I groan and roll off of her. “What kind of master would I be if I give in to your tempting games?” I tap my forefinger to her nose in light reprimand. “Naughty little thing.”
She snaps her teeth at me playfully, then laughs. The sound is pure delight, and it soars through me like the most exquisite song I’ve ever heard.
“Your pet bites,” she warns, that little smirk still fixed in place.
Something dark stirs inside me. We’ve played twisted games all week, but this is the closest we’ve danced to the kind of dubious consent fantasies she used to exchange with GentAnon.
I climb out of bed and cock my head at her, considering her fate.
“I have a gag that would suit you nicely,” I remark. “But I doubt you’d like to wear that to the wedding.”
Her lips pop open in shock. “You wouldn’t.”
“Test me and find out.” I don’t bother to hide the dangerous threat from my cold tone.
In truth, I’d never allow anyone to see Abigail like that. Her subjugation is for my eyes only. But the little fearful tremor that races over her is absolutely delicious. I won’t reassure her when she looks so beautifully frightened, those aqua eyes wide and glittering like gemstones.
“Go on,” I prompt. “Take a shower. I’ll make coffee.”
She blushes and drops her gaze in submission. I’m almost disappointed when she obeys me, but I remind myself that we can’t be late to Meadows’ wedding. I might not feel friendship in the way most people do, but he’s a good colleague, and the practice that we’re building together here in Charleston is important to me.
Abigail sees this city as home, so it’s time for me to put down roots here too.
I’m not going anywhere.
An hour and a half later,Abigail is wearing one of my oversized white bathrobes while she sips at the coffee that I made for her. She’s just finished her makeup except for her lip gloss, which she said she doesn’t want to smudge. Her hair is fully dry and naturally wavy, but she intends to perfect the loose curls before we leave at noon.
As promised, she’s perfectly punctual—a quality I admire.
She might be a bit haphazard when it comes to tidying her living space, but she’s respectful enough of my time that she won’t make us late.
“I’ll need to stop by my place to pick up my dress,” she says. “Just let me finish my hair, and we can go.”
Her eyes rove over me, taking in my tuxedo. The wedding takes place later this afternoon, and the invitation said black tieattire. Meadows’ family is old money, so I’m not surprised at the dress code.
“I bought a dress for you to wear,” I say. “We don’t need to stop by your place.”
Her guard goes up immediately, her eyes shuttering and her mouth firming to a thin line.
“I have a nice dress,” she replies defensively. “I won’t embarrass you, Dane.”
“You could never embarrass me,” I assure her. “But I want to buy beautiful things for you. You are going to let me.”
Her brows arch. “Am I? When did I agree to that?”
“When you signed the contract that says I’m responsible for your well-being.” I let my tone drop lower in warning.
She straightens her shoulders. “There’s a difference between my well-being and buying me expensive things that I don’t need.”
“This isn’t about what you need,” I counter. “It’s about what I want. And I want to see you wearing the dress I bought for you.”
Her posture goes rigid. “How can you make a gift sound so unbearably selfish? No, thank you.”
“When did I ever give you the impression that I’m not selfish?” I drawl. “I’ve shown you exactly who I am. You chose me. You gave yourself to me. Would you prefer I pretended to be a soft, kind gentleman? No,” I continue before she can open her mouth to respond. “You like me the way I am, and that means you’ll do as I say.”
Her eyes flash. “I don’t think so.”
Fuck.
