Page 46 of No Rules
“Good.”
Wander stalked out, leaving Ryan and Alex alone in the now-empty room. As Ryan approached Alex, he straightened, his cheeks flushed.
“Are you sure about this?” Ryan searched Alex’s eyes for any sign of uncertainty. “No take-backs on this one, baby boy.”
“Positive.” Alex offered him a small smile. “But can I ask you the same?”
“I gave my word. I won’t ever go back on that.”
Alex’s eyes softened. “I know, but I have the right to ask. Only a couple of days ago, you told me you couldn’t be a Dom anymore. And now you say you changed your mind. What happened?”
“You did.” An unfamiliar tenderness filled Ryan, and he brushed Alex’s cheek. “Seeing you with Mark… It felt wrong on every level. I don’t know why, but it did.”
“He did have my consent.”
Ryan leaned his forehead against Alex’s. “I know. And I know you love that shit. But it still felt wrong, like you weren’t ready for something that intense yet.”
“Okay.”
“That’s enough of an explanation for you?”
Alex’s smile was as sunny as ever, like he had turned on a bright light in a dark room. “I trust you.”
The weight of that trust was surprisingly light, more like a deep awareness than a burden. “Thank you, baby boy.” He grabbed his chin and forced eye contact. “From now on, you’re mine, understood?”
Alex swallowed. “Exclusively?”
“I decide if and when you play with others, but for now, it will be just us.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
Alex’s eyes sparkled. “Okay, Sir.”
“Good boy.”
15
Going back to work as if nothing had happened wasn’t easy after that scene. Alex had been awake for hours, running through every moment in his head again and again. What had happened for Ryan to change his mind? He’d said the scene had felt wrong… How had he picked up on what Alex hadn’t even fully figured out himself?
Because it had been wrong. Ryan was right that Alex had been uncomfortable…and he should’ve never consented when Master Mark had asked him. If Ryan hadn’t safeworded, Alex would’ve gone through with it…and he would’ve regretted it later.
Ryan had saved him from making a big mistake, and Alex couldn’t wrap his mind around it. How had Ryan seen what Alex had hidden even from himself in that moment? Maybe he really did know Alex better than anyone else, including Alex himself.
But he’d have to figure all of that out later. He had a job to do, and that had to come first now. It helped that Ryan had shifted back into professional mode as well. They had an appointment with the cops to see if they could get some cooperation there.
As they approached the Saratoga police station, Alex studied the building. Considering the charm of the little town, the police station wasn’t the prettiest, was it? Built on an incline, it had a top half that consisted of red bricks, while the bottom had much bigger square gray bricks that looked more like concrete. The cracked pavement didn’t offer much to look at either. The single yellow line warning people about parking there was so faded it blended in with the asphalt, and the road itself showed wear from the harsh winters.
“It’s not the most welcoming place,” he commented.
Ryan snorted as he pushed the glass door open. “Police stations rarely are.”
The police station hummed with activity as they entered, officers hurrying past them, phones ringing, and the faint scent of stale coffee lingering in the air. “We’re here to see Detective Baxter,” Ryan told the receptionist.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Yes, ma’am. He told us to stop by sometime this afternoon.”