Page 217 of Reign

I smile.

The hall beyond the hidden door is narrow, lit by soft lights recessed into the wall.

“You have a secret room behind your gym.”

“Yes.”

“Of course you do.”

I hold out my hand. “Color?”

Her eyes drop to it.

There are nerves in her face, but curiosity gets there first.

“Green,” she says, placing her hand in mine. “With questions.”

“You usually have questions.”

“That’s because you do things like open secret doors.”

“Fair.”

I lead her down the hall.

Her shoulder brushes my arm twice.

I notice both times.

I notice too much with her—the way her fingers tighten around mine when we reach the end, the shift in her breathing when I open the second door.

Elena stops beside me.

Her gaze moves slowly around the room. Dark wood. Low lighting. Cabinets built into the walls. Restraint points placed with intention instead of spectacle. The St. Andrew’s cross against the far wall. The padded bench beneath the lights.

“That is not a workout bench.”

“No.”

Her eyes shift to the cabinets, the cuffs, the rope arranged behind glass.

Then back to me.

“You have a secret sex room behind your gym.”

“Playroom.”

“That correction did not make this less ridiculous.”

I chuckle.

She walks farther inside, curiosity winning exactly the way I knew it would. She examines everything without touching, pausing in front of the cross before moving toward one of the cabinets.

I watch her take it in and immediately wonder what she would change. The dark wood. The low lighting. Whether she’d want something softer beneath her feet or different restraints.

If Elena is going to be in this room, I want her comfortable in it.

She turns toward me. “What’s in that one?”