Page 123 of Reign

“Why?”

“Because it was ugly.”

“You were jealous.”

“I was observant.”

“You were both.”

Her nose crinkles as she glares at me.

Her annoyance gives me everything except admission, and watching her defend herself is far more entertaining than forcing it from her.

“This conversation is about my future husband,” she says.

My amusement loses some of its warmth.

“So it is.”

She waits for my answer, annoyance covering the nerves again. Her fingers have released the hem of her shirt, but one thumb presses into the center of her opposite palm.

I let the silence stretch for another beat, giving nothing away.

“I’ll consider the candidates.”

Her eyebrows rise. “You’ll make the list?”

“While I determine what kind of man could meet your needs.”

“That sounds suspiciously evasive.”

“It’s precise.”

“It’s annoying.”

“You’ll recover.”

Her eyes narrow. “And you’ll train me.”

“That depends on how far you want the training to go.”

“What does that mean?”

I step closer, taking the last of the space between us. Elena tips her head back but refuses to retreat.

“I can teach you the basics. Protocol. Positions. How to kneel and present. What submission requires from you and what you have every right to require in return.”

Her gaze stays on mine.

“Or we take your questionnaire one answer at a time. We find out which curiosities become yes, which become no, and which require more trust before you explore them.”

She swallows. “How would we find out?”

“I’d restrain you. Touch you. Control when you come.” I lower my voice. “I’d learn what your body responds to before your mouth has time to interfere.”

Her breath catches.

“Do you want that?”