Free Unexpected Angel by Sloan Johnson

morning as she opens the second bag I had placed next to her. “What’s this for?” She asks, holding up a Wisconsin t-shirt in one hand and a hoodie in the other.
    Suddenly, I have serious doubts. What is it about this girl that has me questioning everything? Turning me inside fucking out, that’s what she is doing to me. “Do you like football?” I ask as I walk across the room to get my own sweatshirt. When I look over my shoulder, she is practically bouncing on the bed. Apparently, I had nothing to worry about.
    “Are you kidding me? I love football, but I haven’t been to a game since I was a kid.” I am quickly learning her body language and can see her receding into that dark place that contains her entire adult life to this point. When she’s thinking about something unpleasant, her eyes get dark and dull. I want to shine a light deep into her soul and banish the darkness. “How did you get tickets?”
    It’s true; this is one of the hardest games of the year to get tickets for. Minnesota might not be a strong team this season, but the rivalry between the neighboring schools is always fierce. Even if both of them had lost every game of the season, the fight for Paul Bunyan’s axe, the trophy that goes to the winning team each year, fills every seat in the stadium. Luckily, Zeke’s family has season tickets and his brother and sister-in-law aren’t going because she is about to have a baby any day.
    “Let’s j ust say I know people,” I chuckle. She manages to pull herself out of the darkness this time and she looks exuberant as she pulls everything out of the bags, laying it neatly at the foot of the bed. And then, it happens. I swear this girl is going to give me whiplash with how fast her mind goes from happy thoughts to worry.
    Tasha sits on the bed, wringing her hands and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I can tell there is something on her mind, likely something neither of us will enjoy talking about. I drop my own clothes on the bed and sit down next to her. I turn so I’m facing her, trying to put a little distance between us.
    In the past, m ost of the women who were with me wanted me to help them take their mind off the emotional pain by inflicting physical pain. As much as I understood that desire for them, it’s not something I would even suggest to Tasha. I don’t want to transform her pain; I want to make it disappear completely.
    “Just say it,” I urge when she remains silent. She looks up at me with those heavenly blue eyes and I realize just how fragile she is. “Whatever it is, let’s get it out in the open now so we can go have some fun.”
    A cloud of tension fills the bedroom as she refuses to say what is on her mind. Yet another trait I want to break her of.
    “Why were you there last night?” Her voice is so quiet I can barely hear her words. “A couple of times, you made it sound like the most despicable thing you’d ever seen, so why go?”
    It’s not what I expected her to say. In a way, it’s worse. I would rather listen to her tell me how I shouldn’t buy her things or offer to take her somewhere than have to get into this. Given her reaction to simple things like my possessiveness and protective nature, I know it is going to be a long, drawn out conversation. One we don’t have time for and one I’m not prepared to get into with her until she gets to know me as a person. By then, I hope like hell she can see that the world of Dominance and submission isn’t something to be afraid of and that it isn’t something perverse.
    “There’s not an easy answer to that,” I sigh, trying to think of what I can say to satisfy her curiosity and bring her back to a place where she feels safe and secure. More than anything, I want to see her smile again. The real smile that lights up her entire face.
    “You seem to say that a lot.” The tone in her voice is wary but the gleam in her eyes is curious.
    I stand, reaching down to pull her up so her body is