This washerhouse.
That bed he had been sprawled across when she walked in?Hers.
The floor beneath his feet?Hers.
If he was going to stay here, he needed to accept that.
“Do you know what a service submissive is?” she asked, now standing directly in front of him.
Seth paled slightly. His body shifted, restless, discomfort creeping into his stance. His eyes refused to meet hers, darting around the room, searching for an anchor.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t let him escape the weight of her presence.
The silence stretched.
He fidgeted, fingers twitching, before finally dropping his gaze to the floor and nodding.
That delicious shade of pink blooming across his ears.
Adria reached out, grasping his chin between her fingers. His breath hitched as she tilted his face upward, forcing him to look at her.
His blue eyes were striking up close, but the resistance in them was just as intoxicating. His blond hair tumbled away from his face, leaving him open, vulnerable.
A slight tremor moved through his frame, the vibrations slipping into her fingers.
“Is that something you think you can take part in?” she asked, voice low, measured.
His body tensed beneath her hold. He struggled for an answer, his throat bobbing as he fought to nod.
“Something you enjoy?”
His flush deepened, creeping down his freckled cheeks, staining his neck.
But he didn’t nod.
He didn’t need to.
His color, the way his muscles locked under her touch, the way he tried and failed to suppress his reaction—it was all the confirmation she needed.
Normally, she would peel back the layers, explore, uncover, work with that resistance until he unraveled beneath her hands.
But this time was different.
This time, she had to handle these threedifferently.
A new regimen.
She let the moment hang, absorbing every flicker of conflict in him.
“Something that you have been practicing?” she said.
His red color darkened, and he tried to nod but she held his face firmer. “With words this time.”
“Yes.” His voice softened, along with his baby blues.The words came out in a breathy whisper. It was the first time he had spoken directly towards her, and damn if she didn’t feel her gut clench.
“Yes, what?”