Leo would marry Elliot tomorrow if Elliot asked him.
But Leo will never force him.
Igetit. Except now I also see things from Elliot’s point of view in a way I never could before. Being a submissive myself, I sense Elliot would be far more okay with Leo stepping up and taking over and laying down the law than Leo thinks he would. Even long-term. It would be one less burden on Elliot’s already overflowing plate of them, to have that decision taken out of his hands.
In the back of my mind, I’m still trying to develop a plan to nudge Elliot to propose. Maybe after the election, once he doesn’t have to worry about getting elected. If he loses, fuck it, I’m going to order him to propose to Leo.
Except…I don’t want him to lose. Because that will create a permanent pothole in Elliot’s soul to chatter at him that he was a failure. And he’ll blame that on his deeply held secrets, even though that’s not the case at all.
We humans are brutally complicated beings, though.
The flight to LA is fine. Leo assumes he’s doing all the driving, and I’m fine with that, too. I can drive, and do, on occasion, but I hate LA and the traffic. I prefer Leo drives when we’re here. Although he does add me to the rental contract as an extra driver, just in case.
Heading south, I stare out the passenger window at glimpses I get of the Pacific. “Do you think he’d want to move out here after?”
Leo’s right hand lays on my left thigh, my fingers curled around it. “I don’t know, baby. It’s expensive to live out here. Plus, the older I get, the less inclined I am to go back to work and spend time away from the two of you. I have my pension, and Elliot will have his. I’d like you to be able to finish your degree, if you’d like, and just live a life of leisure. Elliot can make speeches or write a book or something, if he wants to.”
He glances my way. “Why? Do you want to live out here?” If I say yes, he’ll start planning that before we even return to DC.
“I don’t know. As long as the three of us are together, I suppose I really don’t care where we live.”
He squeezes my hand.
It’s still early in the afternoon. While Leo hasn’t told me our detailed itinerary, it makes me curious when we deviate from our usual route to Laguna Beach. “Where are we going?”
Behind his sunglasses, Sir grins. “Ooh, you’ll soon see,boy.”
His tone makes me shiver. I can’t help it. There are sweetly jagged slivers of his control embedded in my soul now, and he knows every button to push.
This must be my surprise.
Whatever he’s up to, I’m along for the ride.
We pull up in front of an upper-class strip mall and he shifts the car into park before turning to me and removing his sunglasses. When he speaks, it’s the low, controlled tone of Sir.
“Are you prepared to be with me and Elliot for life? Even if I never marry you?”
I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I have an idea, because one of the storefronts is for a tattoo parlor.
Still, I meet his gaze head-on. “Yes, Sir. I’m with you and Elliot for life.”
He smiles and leans in to kiss me, cupping the nape of my neck as he does. “Do you trust me, baby?”
There’s no hesitation in my answer. “Yes, Sir.” I would follow this man through the fires of Hell and back, if he asked.
I’m not perfect, but I don’t repeat my mistakes. I’m never again walking away from him and Elliot.
Ever.
His smile widens, positively evil, and now I’m fuckinghard. “Come on, baby. Let’s go do this.”
He holds my hand as we walk inside and, when we reach the counter, I find we have an appointment.
Not with any of the tattoo artists—with a body piercer.
Oh, shit.
Now I knowexactlywhy we’re here, even before Leo takes the clipboard holding a release form and starts filling in my information. No, it doesn’t surprise me that he knows everything—I have his and Elliot’s information memorized, too. And Elliot knows ours.
