“No.”
“But, you have questions?”
“Yes.”
“If I can provide answers to your questions, will you kneel naked at my feet? Will you allow me to cuff you? Will you let me apply that crop to your lovely bottom, as you so richly deserve?”
“Yes.”
He turns to face me at last. His hips resting against the window sill he lowers his brows and folds his arms. I have never seen him more formidable, more intimidating. More utterly gorgeous. My pussy melts. I’m drooling in anticipation despite his promise of pain to come before pleasure. Or are pleasure and pain so hopelessly intertwined as to make it meaningless for me to attempt to tease them one from the other?
“So, ask.”
“I glance around me. “Is this Caroline’s room?”
“Yes. It was. I’m planning to clear out her stuff. Her brother’s been in touch wanting her things. I told him he could take anything of hers he would like, and I’ll dispose of the rest.” He gives me a wry smile. “It’s time.”
“Would you clear me out so easily?”
“You? You’re not in.”
I’m not deflected by his apparent dismissal. “I don’t mean handbags and knick-knacks. That’s just stuff. Would you let me go as easily as you let go of Caroline?”
“I’ll never let you go. I love you.”That’s more like it.
“You loved Caroline. Once.”
“Did I say that?”
“You must have…”
“No. I never loved her. I thought I’d made that plain.”
I think back to his description of what was, indeed, a fairly casual relationship. It took on the appearance of being more because they shared a house. Looking around this room, the room so obviously occupied by Caroline during most of her time here, it’s clear they didn’t live together in any meaningful sense. A pile of celebrity gossip magazines beside the bed, cosmetics and toiletries neatly lined up on the dressing table, shoes on the floor—this was clearly Caroline’s personal space. I have seen nothing of hers in Ewan’s room.
“Could you love a submissive?”
“Idolove a submissive. I thought I made that plain too. Even if that submissive is slow on the uptake and not quite ready yet to accept the truth of her nature. And mine.”
I’m trying not to be side-tracked, but I can’t suppress my smile. I continue. “This can’t be casual for me. If we do this…”
“When we do this.” He corrects me, his tone gentle but definite. “You brought the cuffs and the crop. I intend to make use of them.”
“…when we do this, it makes our relationship even more—intimate. Even more personal than before. Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense.”
He pushes himself to his feet and steps forward. Standing before me, he grasps a handful of my hair and tilts my head back. He doesn’t pull quite hard enough to hurt, but I know I shouldn’t resist. His face is inches from mine, the deep brown of his eyes gleaming. I’m mesmerised, could not look away if I wanted to. His expression is stern, intense, and utterly sexy. My stomach is doing cartwheels and my knickers are disgracefully wet too. I open my mouth to speak, but he stops me with one arched eyebrow. It seems he has more to say.
“I made my terms clear earlier. I want you as my submissive. I’ll teach you, train you. I’ll help you. I’ll take care of you. You’ll come to no harm with me. For my part I expect you to obey me, to be honest with me, always. I demand respect and courtesy, and you can expect the same from me. I’ll make the rules, we’ll discuss them, but once you accept there’s no going back. I will enforce those rules, and I’ll punish you when I need to. That discipline will be physical, and it will hurt. So, those are my terms. What are yours?”
I hold his gaze as his grip tightens in my hair. I draw in a sharp breath, but he doesn’t let up. Neither does he rush me. I have time to consider my answer.
“Do you love me?”
“Yes.”
“Will you be kind to me?”
