Free True Perfection [Aspire 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Allyson Young Page A

but I wanted more. I wanted to have a life besides our relationship, a career. I didn’t think being your sub was enough. I was being so damn selfish and stubborn. You said it to that doctor. You were right.”
    Haley put her fingers to Gordon’s mouth as he opened it to interject.
    “No, Gordon, you asked. I’ll tell you. Please, hear me out. I didn’t think it would work. I feared that Warren would revert back to cold Warren and piss me off, and worse, break my heart again. So I told myself I couldn’t trust it and tried to distance myself. When you allied with him, I reacted instead of thinking it through and accepting that you both know more about what I need than I do myself. All you asked for was a chance, and I got scared. And then I waltz off to the job I put ahead of the two men I love more than life itself, and one of them nearly gets killed because of me.”
    Haley stopped to gather the courage for her next statement. Gordon was going to react, and she needed to be ready. He was watching her intently, and she couldn’t read him. She had always been able to read Gordon. This wasn’t going to go well, but she had to tell him.
    “When Warren is up and around and able to think about this without things being blurred by the medication he’s taking…” Haley felt the tears sting her eyes, and blinked hard. She was going to do this. Waiting was too hard even if she deserved it. She even failed at taking her self-imposed punishment, the waiting for the axe to fall.
    “When he can think clearly,” she continued, “he’s going to see how much trouble I am, just as you will. I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to make amends. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me to leave and trying to do what I can for you both in the meantime.”
    Gordon didn’t respond. He just sat there and held her, and Haley wanted to scream. She wished he would act, say something, do something. Finally, he stood her on her feet and got up. He shook his head and then gave her a little push toward the bathroom.
    “Clean up and get dressed. I want you ready to go within fifteen minutes.”
    Haley’s vision blurred, but she made her feet move. The bathroom looked to be miles away, but she got there and woodenly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She wiped the evidence of Gordon’s earlier climax from between her legs and tossed the cloth into the laundry. Her hair was beyond repair, so she settled for pulling it up and clipping it out of the way. Gordon wasn’t in the bedroom when she went back to the closet, and Haley pulled a short-sleeved, loose shift dress from the rack. Her bottom hurt, so she found a pair of light cotton panties to step into and unearthed a matching bra. The dress covered her to just below the knee, and Haley eschewed stockings, toeing into a pair of flat shoes. She hadn’t unpacked the bag from the hospital, so it was simply a matter of slinging it over her shoulder and picking up her purse. She didn’t know where she was going to live, but she wouldn’t think about that right now. She just wanted to obey Gordon. She hurriedly yanked the bedclothes into some semblance of order with her free hand and then made her way downstairs. She forced herself not to think and pushed all her feelings down, down into a corner of herself so they wouldn’t get in her way. She was going to walk out with dignity and not cause Gordon any trouble. He was standing by the front door, his big frame rigid. His gaze raked her from head to toe. Haley saw a flash of pain in his eyes, but his face was like a stone. She made her lips curve up as much as she could but knew it was just a grimace.
    “I’m ready to go,” she said as calmly as possible and watched Gordon’s eyes flare. He stepped toward her, and she flinched despite herself. He was so angry. God, she just wanted to leave, run. When Gordon snatched the bag from her shoulder and hurled it down the hall, Haley thought she might follow it. She didn’t