Cuffed to the Bad Boy Cop: A Stepbrother Romance by Lola Rivera Read Free Book Online Page B

furniture, however, left a lot to be desired. It screamed bachelor in the worst way. I had started leaving Pottery Barn catalogs around the house with certain pieces circled and notes doodled on the pages, hoping he would get the hint. So far, it hadn’t worked…
    Gage smiled at me as I came into view. He stood between the granite counter and the stove and faced the television in the living room as he chopped veggies. It looked like we were having omelets, his favorite breakfast. He gestured toward the television with the knife. “I put it on the news for you. I know how you like to watch this channel in the morning.”
    “Thanks.” I skirted behind him to make a cup of chai tea. “Do you want some coffee?”
    “Yes.” He dropped the chopped bell peppers into a hot pan. “After breakfast, I thought we could go down to a dealership and take some new trucks for a drive. I’d like your opinion before I buy.”
    “You want my opinion on your new truck?” I set aside my cup of tea, popped out the disposable cup and tossed it in the trash. I grabbed Gage’s preferred coffee flavor from the K-Cup stash and popped it into the machine.
    He nestled up behind me and kissed the side of my neck. “I thought you would be running out the door at the mention of shopping.”
    Shivering with delight, I glanced up at him and smiled. “You know me so well.”
    “I like to think so.” He dotted feather-light kisses up the side of my neck. “Meg, you need to understand something.”
    “And what is that?”
    “What goes on between us in the bedroom or, hell, anywhere we're having sex is different than what goes on between us the rest of the time. I don't need a slave and I'm not really interested in a twenty-four-seven relationship." He tilted his head to study me. “Is that what you want?"
    My eyes widened. "No! I mean…I enjoyed what we did last night, but I’m not into the idea of being ordered around all day and night."
    "Good. It's not for me either. I know people who enjoy it and who embrace that kind of lifestyle but it's much too extreme for me."
    When he stepped away to tend the stove, I finished his cup of coffee with a splash of half-and-half and small scoop of sugar and placed it on the counter next to him. Curious, I asked, “You said you know people who enjoy that kind of lifestyle—”
    “There’s a community here in Houston,” he interjected before sipping his coffee. He nodded approvingly. “This is just the way I like it. You’ve been paying attention.”
    “Is that a nice way of saying I’m a creeper?”
    “Maybe.” He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. Straightening up, he pointed to the eggs behind us on the island. “Crack those for me?”
    “Okay.”
    “There are some playgroups and private clubs here in the city,” he said as I cracked the eggs into a bowl. “I was more active in them when I first moved here, but with my promotion and the extra training, I don’t have as much time to play. I don’t think I’ve been to Heat in seven or eight months. I don’t like going without a partner, and I haven’t been lucky enough in the dating scene to find someone who matches those preferences.”
    Jealousy reared its ugly head again as I imagined him doing all the things we had done together with other women in some kinky sex club. It was ridiculous to feel like that, but I couldn’t help it. How many women had he taken to Heat? Was I just another in a long line of women?
    Wondering about this other side of his life, I asked, “Will you take me with you the next time?”
    Gage glanced at me with some surprise. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he picked up the bowl of cracked eggs, grabbed a fork from a drawer and started pricking the yolks. “No.”
    Deflated by his reply, I tried not to let my confusion and hurt show on my face. I sipped my tea and turned my attention to the television. While I tried to work out the reasons why he wouldn’t want to take me with him, I