Grant: A M/m BDSM Romance (Bound & Controlled Book 3)

by Shaw Montgomery

  That was something he wasn’t going to tattle on the little birdie about.

  Carter nodded and was quiet for the rest of the drive to the restaurant. Grant figured he was trying to sort things out, so he didn’t push. He knew he was giving Carter a lot to process. Just the fact that he hadn’t put up a fuss about the clothes was more than Grant had been expecting.

  Little Italy was one of his favorite restaurants. His mouth started watering as soon as he parked near the building. Carter didn’t seem to mind his choice. He glanced over and gave Grant a little smile. “At least it’s not a buffet restaurant.”

  Grant laughed as he climbed out of the car. Carter didn’t wait for him to come around and open the door, and that was all right with him. He didn’t need to do that kind of stuff, and he didn’t want a full-time submissive. But from the look on Carter’s face, he’d been curious if Grant was going to say something.

  Not yet. There were so many other things to drive Carter insane about.

  Their reservations were ready when they walked in, so they were taken right to their table. “Your waiter will be with you in just a moment.”

  “Thank you.” Grant gave the hostess a quick smile as she started to walk away after giving them their menus and the typical spiel.

  Their service was one of the reasons he’d chosen this restaurant. Located right on the edge of the more conservative part of town and the trendier district, it had an upscale feel but none of the snobbery you would expect. It would take a lot to make one of their employees blink, much less be surprised at a skirt.

  Carter seemed to know he looked fabulous, but that didn’t mean he thought everyone else would appreciate his clothing choices. Grant was glad to see that when he realized the server wasn’t surprised at all, his stress seemed to fade.

  Hopefully, the rest of their date would go just as smoothly.

  Chapter 3

  Carter

  It was the strangest date he’d ever been on.

  No drama that he wasn’t dressed right to be taken out in public, well, not the typical drama. Grant’s aren’t-you-going-to-look-sexy-for-me pushiness wasn’t the normal way his dates usually went. They’d gone to a real restaurant. And Grant really didn’t seem to mind what Carter wanted to wear at all. He even liked the skirt.

  He more than liked the skirt.

  Grant thought he was desirable. He even wanted to take Carter to the club dressed up in something erotic. The look on his face let Carter know exactly what kinds of naughty things he was imagining, and it wasn’t typical sub gear.

  Carter wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was tempted to look around for the hidden cameras that had to be following them. It couldn’t be real—but it was. Grant was perfect. Well, perfect except the man had no subtlety when it came to flirting. Carter didn’t mind, though.

  It was nice to be wanted for who he really was. He just wasn’t used to it. As they’d ordered and started eating, the conversation became more natural and it didn’t feel so strange. Grant pulled back on the outrageous comments, talking about work and asking questions about Carter’s shop.

  Maybe it was all the time they’d spent talking on the phone and hanging out at the family events Carter had been invited to. Grant wasn’t new; it was just the idea that he actually liked Carter that would take some getting used to.

  By the time they finished dinner and were heading back to the car, Carter was feeling more confident. The usual sci-fi-sized moths that would try to beat their way out of his body were typical first date butterflies. It was nice.

  Grant teased him through dinner that he wasn’t going to tell what they were going to do next—unless sufficiently bribed by Carter. Carter just hadn’t been exactly sure what Grant had meant, so he’d kept his mouth shut. The words had been teasing, but the desire coming from Grant had been anything but sweet.

  What had he been picturing?

  Carter knew he couldn’t ask without Grant being very forthcoming about exactly what was on his mind. Carter was torn. He couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. He liked not having to speculate about Grant’s interest in him, but he didn’t know enough about what the Dom liked to guess at how he would respond.

  How much of a Dom was Grant?

  No one in the family had said he was looking for a lifestyle relationship, and Carter was reasonably sure that information would have been freely offered. They didn’t believe in hiding anything in their family. He hadn’t been over that many times, but they’d all been very open and welcoming.

