I gently kept running my fingers through her hair. Even though my chest tightened.
Because the second she spoke, something inside started bracing for no. For watching her slip away and pretending I could do simple with her. Lie to both of us.
She rolled away, on her side, back half to me. Hands tucking under her cheek.
A cold dread like feeling rushed through me. As if I felt a door closing. Crow training whispered, accept loss, reposition, protect the asset anyway. My heart answered, over my dead fucking body.
“Vince?”
My eyes stayed on the ceiling. “Yeah.”
“Can I… say something without you…? Without you going full Crow about it?”
I rolled onto my side, facing her. “No promises.”
Her mouth twitched. Then she exhaled, fast.
“I do want to be your submissive. I do. But I’m… I’m not…” Color flooded her cheeks. “…equipped.”
“Equipped how.” My hand slid back into her hair, thumb at her temple.
God. I hadn’t touched her for minutes. It might as well be hours. The way my body reacted.
“I’m a virgin.”
What. The. Fuck. I froze.
“And before you freak out, I’m not expecting some perfect first time. I just thought you should know before you commit to this and then realise your new sub comes with a manual and no practical hours logged.”
Everything in my head blanked. My beautiful girl referring to herself as something I would use, and not loved. Before I could speak, she kept talking quickly.
“I haven’t had time to date. My calendar’s been curated since I was twelve. Activities. Tutors. Academy. Chambers. I graduated early and went straight into work. My mother needs a perfect dynasty daughter. My father needs a perfect heir. There are always more meetings. More optics. I made peace with losing it to whoever they merged me with.”
My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
Her fingers twisted in the sheet. “This is the first time I’ve… wanted someone. I got stuck in an elevator with this tattooed Crow I should’ve run from.”
Yeah. Elevator. Dark. Her shaking. My voice in her ear. The time everything shifted and I pretended it hadn’t.
“I know you don’t date. Everyone knows. So I assumed whatever this is has a ceiling. We flirt, maybe mess around, then you get bored and I go back to being inventory. So when you said Dom and sub, all I could think was: he has no idea how new I am. And I don’t want to be work for you.”
“Madeline.”
She winced. “You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad you’re a virgin. I’m furious you thought you had to hide it.”
“I wasn’t hiding it, I just?—”
“You were going to say no to us, because you pre-decided what I needed.”
“I’ve heard how heirs talk. They don’t like dealing with virgins. It’s slow. Messy. Emotional. They don’t have time to be gentle.”
“I’m not them.” My hand tightened at her nape.
She watched me like that might be true, but dangerous to believe.
“You should’ve told me in the bath.”
