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She stopped brushing her hair and stared pointedly at me through the mirror.

“No. Don’t you dare do any such thing!”

“Okay,” I begrudgingly conceded, hands held up in surrender. “Have it your way. But if you aren’t willing to come with me, I do want you to stay the night with me again tonight.”

“Again?”

“Unconditional obedience,” I reminded her.

She scowled.

“We need to come to some sort of an agreement about that. I’m all for following orders in the bedroom, as I’ve recently discovered. However, it’s never going to work when it comes to the rest of my life. You can’t keep throwing the assumed unconditional obedience in my face.”

I shook my head, frustrated I was still failing miserably at managing a regular Dominant and submissive relationship. If only Krystina understood what her obedience would get her. I was a man of means, and the world was at her fingertips.

Why can’t she just accept what I have to offer?

Knowing I would get nowhere by snapping orders at her, I changed tactics. Walking over to where she was standing, I removed the brush from her hands and took over where she’d left off. I combed through her hair, smoothing out the tangles, appreciating the soft feel of the damp curls against my fingertips. I found the simple act of brushing out Krystina’s hair to be surprisingly calming. I could only hope it had the same effect on her.

“I don’t want to fight. Just stay with me,” I eventually said after a few minutes. “I’m going to be away for a few days, and I want to see you again before I go. It’s that simple.”

She seemed to soften at that.

“We’ll see. I’m not making any promises. I need to get home and touch base with real life for a minute before I can commit to staying here again.”

“Alright. I’ll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs in anticipation of your answer,” I joked.

“Oh, stop that!” she laughed. The sound was thrilling to my ears. “Fine, I’ll stay. And, if it makes you happy, I’ll even pack an overnight bag.”

I smiled wickedly, satisfied I had gotten my way so easily.

“Oh, but Miss Cole, now that you’ve agreed to stay, I should warn you. You won’t be needing clothes for what I have in mind.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Krystina

When I got home, I found Allyson standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips and eyes full of accusation.

Shit.

I had hoped she would be at work, giving me time to avoid the inevitable for the afternoon at the very least. She was mad, and rightfully so.

“Is your phone broken? I’ve been texting you since last night!” she snapped at me.

“Sorry. My phone was dead, and I didn’t have a charger on me.”

Weak excuse, Cole. Real weak.

“That sounds like something I would say, not you. Besides, remember our deal? No all-nighters? I was really worried, Krys!”

I winced at her reminder, and a guilty stab of pain knifed at my gut. The last time one of us stayed out all night unannounced, disaster had struck. I was living my darkest hour and needed Allyson desperately, but I didn’t know where to find her. After that night, we made a deal. Neither of us would stay out all night without letting the other one know where we were.

“I know, I know—and I’m super sorry. I should have found some other way to reach you. I’ve just had a lot going on over the past few days. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Yeah, right,” she muttered.