They settled on pizza. It wasn’t a food he normally indulged in, but she’d pouted so prettily when he’d hesitated that he’d found himself unable to deny her.
Dangerous little minx.
He was self-aware enough to realize it was less about the pout and more about the guilt he felt around what had happened before dinner. Somewhere between him opening the door and tossing her over his shoulder, he’d lost control. The careful plans he’d laid out for their evening had simply vanished.
It shook him to realize she could so easily unravel years of self-discipline with little more than a saucy smile and a sizzling kiss.
So, the pizza was his way of making amends, although he doubted she knew it. She didn’t seem any worse for wear after their interlude, for which he was grateful. He’d just have to be more careful around her.
As if she sensed him thinking about her, she shifted on the couch, tucking her legs up under her, head tilted to the side as she studied him. “How was your day?”
“Quiet. Too quiet.”
“I hear you. Waiting on these juries is the worst form of torture.”
He could think of plenty of other tortures for her. Some she would enjoy immensely, others…well, those were more for him. Pushing aside thoughts of getting her naked again, he nodded. “Agreed. I had hoped they’d have something for us today.”
“Because the longer they’re in there, the more likely it is they’ll let the bastard off?”
“Exactly.”
Shifting her plate to the opposite hand, she reached over and gave his knee a reassuring squeeze. “You put together a hell of a case. But at the end of the day, juries are made up of people. And people can be fucking stupid.”
Her simple, matter-of-fact delivery surprised a laugh out of him. “You aren’t wrong. Still, hope springs eternal.”
“As it should.” Smug smile in place once more, she settled back and took another bite of her pizza, a string of cheese sticking to her chin as she pulled the slice away from her. “Is that all you did today? Sat around and waited for the jury?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Mina.”
Any other submissive he’d been with would have blushed, or at least had the grace to look ashamed.
Not Mina.
Looking him dead in the eye, she took another, even larger, bite. “Like this?” she asked, her words muffled by the mouthful of food.
“Exactly like that.” He deliberately kept his words calm, despite the excitement pumping through his veins. “But if you prefer to keep your mouth stuffed with something, I’m sure I can accommodate you.”
She inhaled too sharply, which caused her to choke on her pizza. Taking the plate from her before she dropped it on the floor, he placed it on the coffee table and rubbed her back in soothing circles while she got the coughing under control and swallowed the rest of her food.
“Fuck, Cyrus.” Her voice was raw and scratchy, much like it had been after he’d fucked her throat earlier. “Warn a girl before you say things like that, would ya?”
“Perhaps if you hadn’t shoved half a slice of pizza in your mouth just to prove a point, it wouldn’t have been a problem.”
Gulping down her wine, she rolled her eyes. “Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s three.”
“Threewhat? You still haven’t told me what you’re counting.”
“Strikes.” He let his teeth show, a smile designed to have any subbie trembling. “Three strikes, you’re out.”
“Oh. Does that mean you’re going to spank me again?”
There was far too much hope in her tone. Perhaps he needed to up the ante a bit. “It means I am going to punish you, yes.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“I’ll be right back.”