  It would take some getting used to.

  His own family hadn’t bothered to hide what they thought of Carter’s choices. Watching how differently another family handled things was…hard. Carter loved the way Garrett’s family supported Wyatt. He just wasn’t used to it. It gave him a peek at what his own family could have been like if they’d been more accepting.

  Mostly, he was glad Wyatt had found someone who loved him and a place he fit in. No one thought he was odd for wanting to kneel or for needing more from Garrett than a typical boyfriend would. They’d all gone out of their way to show him he could be himself.

  They’d also gone out of their way to show Carter he could be himself.

  “Now are you going to tell me?” As they were pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward downtown, Carter was anxious to know what else Grant had planned.

  “Possibly. I still haven’t been bribed, though.” Grant’s tone was teasing, but the look on his face was pure desire.

  He shouldn’t play along. He was either going to encourage the crazy, or he was going to be embarrassed when he guessed wrong. Carter was completely out of his depth. He’d had some hookups and met a few guys, but nobody like Grant.

  Deciding that looking at Grant’s reaction would be too stressful, he looked out the side window, studying the signs and buildings as they drove by. “How about a kiss?”

  Grant snorted. “Unless I really fuck up tonight, I thought that was already just about guaranteed on a first date. I think I’m going to need something a little more tempting.”

  Carter coughed to cover his laugh. The offense in Grant’s voice was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Glancing over at Grant, he tried not to smile. “Guaranteed, huh?”

  “We’ve talked a lot. I haven’t sent any dick pics or anything offensive. I took you to a nice restaurant, and I have something else fun planned, too. Oh, yeah, I get a kiss goodnight. It’s in the bag and you know it.” Grant grinned and looked incredibly pleased with himself. Coming from a man who looked like the leader of a motorcycle gang, it was an odd combination when talking about a kiss.

  “I’m not sure about that. For argument's sake, I’ll concede the issue.” Ignoring the wicked grin coming from Grant, Carter glanced out the window again. He was already encouraging the crazy, but how much more was he going to play along? It’d been so long since someone was interested in him that even with Grant’s sledgehammer approach to flirting, he still questioned it.

  Grant was quiet while Carter’s mind worked through the options. He didn’t automatically give Carter an out, but they’d driven around the same section of downtown three times, and Carter knew he was running out of time. If he wanted to play, he would have to step up, or Grant was going to let him out of it just by parking the car.

  “How about I let you pick out what I wear when we go up to the club?” Carter held his breath and waited to see what Grant would say. It was a ridiculously over-the-top bribe, but he wanted Grant to know he was interested but reserved, not blowing him off. And he’d already promised Wyatt he’d go, so he might as well let someone dress him who knew what would be appropriate and sexy.

  Grant growled under his breath and actually reached down to adjust his cock. Then he looked over at Carter with a naughty, satisfied grin. “I like that. You know how to bribe a man.”

  Carter knew he was blushing again, so he looked out the window, trying to pretend he wasn’t embarrassed. “So where are we going?”<
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  “I thought we could do the night market. I haven’t had a chance to go there in ages, and I heard that you haven’t ever gone.” Grant’s voice was pleased, like his team had just made a touchdown.

  “Oh.” That sounded promising. Even though he’d been in Richmond quite a while, he hadn’t gone to the farmer’s market that was held in the summer evenings. Most of the time he was either busy with work or so tired he’d just wanted to go home and curl up. “That should be fun.”

  “And the website said they even have a craft market and some antique vendors there tonight, so I thought it could be interesting to see what else is out there.” Now Grant sounded a little less sure of himself.

  “That’s a great idea. I like seeing the different things other businesses find. I’ve even made some good contacts at similar events. Thank you for thinking of it.” Glancing over at Grant, Carter could see the smug expression back on Grant’s face. The Dom loved being right.

  Needing to get back at him just a little, Carter returned to looking out the windshield. “Are you ready to stop driving around in circles now and actually park?”

