As he disappeared to wash up, Cami looked at me with wide eyes. “Is everything okay? He’s not upset?”
“There’s nothing to be upset over,” I assured her, squeezing her hand. “We just need to make sure you’re comfortable with how things are progressing. That we’re not moving too fast or pushing you in directions you’re not ready for.”
“Oh.” She seemed surprised by that. “I thought... I don’t know what I thought.”
“That we’d be fighting over you?” I asked gently, pulling her back into my arms. “That’s not how this works. Not with us.”
“Then how does it work?”
“That’s what we’re going to talk about,” I said. “Together.”
She laughed against my chest, and I held her for one more moment before letting her go.
Because Lex was right. We needed to figure out what the hell was happening between the three of us and what we were going to do about it.
But first, he’d have dinner. And then we’d see where this led. Together.
Chapter Eight
Lex
The hot shower had done wonders for the tension in my shoulders from the long day, but it did nothing for the anticipation coiling in my gut. I towel-dried my hair until it was just damp and messy, then pulled on gray sweatpants and a soft t-shirt. It was the most casual I’d been around Cami since she’d arrived.
When I emerged from my room and headed back downstairs, I could hear their voices. Cami’s laughter was bright and uninhibited, and Majesty’s deeper rumble in response. The sound made something warm settle in my chest.
They were still in the kitchen when I appeared, and Cami’s eyes tracked me immediately. Her gaze lingered on my wet hair, then traveled down to the gray sweatpants before snapping back up to my face, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Interesting.
“Feel better?” Majesty asked, already plating me a generous serving of pasta.
“Much.” I accepted the plate and poured myself a modest glass of wine—enough to participate but not enough to dull myawareness. I wanted to be present for whatever conversation was coming.
“Come sit,” Cami said, gesturing to the couch in the great room. “We’ve been monopolizing the table.”
I followed them to the seating area, settling into the armchair while Majesty and Cami took the couch. The fire was still going, casting warm light across the room, and the atmosphere felt intimate despite the space between us.
The pasta was excellent, and I told Majesty as much between bites. Cami was curled into the corner of the couch, her own wine glass nearly empty, cheeks flushed from alcohol and the warmth of the fire. She looked relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen before, her guard down, comfortable.
“So, Sir,” she said after a moment, her eyes finding mine with that directness I was beginning to recognize as her tell when she was feeling bold. “Majesty got to answer all my questions during dinner. Now it’s your turn.”
“Fair enough.” I set my plate aside, giving her my full attention. “What do you want to know?”
“How did you get into this?” She gestured vaguely. “The lifestyle, I mean. Teaching, building furniture, all of it.”
“Psychology degree first,” I said. “I was interested in human behavior, relationships, power dynamics. Started researching BDSM for a paper and realized the community had a more nuanced understanding of consent and communication than most vanilla relationships.”
“So you just... joined?” Cami leaned forward, listening intently.
“Eventually. I went to a munch first. That’s a casual social gathering and met people who were willing to teach me. Spent two years learning before I ever topped anyone.” I took a sip of wine. “The furniture came later. I was frustrated by how poorlydesigned most commercial pieces were. Either they looked like torture devices or they fell apart after minimal use.”
“That’s when you met Majesty?”
“During college? Yes. He had the craftsmanship skills I lacked. I had the technical knowledge and design sense. We complemented each other.”
She studied me with those intelligent eyes, processing. “And the teaching? When did that start?”
“About five or six years ago. We kept getting asked the same questions at play parties. How do you negotiate a scene, how do you read body language, how do you make sure everyone stays safe. Eventually, we formalized it into workshops.”
