Page 37 of Puck Me Back to Life

“Okay.”

Ash's eyebrow rises.

I immediately realize I've interrupted. “Sorry.”

His mouth twitches. Then he continues. “We use a stoplight system.”

I listen carefully.

“Red means stop.”

I nod.

“Yellow means slow down.”

Another nod.

“And green means you're okay.”

His gaze sharpens slightly. “If you say red, I stop immediately. No questions. No arguments.”

Something about that eases a tension I hadn't even realized I was carrying.

Ash waits. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

One eyebrow rises.

I blink. I don't understand this look.

A smile appears.

Small.

Dangerous.

“When we're in a scene,” Ash says, “I'm sir.”

Heat immediately floods my face. The title sounds ridiculous in my head.

And yet... Not ridiculous. Not really.

“Do you understand?”

I swallow. “Yes, sir.”

The approval in his expression is immediate. “Good.”

My stomach flips. That fucking word again.

Ash steps back slightly. “Repeat the stoplight system.”

The request catches me off guard. For a second, I feel like I'm back in school.

Still, I answer.

“Red means stop.”