  Grant laughed. “I had to make sure I got my bribe.”

  “Would you have kept driving around until I gave in?” Carter shouldn’t have asked; he already knew the answer.

  “Of course, or unless you said you didn’t want to play.” Carter saw Grant’s casual shrug out of the corner of his eye.

  Not sure what to say, Carter just shook his head again. Grant was going to make him batty. Thankfully, they parked before he could figure out how to respond. As they got out of the car, Grant surprised him by taking his hand. The skirt and everything, and Grant still didn’t mind.

  As they walked down the street and turned into the local park, Carter could see the stalls and booths that were set up. There were lots of traditional fruit and vegetable vendors, but there were also flowers and crafts and a variety of other things.

  Meandering through the crowded walkways, Grant showed him some pictures he liked by a local artist, and Carter pointed out some antique vendors that were a few rows over. When Grant dragged him over to a booth selling brownies and cookies, Carter had to laugh.

  “These are my favorites. They look like regular chocolate chip cookies, but they have a brownie inside.” Grant looked like a kid on Christmas morning. “I can either only get a couple to eat now, or enough that Brent can steal a couple when he comes over. He’s a sneaky bastard and can smell cookies no matter how well you’ve hidden them.”

  He was so serious that Carter coughed to cover a laugh. Oh, the problems when you had a large family that didn’t hate you. “I’ll keep that in mind. How many are you going to get?”

  Carter hadn’t thought it was a difficult question, but Grant took it very seriously. After a quick internal debate, he looked back at Carter. “A couple for us now, but can I leave the rest at your house so they won’t get stolen? The last time I bought some, Brent came over the next day and they were gone. I didn’t even see him steal them. I went to get something out of the bedroom, and he and the cookies vanished.”

  It had to be the funniest thing Carter had ever heard, but he was trying to take it seriously because Grant was clearly concerned. “Yes. You can keep them at my house. I’ll even keep them away from Wyatt if he comes over.”

  “Yeah, he can’t keep a secret.” Grant nodded seriously, and then turned to the vendor who was nearly dying while trying to be professional. “Two dozen, please.”

  After getting their treats and promising one more time that he could keep them safe, they set off toward the other side of the park where the furniture and used items were being sold. He recognized a few other shop owners from around the area and stopped to say hello.

  The ones he’d met before were used to his more colorful personality, so they didn’t even blink at the skirt, but Grant made them a little more cautious. Not because he was introducing himself as Carter’s boyfriend, which Carter still wasn’t how to take, but because even in his work clothes, he still looked out of place.

  Bikers did not buy antiques or date men in more feminine clothing, evidently.

  Carter finally started introducing Grant by bringing up Grant’s business first, then letting Grant butt in to say they were together. Hearing the ties to a well-known local business seemed to smooth things over faster. Grant seemed used to the hesitation from the other owners, because as they left one very skittish older woman who was selling antique clothing, Grant leaned down to whisper in his ear, “That’s why Garrett or someone else does most of the Chamber of Commerce stuff or the public face of the business. I make people nervous.”

  “I don’t see why. I knew right away you were sweet.” Carter wanted to add “and a terrible tease,” but he thought that might get them off track.

  Grant smiled down at him and squeezed his hand. “I liked that you weren’t hesitant about spending time with me.”

  Carter held off on pointing out that they’d met at a family barbecue so he hadn’t been worried about much going wrong, but Grant was so pleased Carter didn’t want to burst his bubble. By the time they finished browsing around, Carter had some good ideas for the shop and a full stomach from all the cookies they’d eaten. As they wandered back to Grant’s car, Carter smiled. “I had fun. This was a good idea.”

  Getting a chance to talk to Grant and get to know him in a casual environment had been a much better choice than a movie or anything like that. Even the few off looks they’d been given hadn’t dampened his enthusiasm for the evening. The only thing that was pulling at him were the unanswered questions he still had but wasn’t ready to ask—and wasn’t sure how to bring up.

