He kissed my chest. “That’s crazy talk. You’ve already saved me.” He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “I never thought I’d be allowed to choose my own Dominant. I figured I would be stuck with whoever they decided on and that would be it. I wish… I wish I’d submitted to you before. Even if you didn’t know it.”
Well,Imight not have realized, but my parents seem to have known it. They’d reminded me I’d always been the one to lead. And it thrilled me when Mason followed.
Was I aware, even then, that I was his Dominant?
“I think I always felt that I was meant todirectyou,” I admitted. “Nudge you in a direction, like when you wanted to join the track team. You said it wouldn’t be a good idea, but I could tell how much you wanted it, so I pushed you to try. And what happened?”
He sighed. “I excelled, just like you said I would.”
I grinned. “Come on, say it. YouknowI love it when you do.” He put a hand against my chest and pushed, but I held him in a tight embrace. “Say it.”
Another eye roll. “Fine. You were right. You’re always right, and I’m always wrong. Happy now?”
I was, so very fucking happy. I leaned in and kissed him, long, slow, and lingering. When I pulled away I peered into his eyes.
“I love you, you know.”
And judging by his smile, he knew.
Mason
“I love you, you know.”
As long as I lived, I would never get tired of hearing him say those words to me. Although I didn’t have the power to see the future, I could imagine. If I’d gone with Jerome, I would’ve been miserable. I’d have cried myself to sleep most nights, alone and huddled in the dark, wishing Kip was near because he would chase the fear away.
Because he always has, hasn’t he?
No matter how deep into my head I got, he’d always found a way to pull me out. If he couldn’t make me smile, he’d sit there, an arm wrapped around my neck, being sullen with me. Sometimes he’d leave me sitting and run down the street, only to return a few moments later with two Choco Twister ice cream bars. He’d hand me one, and we’d sit there, not speaking, until it was gone. Then he’d make me tell him what was bothering me.
I always caved.
I could hold out against most people, at least for a while, but against Kip? He broke through my defenses—because, uh, hello? Ice cream—and reminded me that no matter what, I was never alone. He would always have my back. And he did. He would cancel dates if I was upset. He gave up chances to get laid because he thought I needed him more.
And somehow, he was never wrong. I couldn’tunderstand how he knew me so well. How he seemed to realize I needed someone. No—how I neededhimto hold me together. Growing up was so hard. I kept getting told about how important Omegas were, but I’d never felt like that. Kip had had no idea what I was, and yet he was the only one who made me feel as though I mattered. He’d been the one who stood up for me, who made me feel as though I could fight back.
And boy, I did. I argued, determined thatno onewould ever put me down again. And while that boost to my self-confidence generally lasted for a short time until my natural submissiveness kicked in, they were glorious hours where I could make my own choices. Where I could say no. Where there was a future out there that wasmychoice, where I could determine my own path.
It never lasted long, but those fleeting moments meant everything to me.
Somehow I never realized what Kip had been doing for me our whole lives. He was right. He had always been my Dominant, even if we hadn’t used those words.
“Lost in thought?” Kip’s voice cut through my haze.
“I tried to tell myself I wasn’t attracted to you. I even believed it too, for the longest time. But now I realize what was going on in my subconscious. If I’d let slip, even a little, that I needed you and that I was your submissive, you’d have freaked out and run for the hills. I’m… sorry.”
He bundled me into his arms. “Never apologize for who you are. I won’t deny that it would have made me wonder or worry, but not about you being a sub. More that I needed to be there to help you through that time. You’ve always been the most important person in my life, and now I understand why.”
I truly believed he did. “Can we sleep a little more?” I asked. “I was having the most amazing dream.” My cheeks were suddenly hot. “You were behind me, thrusting into myass, making me cry out your name, and I kinda wanna get back to that.”
He chuckled and dragged me under the blanket. “What do you say we set about making that a reality?”
I was down for that. But….
“I think maybe we both need some sleep,” I said with reluctance. “Maybe after we wake up, we can see about christening every surface in the house.” I grinned. “I’m especially eyeing that counter in the kitchen. It looks to be about the right height.”
He laughed and stuck his face in my neck. “I will never stop loving you,” he said, his voice husky. “You make me smile.”
We rolled around a bit, and yeah, certain body parts kept sliding over each other. We both got hard, but I hadn’t lied. Our relationship wasn’t based on sex alone. We were in the process of bonding, of becoming comfortable with each other. My submission to him was growing deeper, layered, so we both knew our roles. Was I disappointed in being his submissive? I’d thought for a long time that I would be hurt or angry to give someone that much control over my life, but Kip? It was so natural, I didn’t even question it anymore. If I had to belong to someone who’d guide me, I was grateful it was Kip, because he’d never let me down.
