Page 63 of The Haunting Plot

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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.