Quinn turns his head away and stares at the floor. “Other guys have.”
I ease his hand open enough to slip my fingers through his. “I’m not other guys.”
“No offence, but you seem too good to be true right now.”
I chuckle. “None taken.” I reach up to stroke a curl of hair away from his eyes. “Remember my job, Quinn. I have to be patient. I also have to be flexible. Just because one of my clients thinks they’ll be okay with a scene doesn’t mean they always are. I have to be able to pivot and do something else to make them feel comfortable again and make the scene satisfying. When I have to make those changes, it’s not because my client has done anything wrong.” I place two fingers under his chin and encourage him to turn his head to look at me. “You’ve done nothing wrong. What do you need?”
His chin wobbles. “To sleep. I’m—”
I press my lips to his and kiss him gently. “No apologies.”
“I’m just so tired today. Some days are like that. It doesn’t matter how much I sleep. I’m still exhausted. Other days, I have more energy between naps.”
“I hope you sleep well tonight.”
Quinn grimaces. “I’ll sleep for two or three hours, maybe four if I’m lucky. Then I’ll be awake. I’ll probably still be tired but not exhausted enough to fall asleep again. I haven’t slept a solid eight hours since I was a teenager.” He rubs his cheeks. “I’m normally most awake mid-morning to mid-afternoon. That’s when my medication is the most effective. Normally doesn’t mean always.”
“You need to sleep.”
“I’ve got a little longer before it gets irresistible, especially if I’m sitting or standing. Talking helps. I’m just too tired to get properly aroused right now.”
I wrap my arm around his shoulders. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
Quinn smiles wearily. “I bet honesty is one of your buzz words. Doms and subs have to be honest with each other.”
“We do.” I kiss his hair. “Always be honest about how you’re feeling and how tired you are. I can look for physical signals that you’re tired, but I’m not in your head. I don’t know how you’re feeling. And I would never, never, want you to pretend you’re up for something to make me happy.”
Quinn lets out a strangled sound. “You’re amazing.”
“So are you. Get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow.”
“Just talk?”
“More kissing would also be nice.” I brush my lips over his in a barely there kiss. “I had a good time this evening.”
“Me too.”
“But I’ll come up with a more appropriate date idea for next time.”
“Maybe we could skip the date and go straight to the sexy stuff? I can’t guarantee I’ll have enough energy for both.” His expression drops again.
“Or we could go on a date, come back for a nap, and then have sexy fun.”
Quinn nods but doesn’t look any happier.
“We’ll work it out together, Quinn. I promise.” I coax his chin up until he meets my gaze. “Do you want me to stay?”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.”
I narrow my eyes a fraction.
“Honesty. Right.” He sucks in a breath. “I’m disappointed in myself, but I’ll be okay. All I’m going to do is sleep, so I won’t be good company.”
“We could cuddle until you do.”
“You—you’d want to do that?”
I frown. “Why wouldn’t I?”
