He said my name like it was something to savor.
I swallowed hard, the heat behind my eyes prickling dangerously. “It’s hard for me to admit a lot of things.”
“This situation and your circumstances now weren’t your failure,” Bram said instantly, a quiet strength threading through every syllable. “It was his.”
A shaky exhale left my lips.What happened to a sexy holiday romp with no strings attached? But somehow, I needed this too. Needed to be told things I’d desperately needed to hear months ago.
“You’re right. He wasn’t a very good Daddy at the end, if I’m being honest. But the thought of being alone again, even with some not great behavior, had me accepting things that I shouldn’t.”
Bram gave my arm a gentle squeeze. His fingers were rougher than I expected, calloused, warm. I wondered what sort of career he had where he worked with his hands.
“I hate that he had you feeling that way. Listen closely. I’m not stepping into any roles tonight, sweetheart. But I do wantyou to check your brain at the doorway to your room. At least the overthinking part. The part that will start second guessing every interaction. None of that.”
My cottage glowed around us—soft gold from the garland and the twinkling tree—but he looked like the warmest thing in the room. The type of man who could cradle your heart in his hands and crush your body against a doorframe in the same breath. I said a silent prayer, hoping he meant what he’d said earlier about handling me like a doll.
“So,” Bram murmured, tilting his head just enough to meet my gaze fully. “Before we go any further, tell me if you have any hard limits. Soft limits. Anything that I should know before?—”
“Before you toss me over your shoulder and go hunting for my bedroom?” I cut in, trying at humor but sounding breathless instead.
His eyes darkened in that slow, deliberate way that made warmth spiral low in my belly. “I was going to saybefore I touch you,” he corrected softly. “But now that I know exactly what sort of naughty thoughts you’re having…”
“Don’t tease me,” I interjected again.
His husky tone shot straight to my core, giving me even more inappropriate thoughts.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, little elf. Go on.”
“Um. Okay. Yes. Limits.” My brain chose that moment to turn into static, all jumbled sparks and heat and nerves. “I don’t do anything degrading. Or cruel. I don’t like harsh humiliation. And I need aftercare, even if it’s just lighter stuff. Water, chocolate, cuddles.”
“Very good,” he said immediately, processing as if he was taking mental notes and filing them away with care. “Anything else, Savannah?”
“I—” My voice cracked; I hated that it cracked. I took a few deep breaths to clear my lungs and my brain. “I don’t want tobe ignored or be made to feel like I’m bothering someone by needing something.”
Bram’s jaw flexed, his expression softening into something that looked dangerously close to protective. “That’s not a limit, beautiful girl. That’s a wound. One I won’t touch and delve into unless you specifically ask me to.”
“A wound. Oof. Of course it is. I’m talking about it instead of my limits.” I sighed, shaking my head as if I could clear all my previous wounds. “I can’t think of any at the moment aside from what I already shared.”
Bram tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, a smirk on his lips. “I’m listening to you and I’ve got it. Tell me your preferences, little elf.”
Nodding, I rattled them off. I was actually going to let him handle me tonight, even with my insecurities popping up. “I like being picked up, at least I think I do. I always see that stuff in movies, but I’m not a tiny strand of tinsel you can wrap around your finger. No, I’m like the entire Christmas tree and it’s too heavy to carry by yourself.”
Bram’s eyes locked onto mine, dark and unyielding. “Don’t youdaretalk like that around me,” he growled, his voice low and edged with steel, like a warning forged in ice and fire. “Say one more disparaging remark about your body and I’ll make sure your ass glow’s brighter than Rudolph’s nose before I fuck you.”
A flush crept up my chest, bringing heat to my face. “Understood. Though you might want to do that regardless. I also like praise. Maybe a lot of praise,” I said, returning to the focus of the conversation.
His lips curved into a smile. “Keep going, little elf.”
“I enjoy being guided, directed, but not controlled, in the bedroom.”And out of it,I silently added in my thoughts. Not that anything would happen after our night together.
Stepping in until his body shaded the golden garland light behind him, he pressed his mouth to my ear. “I can absolutely give you that tonight.”
I blinked quickly, the room tilting warm and soft at the edges. “I remembered a hard limit. Nothing intense or really rough. No deep dynamic stuff. I don’t want to spiral tomorrow alone when you’re gone if I can help it.”
“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best to give you ease and not intensity. Warmth. Most preferably to your gorgeous ass. Maybe a little delicious distraction?”
Heat rushed through me so fast I had to steady myself on the console table. “Bram. Listen, this is one night.” But even as I said it, it seemed hollow to my ears. It started casual but after confessing so much to him it seemed like maybe it could be the start of something more.
“Savannah,” he murmured, voice like a caress. “Try not to ‘what if’ yourself into a tizzy. You’ve already told me more than enough. Every word shows me how careful I need to be with you tonight.”
