Page 131 of Reign

“That’s why I’m teaching you.”

The answer is simple. He doesn’t make my uncertainty sound stupid or turn it into a problem I should’ve solved before coming to him.

I set the notebook and pen beside me. “When does my first lesson start?”

“Now.”

His gaze moves over the way I’m sitting before returning to my face.

“We’ll start with posture.”

“Posture?” I repeat. “Oh, so my nonna’s in the room?”

Amusement remains in his eyes as he rises from the armchair.

“That joke was within reason.”

“Generous.”

He comes to stand several feet from the couch. “There are positions some Doms prefer. Every dynamic is different. Some expect protocol throughout the day. Others reserve it for scenes.”

“So it isn’t all day, every day?”

“Only if both people agree to that kind of dynamic.”

“And you?”

The question escapes before I can decide whether I want him to answer it.

His gaze settles more intently on me. “Are you asking what I’d expect from you?”

Heat climbs my throat. “I was asking generally.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’ve spent the morning asking me to find your future husband while imagining yourself in every answer I give.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m asking about us.”

“I didn’t say us.”

My face becomes offensively warm.

His smile appears slowly. He knows exactly what he did.

“Fine,” I say. “What would you want from a submissive?”

His attention drops to my mouth. “Obedience when it matters.”

My pulse quickens.

“Oh, so this is about my mouth?” I ask.

“No. I’d keep that exactly as it is.”

The answer hits low.