After a few seconds, they broke apart, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come, let’s sit.”
He settled them on the couch; Steff tucked beneath his arm and her head resting on his chest. He loved sitting with her like this. “I don’t ever want you to feel afraid around me,” he started. “There’s nothing you can say or do that will make me so mad that I give you a reason to doubt my words.”
Did that make sense? It seemed to in his mind, but now that he’d said it out loud, it sounded like a bunch of gobbledygook.
“I know. I don’t know why I let what Cynthia said get to me.”
“What did she say?” He didn’t understand why Cynthia would say anything that would put doubts in Steff’s mind. He’d only had limited interactions with the woman. She’d come over a couple of times, and he’d retreated to the room he was staying in, letting them have some girl time. He’d thought he was doing the right thing, but had he given Cynthia the impression that he didn’t like her being around?
Jag made a mental note to query that with Steff next.
“It seems so silly now when I think about it.”
No way was he going to let her invalidate her feelings. Steff had a reason for them, and he would let her explain them. “Nothing you feel is ever silly.”
“We were having lunch after we found her dress. That’s when I brought up the idea of the double date. She said she got the impression that you liked to make all the decisions, and that I should maybe check with you before we started making plans. Thinking about it now, it doesn’t seem that bad. I mean, she’s right, I shouldn’t have just assumed you’d be fine with me making plans without checking, even though Fox is your friend.”
Jag didn’t say anything for a few seconds, processing what he’d been told. Cynthia’s comments may have seemed innocuous, but had there been a hint of deliberateness in them? As though she knew that by saying them it would put some doubt in Steff’s mind.
Or was she just trying to be a good friend? To ensure Steff had some autonomy in their relationship after having her free will taken from her while she’d been held captive. It was also possible Cynthia had some hangups about it too after what they’d gone through. Jag could appreciate Cynthia was looking out for her friend.
“Now you’re upset. I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to you.” The distress in Steff’s voice tugged at his heart, and he shifted her so that she was straddling his lap and he could look her in the eye.
“I’m not upset, hon, I’m thinking over what she said. But I want to reiterate again that I have no issues at all with you making plans for us. Just like I know you wouldn’t mind if I came home and said that Fox and I were talking about going to dinner all together. It’s what couples do. They get an idea and then check with the other person before going back to finalize them.”
“You’re right. At the time I thought it was a bit forward of Cynthia to say that, and I should’ve said so to her. But I let it settle in my mind, and made it into something bigger than it needed to be.”
“Well, now you know that it’s not an issue. Why don’t you and Cynthia work out a plan and then let me know what you settle on? We might be heading out on a trip soon, but that won’t be for a couple of weeks. Which gives you plenty of days to choose from.”
Steff played with the buttons on his shirt, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. He didn’t know how much more he should say or do to reassure her; she had to come to that conclusion by herself. And she would, he knew she would. “Okay, I will. Um, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Did you mean it when you said we were a couple?”
Chapter Twenty-One
The second Steffasked the question she wanted to take it back. Who asked something like that?
She was still a little discombobulated from the conversation about Cynthia, and what she’d said.
Steff had been a little taken aback at her friend’s comments. Dalton had been nothing but nice to her whenever she came over. He’d given them time to themselves, and she’d been appreciative of that. It had allowed her and Cynthia to reconnect. To build their friendship back up.
“I did.”
Dalton’s husky voice tickled her spine, and she breathed a little easier with his answer. Again, the doubts she had about him not being truthful with her were unnecessary.
“I like there being an us.” Sitting in his lap, she could look into his blue eyes and see the truth in them. One thing she’d known about Dalton from the moment they’d met, was that he would always be truthful with her.
He’d told her that, even when he’d said that there would be times he’d keep things from her, he’d been telling her the truth. She trusted him, and she should’ve never allowed herself to overthink the harmless comment Cynthia had made.
She was so angry with herself for questioning Dalton and how he would react. She didn’t know what her friend’s motives were. She had likely just been trying to caution Steff in the way any good friend would. Or maybe she was still scarred from their experiences and still wasn’t fully trustful of most men, so she wanted to make sure Steff wasn’t losing the growth she had been making by becoming submissive with Dalton. Either way, the next time she spoke to Cynthia, she’d tell her that her worries about him were way off base.
“I’m so sorry for doubting you.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Making the first move wasn’t something she normally did, but in that moment, it was the right thing to do.
Steff wanted to show him that there were no lingering concerns about him getting angry with her for anything.
The second their lips touched, Dalton’s fingers dug in a little, and she scooched forward on his lap so that her chest pressed against his. Being this close, she could feel his erection, giving her no doubt of his desire for her. It didn’t frighten her at all. Everything Dalton did and said, showed her she was safe with him. That he would never let her down.
