Page 97 of Obey

Nate’s expression sharpens with interest.

“I like what we’ve done so far,” I admit quietly. “It was nice not to have to make decisions all day. I think if I trust someone like that, I want to know they’re paying attention for me.”

Silence settles briefly, and I look at the three of them, feeling like I’m being watched under a microscope. “That sounds kind of weird.”

“That’s not weird, Sugar,” Jace says, voice softer now.

“It’s not uncommon,” Nate corrects calmly. “But trust like that isn’t automatic.” His gaze holds mine steadily. “If you want us making decisions for you in the moment, we need to know where the lines are before we get there.”

The heat crawling up my neck gets worse because somehow this conversation feels more intimate than half the things they’ve already done to me.

“So,” Elias says quietly, “before we decide anything else, what are your limits?”

"I don't know," I admit.

Jace makes a face, as if he’s watching a kitten try to eat a lemon. “God, you’re adorable.”

Nate lets out a hum before setting his espresso cup down with deliberate care and pushing away from the counter.

Jace sighs immediately. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“I know that look.” He drops his head back dramatically against the chair. “Please tell me you’re not about to make this awkward.”

Nate disappears down the hallway without answering.

“That means yes,” Jace mutters.

Elias takes another sip of coffee, completely unhelpful. “You knew what you signed up for when you picked us, pup.”

“Hey, I signed up for emotionally repressed sexy older men, not paperwork.”

A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. “I thought you loved Nate’s affinity for due diligence?”

Jace fixes me with a lopsided smirk. “Oh, babe. Love is a strong word. But I do have a Google Sheet for all his failings.”

That delights something inside of me. I can’t help myself. “How many tabs?”

“An entire workbook.” Jace bites his lip, grinning slyly. “Conditional formatting for extra pettiness.”

A few seconds later, Nate returns, and as he passes behind Jace, he nips pointedly at the back of his neck.

Jace jolts. “Ow—rude.”

“You’ll get worse for those comments later. I keep a list.”

Nate sets the laptop on the island and opens it with the kind of calm precision that makes me suspicious of his entire upbringing. “We’re not doing a full scene negotiation this morning. We’re figuring out what needs a conversation.”

Jace leans over my shoulder as Nate turns the screen toward me. The BDSM test homepage stares back.

I pause, then slowly look at all three men. “You’re making me take a kink BuzzFeed quiz?”

“We’re using it to identify what you might be interested in.”

It feels stupid not to want to admit that he’s right.

Because the last couple of days have been so intense, between waking up in their penthouse, the shower incident, and sleeping tangled up between three dangerously attractive men, the absurdity of this almost feels necessary.