The Decision (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Allyson Young

  “You want to live together? With Jake?” Her voice climbed to a squeak.

  “Well, mostly with you, but this going back and forth between our apartments, farming Jake out, no matter how good old McTavish is with him, well, it isn’t optimum. So we should start looking for a house with a suitable yard.”

  “I’d like that.” She hesitated.

  “Say it, woman. Now isn’t the time to be silent.” Dace narrowed his eyes. He was becoming adept at reading her mind.

  “I guess I thought we should wait until Sophie surfaces. And for your family to maybe accept me a bit more.”

  “I don’t care about your sister, sweetheart. If she surfaces, we’ll deal. And other than Chad, my family has promised to behave. Sure, they’ll be alert and cautious, but you’ll win them over like you did me.” Dace took her hand and pulled her close, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Trust me.”

  “I do, I really do, Dace.” Stephanie didn’t know how to process all of it.

  “Then let’s grab Jake and have Frank drive us around some likely neighborhoods. I’ll give my real estate agent a call while we’re at it.”

  The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of examining the front of various properties, making a short list. Frank drove them around, Jake sitting in the front passenger seat, panting at the sights, while she and Dace noted different addresses and he called them into his agent. Four prospective homes were set up for viewings the following day, and Stephanie’s head spun.

  “We need to talk about price and what all,” she finally said.

  “It’s all good, sweetheart.” Dace pressed her hand.

  “I work, and I’m contributing,” she insisted.

  She felt him tense and knew he was going to go all caveman on her so quickly forestalled him. “I know you’re wealthy. I know. But I’m contributing, or I’m not moving in with you.”

  “We’ll work something out.” Dace’s tone invited no argument.

  “We’ll work it out now. You aren’t the boss of me other than…” She bit her lip and carefully avoided the rearview mirror. Who knew what Frank knew? A stab of irrational jealousy pierced her belly at the thought of other women, including her sister, especially her sister, being pleasured by Dace, having sex with him.

  “Sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

  “I just thought about you and…well, other women.”

  “I didn’t know you then, Stephanie. It’s past, and God knows I don’t dwell on the men you’ve had in your life.”

  Her good nature flooded back, and with it her sense of humor. “Well, there was this one guy who—Dace!”

  He hauled her from her seat up against him to press his nose against hers. “I’m going to paddle you for that later. You think on that, minx.”

  Her body immediately responded, and Stephanie melted against him. She would never tire of this incessant, simmering need she had for him. He had only to look at her, say something sexy, and she was wet and ready for him. Who would have thunk it? Stephanie Price, sex goddess. Dace chuckled and rubbed her back. Then she remembered he hadn’t let her finish about her contribution to the household. They would be talking about that before anybody signed on the dotted line.

  “Your place tonight?”

  “I think so, Dace. Jake misses me, and you did buy that bed…”

  “And we’ll make good use of it tonight. Do you have a big rubber spatula?”

  “Uh-huh. What are you cooking?” Dace amazed her by how often he ate out yet could throw together a scratch meal with nearly the same ability as her, and she’d had to learn out of dire necessity. Her stepmom didn’t cook, and Stephanie didn’t have the money to eat out.

  “I’m not cooking. It’s your turn.”

  “Then what do you need a spatula for?” The answer came to her on the heels of her question, accompanied by his promising smile.

  “You are not spanking me with a kitchen utensil!”

  “We’ll see.”

  Crap. Now she was going to fixate on a rubber square affixed to a wooden stick and probably never be able to view scraping a bowl in the same way again.

  * * * *

  She lay facedown on the bed, naked, her torso supported by the mattress, bent at the waist so that her pelvis was situated at the edge, her legs dangling. Dace had propped her up on pillows to ensure that her feet couldn’t touch the floor, making her feel more vulnerable.

  “I’m going to paddle you for lying to me about Amanda bitching you out, and for that little comment about a certain guy, Stephanie. And because I want to.”

