Page 179 of Bound By Her

His body stilled, the fire inside him battling against the gentleness of that one, deliberate stroke.

He met her gaze, and for the first time since stepping into this room, her eyes weren’t cold.

They were soft. Serious. Unwavering.

“It is important that you and your brothers trust me.”

The words were simple, but they landed somewhere deep.

His breathing was ragged, heart slamming against his ribs. Bryson forced himself to focus, to see the bigger picture.

Killing Regan wouldn’t help.

But fuck, it would feel good.

Bryson closed his eyes for a single second, dragging air into his lungs, letting the rage simmer, settle, and finally cool.

When he opened them, Adria was stepping back.

Moving to the wall, she pulled a red ball gag from a drawer.

His stomach clenched.

He knew that gag.

The same one she had used when it had been just the two of them—when she had taken him apart piece by piece.

She dangled it between her fingers, her gaze steady. Testing. Waiting.

“What is it I need to hear right now?”

Bryson swallowed, his body thrumming with restraint.

The answer was on the tip of his tongue.

The only thing standing between chaos and control.

CHAPTER 42

NORTH CAROLINA

Adria watched as Bryson looked between her, the ball gag, and Regan. A war raging behind his eyes.

“Pet, what is it I need to hear right now?” She put an edge to her voice. He had asked for this.

In the first few weeks, she thought their commitment to being trained was some misguided debt repayment. But as time went on, she started to see the truth. Kaydon and Seth might be whole-heartedly onboard, but Bryson was still playing a game.

He was a masochist, not a submissive. No matter how long he pretended, no matter how many times he went through the motions, she saw him.

Seeing clarity return to his face, Adria watched as his shoulders sagged under the weight of it.

“You’re the boss.”

The words struck her like a live wire.

For a fleeting second, she almost faltered.Almost.

Instead, she masked her surprise, keeping her movements controlled as she turned him. He didn’t resist, giving her plenty of room to fasten the ball gag.

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