an entire marathon.”
He sent me a quick smile and fluffed the pillows. “Let’s get you back to bed, love. It’s going to be a hectic day, and you need more sleep.”
Right, but now I wanted a couple strawberries. I dove for the bed and removed the towel once I was under the covers, and this was my new favorite set of linen. They were so soft and smelled so good.
While I popped the first strawberry into my mouth, he draped my towel over the desk chair.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked. “And this isn’t a question of what I deserve or not. I’m just at a loss as to why you and Sloan would go out of your way to make me feel at home here.”