“No. And, like I said, please take your leave. You’ve done enough. Get back to your day. I’ll repay your efforts once I’m back on my feet.”
“Repay me? I don’t need that from you.”
“We are not friends, so that leaves us as unlikely allies, those who function to exchange favors, yes?”
“Maybe we are friends. Or getting there.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Bastard. He knew there was something weird going on, some tension I didn’t fully understand, and hadn’t been willing to acknowledge before.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “Like I said… maybe.”
“Well, that’s something, is it not?”
“The fact I saved your ass didn’t already make that clear?”
“I wanted to see whether it had made it clear to you.”
Damn him.
I stepped back. “Look, let me call Win.”
“No.” He pulled out his phone, scrolled and messed around for a couple of moments, then shoved the screen at me. “Read.”
I leaned closer and took in the screenshot of a text exchange, some of the text blacked out, leaving just enough to gauge what was being said.
Little death:Love the idea, but I can’t tonight.
Vaxan:Of course.
Little death:In a few days?
Vaxan:Certainly.
Vaxan:You did it.
Little death:What’s that?
Vaxan:Made your preference known. Instituted a boundary. Ensured something transpired on your terms for once.
Little death:And that’s just… okay for you? With you?
Vaxan:It is. I’m proud of you. Keep it up, little death. And enjoy your class also.
Little death:I will. On both counts. Thank you. Enjoy your sparring.
Little death.I’d heard him use that pet name with Win before. This seemed to be their post-fuck exchange.
I swallowed hard. The intimacy in it was a lot to take, honestly.
“Do you understand what I’m trying to convey to you?” Vaxan asked, gently.
“You’re explaining the caretaking thing you mentioned earlier when I first suggested calling Win to you. You think he falls into that role too easily and too deeply when he makes a connection with someone—and that it hurts him. He needs to assert what he wants more, these… boundaries and stuff.” I shoved my hand through my hair. “And, even though you’re not saying the words, you think he didn’t do that enough with me and it led to him getting fucked over, just catering to me and what I wanted.”
“That about covers it, yes.”
I eased my ass onto the bed beside him. “I heard you that night. The two of you… you wanted me to. As a punishment, right?”
