Page 132 of Reign

“That wasn’t very general.”

“Neither was your question.”

His eyes remain on mine.

“Kneel.”

My entire body forgets how to function.

“Kneel,” I repeat.

“Yes.”

“On the floor?”

His lips quirk. “I admire your commitment to clarity.”

“I like knowing what people expect.”

“That’s the point of this lesson.”

The rug softens the floor. That should help.

I lower myself carefully, one knee followed by the other. The room changes from down here. The windows are taller. The furniture is taller.

Luciano is considerably taller.

Everything is taller, actually, which feels unnecessarily personal.

I settle back on my heels and look up at him.

Luciano looks me over slowly.

He’s supposed to be checking my position, but that isn’t all he’s doing.

He likes me down here.

“Wider,” he says.

His attention lowers between my thighs.

“What?”

“Your knees. A little wider.”

Heat rushes into my face.

I shift them apart.

The movement feels far more indecent under his scrutiny than it has any right to.

“Hands behind your back.”

I hesitate long enough to notice it.

Then I take a breath and place my hands behind me, one loosely holding the opposite wrist.

The position changes how I carry myself. My shoulders draw back. My chest opens. My body feels displayed despite every piece of clothing remaining exactly where it belongs.