Page 25 of Marked

“Mine.” I punctuated the statement with a quick, soft kiss.

“And what else does being yours entail?”

“More than you’re probably ready to hear.” Swiping a palm down my face, I scooted to the edge of the couch, bracing my elbows on my knees for a beat before pushing to my feet. “There are certain aspects of my life you should know before we go any further, Lanie.”

“Bring it on.” She shrugged. “Unless you’re about to tell me you’re secretly working for the Bratva and only insistedon coming with me so you could collect the bounty on my head, there’s not much you could say to shock me.”

“I’m a Dom,” I blurted.

Her body jolted.

“I stand corrected.” She flopped back against the cushions and threw her hands over her face.

Reading people—their behavior, emotions, and motives—was like second nature to me. It’s what made me an exceptional agent and why I’d been trying my hand at profiling cases within our office. None of it mattered right then though. My degree in psychology? Useless. No amount of skill was going to help me decipher what was going through her mind.

“You’re starting to freak me out. Talk to me, Lanie.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say.” She peeked through her fingers before slapping her hands against her thighs. “A Dom, Noah? What in the actual fuck?”

Crossing the room, I sank onto the couch, tentatively placing my hand on her knee. When she didn’t flinch away, or worse, take a swing at me, I saw it as a good sign.

“I’ve been in exactly two long-term relationships. The first lasted a year and a half in high school, the other was just over seven months long after I graduated from Quantico. Both women were great, don’t get me wrong. The sex?—”

“Noah,” she snapped. “Unless turnabout's fair play, I really don’t want to hear the finer details of your past sexual encounters.”

“Point taken,” I grunted. The thought of anyone besides me touching Lanie’s body had the green-eyed monster rearing his ugly head. “Let’s just say there was something missing. Then one night a buddy from the academy took me to a club he belonged to.”

“Whoa, hold up.” Her head spun so fast her hair smacked against her face. “You went to a sex club?”

“A BDSM club, yes. Most of what went on there wasn’t for me, but I did meet a couple who introduced me to dominance and submission. What I learned from them blew my idea of a perfect relationship to dust. Only then did I realize I hadn’t been comfortable enough in my own skin to be who I was meant to be. I’d been holding myself back based on other peoples’ versions of right and wrong.”

“And you don’t want to hold back with me.”

Her warm hand covered mine on her knee, giving me a sliver of hope that I hadn’t completely fucked everything up.

“Essentially, though it’s much more complicated. I’m not really doing a bang-up job of explaining myself here.”

“Then do better.”

Nodding, I stood, sending up a silent prayer because there was only one way I could think of to make her understand. I had to show her.

“Come with me.”

She rose, slipping her hand in mine as I maneuvered us around the circular tent-like structure. To my surprise, the inside of our temporary abode was substantially larger than I’d first realized. Large, intricately hand-crafted latticework panels were used to separate the space into different sections, much like the walls of an actual home.

Once we reached what appeared to be the bedroom, my heart raced and my palms began to sweat. Gulping in a lungful of air, I held it deep until my chest burned with the effort, then blew it out. Whether I was ready or not, I had to put myself out there. Yes, it scared the holy shit out of me that she could go running from the room screaming, but it was time to go big or go home.

Moving Lanie in front of me, I slid her hair over one shoulder before stepping up against her back. Goosebumps broke out along her skin as I traced a finger down her arm.

“In here, I’m in control. Your body…your pleasure belongs to me. But know this, it’s you who holds all the power. You say stop, everything stops. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Words, Lanie.” Sucking her earlobe between my teeth, I bit lightly until she gasped. “Say the words.”

“I understand,” she moaned.

My cock went from semi to painfully hard in an instant, and I was sure she could feel it pressing up against her ass. The urge to bend her over the bed and take her hard and fast was strong, but I resisted…barely. This was all new to her. We’d have forever to explore our boundaries because Lanie Biggs was everything I’d ever dreamed of in a partner and more. I didn’t want a wilting flower. I needed someone who matched me evenly in wit, integrity, and loyalty.

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