He tucked the grocery bag in the pantry, then crossed the room to sit in the chair across from her, propping his feet on the table next to hers. “Did you see your boxes?”

She nodded. “Thanks for getting my stuff.”

“We got all the things on your lists, but you should go through them, make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

“If it wasn’t on the list, it wasn’t mine.” She hesitated, chewing her lip. “Did Kyle give you any grief over it?”

“He wasn’t there.”

That surprised her. “He wasn’t?”

Cade shook his head. “I called him to let him know we were coming, but he didn’t pick up, either.”

She frowned. “Had the bed been slept in?”

“It was stripped, which is how I assume you left it.”

“It is.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he began, and she let out a harsh laugh.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine too, hiding out at his friend’s house. The fucking coward.”

Surprise flared in Cade’s eyes—she rarely swore, and only when she was really upset—then his gaze narrowed. “Why do you think he’s hiding?”

“Because I think that Master/slave contract was bullshit.”

Cade’s expression turned thoughtful. “You think he was trying to get you to break up with him?”

She nodded, grateful she didn’t have to explain. “He told me he wasn’t cut out for that kind of thing.”

“People change,” Cade ventured.

“He didn’t,” she said decisively. “At least, not like that. Our D/s was always really light. Not a lot of rules, and most of them revolved around sex.”

“That’s not unusual. Most people have a sexual element to their D/s.”

“Yeah, but…” She shook her head. “It always felt like an afterthought, you know? Like something he did just to check a box.”

He frowned. “Did that bother you?”

“Somewhat,” she allowed. “I mean, I don’t want so much D/s that it takes over my life, but the rules should matter. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

He hummed in agreement. “Did you ever say anything?”

“No.” She sighed. “I didn’t want to rock the boat.”

“Olivia.”

“I know, I know.” She grimaced at his chiding tone. “I should’ve said something. I just wanted the CNC so badly, and I didn’t want to spook him.”

He just stared at her, incredulous, and she sighed again. “Don’t give me that look.”

“You deserve it,” he said, so sternly she winced again. “Relationships are a two-way street, even kinky ones. Especially kinky ones.”

“And Doms aren’t mind readers,” she recited. “I know.”

“Then act like it,” he said, and he sounded so pissed she blinked in surprise.

“Whoa. Where did that come from?”

“From watching you spend a year with someone who was never going to give you what you want,” he shot back.

“Well, I didn’t know that!”