A Novella MisTaken(19)

“That’s not—”

He let go of her hand and placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t talk.”

She obeyed. Amazingly since she wasn’t one to quiet easily. Maybe she did have a submissive bone in her body after all.

Wrapping his palm at the back of her neck, Noah pulled her toward him until their foreheads met. “You can admit it or not. That’s totally up to you. I just need you to know that if you’re interested … if you’re willing to explore another side of you, a side that’s personal and private and only reserved for the bedroom, then please consider me. I’d love to be the man who shows you what’s possible.”

She was glad he was holding her, otherwise she feared she might have swooned. Like, actually faint from the effect of his dizzying words. They were a turn-on—such a turn-on—but more than that they were an invitation, and not just the peruse-books kind of invitation, but a deeper kind. The kind she’d been dreaming of.

So why was she turning it down?

Silly question. She knew that answer. She’d just gone over it and over it in her head as they walked. Still, she couldn’t manage to actually say no out loud. She couldn’t manage to say anything so she simply stood there, her jaw slightly dropped as she soaked in the moment. Noah didn’t prod her, seeming not to need a response. He took her hand and turned it so her palm faced up. He placed the plastic twist handle of the baked goods there and closed her fingers around it. Then he bent down to kiss her—a sweet, partially open-mouth peck that he laid on the side of her lips. “I’ll be seeing you, Jay.”

“Yeah.” She’d see him around. They’d chat and exchange pleasantries. They’d banter about books. It would be fine. She nodded once before turning and making her way up the stairs, each step taking more energy than it should. She didn’t look back, but she felt his eyes on her until she’d passed through the threshold into the building and the door shut behind her. Then she felt nothing but alone.

Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She still had the monologue he’d left her with. The words echoed through her brain, spinning her in circles, begging her to take notice.

She wondered about it as she wandered into her apartment, setting the sticky buns on the kitchen counter before greeting Pookie halfheartedly. Was Noah right? Could a woman actually be independent and progressive in the real world yet enjoy submitting to a man in the bedroom?

Could she? There was a part of her that secretly wanted that—to be taken care of and controlled. A part of her that she’d always denied.

So why couldn’t she try it? If it was private and no one knew, who would it hurt? Now that she thought about it, there were a couple of women in her liberal book group that admitted to not only reading about but enjoying D/s play and it didn’t seem to have any negative effect on their political beliefs. Also they did it with each other, so she’d never thought twice.

Could that be her? Could that be her with Noah?

Maybe it was something she could entertain further before making a decision. Though, as she’d already picked out a flirty dress and her prettiest pair of undies and matching bra while she’d had the internal debate, it seemed she might have already decided.





CHAPTER 5

Noah scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced around his apartment at the sea of brown. Everything finally seemed to have a place. Time to get to work. He’d delayed for longer than he should and now he was behind. At least he’d managed to completely unpack. Though he’d rather that his procrastination was due to something else, such as a date with Jaylene. Or an after-date with Jaylene. Or whatever it was called that involved nakedness and his body pressed on top of—inside of—Jaylene.

Was that called a booty call? Now that was too crude. An affair? Too Night Owl. A neighborly get-together sans clothing? Too Wallbanger.

Maybe he needed to write them a new book. Whatever the story turned out to be, it would star Jaylene.

Jaylene. He couldn’t think about her without letting out a sigh. She was so … so … stubborn. That’s what she was. Along with a host of other less frustrating adjectives such as smart, adorable, sexy, intriguing, passionate. It was the stubborn that was the issue though. He got that she was worried. She’d invested all of herself into her independence, and that was one of the things he admired most about her. She was determined. She was strong.

But underneath her strength he sensed something fragile and insecure, a part of her that yearned to let her guard down and be swept away. He could do that for her, he was sure. If only she’d let go and stop hiding.