  She was soaked, her pussy dripping and her thighs moist. She wiggled a little to rub her nipples against the sheet, the only specific erogenous zones she could stimulate because of the arrangement of the pillows. Her clit was suspended above a little pocket of emptiness, no matter how she squirmed. Dace smoothed a big hand over her back and down to her buttocks, lingering there, the heat from his skin ramping up her arousal.

  “I think maybe ten swats.”

  Stephanie wanted to swoon. All those books she read, and now she felt featured in her own. There were no restraints, although she had no doubt Dace would buy her a gross of them if she so much as indicated her interest. And she might because he had piqued her interest with his dirty talk of splaying her and tormenting her. She couldn’t imagine any better way to be tortured to sexual heights. His mouth was magic and his cock filled her up each and every time. The anal sex was awesome, but Dace told her he would be careful with her in that regard, and to expect less frequency. That was probably okay because she was still a little sore. No safe word either. If she told him no, he would stop. Simple as that, and she hadn’t ever had to say it either. He pushed her, but he knew what she needed. Bliss.

  Whack! Holy crap! The solid sting got her attention.

  “Am I boring you?”

  “No, Dace. I was just thinking about stuff.”

  Whack. A swat on her other buttock equalized the sensation.

  “Tell me.”

  “I was thinking about being restrained while you had your way with me.”

  Four more solid smacks, two to each cheek. Her ass heated, and her folds swelled. Dace felt between her legs, and she knew he smiled. She just knew it. He pushed a finger into her sheath before pulling out to smear her juices over her clit, then repeated the action. Stephanie gasped and tried to press down on that finger, but he pulled away.

  Two more swats, this time administered quickly to the area where her buttocks met her thighs. They stung, nearly too painful to breathe through, but then Dace was there blowing across the area, making her shudder. The last two were mere kisses of sensation on her buttocks, and Dace’s fingers were inside her, curling to rub her G-spot, his thumb somehow twisting to stimulate her clit. He kept her on edge, building it before pulling away to her protests, immediately returning to fit his cock at her gate, sliding in to fill her. He lifted her hips to grind her ass against his pelvis.

  “Nicely marked, pink, and heated, minx. Hold on.”

  She nearly hung from his grip as he lifted her further, pumping into her sheath with measured strength. Her buttocks burned, offset by the unrequited need of her clit. Dace dropped down with her to the bed, snapping his hips, one hand slipping under her to find her swollen knot of nerves. A pinch and a press and she went over, calling out his name. He thrust several more times before groaning his climax, setting his teeth gently into her shoulder, marking her in a different way. She blinked to orient herself, and he pushed up and off of her, leaving her sprawled and sated. He’d heard her about the restraints, and it inspired him. She was such a pervert, and loving it.

  Dace returned from the bathroom to clean her with a soft cloth as always. He scooped her up to place her on her pillow, then went to let Jake in. She nearly giggled at the thought of how her dog would react to Dace spanking her, then thought Jake would probably just yawn. Her dog was infatuated with him, too. Jake collapsed with a groan on the mat beside the bed, and the mattre
ss dipped when Dace climbed in beside her. He pulled her to spoon against him as always, her sore buttocks cradled in his pelvis, his softening cock a sly reminder of their joining. Stephanie sighed with contentment and settled in to sleep.

  “Velvet ropes or fur-lined handcuffs?”

  Her eyes popped wide, and she tried to turn to face him, but he held her in place with his vastly superior strength.

  “Never mind. I’ll decide.”

  Well. She would be wide awake now, lost in a sexual fantasy. So much for being well rested to view those houses.

  “Go to sleep, Stephanie. Love you.”

  “Love you, Dace.”

  * * * *

  “Not enough bedrooms, and the yard’s too small.” Dace hustled her out to the limo. Stephanie found her patience being strained. This was a side of Dace she hadn’t seen. Oh, she knew he was decisive and a knowledgeable and competent businessman, but they were looking at their future home! She wanted to savor the moment and take her time, offer her opinion. This was the third place they’d been in and out of in what felt like an instant. He was being bossy and domineering.

  She pushed away from him to the far side of the seat and crossed her arms across her chest. He lifted his gaze from the information he was perusing on the next house they were to visit.

