Landry whereas Cris didn’t get to see that part of him very often. “Will I be lucky enough to see Daddy’s playful little slut on a regular basis?”
She laughed. “Yeah.”
He faked a relieved sigh. “Oh, good. I was afraid I might never see that chick again. She’s wild.”
Tilly poked him in the ribs until he started tickling her. They ended up with her on her back under him, being tickled. She squealed in protest, but he wouldn’t stop until she finally realized what he wanted.
“Daddy, please stop.”
He laughed and nipped the base of her throat. “You do learn fast, sweetheart.” He rolled them over again, Tilly on top, his hands resting on her ass. “Am I allowed to instigate?”
She frowned. “Huh?”
“I know I can’t top you, but am I allowed to start play like that with you or do I have to wait for your lead?”
Fear gripped her, mixed with more than a heaping dose of longing. She crossed her arms over his chest again and stared into his eyes for several minutes. He still had one more planned round of chemo to endure, then the doctors would wait and see what happened. It likely could be his last round as long as he continued to improve.
She had to be strong for him, to help him through that. Meanwhile…
“I want you to,” she softly admitted. “But I reserve the right to change my mind about that if I need to.”
“Of course.”
Chapter Twenty
Her agitation returned as she counted down the hours until Cris’ return. For the past couple of months she had tamped her jealousy back and held it securely in check. Landry spent every night with her, although it wasn’t uncommon for him to spend private time with Cris before he came to bed, or even get up in the middle of the night to go to him for a little while.
That she didn’t mind. If he did it with anyone else, she’d have castrated him with her bare hands, but for some reason, she could deal with it.
Usually.
Landry had casually asked her before Cris’ return if she minded if he spent the entire night with Cris—in Cris’ room, of course—upon his return. To make up for Cris missing his birthday.
“Why would I mind?” Unfortunately, she realized she did mind. He’s my husband, dammit.
Sharing him for an hour or two, no problem.
All night?
Landry carefully watched her. She knew from the way he tipped his head that he studied her reaction. “Love?”
She turned away and wouldn’t look at him. “Seriously, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I had private time with you for your birthday. It’s all right.”
“I promise I won’t discuss any of that with him. That’s between you and me.”
“I know.” She’d suspected, but to hear his reassurance comforted her.
When Landry left for the airport to pick up Cris after giving her a soul-melting kiss, she called Loren.
“Hey, chica. How’s hunky hubby?”
“He’s fine. Not looking forward to the next round of chemo, but it’s probably the last round, so he’s feeling good about that.”
“Good. What’s on your mind?”
“You guys going to the club tonight?”
Wrong approach. Tilly picked up Loren’s caution tone. “Yeah? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Cris had to go out of town and I got to spend Landry’s birthday alone with him, so I thought I’d be magnanimous and let Cris have the evening alone with him. Landry’s picking him up now.”
Loren’s tone marginally relaxed. “Oh. You’re right, that is pretty adult of you. Dammit, that means you’re not making him sleep in the garage, are you?”
Tilly laughed. “You know damn well I’m not.”
She sighed. “Well, a girl can dream, can’t she? Sure, you want to come with?”
“Dinner first?”
“Abso-friggin-lutely.”
She glanced at the clock, it was nearly four. She knew Landry would take Cris out to eat before bringing him home. “I’ll just come over to your place and bring my stuff with me. I’ll ride to dinner with you and then change at your place.”
Aaaaand cautious tone returned. “Til, are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah, I just don’t feel like hearing a slave get beat tonight.”
Loren roared with laughter. “So you want to go to a BDSM club? Um, logical much?”
“I meant the slave I live with. I’ll see you in a little while.”
“You’re coming right now?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind, but the Marquis de Sade’s been playful today. Give me enough time to get a little less uncomfortable.”
Tilly could only imagine what Ross had done to her. “No visuals, please. Let’s say I’ll be there around five-thirty.”
“That would work perfectly.”
Tilly hung up and quickly gathered what she’d need to take with her. She was about to walk out the door when she realized something.
She needed to leave a note for Landry so he’d know not to worry.
Leaving her stuff by the front door, she sat at the counter and tried to work up something in her mind that wouldn’t come out looking petulant and jealous on paper.
Have fun fucking your slave tonight, I’ll be fine…
Don’t worry about me, enjoy yourself…
I made plans…
“Fuck!” She stared at the blank sheet of paper.
She finally wrote something. Going to dinner with L&R, then to the club for the evening. Will probably be back very late.
She hesitated.
Love, T.
To kill time before Loren’s, she headed to the bookstore and bought herself a hi-test coffee. It’d been two months since she’d gone to the club and she wasn’t used to the late nights.
Being a happily married couple had tamed her.
She sat in a corner of the bookstore and paged through a magazine someone else had left on a nearby table, but she didn’t do more than look at the pictures. She couldn’t concentrate anyway. In the back of her mind she couldn’t escape the mental image of Landry sleeping curled around Cris.
Why now? She could watch him torture and humiliate and fuck Cris, but the thought of him sleeping with the man roiled her jealousy?
But he’s my husband.
Was this a result of their new dynamic? Realizing she trusted him more in a few short months than she’d trusted Cris in their years together? Not much more, but then again, she also had the comfort that he wouldn’t simply up and disappear on her the way Cris had.
Maybe that had been her mistake. Getting her fucking hopes up.
Hope was for chumps, and she never should have forgotten that.
Loren opened the door as Tilly carried her bags up the walk. Loren wore a bathrobe Tilly suspected covered whatever remained of Ross’ kinky diversion for the day.
“What’s wrong?” Loren asked.
“Nothing’s wrong!” She dropped her bags in the doorway to the guest room. “Why are you so convinced something’s wrong?”
“You’re frowning, and you’re biting my head off.” She scowled. “What the fuck did Cris do?
Can I castrate him?”
“Jesus! Enough with the castration fantasies, all right?” She took a deep breath and, after sitting at Loren’s counter, admitted a little of what bothered her.
Not what she’d done with Landry. That was something she wouldn’t even talk to her best friend about.
Loren’s face softened. “Tell Landry you’re not okay with it and fuck Cris and his feelings.