I glance up at the screen. There’s only a few seconds left in the period. “Let me talk to her,” I say, pushing to my feet. “We need to have a little discussion about house rules.”
As I walk to her room, I rehearse what I’m about to say.The rules specifically say I can’t have women being loud late. It didn’t say anything about guys, so you have no room to talk.
Except when I open her bedroom door, I see Pippa lying on her stomach, typing on her laptop. Her little black shorts haveridden up just enough that I can make out the crease where her ass meets her thighs. I’ve always thought that was one of the sexist parts of a woman, and looking at Pippa’s body has my blood running hot.
Suddenly, I do want to kick the guys out of the apartment. I don’t want Luke or anyone else anywhere near my stepsister’s sweet little ass.
The door clicks behind me as I shut it, and Pippa glances up at me.
“What is it?” she snaps.
I’m about to go into my spiel about noise and house roles when I see the title on the article she’s writing.
Dom Etiquette for the Kink-Curious.
My breath gets caught somewhere between my lungs and my mouth. Pippa’s writing about kinky shit—my favorite kind of kinky shit. I assume she wouldn’t be writing it if she wasn’t somewhat knowledgeable, which means?—
No. It’s wishful thinking. There’s no way Pippa’s into the same stuff that I am. Unless…
I swallow. “Uh, that’s not one of your 12 Dates of Christmas things, is it?”
Pippa’s face goes beet red and she slams her laptop shut. “No. It’s a different article, obviously.”
My pulse is going Lewis Hamilton fast. If this article really was just for work, she would’ve told me to mind my own fucking business. If she hid it, she’s embarrassed because it’s too close to home.
I slide my hands into my pockets, hopefully looking casual. “But that’s something you’re into? Dom guys?”
“No,” she says immediately, then pauses. “Actually, I don’t know. I mean, it sounds hot in theory, but can you really picture me letting some guy boss me around?”
I snort. “Nope. You don’t even take reasonable requests, let alone orders. You might be in over your head on this article, Pips.”
She groans. “Yeah, I’m starting to think that, too.”
This is the most normal she and I have been around each other since that goddamn kiss. So of course I have to ruin it by saying, “I can help.”
“You? Help?Me?” Each word is a question, which is fair. When it comes to Pippa, I’ve never exactly been benevolent.
I lean back against the door. “I’ve been a Dom. I’m happy to answer any questions for you. If I do, maybe you’ll let us watch the game in peace.”
Say yes. Please.
Pippa sits up, dangling her feet over the side of the bed. I can see the wheels turning while she considers my offer.
“The article’s about healthy consent. I’m sure you love to put a girl in handcuffs, but do you really know anything about setting healthy limits?”
“Handcuffs aren’t really my thing. Using a tie or a belt is way sexier, don’t you think?”
Pippa sucks in a breath. Her eyes get hazy, and any doubt I had evaporates. Fuck, I want to help her, and not with the goddamn article. I want to know exactly how to make her eyes roll back in her head, and if I keep talking, I’ll find out. Her body will tell me, even if she doesn’t say it.
“Not all subs are into bondage,” I say. “It’s fine if you don’t want your hands tied up above your head, or your legs spread out, you know?”
Pippa’s tongue swipes over her lower lip, a flash of pale pink. “I don’t know,” she murmurs.
But you’d like to.
“You know why people like being tied up, though, don’t you?”
“Tell me.” She blinks up at me, her pupils widening.
