Page 49 of Brandishing Beginnings

Marcos and Nico laughed while they watched me.

“I asked you a question, Maya,” Jason said, his voice stern.

I mumbled under my breath.

“Use your words, please.”

I tried to sit up straight and pull away from Jason, annoyed with his questions first thing in the morning, but his arms tightened around me, keeping me in place. I didn’t like hisdirectnessfirst thing in the morning. “No, I’m not,” I snapped.

“That attitude will earn you a spanking really quick, darlin’.” Jason’s voice was commanding and low as he reprimanded me.

“No, it won’t,” I snapped again, struggling in his hold. “We haven’t negotiated shit. I’m not listening to you trying to tell me what to do. Let me go.”

His arms were like steel bands wrapped around my waist, despite my struggling, I wasn’t able to get away from him.

“We may not have negotiated yet, brat,” Jason retorted, sounding angry. “But you are still a guest in my home and you will treat me with respect. And that means using your words like an adult and not grunting or whining when you speak to me.”

I froze, staring down at the table. I didn’t like what he was saying. I could understand it, but I didn’t like the disappointment in hisvoice. Jason pulled me back against him and I let my body go pliant, letting him lean me back against his chest.

One of his hands came up and wrapped around my jaw. Turning my face toward him, he said, “Look at me.”

My breath caught in my throat and it took everything I had in me to raise my eyes to meet his. The storm that raged in those steely gray eyes set my heart racing. His mouth was pressed into a tight line that had me pursing my own lips. I didn’t like this feeling, like I was being scolding like a child.

“Are you done?” Jason asked, his voice deep and stern.

“Yes,” I murmured, looking down at his chest and not meeting his eyes.

“Look at me when you speak to me,” Jason said. His hand was still wrapped around my jaw, so he lifted my chin and forced me to gaze up at him.

Heat bloomed across my cheeks and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from lashing out. There was something uncomfortable about being forced to look at someone who was reprimanding you. My core clenched, as heat pooled in my belly. I was painfully aware of just how turned on this was making me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It was humiliating in a sense, especially as I could feel the heat of Marcos’s and Nico’s gaze on Jason and me, watching our every move.

“Now, I asked you a question,” Jason said. “Are you not a morning person, Maya?”

I narrowed my gaze on his, “No.”

A smug smirk pulled across Jason’s lips. “I can see that.” He chuckled low in his throat, a sensual sound that sent shivers down my spine. His fucking deep voice—God damn, his voice turned me on. I bet I could listen to the man read a fucking grocery list and I’d be dripping wet.

I glared at him, keeping my eyes on him as he hadn’t said I could look away yet, and his hand was still wrapped around my jaw, holding me still.

He chuckled again. “And what does your morning routine usually consist of?”

“Quiet,” I snapped immediately. I heard Nico and Marcos stifle laughs behind me, but I couldn’t turn to look at them.

Jason shifted beneath me, spreading his legs more. I could feel his thick cock harden beneath my ass and had to force myself to concentrate on those stormy gray eyes. “We’re going to talk about that attitude of yours, one day.”

I swallowed thickly as Jason painfully squeezed my jaw again, before he abruptly let it go. I didn’t dare move, though. Unable to look away, I continued to watch him, warily.

“What do you need?” Jason asked.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest. Furrowing my eyebrows together, I narrowed my eyes on him, waiting. Was this some kind of trick of his? Was he setting me up? What did he mean?

“Maya.” Jason spoke softly, his stormy eyes calming as his harsh stare softened. “What do you need when you wake up in the morning?”

I bit my lower lip before I answered. “Uh, quiet,” I muttered again. “Like you guys can talk to each other, but I don’t like to talk until I’m ready. Most of the time I don’t like to eat until later, but if there’s bacon, I’ll probably eat it. At home, I like to sit and drink my coffee while staring out the back patio door into the yard. In my dorm room, my window over looked the forest, so I would sit in the window and drink my coffee there. I just like to zone out, and slowly wake up without pressure.”

Jason stared at me even after I finished speaking. Understanding dawned on his handsome face, and his eyes softened while I spoke. “Good girl,” he murmured.

Blushing, I ducked my face, unable to meet his gaze for a moment longer.

---