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Monroe laughed. “Yes. I believe I have been half in love since the second time we talked on the phone, and you spoke about everything. You held nothing back. If I asked, you answered. And then you got yourself off for me on the phone. I was hooked.”
“Great, now I’m embarrassed.” Mallory tried to duck her head back down, but Monroe didn’t allow that.
“No, I needed that. It surprised me you did the phone sex, but pleasantly. It was refreshing and honest. I knew you were for me when you trusted me, even in your hesitation. So, when it’s clear of potential danger, I don’t mind living with you in your place, but those are my concerns.”
“We’ll talk about it again later. I’m good at your house, I think. I’ve never seen it.”
“No, I guess you haven’t. We’ll remedy that this weekend. I’ll move us over there, but I have a two-day job that I need to finish first. I’ll have to leave you at Jac and Sharlee’s for the time I’m gone.”
“Monroe, I—”
“No, that is non-negotiable. You already have 20 swats coming, so before you say or do something you will soon regret, the answer is yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, find something to keep you occupied while I have a meeting in the office, and then we will have dinner before the fun begins.”
***
Monroe placed the last dish in the dish drainer and tossed his towel on top. “Now it’s time we close up and head to bed.”
Garrett had finished dinner, and at Monroe’s insistence, he’d gone to shower. Garrett slept in the front room on the broad sectional sofa instead of sleeping in a bedroom because they were at the other end of the hall and away from the door. The sofa was soft, and he swore it was more comfortable than his bed. Mallory didn’t believe him, but she allowed the statement to go unchallenged.
Mallory discovered herself liking Garrett more and more. He was older than Monroe by a couple of years. He was certainly fit and had fast reflexes. Still, he rarely did the more energetic assignments, his words, not hers. Mentally and physically, he beat any thirty-year-old man hands down that wasn’t already working for Jac. But he did bodyguard often like now.
When Garrett returned, Monroe did the nightly perimeter check. “Why do you pick the bodyguard jobs?” Mallory asked as she sat down near him on the sofa.
“I like the fact that using your head is often more advantageous than your brawn. I also like that you rarely sleep outside because I’ve paid my dues. This is a cushy job, and I like it.” He shrugged. “Besides, since we have Josie doing the books, I only have to gather the day-to-day paperwork and take it to her. I run the budget, in theory, make acquisitions, but I need more to do than that.”
“Monroe does the scheduling?”
“He does. He likes that kind of personnel crap. I feel like it's going to make my head explode.”
“Don’t you have a personnel person?”
“Nah, we hire, fire, make most personnel decisions between us. Mostly Monroe and Jac. Keeps things simple. Monroe has a way with people and can figure things out to help without stepping on toes.”
Mallory looked for Monroe but didn’t see him yet, so she returned to the conversation. “I’d have thought that was Kaden’s forte.”
“Kaden is the woman whisperer. Even Ivy says it’s his gift, so we use Kaden to figure out what to do when the women go off-plan.”
Mallory crossed her arms. “Meaning when we don’t do what you want us to?”
“Sometimes. It is also when one woman has decided their way is better than the agreed plan. Something to note. We don’t like rules ourselves, so we don’t make them for entertainment. They are there for a reason. Don’t forget, we are more experienced in the ways of survival and warfare than we will ever let any of you become.
“Whether you like it or not, you’re part of our family now, Mallory. Get used to all these mouthy, opinionated, and protective brothers and their clannish women because you are now one of them.”
“That’s the only part that makes being with you bossy men worth it. The belonging, the connections. Otherwise, you’d be out.”
Garrett laughed and kissed her forehead. “I think Monroe has a few more things that keep you tethered to him. “
Mallory wondered if Garrett spanked his women. She shook her head and wondered when she looked at the world through kinky lenses. She didn’t think she did with others, but inside this team that made no bones about the fact that they worked hard, played hard, and loved passionately, it was a natural thought path.
That love included over-protective instincts and being all in when it came to giving their women what they wanted and needed. It also included that realm of play that each couple worked out for themselves.
For Mallory, she’d known some things flipped her sexual hot switch more than others. She knew things like loving, dominant men that were putty in their woman’s hands but stood their ground when needed was on her list. Spanking had always excited her, and later, light bondage joined the playlist.
And when Monroe gave her everything, then took for himself, giving her fast and furious when she wanted and slow and easy when she didn’t was something she had never experienced with another man. She had her fair share of experiences to compare with, and she could say with confidence, Monroe was a thoughtful lover.
