Free The Firefighter's Woman by Loki Renard Page B

recovered.
    “Okay,” he finally sighed with post-coital satisfaction. “We need to talk.”
    “This doesn’t sound good,” she commented with a little frown. Odin joined the conversation, curling up in front of them on the floor. Sarah scrunched her toes lightly into his fur and he made a satisfied groan before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.
    “I have to go back to work in the next day or two. They’re long shifts, and some of them are going to be night shifts.”
    “Okay…”
    “I’ll be blunt about it. I don’t want you alone in the house at night,” he said. “I don’t want you alone all day either, for that matter. It’s obvious it’s not good for you. I don’t want you tempted to go out and get drunk, or something else just as silly.”
    “I can manage myself,” Sarah said, feeling a little offended. “I managed fine before I met you, I don’t need you to babysit me.”
    “How, exactly, did you manage?”
    “What do you mean?” Sarah was confused. “I have money.”
    He shifted so he could look at her, read her every expression. Sarah always got nervous when he did that. There was something keen about him. When he wanted to know something about her, she got the feeling there was no way she could ever have hidden it. She had a little box of secrets locked away inside her. He didn’t know everything yet, but she was terrified that one day he would have them all.
    “You have what your parents left you, yes,” he nodded. “But what were you doing with yourself? How were you occupying your days?”
    “Oh, this and that,” she shrugged. “There are a lot of cat videos on the internet. I was working my way through them.”
    The flippant response earned her a raised brow and made her instantly defensive.
    “What do you think I did? I hung out.”
    “With who? You’ve not mentioned any friends, and nobody has come over.”
    “More like acquaintances than friends,” she clarified. “People you drink and stuff with. Meet at clubs, go dancing with. You know, fun stuff. Fun friends. Not people you invite to your house.”
    That answer didn’t seem to please him any more than the one before it had. “So you’re telling me your primary activity since graduating high school several years ago has been… partying? Underage drinking?”
    Sarah snorted. “Don’t sound so shocked. It’s what most college kids do anyway. I just cut out the college part.”
    “Well, those days are over,” he informed her. “I don’t want you going out drinking every night. And I don’t want you lying around the house all day either. It’s not good for you.”
    “This is going to be another one of those times where I tell you no and you say my house, my rules and if I don’t roll over for you like Odin does, you put me over your lap, isn’t it?”
    John’s smile was warm as he nodded. “I think you’re getting the hang of how things work around here.”
    “There’s a limit, John.”
    His smile faded. “A limit to what?”
    “A limit to how much control I’m going to let you have over me.”
    “It’s not controlling to say that a young woman should have some kind of education or employment goals.”
    “It is, actually. The ‘should’ part is controlling. If you don’t want me in your house when you’re not here, fine. I’ll go to a hotel.”
    “And go back to drinking and partying and throwing your youth and inheritance away.” He shook his head. “No. I’m not going to allow that. You’re too smart and you’ve got far too much talent to waste.”
    “So what’s your plan for me, John? You seem to have this all laid out already.”
    “I’ve got you a place to stay on the nights where I’m working the night shift. And I’ve gotten you a job.”
    “A job? I don’t need a…”
    “Maybe not financially,” he said. “But mentally, emotionally, you need to work on the self-discipline you get going to a job every day and being responsible for a task. It’s important,