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Not that I minded.
Honestly, my life was a lot busier now than it had been before, so I was glad Archer was having fun.
He huffed. “That doesn’t mean you get to go off and hide all day on Saturday.”
I just snorted, which probably had Archer pouting, but he finally started explaining why he’d been trying to reach me in the first place. “He’s got serious studying to do and some kind of paper, so he’s got stuff spread out all over the table. He needs at least a few more hours to plow through it, so I’m being somewhat well-behaved and letting him focus.”
That definitely explained the cage.
Archer had a hair trigger and no restraint at all…but that made him the perfect sub for Declan because he loved that Archer was into humiliation.
“You’ve got to be getting antsy, then. Caged and distracted, but you have to let him get shit done.” I couldn’t help giggling as he groaned. “Poor baby.”
He scoffed and I was pretty sure he rolled his eyes. “I’m being tortured and you’re playing it off as a joke.”
I just laughed.
When I could finally breathe, I poked at his relationship a bit. “But things are going good with your roommate turned Dom? No regrets about either?”
Nothing he’d said made me worried, but sometimes relationships went bad quickly.
“No, surprisingly, he’s a great roommate even without the other stuff. No weird habits or crazy things that drive me nuts. He’s neat and likes cooking and is respectful of shared spaces.” Archer’s tone made it sound like those were the weirdest traits ever, but he’d definitely had some strange roommates over the years, so I knew where he was coming from. “If I didn’t already know his Dom side was the interesting part he kept tucked away from most people, I’d be worried about what he was hiding.”
I could hear something in his voice. “But?”
“What do you mean?” His innocent act was painfully bad.
Rolling my eyes, I barked out a laugh. “I know you. There’s a but in there somewhere.”
Yep, Archer immediately started whispering, the barest push the only thing he’d needed. “I know we talked about not seeing anyone else while he was my Dom and we were exploring this stuff…and I know he just got out of a relationship…but it feels like we’re in a relationship, just without the dating and boring parts.”
I couldn’t help myself. I giggled. “Boring parts? This is what I love best about you. Okay, so you’ve got all the fun parts about being in a relationship with a guy who’s living with you, but you still have your space…I’m not seeing a downside here.”
“Me neither…not really…” His voice trailed off as something seemed to catch his attention before he came back to the conversation. “I kind of want to know what he thinks about the nonsexual side of our relationship. I mean, I realize a good bit of our relationship revolves around dirty talk and cock cages, but there are other pieces. I just wish I knew what he was thinking.”
Aww, he was so cute. “It sounds like you’re starting to feel something for him beyond the scene stuff and the fun.”
“Possibly. But I don’t want to fuck this up.” His sigh was less dramatic this time and more worried sub. “I know that’s ridiculously cliché, but it fits this situation. I’ve got a great roommate and a great Dom and he’s starting to be a good friend. I just don’t want to assume he has emotions for me that aren’t there and screw this up.”
Judging from everything he’d said and everything I’d gotten from Declan the handful of times I’d talked to him, Archer had nothing to worry about.
But worry wasn’t always logical.
“Has he done anything romantic?” Well, besides sex, so I clarified that point. “Anything that hints at long term, not hard-on?”
Archer snorted but answered quickly without seeming to be too embarrassed. “Some of his hard-on stuff is sweet, well, for me at least. But nothing traditionally sweet, if that’s what you mean.”
There was a story in that rambling nonanswer, but I didn’t push…for now. “Yeah, it’s not much help in situations like these. Traditional stuff isn’t always a good indicator with guys like Declan. He seemed nice, though, when we spoke.”
But kinky could be sweet.
It just depended on the definition.
“He really is.” The wistful tone in Archer’s voice had me thinking back to my weekend with Cohen.
When we both stopped daydreaming, I took a deep breath. “If he’s a nice guy, I think you should be able to ask him where he sees you guys going. I wouldn’t make it awkward or overly romantic, but a question about what he’s thinking shouldn’t be too weird. I think it’s a pretty normal one considering how everything started with you guys.”
“It wouldn’t be out of place to ask?” Neither of us had the best track record with dating, so I knew where his question was coming from.
