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Monroe tried to disagree, but how could he? It was the truth. “You’re right about the timeframe, but I don’t want to throw you into the world before you are ready. And what about the press?”
“I won’t sacrifice who I am and my life or my happiness to this monster. He has taken too much from me already. I’ve been talking to Ivy’s counselor over the last few days, and she said go for it when I was ready. If I find I’m not ready, then I wait longer and try again. I am going back to work. If that is something you can’t deal with, then I’ll go back to my place and live my life from there.”
Mallory waited while Monroe pulled her towards his lap, but she diverted to sit next to him on the sofa. He kissed her cheek and held her hands in his.
“I want to keep you in tissue paper and only bring you out for special occasions. Better yet, right now, I’d love nothing better than to keep you tucked away from the world except our friends. Mallory thought that something would happen to you under my watch makes me want to say no.”
“I’m scared too, but you said that one reason I attracted you was my independence. I’ll take precautions, but let me try to be who I am.”
Mallory could see by his demeanor that Monroe knew she was right, and it just about killed him. She hugged him. He stood to walk as he thought. It was his way of working things out. Mallory loved she knew that about him. She was learning about him.
“You are not sleeping without me again. Nor are we living separately. I refuse to go backward. And you aren’t going anywhere without protection.” His ferocious edicts were cute, really. Heartwarming. And unnecessary.
“Go ahead and give me all your complaints, all your logical reasoning why I shouldn’t go back to work so we can get them all out of the way.”
Monroe stopped his pacing. “I really want to spank your ass,” came his gruff, frustrated response.
Mallory laughed merrily, all the stress rolling off her shoulders. “Maybe later, big guy. Look, I know you think that I will be unprotected because you won’t be surrounding me every moment. I’m afraid of that too, but we must remember that nothing happened inside the Apothecary. I don’t even know that Romaine ever entered the place. It all happened in the back of the parking lot. The store manager, Larry, said I am welcome to park next to the back door, so no one will see me come or go. I’ll just be there in the back, filling and verifying prescriptions and the like, then I’ll go home. I can leave at different times, so there isn’t any consistency. Okay?”
“I hate that you already called to set things up,” Monroe grumbled.
She walked up to the man she couldn’t imagine living without and raised up on her tiptoes, palming the back of his neck to bring his lips closer so she could kiss him. “Of course I did. How could I discuss things with you if I didn’t? I knew you would rather that I had the answers to your questions when you asked.”
“I’d rather that you had spoken with me first.” He stared into her pleading eyes, then lowered his head and nibbled her lips before sinking into her softness again.
Mallory obliged and kissed him back, settling into his warmth. She loved this man so much. Yes, she loved him. There was no way around the depth of her feelings, and she didn’t want around them. She wanted to have the life she had dreamed of, and she’d be damned if she was going to let anyone stand in their way. She fell into his caress, allowing the emotion to wash over her.
He raised his head and spoke just millimeters from her mouth, his breath whispering over her. His tongue slid out to trace her lips. “You know, if you are well enough to go back to work, you are well enough to go deeper into play. I can pull out my rubber paddle and rosy up those bottom cheeks of yours.”
Her eyes sought his. “How do you figure?”
“You want to go back to normal?”
His hands slid down her sides, to her back and on down to her ass and squeezed tight. Mallory squealed a little and went back up on her tiptoes in response. Her hand slid down over his shoulders.
“No, put them right back where they were.” His voice was chastising. Out of instinct, she put them back around his neck as her panties received her gush of arousal. His grin was victorious. “Good girl. Now, if you would be that obedient about everything else, things would go so much easier.”
Mallory dropped back down to stand flat on her feet. She attempted to take a step back but was blocked by Monroe’s hold. Her huff of annoyance was loud. “I agree that I’m good with you taking the lead in the bedroom, but that’s it. We are equal partners in all other areas and times, so don’t good girl me to make it sound as though I need your approval.”
His already deep voice dropped what sounded like a whole octave. “My agreement is important to you, just as your approval of what I do, is essential to me. Just because we play well in the bedroom and have chosen not to do that outside of it doesn’t mean there aren’t rules to live by that we both agreed to. What that means, my independent woman, is that you will respect me and do what I say,whereverI say it, if it is for your own good.”
“I know we agreed that staying safe and healthy was primary, but I’m a pharmacist, and I think I have the basics of staying healthy down.”
“True, but the keeping safe part is not always your first thought.” He moved her strands of hair that escaped her clip to curl behind her ear.
“I weigh the pros and cons, and I take the path of least resistance that has more pros than cons.”
“Then why have we not discussed your bodyguard?”
“My what? Oh, no. There will not be any of your team or anybody hanging around watching me.” She backed away from Monroe, not allowing him to stop her while shaking her head vehemently. “I can and do say no to that.”
“Hear me out. For the first week or two, let me get you a security guard. He would look like a customer, and we would let the manager in on who it is, so no one freaks out. He could look like the store security, which would help keep the store safe. Win-win.”
“No, Monroe.” She shook her head again and planted her hands on her hips.
“Yes, Mallory. You have him for two weeks, then switch, and someone will follow you to work and home and if you must leave for lunch for at least another week.”
“Is that your only stipulation?”
