Page 18 of Deeply Examined

Dinner is definitely something more.

I take a step closer and then another until I’m towering over her, our chests almost touching. Her breathing hitches, then speeds up. I lower my lips to her ear and murmur, “There’s only one thing I’m interested in tasting tonight, and it’s not your grandmother’s spaghetti.”

I’m so close I hear when she takes a large swallow. “Are you sure? We could eat and then…” She trails off uncertainly.

“I’m sure.” I shove her back, and her knees buckle. Jessica lands with a thump on the soft white duvet that covers her new bed.

I ordered that for her too.

Her breath catches, a small, delicate sound that tightens something deep in my stomach.

“I saw in the office how much you like it when I touch you.”

Jessica blushes bright red, all the way to her hairline. Her fingers flex at her sides, her weight shifting. “I—I wasn’t sure you noticed,” she mumbles, staring at the floor.

I take a single finger and place it under her chin, tilting her face up to mine. “I did.” I let the words settle between us. “I enjoyed it. I want you to lose control like that again.”

Jessica’s lips part slightly. A flicker of hesitation, and then—there it is—that moment of submission. The way her pulse jumps at her throat. The way her pupils widen, her body reacting before her mind can catch up.

I reach into the satchel and unzip it. Inside, several ropes lie neatly coiled. Jessica’s eyes widen when I bring them out. “Made of hemp,” I say, holding them up, “so they won’t stretch when they’re under tension.”

“Umm,” she stutters, eyeing the ropes like they’re going to bite her. Her throat bobs in a swallow.

I remind myself to be patient. The women I usually screw are used to this. That’s why I choose them and they choose me.

Jessica is different.

The thought that I can be the one to initiate her into this world makes my cock harden.

“You pick a safe word,” I say gently, surprised I’m explaining all this. I had originally planned on coming over here and taking what I wanted, but I don’t like the fear that ripples over her face. If we’re going to do this, I want her to enjoy it as much as I do. That means I’ll have to take my time. “If you say the safe word, we stop. No questions asked.”

“Here.” I hold out the rope. “Feel it. It’s not too rough. It won’t leave any marks.”

Hesitantly, she takes it and unspools it slowly, running it through her hands. The moment her fingers skim the fibers, I see the shift. The curiosity in her eyes. The way she tests the texture against her palm. I want to tell her more, but I bite my tongue and give her the space to make her own decision.

She stays quiet, studying the rope. I can hear a clock clicking somewhere in the room. Probably the old-fashioned–looking one on her nightstand next to a pile of books. I examine them more closely and find they’re all romance novels.

Figures.

She still hesitates, a war in her eyes, logic battling with raw, undeniable need. I soften. Just slightly. My fingers brush up her bare arm, barely a whisper of a touch. Goosebumps rise on her delicate skin.

Another minute of tense silence. Then, finally, she squares her shoulders. “What were you saying about a word?”

“A safe word. Pick the first one that pops into your mind.”

“Cupcake,” she blurts out immediately.

I laugh, a loud sound that bursts out of me, surprising us both. It’s my first real laugh in—hell, I don’t know how long.

Jessica grins at my reaction.

“Cupcake?” I wheeze, smiling. “You can’t pick cupcake.”

Her hands go to her hips and her lower lip juts out into a defiant pout, making me want to bite it. “Why not?”

“Well…because it’s…” I flounder. “I mean, cupcake? Really?”

She crosses her arms over her chest and sends me a glare.

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