We’d had a very light breakfast, and now Sir was openly smirking at me while I cleaned the kitchen. He was sketching something at the kitchen table and wouldn’t let me see what it was. I was huffing and stomping around the apartment by the time we needed to get dressed and the Uber Sir had ordered was there.
“Here,” he said out of the blue as I straightened after putting my shoes on.
He held out the sketch. It was a picture of a bear cub that was sitting, clearly pouting, as it looked at a pile of sweets and a pot of honey.
It was… beautiful. Silly and cartoony, and perfect. My eyes filled with tears as I ever so gently traced the outline of the cub with my fingertip.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Sir said, gently touching my arm. “I didn’t mean—”
“No, no it’s not that.” I sniffled and crossed back to the kitchen to grab a piece of paper towel. I put the drawing on the table, and then blew my nose. “I just… nobody has ever….” I hiccupped. Then I laughed wetly and ducked my head.
“Oh hell, Bear.” And then Sir’s arms went around me, and he pulled me against his chest, and nothing had ever felt so right.
Luukas
I couldn’t get the image of a stricken Bear holding onto my silly sketch like it was the most precious thing he’d ever been given out of my head.
He was looking at the scenery during the ten-minute drive. We could’ve probably gotten to Lila’s faster by walking, but since it was raining, I’d insisted on getting an Uber.
Bear’s jaw dropped when he realized we were there.
“Is that a castle?” he asked, breathless wonder in his voice.
Chuckling, I waited for him to get out of the car and nodded. “It’s built to appear like a mini castle, yes. Lila inherited it from her grandparents.”
Shaking his head, Bear followed me to the front door. I didn’t have time to press the doorbell before it flung open and Alyssa, Lila’s submissive, gestured us to come inside.
“Come in, come in!” She ushered us in and closed the door behind us. “I’m Alyssa, and you must be Bear.” She beamed as she turned to take our coats and showed us where we could put our shoes, as if I hadn’t been there a dozen times before.
“Uh, yeah.” Bear seemed a bit uncomfortable, but that was expected.
Alyssa could be a lot.
“Hello to you too, Lyssa,” I said dryly.
She flushed a little as she turned to me. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’m just excited that we have a new person joining us.”
“I know.” I smiled slightly. “Who else is here?”
We walked after her further into the house and up the stairs to the massive family room. Alyssa rambled about everyone who was there and who was expected, and all the other things, and Bear glanced at me with wide eyes. I was sure he didn’t even realize he moved closer to me for support.
Instinctively, I grabbed his hand and squeezed. Then I let go, which was an attempt to keep some distance between us. The last thing I wanted was to muddle the waters of what we were to each other. I wasn’t his Dominant and he wasn’t my submissive.
When we got to the family room, Lila noticed us and immediately came over to hug me.
“It’s so good to see you, Luukas,” she said with feeling.
“Hey, it hasn’t been that long,” I murmured against her fragrant hair.
“Nonsense, if you’re not here every time, then it’s been too long.” She gave me a patented Lila glare that scolded me in a way not many people could, then turned to Bear and beamed. “And you have to be Bear; it’s so good to meet you.” She looked at him in a big sisterly way. “Can I give you a hug?”
At his confused and hesitant little nod, she wrapped her arms around him. He glanced at me over her shoulder, and I could see the conflict in his eyes.
“Better just give in. She’s not a Mommy but she’s the big sister of us all,” I teased Lila.
There was a tug on my beltloop. “Who said Mommy?”
I smiled at the barely five feet tall Shauna who was beaming at me. “Well, hello there, little girl. I was saying that Auntie Lila isn’t a Mommy.” I tugged at Shauna’s pigtail. “Where’s your Daddy?”
