Checklist J, K, L

Davina let Grif drive, only because he knew where they were going. They’d had a spirited argument about it in the parking lot, which ended with Grif reminding her that without him, she wouldn’t get the Southland’s best, crispiest fish tacos.

Her stomach grumbled and she gave in, hiding her smile of delight that he hadn’t insisted he should be the one to drive because he was her Master. Insisting on driving because you knew the way was something entirely different.

The collar was off, and they were back to being Grif and Davina, lovers, sexual partners, and friends, though she hadn’t used that word to describe them before.

They hit the normal weekend beach traffic, but within forty minutes they were walking into a little Mexican restaurant. The minute the door opened, Davina’s mouth started to water. It smelled like cilantro, onions, cumin, and fried fish.

“I’m starving,” she moaned.

Grif put a hand on her back, leading her to the tiny hostess stand. “Give me five more minutes and you’ll have your margarita and some chips with good salsa.”

They were led to a small booth with high backed wooden bench seats. The tablecloth was garish, the old photos on the walls a bit dingy indicating they hadn’t been taken down and cleaned in a while, and like any good Los Angeleno, she knew that meant the food was going to be delicious.

When the waitress came, Davina ordered a pitcher of the house margaritas just to see how Grif would react. He added a request for water, and then the waitress was off to get their order started.

“Does it bug you that I ordered drinks for us?” she asked.

“No. Honestly that’s what I was going to order. If I’d wanted something else, I would have changed it.” He looked up from the menu. “Did you want it to bug me?”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t…” She finished with a shrug.

“Still in Master mode?” His voice was a bit lower than it had been, and it made her remember what it felt like to have him whispering commands in her ear.

She waited for panic, or for that flash of white that indicated she was sinking into her serenity. Neither happened; it was just a good memory, triggered by the tone of his voice. She relaxed again.

“I recommend the combination three-taco plate, with their homemade refried beans.”

“Mmm, that sounds good, but fattening. I’m going to get two tacos a la carte, and then steal a bite of your beans.”

“Keep your fork away from my plate, woman.”

“Didn’t your mother teach you to share?”

They sniped gently at one another until the waitress came to take their order. Grif pointedly ordered an extra side of beans. The bartender delivered their frosty pitcher and two salt-rimmed glasses.

Grif poured, and held his glass up in a toast. “To fish tacos, and eating your own beans.”

Davina grinned, but as delightful as this was so far, this dinner was about more than just food.

them to be anything more than BDSM partners. If he hadn’t asked her to coffee last weekend at the Getty, she wouldn’t have dared complicate an already complex situation by adding a vanilla romance to it, but he had,

it for what it was, probably because doing so would mean opening the door

first date,” she countered. Grif froze, an

tapped her glass to his, then took

we just…are we on a

looked around pointedly. “I certainly

a date,

“That’s a fair question, since I was so dismissive when you’ve asked me out before. The answer is yes, this is a date date.” Now it was her

downed half his margarita in one swallow. “For two smart, confident people, we are behaving

Davina laughed. “We are.”

than just the person I get to spend time with at Las Palmas.” It seemed like he was avoiding saying BDSM or Master/sub, almost as if to keep from reminding her that when they were at the club,

didn’t you say

didn’t want to risk fucking up what we had. Second, the few times

“I did, and

his head. “Stupid question. I know what changed, I was there. I mean why did that make you want to

posture, elbows on the table, leaning in so their faces were less than a foot apart. “I found emotional clarity last night. I hadn’t let myself sink that deeply into my serenity in years. You got

sense. Can I

I’m in love with

at her.

should have made her sick with embarrassment, but something about the tone of his shock, and the way he was looking at her—disbelief and a tinge of

Oh no, no, no. You do not get to say it

“What does that mean?”

love with you for the past year and a half, and forced myself to keep my mouth

been…in love with me…for

say it first, a fraking day after figuring out you love me.

am not going to

it back,

mirth. Grif slouched against the booth, his arms

aren’t married with kids,” he

not,” she said. “I wouldn’t be with you if I

the contract started. If you’d been married that would have been a preexisting partner and you could have still been…been

by his words. “You thought about

you, has fueled many

my past, I will need…Wait, you’re describing yourself as my side

being married and spending the weekends with me is what made you happy then…” He ran a hand through his hair.