Page 81 of Praised
“I’m whatever feels right at the time,” he answered. “I told you I didn’t do relationships before you and that’s the truth. Have I been with more people than one at the same time? Also the truth. But I’m not a cheater.”
I swallowed, looking down at my soda. “I didn’t think you were.”
“My friends and I…we’ve always been open with each other, with words and with actions.”
“And partners,” I reminded him.
“No touching without permission,” he said quickly. “No engaging.”
Something flashed across his face and everything clicked into place. The worry, the hesitance, the misunderstanding.
“You’re telling me the lot of you like to watch.”
Flynn took a huge swallow of his drink, like the whiskey would wash away his nerves. “We don’t have to. They don’t have to.”
“I need you to stop.” I pressed my hand against his chest, and he stood straighter, almost like I’d tapped a reset button. His hands hung down at his sides, fingers splayed over the top of his glass, the other hand tapping against the outside of his thigh. His expression had gone almost neutral, bringing into focus the sharp angles of his nose and his cheekbones, the softness of his lips.
“We can go,” he offered.
“I said I need you to stop,” I repeated.
Flynn went still.
I closed my eyes and dropped my head against the back wall, hating myself for all the seeds of doubt and worry I’d sown in this man’s mind. I was young, but I should have been old enough to know better, should have had some shred of self-awareness so I could understand how my actions impacted others. On the tail end of Cody destroying my life with his carelessness, I should have been more careful myself. I should have stopped and thought.
I shouldn’t have ever kissed Flynn the way I had.
I should have never let him compromise the things he wanted just to earn himself a shred of my time. Though the dedication did wonders for my ego and the praise was almost good enough to convince me it was true.
“I want you to answer me yes or no,” I said, fingers still firm against his chest. “No explanations and no judgement. Just your truth. Can you do that?”
His jaw worked back and forth. I could tell he hated the limitations, hated being told what to do.
“Yes,” he said gruffly.
“Do you want to watch whatever fuckery your friends get up to tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to watch it too?” I arched a brow.
“Yes.” Another twitch in his jaw was enough to let me know that if he had more words, the answer would have been,Yes, if you want to.
“Do you want them to watch me?”
He held his hands up in the shape of a T.
I rolled my eyes. “What?”
“Doing what?” he asked.
“Let’s assume that after this little game of questions is over, it’s purely yes, Sir and no, Sir and thank you, Sir from me for the rest of the night.”
My cock jerked at the thought of that, but I didn’t let on.
“Is that what you want?” he asked.
Jesus, the way my man loved to please. I was going to get a complex about it. Earlier he’d been talking about how I ruined him, but I was the ruined one because how could I ever accept anything less thanthisfrom anyone ever again?
