The Dominant's Obsession

Chapter 46

A L L I E

Allie sipped her coffee as she watched the sun rise over the city. Their new apartment had a cozy window seat and offered a much better view than her last one. She could see a park far below them, and from their greater height she could see over some of the shorter buildings nearby and get a view of the horizon. With her and Dacian's income pooled, they'd been able to afford a slightly larger and more luxurious place, in the same building as Nick and Emily. It was a slightly longer commute to work, but only slightly.

All of her conditions had so far been met, and flawlessly.

She settled back against the pillows and took another sip of coffee. She flipped open her journal and started writing. The words always seemed out of reach at first, but once she got started, she couldn't seem to stop.

Lately, she'd had many new adventures and improvements in their relationship to document, as Dacian's therapy was progressing marvelously. He was finally sleeping through the night, and even smiling more.

After a while she heard soft footsteps behind her. "Hey," Dacian said as he sidled up to her. He kissed the top of her head. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Hey," she said, setting her journal aside and turning to hug him. "Good morning." She placed her cheek against his belly and closed her eyes as his hands started massaging her scalp. "Mm, that feels good."

His hands gradually lowered to her neck, where he massaged her tense spots. He knew her so well. She relaxed into his hands, wondering again how she had gotten so lucky.

"Come back to bed," he said. "I know of some other places I could massage you."

"Mm, you do, do you?" She lifted her head to look up at him. "Like where?"

He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. "Like here," he said, massaging her hand. His smile was wicked. Devilish.

"Oh? Where else?"

His hand cupped her breast. "Here," he said, kneading her gently before rubbing his thumb over her nipple. Arousal stirred within her as he bent his head to capture the tip of her breast in his mouth. He suckled her through her shirt.

"You have my attention," she said with a smile. "Where else?"

His hand slipped between her legs. "Here," he said, his mouth coming back up to capture hers. His fingers rubbed at her core through her pajama shorts and panties. He knew exactly where and how to touch her to scintillate her senses and seduce her.

"I suppose I could be convinced," she said with a smile as she pulled back from his kiss.

"Excellent." He bent and scooped her up into his arms, then turned and carried her back into their bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.

* * *

"So," Dacian said an hour later. They both lay spent on the wrestling mats. "What are we doing today?"

Allie made a sound of contentment and lifted her head onto her arm. "Meeting Nick and Emily for lunch, then going to check out some wedding venues with them."

"Oh yeah." He groaned in mock despair. "And I agreed to this?"

"Shut up," Allie pushed him playfully and they both laughed. "Emily said she needs my help. You two keep ganging up on her with all your testosterone."

"She can handle it. She may not look it, but she's one tough cookie."

"Well she's gonna need to be, since she's marrying him." Allie got to her knees. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hands. "We need a shower before we meet them, and I, for one, intend to take my time."

Dacian arched a brow and let her pull him to his feet. "You are incorrigible," he murmured, catching her about the waist and pulling her sharply to him. He smiled when she let out a small gasp.

"You like it," she breathed, as he lowered his mouth over hers.

He cupped her throat and pushed her head back with his thumb in that way he knew she liked while he kissed her. Her heartbeat skittered under his palm, a signal of her desire as dependable as any other.

Impossibly, he began to grow hard again. It seemed, when it came to her, he too was utterly insatiable.

"Lead the way, little mouse."

* * *

They met Nick and Emily in the lobby of their building before setting out, hand in hand, for the predetermined lunch spot. Their journey was quiet and uneventful, and they talked and laughed together like old friends around the lunch table.

Allie was happy to see the light and easy smile on Dacian's face. She'd never seen him look so happy as he had in the past few weeks. Ever since they'd moved in together, and ever since he'd started seeing a therapist, it was like a weight had been lifted from him, and he was finally free to show his true self.

His best self.

She smiled to herself as she considered him. Tall, broad shoulders, narrow hips. Jet black, sinfully soft hair that fell almost into his steel grey eyes. Eyes that, as though sensing her attention, turned and locked on her. A wicked smile curved his lips, as though he was remembering all that they had done together, all that they had shared, a mere hour ago.

Her heart tugged on her sleeve. She had fallen for him, all right. Hard. Now more than ever.

Every day, she seemed to fall just a little bit more in love with him. She hadn't known it was possible.

After lunch, they set off for the first of three venues on their schedule to check out that day. The first one was a non-specific temple, which Emily said she liked because while she was spiritual, she wasn't tied to any one religion. Allie and Emily toured the space together, their heads bent together in whispered chatter as they pointed this way and that, leaving the boys to wander along in their wake. The second venue was a large indoor garden, which the girls positively oohed and aahed over. "This is the one," they both happily exclaimed, on more than one occasion, as they flitted from one leafy corridor to the next, one wisteria-covered gazebo to the next.

Dacian caught Allie about the waist and pulled her into a sheltered alcove fragrant with bright pink flowers.

"This place is incredible!" Allie gushed, overflowing with excitement. "It's going to make for such a beautiful wedding ceremony!"

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually," Dacian murmured, catching her undivided attention. He leaned closer, trapping her between his large body and a vine-covered stone wall. Her heart was pounding as he leaned closer. His heat scorched her, even through their clothes. His gaze smoldered down at her, and he looked like nothing less than a fallen angel.

Somehow, though they'd known each other for months, he still had the power to take her breath away.

As he did when he uttered his next sentence.

"Would you ever consider it?"

Her blue eyes were mischievous as she gazed up at him. "What? Marrying Nick?" she asked playfully.

"No." His arms around her tightened and he smiled darkly. "Marrying me."

Her breath caught. She tilted her head as she considered him, pretending to think about her answer. "Hmm. I suppose I could be convinced," she said slowly, her smile bright. "Given enough time."

He leaned down and kissed her. "Then it's a good thing we have nothing but time," he said, smiling against her mouth. "This is a battle I don't intend to lose. You are mine, little mouse. And I want you to always be mine."