AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"It's not," she replied easily, frowning at the dregs left in the pot. "I'm asking if youare prepared, J. You've known me long enough to know I keep secrets. That's not the same as being ready for me to know yours."
Movement in the doorway caught his eye. Anarchy stood there, a takeout cup in her hands, with Atticus looming protectively at her back. His kitten's back was up, he noted with a touch of amusement; all she needed was some hackles to rise. "They're not my secrets to tell."
Connie set the pot down and turned to smile at Anarchy. "They are if they start to hurt you, Archie. I'm not going to apologize for poking my nose in—that's my job, and I'm damn good at it. Should you need to talk to someone, I want to make sure Jasper is okay with you coming to me if necessary."
Archie's hackles deflated. Hurrying over to Jasper, she offered him the cup before settling herself firmly on his knee. Defending him, he realized, as she braced herself. His kitten had her claws out, ready to strike if the Domme pressed too hard on sore subjects. "Thanks, but I'm okay. We worked some stuff out, and we said some things. No shrinking required today."
Connie and Atticus laughed. Not cruelly, not derisively. The soft appreciative sound of Dominants enjoying the spark of a spunky submissive. The Mistress grinned. "Then no shrinking there shall be, sweetheart. However, the offer stills stands...for both of you, should you change your minds." She glanced at Atticus. "Are they ready for us now?"
"Yeah. Loki's taking Braun off for a quick walk. They're gonna get some coffee, and Loki's promised to try and get some food into him. He hasn't eaten since sometime yesterday." Atticus's tone was disapproving. "We'll keep Bodie company for half an hour, then Jasper and Archie are on the last stretch before visiting time is over."
Jasper frowned. "No Alicia?"
There was a beat of silence, then Connie sighed. "Alicia declined to come. She didn't want us to have to fuss with her while Bodie's in a fragile condition. I'll drive her to Braun's when Bodie's home and settled."
It seemed the more Connie tried to include the girl into the fold, the more Alicia pulled away. As a group, they'd invited her out for dinner, to the movies. Anywhere they could think of to get her out of the house and into society. But the years she'd been held prisoner in her parents' house had taken their toll—stuck in a wheelchair, beaten, threatened with rape and death, Alicia was borderline agoraphobic.
To Jasper's knowledge, Connie had only been able to coax her out a handful of times since the girl killed her abusive parents, and each time, Alicia had deteriorated faster than the last.
"Group intervention?" he suggested, slipping his arm around Anarchy's waist.
"No. Alicia has been through hell. We'll help her when she wants us to, but until then, we can only wait." She forced a smile onto her face that looked as though it hurt. "But right now, Bodie needs us."
Jasper sipped at his coffee as Connie walked out, noting the way Atticus pressed his hand to the small of her back to guide her. Now that had the makings of a power couple, he mused, trying to imagine his friends as something more. Then he shook his head and dismissed the idea. Both Atticus and Connie were too dominant to be lovers—Connie would no more allow him to spank and coddle her than Atticus would permit her to flog his cock and tie bells around his balls.
"This has been the longest Monday in the history of forever," Anarchy said lightly.
"It's not over yet." Damn, she'd ordered his coffee just the way he liked it. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you, kitten."
She turned her head shyly and shrugged. "You don't have to apologize, Sir. I've cried like that before; I know what it feels like when it's done. I wouldn't have left, but Master Atticus was pretty insistent. He said you wouldn't be alone when you woke, so he was taking me for a break."
"I'm glad he did. Waiting around in hospital waiting rooms isn't exactly a thrilling way to pass the time. Have you eaten anything?"
"Just what was on the table." She jerked her head at the dwindling pile of snacks. "I think Master Loki ate most of the good stuff when he got back. He wasn't in a very good mood, and Connie was withdrawn. They weren't talking when they came in, and Loki devoured half the stash of chocolate, then announced he was going to see Bodie and Braun."
More turmoil. Just what they needed right now. "They'll be fine. Connie gets frustrated sometimes when Alicia doesn't show any signs of improvement. Loki's a sensitive soul—he picks up on emotions easily." That skill made him a popular play partner at Avalon. "We'll get dinner on the way home."
"My home or yours?"
Mine. The thought was fleeting. Jasper took another sip of coffee. "I think we'll stay at Braun's again tonight. Avalon is closed on a Monday, and I don't feel right leaving the house and the club unattended in his absence. You're not being left in the middle of nowhere for another night, Anarchy. Not alone. When Bodie comes home, we'll reevaluate the situation and go from there."
She relaxed, tension flowing out of her tight muscles, and he knew exactly where her thoughts were. If she believed for one moment that she'd escaped his sjambok and the night he had planned for her, he was about to pop her bubble. "You know, if you'd rather I cook for you, I don't mind."
"Can you?"
"Cook? Sure. Grandma taught me that a woman should be able to put her own food on the table, do her own plumbing, and be as self-reliant as she could. She said that there wouldn't always be a man around to deal with the manly crap, so a woman needed to learn how to do the jobs that would pop up around the house." Anarchy laughed. "I'm surprised she didn't electrocute herself a dozen times, following her own advice."
It was good advice. A self-sufficient woman was invaluable in today's world. "I'm thinking you got your smarts from her. The maternal line of wisdom. We'll test your cooking skills tomorrow, kitten. Once visiting hours are over, I want to take you home, feed you, then fuck the woman I love. In fact, I'm eager to do the latter first."
Anarchy rested her head back on his shoulder. "You said it. Do you mean it?"
Of all the words he'd spoken in his lifetime, he couldn't think of any he meant more. "I love you, Anarchy. It might be crazy, given we’ve got so much more to learn about each other yet, but don't doubt what I feel for you. I could probably have picked a more romantic place to say it, but the time's right. I'm not willing to waste any more of the time I've been given with you trying to deny it." He kissed the side of her throat, touching his lips to the erratic bounce of her pulse beneath soft, fragrant skin.
"Thank God for that." She tilted her head back, brushed her lips over his jaw. "I thought I was going to have to get mean with you. Don't look at me like that—I can be pretty damn mean when I want to be." Her eyes gleamed with mischief. "You really would look good with blue hair. We could get you an ear stud to match."
Jasper snorted a laugh. "That'syour interpretation of mean?"
"No. That's my idea of fun. Mean would be...it would be..." Her brow creased with frustration.
