Page 49 of Love Lessons: Expanded Edition

She looked up with a scowl. I’m not done.

That took him by surprise. They’d been having such a lovely, relaxing day and that frustration seemed out of character for her. In fact, he got the sense that she usually went out of her way to be accepting and accommodating. It went a little beyond the pout she’d given him earlier about the laundry or crossing her arms when she wasn’t so sure about cuddling.

But while he was struggling to figure out what to do, maybe apologize or keep the plates warm or something like that, he noticed something.

She hadn’t gone back to her work, which is what he would have done if someone had interrupted him when he was in the zone. Instead, she was still glaring at him. Waiting. Daring him to do something.

This was pure defiance.

His cock surged as he took in her angry gray eyes. Whatever this was, this intense feeling that clawed into the deepest chambers of his soul… this was what he’d been looking for.

So he gave her a command, face stern and expectations clear. You have three minutes to finish up while I get us something to drink. Then I expect to see the table cleared and you ready to eat. Save your work so you don’t lose it. It sounded mundane, but felt important.

As soon as he said it, his heart seized up in his chest. How would Lena react? This was another moment, like that first knock on the door, where the other side of the gate could hold heaven or hell.

She gave him another glare and then started closing books and shuffling papers around.

But.

He noticed that she wasn’t being very fast about it. And she kept looking up to check his expression, which he tried to keep serious and impassive.

Inside, though, he was burning up. He wanted to hold and hurt and comfort her, all at once. For being so perfect. For being so fucking innocent and rebellious and sexy while she straightened the same pile of papers again.

What was he supposed to do if she didn’t have the table cleared in time? What was he supposed to do if she did?

He walked swiftly toward the kitchen, trying to give himself a moment to figure it out. God, had he gotten himself into the deep end. He was pretty sure Lena was asking him for something. This was some form of invitation that he needed to take hold of while she was offering it.

He’d been reading a lot, but kink was such a wide spectrum. Was this slipping into role play? Or maybe some sort of bratty thing? He’d mostly focused on the physical logistics and safety, so now all he had to go on was instinct and some blog that he should have paid a hell of a lot more attention to. Did she want punishment or rewards? And how could he tell?

He reminded himself that his instincts had seemed to work out for Lena so far today. She needed attention. She was submissive. And apparently, she was a rebellious sort of submissive, which really didn’t make any sense.

But his cock and his instincts both seemed to be on board with that, so he’d just have to give it his best shot.

He found two flavored seltzers in her fridge and pulled them out. There were no sodas. She ate even healthier than he did. Another little streak of perfectionism that he wondered if he could break. Just to give her a little bit of indulgence in her life, as long as it was coming from him.

Yeah, he was realizing that his kinks were a lot weirder and a lot deeper than he’d thought.

He turned back to the dining room, still not sure if he was going to have the best night of his life or fuck it all up irrevocably.

Now that was… interesting. Lena was standing beside the table, still so sexy in that shimmery, translucent cami that it should have been illegal. He could see her erection, pressing out against that silky white fabric of her panties. And there was one folder left in front of her on the table.

He almost laughed. She must have been “putting away” those papers for a long time.

This was much too serious for laughter, though. This was Lena asking for what she wanted.

He put down the drinks on the corner of the table. Then, he moved toward her until he was standing much too close, crowding her against the chair. Put it away.

She gave him a defiant look, but her fingers were trembling on the folder. He realized that she was nervous and that put a whole new spin on things.

He wasn’t sure if she was nervous about him, about what they were doing, or about trying something new. His bet was all three. She was too confident about kink, and hook-ups in general, to be that nervous about anything that she’d done before, and he was certain he’d gone beyond anything she’d done with her strings of hook-ups.

He stared her down, knowing that this wasn’t the time to back off. Between that tremor and her arousal, this was exactly what she needed.

At glacial speed, Lena moved the folder two feet over to the side. There was another pregnant pause before she set it on top of the pile of books.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest and kissing her neck and forehead, anywhere he could reach.

She turned her face up to him, like a flower seeking the sun, and he kissed her dusky, pink lips hungrily. Her relaxation mingled with his own relief. Thank God he had gotten it right.