of friendship, he thought taking her to watch his friends have sex in kinky ways was probably a mistake.
God, he wanted to have sex with her in kinky ways. Hell, he’d take straight up vanilla. Being close to her for days was killing him. She wore boxer shorts and a tank top to bed and she would walk out of her room in the morning with her hair all mussed and her sleepy eyes and he would put a cup of coffee in her hand, and all he could think about were her nipples. Until she turned around and then he thought about her ass.
She required two cups of strong coffee to get her going in the mornings. She particularly liked the Sumatra blend. He hadn’t told her he was experimenting, but he changed the blend until he found the one that made her sigh and lick her lips. By the time she was awake, he was putting an egg white omelet with whatever veg they had on hand and a bowl of fresh fruit in front of her. She’d been surprised at how healthy he ate. He’d explained that he was a pastry chef. Everything else had to be healthy or he’d weigh a ton.
“You don’t need any help tonight?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to drop off the cake and then I’ll come back over and we can play with the babies.”
A frown creased her forehead. “But I heard you talking to Adam about how you were looking forward to this.”
That had been when he’d still had hope that he might participate. Even if it was only in a voyeuristic fashion. “I’m taking the night off.”
Her eyes narrowed and he was really worried she could see past his layers of skin right down to his soul. She turned without another word and walked back out of the kitchen. He should have let it go, pleased that she wasn’t questioning him any more.
But he’d started to know that look. That look in Ally’s eyes meant trouble. He followed.
“How’s the substitute teaching business these days, ladies?”
Shit. And shit. And more shit. “Ally…”
Laurel was holding one of the babies. One of the ones who wasn’t Tristan. He knew his nephew but the other babies all kind of looked alike. Tristan was currently pulling his baby body up on the sofa. He grinned, showing one tiny tooth.
“Uhm, I’ve never done that. That sounds perfectly horrible,” Laurel said with a shudder. “I’m a paralegal.”
She pointed back to him. “That one said you were watching the babies because you’re subs who need extra money.”
Lisa shook her head as she laid one of the twins down in the traveling bassinet the Taggarts had set up twenty minutes ago. “Oh, no, he meant we’re in submissive training.”
And that was the way his night went to shit. “I wasn’t going to tell her that. You two need to learn what ‘private club’ means.”
Lisa winced. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
Laurel looked between the two of them. “I apologize. I assumed she would know what a sub is given the fact that she lives with you, Sir.”
“Submissive?” Ally said the word in that way that let him know she kind of knew what it meant but wasn’t exactly rah-rah about it.
Macon looked at Lisa and Laurel. He wasn’t really mad at them. They should be safe to talk here. He was the one who had screwed up. “I’m sorry, ladies. You’re right. I should have told her. Can you explain why you’re here?”
Laurel patted the baby’s back. “Sanctum has a training program for Doms and subs. The actual club costs are way too expensive for either of us, but Big Tag has a program where he lets us in if we help out where we can. Subs end up watching kiddos a lot. Well, the ones who like kids. Normally Vince would be with us, but he’s doing a play in Austin this week. He’s an actor and a total bottom. He’s got a great touch with Carys. She gets crabby. All the Doms in training are helping with the Sanctum rebuild.”
“After what I did with a jigsaw, they won’t let me near the construction,” Lisa explained.
Ally turned on him, pointing back to the kitchen. “Talk. Now.”
He stopped and crossed his arms over his chest because that tone did not sit right with him. He was always polite with her. He’d spent a week taking care of her, too. He’d done the marriage where his wife pushed him around. He wasn’t