“Okay.”
I lift Kas up and out of my lap and then grab a couple of the towels off the floor. I fold them over so the padding is thicker, then place the stack neatly on the floor just a few feet away from the wall.
“Kneel.” I point to the towels.
Kas narrows her eyes at me before getting up and kneeling on the towels. She doesn’t take a traditional sub pose—not quite—but it’s close enough. I recline against the wall so she’s directly in front of me and grab one of the nearby ropes. I slowly but efficiently coil it and tie it off in a neat bundle before placing it inside my backpack.
“Grab me that rope there,” I say, pointing to a rope nearby. I could have reached it if I had leaned over enough. Kas will have to get up to do it, and I’d rather watch that than get it myself.
Kas gets up and walks over to the rope. I get a great view of her ass as she bends over to retrieve it. She holds it out to me, but I just nod toward the towels. Kas sighs before she returns to the kneeling position and holds the rope out again. This time, I take it.
“I need that one next,” I say as I finish coiling the second rope and place it on top of the one already in my backpack.
Kas glances at me sideways as she stands again to go to the next strand of rope.
“Why am I doing this?” she asks.
“Because I’m telling you to do it,” I reply simply, and Kas narrows her eyes again. “Really, I just like watching you move around, especially when you bend over.”
Kas stops and glares at me, which causes me to laugh.
“Ideally,” I say, “we’d be in a place where I could give you more tasks. I’d love to have you mix me a drink about now, but I’m going to have to work with what I’ve got here.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have a bottle of something in that backpack.”
I reach out and smack her on the ass as she bends over to grab the rope.
“Hey!” Kas stands up straight, rubbing her butt. “What happened to ‘gentle aftercare’?”
“Sassy thing, aren’t you?” I wink at her.
She glares at me, but there’s the hint of a smile on her face. She brings the rope back and kneels in front of me again. We continue the pattern until all the rope has been collected, coiled, and neatly returned to my backpack.
I stand up and crouch in front of her, placing my palm on the side of her face.
“You did that very well,” I say softly as I stroke her cheekbone with my thumb. “I’m proud of you.”
“Proud?” Kas scoffs.
“Yes, proud. This is all new to you, and you did it like a pro. Watching you help me clean up makes me feel like I’m special to you—that you’d do anything for me.”
“I’m not sure about anything,” Kas says and then smiles. “A lot of things though.”
“Good.” I run my hand over her cheek again before kissing her lightly on the lips. “You’re special to me, Kas.”
“I am?”
“Yeah, you are.”
“Why?”
Good question.
I’m not sure how to answer. The words came out without a lot of thought or planning behind them, but now that I’ve said them, I know they’re true. The reason why is a mystery.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I just know that you are. Maybe because you put so much trust in me so quickly. You also respond very well.”
“You don’t quite trust me though, do you?”