Page 21 of UnTrained: Volume Two
I swallow hard, too.
The words are on the tip of my tongue. A few syllables—that’s all.
Why are they so hard to say?
I feel naked as I summon the courage.
Aiden reaches out, his fingers almost brushing my arm before I step back.
“Wait,” I say, then shake my head. “I… I want you to touch me. But I need to get this out.”
Aiden nods. “Take your time, Lana.”
I take a shaky breath, feeling my heart pound against my ribs. "I want that with you," I whisper, the words hanging in the air between us. "Not right away, necessarily. Not all at once if you don’t want that. But... eventually. I want to explore what that might mean. With you."
The confession leaves me trembling, exposed in a way that has nothing to do with physical nakedness. This is my deepest desire laid bare, the fantasy that led me into danger now offered willingly to the man who rescued me from it.
Aiden goes very still, his blue eyes darkening as he studies my face. I can't read his expression, can't tell if I've shocked him or disgusted him or tempted him or something in between.
The seconds stretch between us, unbearable in their silence.
"Lana," he finally says, my name sounding different on his lips now, weighted with something I can't quite name. "Are you sure? After everything you've been through. I don’t want to push things."
18
"I’m sure," I say, though my voice shakes slightly. "This isn't just some reaction to trauma. It's something I wanted before, something they twisted. I want to reclaim it, the way it was meant to be." I take a step closer to him, drawn by the intensity in his gaze. "But only with someone I trust. Only with you."
Aiden's expression shifts, something primal flickering across his features before he masters it. He reaches out, his fingers brushing my cheek.
“If that’s really what you want,” he says, his finger tracing my jawline, “I can give that to you. But I want you to be ready. To be sure that’s what you want.”
“It is.” The resolve in my voice bolsters my confidence. “I want that. For you to completely own me, at least while we’re together. To experience all of the things I’ve imagined.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “This is a big thing to ask, Lana.”
“I know.” I swallow. “It’s what I want.”
Aiden stares over my shoulder for a few minutes. Then, he presses his palms together and moves his gaze to my face. When he speaks, his voice is rough. Deeper.
“I’m a Dom, Lana.”
“I know.”
He fixes me with a look, one that tells me exactly what he means byDominant.
“I’m not what people call a Soft Dom, either. I like to control every aspect of my submissive’s life. I dole out punishment when she needs it.”
My stomach flips, but I don’t break eye contact.
Aiden gives me a dangerous smile, his dark eyes gleaming. “And my punishments aren’t easy, baby. Trust me.”
I do trust him. And the things he’s saying should scare me off, but they don’t.
Instead, they make me want to see just what it means to be dominated by a man like him.
A shiver runs through me. The dark promise in his voice should terrify me after everything I've endured, but instead it ignites something deep inside me. Something I've tried to deny even before the facility.
"I understand," I whisper, though I'm not sure I truly do. How can I know what it means to belong to someone like Aiden when my only experience with submission has been so twisted and corrupt?
