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“That he was sorry that he couldn’t be my Daddy, but that he wasn’t a Daddy Dom, he’s actually a Dominant. That he goes to a club and that he likes to inflict pain on subs.”

“Ooh, like a sadist?” Kirsten asked.

“I don’t know. I guess so. He didn’t really give himself that label, but he said that he was often asked to punish naughty subs at the club.”

And she still didn’t like the idea of him touching any of them.

“Okay, so maybe the two of you aren’t suited.”

“Maybe not,” she said. Only problem was, she couldn’t stop thinking about him, could she? Dreaming about him, watching him, wishing that he’d kiss her. It was terrible to want somebody that she knew didn’t really want her and wasn’t suited for her either.

“I don’t want to get into another mess like I did with Charlie. Where we didn’t really have anything in common, and, long-term, nothing was really going to work.”

“No. That would be terrible. He really did seem like a Daddy though.”

“Well, yeah, he seems to think that he’s not much of a caretaker and that he doesn’t have any of the softer emotions, but I don’t really think that’s true. I’ve seen him in caretaking mode. Let’s face it, he’s always looking after me.”

“Which, obviously you need,” Kirsten said dryly.

“Hey, uncalled for. You go up on one unsafe roof, stand on one rickety railing after having taken a sleeping pill, and suddenly you’re a liability?”

“So when did he tell you that you were moving in with him?”

“Well, it was sort of around the time he said he was sorry that he couldn’t be my Daddy, and that he was going to make sure I was always okay, because I’m going to move in with him, follow his rules, or else he’s going to spank me. Also, pretty sure he plans on spanking me today for what happened yesterday, which I think is unfair because you can’t spank me and not be my Daddy, right? Or not be in a relationship with me. I have to agree to this stuff, don’t I?”

“Yeah, of course you do,” Kirsten said with a nod. “He can’t bully you into anything. If you don’t want to be spanked, then you just tell him that. And if you don’t want to move in with him, then just tell him that.”

Yeah, that was the problem, wasn’t it? Because she was kind of starting to think she might want all of those things.

“Living with him would be torture,” she said quietly, taking a sip of coffee. “Because I want him and he doesn’t want me. And each day that passes, the obsession grows. I didn’t think I’d feel like this about anyone again, or at least not so soon after Charlie’s death.”

“You and Charlie haven’t been together for a long time,” Kirsten pointed out to her. “It’s not like your husband has just died and you’ve immediately moved on. The two of you had been living like roommates for probably, what, the last year at least? Even longer?”

“Yeah, probably even longer,” she said.

It had been more like two years since they’d slept in the same bed together, and probably two and a half years since they’d had sex. Kirsten was right. She and Charlie had been living a platonic life together. She’d been paying for most of his bills, doing everything around the house. She’d still been married to him. But there had been nothing loving or close in their relationship.

“So the timeline shouldn’t matter,” Kirsten told her. “You can go ahead and fall in love with someone else if you want. It’s not a bad thing.”

“It is when that person doesn’t want you, then it becomes a very bad thing.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that doesn’t feel nice at all,” Kirsten said with a sad look on her face. What was that about? Was there someone she was interested in who didn’t want her?

Why would no one want Kirsten? That seemed crazy to her. Kirsten was amazing. She was gorgeous, funny, and smart.

“Are you all right, Kirsten?” she asked, aware that she’d made this all about her. She hadn’t even asked Kirsten how she was doing.

“Who, me? Yeah, of course I am. I’m fine. I’m always good,” she told her. “Let’s get back to you. What are you going to do?”

“Well, obviously, I can’t live with him. I can’t want him, be near him all the time and not have him. I’m going to have to somehow convince him, though, because he’s got it in his head that I’m moving in and he’s really stubborn. I think he’s a Taurus.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Just remember, he can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. And if he tries, Taekwondo.”

Right. Sure. That was going to be really helpful.

It was only another twenty minutes before he found her. He stormed up to where she was helping a customer decide what sort of jacket they wanted for their upcoming camping trip.

“Can you excuse me for a minute?” Aimee said hastily.