  As they drove back toward Carter’s house, Grant looked over and gave him a wicked grin. “You know I’m going to make everyone look at schedules tomorrow to figure out when we can go up to the club.”

  Carter barked out a laugh. “I had a feeling you were going to do that.” He’d have been very surprised if that wasn’t top on Grant’s to-do list.

  “You still going to let me dress you up?” Grant’s gaze was heated, and Carter could feel the arousal radiating from him. How much did the idea of picking out his clothes appeal to the Dom?

  “Yes. I won’t back out.” Even though he probably should. “I just want to make sure I won’t look ridiculous or anything. I don’t want to embarrass Wyatt or your family.”

  Imagining going up there with everyone made him queasy, but he wasn’t going to change his mind. When Wyatt had initially brought up going a few years ago, he’d thought the hardest part would be all the strangers. Now it was going to be all the people that he knew.

  “You are going to look incredible. Now, you know you’re going to have to show me what you have before we go so I can pick it out. I don’t want to wait until the last minute, in case I need to buy you something else.” Grant’s eyes lit up and Carter wasn’t sure what turned his boyfriend on more, buying something new for him to wear or going through his lingerie drawer.

  “I never said you could buy me something.” That seemed too intimate, even though they were talking about going to a BDSM club.

  “That’s just understood as acceptable boyfriend behavior when he’s a Dom.” Grant nodded like the discussion was done and the issue settled.

  “Hmm, we’ll see about that.” He had a feeling he would have to learn to pick his battles with the train that was Grant, or he’d end up getting flattened.

  Did he mind Grant buying him something?

  The first thing that came to Carter’s mind was yes, but he couldn’t decide why. Grant was going to be looking through his lingerie. Why would buying something matter? Maybe it was because it felt more real…more nerve-racking.

  If Grant bought him something, especially something that was sexy and feminine, it would mean that he really understood Carter. The idea was frightening—and that made him feel stupid. Just because he hadn’t found a man who understood and supported what he liked didn’t mean there
was anything wrong with finding one who did.

  He’d wanted a unicorn, but now that he had one, he was thinking about running in the opposite direction—that wasn’t the most reasonable behavior. If it were something else besides lingerie, he wouldn’t have thought about it. Flowers, fine. Dinner out, fine. He was going to have to do some thinking.

  Carter hadn’t even realized they’d pulled up into his driveway until Grant turned off the engine. He turned to Grant awkwardly and was relieved when the Dom didn’t seem to care that his mind had wandered.

  Grant smiled and gave him a knowing look before leaning back against the door. “I had fun tonight. Thank you for going out with me.”

  It was sweet and polite. Carter was immediately suspicious. “I had a good time. Dinner was wonderful, and the market was a great idea.”

  Grant’s chest puffed up. “I know.” His grin took on a serious note. “Don’t forget to mention that when my mother asks.”

  What?

  “Your mother?” Carter thought he had to have misunderstood something.

  “With everyone finding ‘Mr. Right’ there’s only so long she’s going to stay traveling. We’ve got a bet going about how much longer it will be. I’m thinking about a week, but Brent thinks another three because she should be traveling for several more weeks. Bryce, on the other hand, is saying two weeks, and he was very confident. I think he’s cheated somehow, but I can’t prove it. Garrett refused to guess because he said she was like a ghost and talking about her could conjure her. He’s been hanging around Calen too much.” Grant frowned and shook his head. “Bryce is the sneaky one. You have to be careful, because he looked too innocent.”

  Carter was still reeling from the comment about Grant’s mother, and was having a hard time catching up. “But your mother?”

  Grant nodded seriously. “Will grill you to see if I behaved myself.”

  “Huh?”

  The Dom looked slightly sheepish but waved his hand like it was nothing. “Don’t worry about that part. You can just tell her I took you out to dinner and we walked around the night market, and that I was a perfect gentleman.”