Page 133 of Reign

Luciano walks around me once.

Slowly.

His attention moves over my posture from every angle, but his hands remain at his sides. The absence of touch makes me more aware of where it could land.

“Back straight.”

I straighten.

“Chin up.”

I lift it.

“Good.”

The praise lands warm beneath my ribs. My body accepts it before my pride can interfere.

“Eyes on me.”

My gaze rises immediately.

He’s already watching.

“Some Doms prefer eyes lowered,” he says. “Others want them raised. If you submit to someone, you follow his preference unless it conflicts with a boundary you’ve established.”

I swallow. “And this is yours?”

His gaze holds mine. “With you, yes.”

The answer settles over me with weight.

His amusement returns.

“Color,” he says.

I frown. “What color? Like my safeword color? Because that would be orange.”

“Your safeword is anaranjada.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m asking for red, yellow, or green.”

“I know. I was being annoying.”

“On purpose this time, princesa?”

My mouth closes.

Luciano waits with unhurried certainty, leaving the silence open until I fill it honestly.

I check myself properly.

My knees are comfortable. My back is straight. My hands feel strange behind me. His eyes are too much, but his eyes are always too much, so perhaps that doesn’t count.

Except it does.

That’s the point.