Caged (Mastered 4)

Deacon had seen Knox with his daughter only a handful of times, but the big man had taken to fatherhood like he did everything else—with absolute dedication.

“What’s going on, and who’s it going on with?”

“Me’n Molly started seeing each other.”

“About damn time. When?”

“Last night.”

Knox raised both eyebrows. “So you’re having problems . . . less than a day into it?”

Deacon rested his elbows on his knees and shook his head. Fucking sucked ass to ask this.

“Yeah. I know, so just spit it out.”

Christ. When had his internal thoughts started spilling out of his mouth?

“All kidding aside, Deacon, no judgment, okay?”

He blew out a breath. “I’ve stuck with one-night stands all my life. Get in, get off, and go home. The expectations are stated up front. I’ve had a repeat hookup twice.”

Knox whistled.

“So last night I couldn’t sleep. Kept thinking about how I have no freakin’ clue how this relationship stuff works. We didn’t have sex on the first date. Is there sex on the second date? Are there rules about that kinda shit? And who the fuck gets to make them?”

When Knox ducked his head, Deacon knew the man was trying not to laugh.

Then he looked up again. “Honest, D. I don’t know if there are rules. Keep in mind I belonged to a sex club. There’s the same type of expectations as one-nighters. I hadn’t gone out on a real date in a long time before I started messing around with Shiori. And our relationship isn’t definable by normal standards.”

Deacon’s gaze dropped to the bracelet Knox wore—an ownership tag of sorts. “Has having a baby changed those things between you two?”

“Some. Nuri’s needs come first for both of us.” He smiled at his daughter. “It’s not a hardship when this little sprout has brought us so much joy. When the bedroom door closes, Shiori is still my Mistress. That part of her will never change—even if we have five more kids—because that’s who she is. That’s who I need her to be for me.”

Deacon couldn’t wrap his head around that, but Knox and Shiori were sickeningly happy together, and who was he to judge?

“I don’t suppose you’ve talked to Molly about any of this?” Knox asked.

“Fuck no. What would I say?”

“The truth?”

“She’ll be real understanding when I tell her my last relationship was in high school.”

Knox’s eyebrows went up again. “That was what? Fifteen years ago?”

“Roughly.” Right. Like he didn’t know the exact fucking day his only relationship had ended. And that was just another issue with being in a relationship as opposed to one-night stands. He’d have to tell her about his epically fucked-up past.

“So what’s your plan?”

“No clue.” He hated being in the dark about this romance crap. “So I’ve gotta bring her flowers, give her back rubs, and take her to dinner if I wanna get laid?”

“Is that all Molly is to you? A hole to shove it in?” Knox asked sharply.

“No. Not even close.” Deacon slumped back in the chair. “That’s why I have to do this right from the start.”

Knox lifted his sleeping daughter onto his shoulder and gently patted her back. “I’m not being a smart-ass when I tell you it’s not a bad idea to start this out like you were in high school. When She-Cat and I started seeing each other outside of the dojo, we had an entirely different view of each other. My best advice is to listen to her. Women are sneaky. They’ll leave hints about what they want. They’re rarely direct.”

Deacon folded his hands on top of his head. “Even Shiori? I thought she told you exactly what she wants you to do.”

“As far as sex? Yes. She tells me exactly what her sexual needs are, but I’d be a poor sub if I hadn’t learned to anticipate those needs. The woman ain’t complaining about what she gets from me.” He gave Deacon a cocky grin. “It’s when we’re not in the bedroom and are out of those Dominant/submissive roles that she drops hints about stuff instead of telling me directly.”

“Explain that.”

“Two months ago, she started talking about how much she missed the onsen in Japan. Then she asked if I’d ever soaked in a hot mineral bath after skiing.” Knox cocked his head. “Decipher that for me.”

“I wasn’t expecting a pop quiz.” Deacon racked his brain forever—probably fifteen seconds. “That was Shi-Shi’s way of hinting she wanted a hot tub.” As soon as Deacon said that, he knew he’d nailed it.