  “Stephanie? What’s going on?”

  “I’m not setting foot in one more place today. You need to cancel the next viewing.” Stephanie knew she sounded like a pouting five- year-old but couldn’t help it.

  “We only have one more.” He looked puzzled, high, wide brow furrowed, that little wrinkle between his eyes, the one she wanted to soothe with a kiss, predominant.

  “And it won’t live up to your expectations either.” Again the pout yet she couldn’t prevent it.

  Silence reigned for a few minutes, and Dace sighed, crumpling the papers into his pocket. He slid over to her and put an arm around her. “Sorry, sweetheart. I have a vision and forgot you might not share the same one.”

  “What’s your vision?” Maybe they should stop having so much great sex and do some more talking.

  “Five bedrooms, five baths, den, living area, big family kitchen, formal dining room, and a playroom. Big yard.”

  Stephanie couldn’t wrap her head around all of that. “Five bedrooms? Playroom?”

  “I was thinking maybe three kids. And we’d need a room for family to stay when the babies come. And kids need their own room to put their toys and stuff, to play.”

  Her heart swelled, and her breath caught in her throat. The tears came, beyond any effort of calling them back, and Dace made a worried sound. “Stephanie?”

  She choked on a sob. It was a perfect vision, like he’d pulled it right out of her head, but she hadn’t allowed herself to think that far ahead. “I’m okay. Does house number four meet your exacting standards?”

  Dace tilted her head up and stared searchingly into her face. “No. Short a bedroom, although there is a bonus room.”

  “We should at least check it out.” She forgot about her ultimatum.

  The house was perfect. The bonus room was on the top level and huge, with its own attached bath, and Dace’s quick eye determined an area for a big walk in closet. He felt it was made to be their master bedroom, away from the other rooms for privacy. He winked at her, behind the real estate agent’s back, and Stephanie had to turn away to hide her blush. The other four bedrooms were on the next level, and the master loaned itself to a guest suite.

  “We can install an intercom for the kids when they’re big enough to be in their own rooms.” He had the answer to everything, and Stephanie just went along for the ride, suddenly content. The yard was a good size, and a park was situated not too far away. The neighborhood was excellent, and the agent assured them the schools were also exemplary. So was the price. It made her belly flip.

  “I want a home inspection, and then we’ll decide on an offer.” Dace raised his eyebrow at her, and Stephanie nodded. But they still needed to communicate more because she was pretty sure he already had paint colors picked out and had some ideas for the kitchen. Any updating was definitely going to include her!

  He escorted her out to the car where Frank held Jake on a leash, having walked him around the area.

  “Jake made a big splash at the park, Miss Stephanie. No yellow lab bitches though.”

  She smiled at the driver, and he winked back. Dace helped her inside the car, and Stephanie leaned her head back on the seat, enjoying the feeling of her hand in his. Things were going so fast, so they were going to have a chat over dinner.

  In the end it was relatively painless. She should have known. Dace agreed that she pay her rent amount into the mortgage account and buy groceries, as well as continue to cover all her other small bills. She told him that her student loans were hefty, but as soon as they were taken care of she could contribute more. She didn’t like the way he shrugged off the idea of her loans, but appreciated his comment that she might want to stay home with their children. She decided they might try for babies as soon as she was out of debt. She hoped the home inspection went well.

  Chapter Ten

  Dace paced his office impatiently while Gemma went to find Stephanie. Her cell must be off, as his calls kept going to voice mail, and he resorted to calling the gallery directly.

  “Hello?” Her breathless voice made his heart swell. God, he loved her.

  “I couldn’t reach you on your cell.” He knew he was grumpy, but he hated to wait to talk to her.

  “I’m working, Dace. My phone is in the office, and I don’t have anyplace on me to carry it. What’s up?” Her calm reply cooled his jets.

  “The home inspection came back fine. I want to put in an offer.”

  “Oh good! But you don’t need me for that.”

