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“She’s been ignoring my calls and texts. If she does wait till I come to her, she’s not going to like the consequences,” he said darkly, meaning every word of it. He’d come to the realization that he wasn’t prepared to let Lexie go yet. Not without knowing for sure that he really wasn’t what she wanted. Which, he couldn’t find out until she damn well talked to him. If she did still want him and this was her attempting to top from the bottom, she was seriously going to regret it.
Groaning again, Jake pretended to cover his ears. “Gah, I don’t want to know... I don’t want to know...”
“Oh shut up,” Patrick said, grinning. It was amazing how one little chat with his best friend could completely change his mood around. Although, that was also because Jake was taking everything really well, all things considered. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything to ruin your virgin ears.”
“Ha.” Jake snorted, his smile fading just a bit. “I’m trusting you with this... because I know you care about her.”
Patrick held up his hand, placating. “I swear, she wants this. She’s been pushing for it, and she’s got the same... ah, needs and desires I do. Otherwise I’d reject her and give her the space to get over me.” He hesitated, because they’d never really talked about this. “You know I love her.”
Nodding somberly, Jake seemed reassured. “Good enough. Good luck with that though, especially because, I know you. You’ll tell her that you’ve already talked to me.”
“Yeah, but she needs to understand it’s necessary. She might get it. Olivia said she’s already realizing a relationship between us doesn’t just affect us.”
“That’s good. She’s a good kid, but we all spoiled her a little too much. Just don’t let her push you around the way she always has.”
“I’m not. That’s probably half of what’s bothering her now,” Patrick admitted. That was something else he’d realized when he’d been deep in thought last night, trying to figure out Lexie’s motivations. “If she’s going to be my... ah, girlfriend,” he said, hastily, replacing the title “submissive” with the more vanilla equivalent, “I’m not going to put up with a lot of what she used to get away with.”
He’d always been particularly indulgent with her, far more than he ever had been with any of his girlfriends. But not since he’d started training her. There was a difference between being friends and being his submissive, his girlfriend, and it was probably going to take some getting used to for her. In the past, as her friend, he not only would have followed her home from Stronghold, he would have gotten out of his car and confronted her there. Now, he’d had to respect her as a submissive, and he also had to show his disapproval as her dominant. The dynamic was completely different.
When he did come to her, because he was pretty sure that’s what was going to happen at this point, he wasn’t going to be coaxing and placating her. He’d apologize for his reaction to her kiss and for blurting out the wrong words, but he was also going to hold her accountable for her behavior. It would be her first punishment scene.
That is, if she didn’t completely reject him.
The doorbell rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. In rapid succession.
“Oh my god, I’m coming!” Lexie yelled, wrapping her bathrobe around her as she launched herself off her bed. Yeah, that’s right, she had a bed now. Something else that made her think of Patrick. Damn him and his disdain for her lack of furniture.
She’d been lying on it, awake, but uninterested in getting up. Eventually hunger would have motivated her, but she hadn’t gotten there yet. Lolling in bed, just resting and not thinking, had been wonderful until someone decided to go bananas on her doorbell.
It rang again.
Worst alarm clock ever.
Yanking the door open, she scowled fiercely up at the big, brown man filling her doorway, a stupid grin on his face as he shoved a paper bag at her.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Andrew said, pushing past her as she clutched the delicious smelling bag to her chest. In his other hand he was holding a beverage tray with two carryout cups on it, wafting the tantalizing scent of coffee her way. “Hungry?”
“Not yet I wasn’t,” Lexie muttered, pushing the door closed before yanking open the bag. Mmmm, bagels. Already sliced and toasted with cream cheese smothered on and then made into a kind of bagel sandwich. Yum. Her stomach growled, making a liar out of her. She reached in and pulled one out as Andrew set down the coffee and plopped onto her love seat.
He was so big that he took up two thirds of the seating space. Good thing she was such a skinny little thing or they’d be squished up together. Even so...
“Scoot over,” she said, nudging him with her foot before she sat down. He shifted slightly but it didn’t really make more room for her. Giving him the bag, so he could take a bagel sandwich for himself, she picked up one of the coffee cups, popping off the top so it could cool faster. “So what are you doing here? Olivia said you all were trying to stay out of my business.”
“Contrary to belief, Olivia doesn’t know everything,” Andrew said cheerfully. “I’m just here to tell you to grow up and stop being such a selfish bitch.” The way he said it made the sting less severe, but she could tell he was serious too. He just didn’t seem to be angry with her, like he had been last night. Sometimes Lexie didn’t get him.
“I’ve been trying for months to get you assholes to treat me like a grown-up,” Lexie said, watching him take a huge bite of his sandwich. One of his bites was like three of hers. Cream cheese decorated the top and sides of his lips, and she snickered before he gave her a look and licked it away. “I don’t know why everyone keeps insisting I’m not acting like one. I’m trying to have a relationship with Patrick, he’s the one who’s still treating me like a kid who needs permission to go out on a date with him.”
“That’s what I mean about being selfish,” Andrew said with a dramatic sigh, giving her a pitying look. Somehow, coming from him, in his silly manner, didn’t piss her off the way it would have if anyone else had said it. Probably because he didn’t seem judgmental about it, or like he thought she was doing it on purpose. “You aren’t thinking about him at all.”
Okay, now that pissed her off a bit. “Of course I am, I do nothing but think about him. I’ve been bending over backward trying to show him that I want the same things he does, that I’m the kind of submissive he needs and he’s the kind of dominant I need. I’ve practically been doing flips for months trying to get his attention.”
Andrew pointed at her. “Yeah, I, I, I... it’s all about you. Not about him. Yes, you two have the same desires, you can fulfill each other’s needs, but you’re not thinking about him. He never asked you to do flips for him. He never asked you to prove anything to him. You’ve been doing that yourself, because it’s what you want. And now you’re pissed he wanted something from you that you weren’t already giving? That he’s actually asking for something? That’s what I mean by you’re being selfish and being immature. All the things you gave, he didn’t ask for or require. You gave them; that doesn’t give you the right to demand whatever you want in return.”
“What are you talking about? What does he want from me, he didn’t say anything... if he’d said he wanted something I would have given it to him,” Lexie argued, frustrated.
“He did, you just didn’t want to hear it,” Andrew said, looking so smug in his knowledge. Lexie would have kicked him, but she was too afraid of spilling her coffee. “He wanted time and patience, and he wanted you to understand that he needed to talk to Jake first.”
“I’m not a little kid who needs permission to date him,” Lexie growled, peeved that she had to keep repeating this. “I don’t have the time or the patience for that, and I shouldn’t have to.”
