Page 179 of Masters of Control

Asad was immediately sorry he’d asked. It sounded like there was some kind of drama going on with Morgan’s friends—he would guess Amy since she was the only one engaged. Her fiancé had never come to the clubs. She scened platonically with a few Doms, mostly Master Zach, so Asad didn’t know the guy at all.

“Is he worried she has a medical issue?” That was the only reason he could think of that wouldn’t make the guy sound like a complete and total douche.

“Well, he’s insisting she go to the doctor because she’s been working out a lot and dieting, and she keeps gaining instead of losing.” Morgan frowned, looking back down at her phone. She shook her head, then bent forward to slide it into her purse, focusing on him rather than the text conversation that was happening. The chiming notification kept going off, but she ignored it. “I’m worried about her. I don’t think she’d be as upset about the weight gain if he wasn’t putting so much pressure on her about it.”

“Well, weddings can put on a lot of pressure.” He wasn’t exactly up to date on bride behavior, but trying to lose weight to fit into a dress seemed to be part of it, which he didn’t entirely understand. Apparently, the weight she was at when she got the proposal wasn’t the weight she wanted to be when she got married. “It might not be all him.”

“It might not.” Morgan was still frowning, though. She sighed. “Do you think it’s a problem to accept the position of bridesmaid when you aren’t sure you like the groom?”

“I think you’re fine. There are a lot of weddings where not everyone approves of the relationship. It’s more important that you’re there to support your friend because she wants you there for her. That’s the real role of the wedding party.” Not that he was against his brother’s wedding, but he wasn’t going for Anna or because his parents wanted him to; he was going for Cyrus.

His little brother had asked him to be his best man, and even though they might not always have the best relationship, Asad would always be there for his brother, the way he had been his entire life. Thankfully, the burden wasn’t as heavy as it had been when they were children. Now he just had to show up, play his role, and not do anything to embarrass the family or take attention away from Cyrus. He had a lifetime of practice at that last one, though admittedly, he’d done some rebelling in his late teens after Cyrus was in remission… which was why he was now the black sheep of the family.

This week, he was back in the role of supportive big brother and best man.

“Okay. I feel guilty because I feel like it’s a little selfish to want Amy to get married just so I can be a bridesmaid.” The guilt she felt was clear in her tone, and it wasn’t just a little. Morgan was an inherently honest person, to the point of bluntness, which she was working on because sometimes the things she said came out in ways she didn’t mean. Asad enjoyed her candor, though.

“I think Amy wants to get married, and she’s going to be happy to have her friends there supporting her… even if her fiancé is a douche. Trust me, you do not want to get in the middle of someone else’s relationship, even if you’re right.” He paused for a moment, thinking about it. “Especially if you’re right, in fact. People need to make their own mistakes, and all we can do is to be there for them when things fall apart.”

“Is that what you’re doing for your brother?” she asked, seemingly curious now that he was talking about it.

Asad laughed. “No, if anything, Anna is too good for my brother, and I’ll be sure to tell him that a lot this week.” He grinned. “But I’ve watched a lot of relationships go wrong and a lot of relationships go right.”

“Have you had a relationship go wrong?”

“No. I don’t do relationships.” Hey, it didn’t hurt to remind her of that on the way up there. Not that he was arrogant enough to assume she might want one with him, but it was best to keep the fact they were fake boyfriend and girlfriend at the forefront of her mind.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to rely on me like that.” He was so distracted by driving and fighting back his desire to reach over and play with the flirty hem of her skirt, he answered without thinking. Maybe her honesty was rubbing off on him because that was not the answer he usually gave. He winced when he realized he’d answered a little too truthfully with something he hadn’t even really known about himself.

Or, at least, hadn’t been willing to face.

“You don’t want anyone to rely on you?” Morgan’s confusion was clear. “But you just said that’s what friendship is about to you. And you have a lot of friends.”

“It’s different. Friendship is… my friends rely on me to be there for them when they need me, but it’s not an all-the-time thing. A relationship, especially as a Dom, feels like more. It’s a responsibility. It’s someone relying on me all the time to be able to be there for them. They are always part of every consideration for any major decision in your life.” He grinned, though he didn’t really feel like smiling. “And now I’m the one who sounds selfish because I don’t want that.”

He glanced over to see her reaction, but she didn’t look appalled as he might have expected. She looked thoughtful, and he wondered what was going through her head. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“I don’t want anyone to have to be responsible for me,” she said after a few long moments, proving that Asad was putting way too much importance on himself. She hadn’t been thinking about what a shitty person he was. She’d been thinking about how what he said applied to her own life. “I feel like I’m always someone’s responsibility. First my parents, then Master Jason, then Master Richard, then Naomi and Drew, and now Brian and all the other Doms. Except you. You treat me like I’m just me.”

“Because I don’t want to be responsible for you, remember?” He winked at her, even as his gut twisted. He wasn’t sure he liked what that said about him, but it was still the truth. “But we’re friends. If you need me, you can always call on me.”

Morgan was quiet for another long moment, her hands no longer resting quietly in her lap but fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Which, unfortunately, reminded Asad why he’d started the conversation in the first place. This was going to be a really long fucking drive if he couldn’t get his mind out of the gutter—or out from between her legs, as it were.

“Thank you,” she said finally. “And if you need me, you can always call on me.”

“I already have,” he teased, relief flooding through him. Hopefully, the uncomfortable part of the conversation was over. “That’s how you ended up as my fake girlfriend, remember?”

Morgan laughed, and the atmosphere in the car lightened.

Unable to help himself, Asad reached over to take her hand, sliding his fingers through hers. Morgan jumped a little in surprise. It was more torture for him, his fingers now actually touching her thigh, but holding her hand would keep him from moving them higher. And at least this way, he was touching her a little…

“Speaking of being my fake girlfriend, we should probably get used to holding hands and things.” He glanced at her. “If that’s okay with you.”

She was staring down at her lap as though she couldn’t believe it.

“Um, yes, that’s okay.”