  Dace struggled with his annoyance. It was their house. He planned to marry her just as soon as his family settled down and accepted her. Once his parents met her and got to know Stephanie, there’d be no issue, but they weren’t due home for a month. Amanda agreed to be civil and test the waters, but Stephanie wasn’t interested in seeing his sister so quickly. And Chad…his brother went to the gallery to check Stephanie out, behind Dace’s back, and called him from right outside the building. He suggested that Dace was pussy whipped, and they’d argued, with Dace wishing he could pound Chad’s face into the ground. If his brother had spoken to Stephanie…In any event, Chad grudgingly agreed to have dinner with them next week, promising to be on his best behavior. Dace was tired of it all, and getting more tired by the minute. He wanted his happily ever after.

  “This is our house, sweetheart. We’re buying it together.”

  “But…”

  “Stephanie, if we live together and for some unknown reason it doesn’t work out, you still get half of the damn house, just the same way if we married and got divorced. That’s how the law works. So do me the courtesy of signing the goddamn offer so it assures me we’re in this together!”

  Silence. Shit. He’d taken his ire out on her, when she really didn’t deserve all of it. Just the stubborn idea that she shouldn’t buy a house with him and look like a gold digger.

  “Okay.” He barely heard the quiet acceptance, and it both elated him and made him want to redden her delectable ass. He loved her to distraction, her sweet personality, her honor, honesty, and incredible work ethic, not to mention her eminently fuckable body. But she made him crazy, too.

  “I’ll pick you up after the gallery closes, and we’ll go straight to the agent’s. Then we’ll go to your place.” Dace knew he sounded like some general, ordering his army about, and tried to soften his tone. He wanted to live in the same place as his wench, with no more of this trekking back and forth between their apartments. He wanted to have her things sharing space in the same closet as his and not have to pack a bag each and every time. He wanted stability.

  “Okay.”

  Well, he got what he wanted, and he’d just have to love the spirit back in
to her. Dace told Stephanie he loved her and punched his phone off.

  She came out from the gallery as soon as she saw the car, and Dace leaped out to help her inside. He sketched a casual wave to Reg, who gave him a smug smile from where he stood in the doorway, watching Stephanie leave. The man probably took credit for matchmaking, but he could have all the credit he wanted. Dace had long since stopped wondering at how Fate dropped his minx right in his lap. He was just grateful.

  “Good day?” he asked, after dropping a kiss on her lips.

  “Really good. We’re presenting Reginald’s most recent find, a Degas horse, and doing a backdrop of some other Italian artists. The RSVPs have flooded in.” Stephanie slipped her shoes off and reached to rub an arch before he forestalled her and took on the task himself.

  She moaned a little, and the sound went straight to his cock. “That feels so good.”

  “You say that when I’m making you come, too,” he teased but quietly because she was so protective of Frank’s sensibilities. When he thought about having Sophie right here on this seat—he felt faintly nauseated. And with one look at Stephanie, that thought fled, and he counted his blessings.

  She looked at him archly. “Well, maybe a foot rub rates right up there with an orgasm.”

  She’d forgiven him, and Dace felt a bit light-headed with relief. “We’ll do a comparison later. Only you won’t be able to refuse or avoid.”

  He felt her instant response. Her toes curled, and her body tensed as her eyes darkened and went sleepy, languorous. He knew if he slid his hand up to her pussy she’d be soaked, but didn’t do so. She was a sex kitten in the privacy of his or her place, but not in public.

  “I guess a hands-on experiment is the best way to determine your theory.” The low timbre in her musical voice hardened his cock further. How had he gotten so lucky?

  They pulled up at the real estate office, Frank finding a place to park as though he’d called ahead, and Dace helped Stephanie put her shoes back on. She sighed, clearly tired, but accompanied him into the office. Dace outlined his offer and conditions, explaining clearly that it was the one and only offer they would make. Rebecca pursed her lips and tilted her head, but read his inflexibility with the ease of long practice. He had Stephanie sign first, smiling at her earnest penmanship before slashing his own name across the dotted line. Rebecca indicated she would get back to him within the established twenty-four hour period and shook his hand, then Stephanie’s. And it was done.