I sat up. "I'll get over it. Jeremy said he won't start the handover until the kids are in first grade, and even then we'll take it gradually. It's not like he's going anywhere. He's just... tired, I guess. Ready to train his successor."
"Are you ready to be that successor?"
I took a minute to think about it. "I'm... not sure. Right now, I'm most unco
mfortable with being your Alpha. No matter how bad things got between us, that's one thing that always meant a lot to me--that you saw us as partners, as equals, that I never had to fight for that."
"Who takes the lead in the field now? You do. Have for years."
"That's not the same thing. Jeremy puts me in charge, but you feel free to give your advice or jump in if I screw up. Like with Reese. You knew he'd only accept help if he felt it came with strings attached--I missed that completely."
"Is there any reason I can't keep doing that if you're Alpha?"
I looked at him. "Will you?"
He laughed. "You think you can stop me from giving my opinion?" He twisted to face me. "Tell you what. It'll be a few years before you're officially Alpha, but why don't we start the handover now, between us. When we're on assignment like this, you're Alpha. You call the shots. You give the orders. I obey."
I smiled.
"I said in the field," Clay growled. "On assignment."
I eased back, pulling my feet up. "Oh, I don't know. Half measures could just get confusing. The only way this is going to work is total role immersion. As second-in-command, your job is to take care of me. Make me happy. Fulfill my every whim."
"You're ascending to Alpha hood, not god hood."
"Close enough."
He grabbed my ankles as I tried to back up farther. "The only way this is going to work, darling, is through total role balance. In public, you call the shots. In private, I'm in charge."
"Pfft."
He leaned over. "You do want to make this work, don't you?"
"Not that badly."
I rocked back fast, wrenching my feet free and swinging out of bed. When he leapt up, I held out my hands, warding him off.
"And how long do you think that would work for you?" I asked. "Total control? A submissive wife means you don't get to win control anymore. No more chases. No more fights. Not much fun in dominance games if you're the winner by default."
"True..."
"You'd miss that, wouldn't you?"
He stepped toward me, eyes glittering.
"Uh-uh," I said, backing up. "It's a very small hotel room."
"But now that you've mentioned it, maybe I am feeling a little threatened by this whole Alpha business."
I stepped back, smacking into the dresser. "No..."
"I'm feeling the need to... I don't know. Reassert myself."
"Don't you--"
I dove out of his way, but didn't quite make it. He grabbed the front of my shirt. I yanked free, toppling a floor lamp. Clay grabbed it before it fell.
"Now, now, darling, you know how much Jeremy hates damage bills."