Page 66 of End Game

His mouth twitches.

Then his expression settles into something more serious.

“I want to start with something that probably seems obvious, but I don’t want either of us making assumptions.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“You aren’t submissive to me.”

A laugh slips out before I can stop it. “Yeah, I’m pretty confident about that.”

He looks at me with a serious expression.

I school my expression. “I know that, Ronan.”

“I’m serious,” he begins in explanation, “because Cami is submissive to me in certain contexts, and if the three of us are together, those dynamics don’t automatically extend to you.”

I hadn’t thought they would or did, but hearing him explicitly say it removes a potential issue down the line.

“Okay,” I agree.

“If she is submitting to me in whatever we’re doing, I may tell you what I want you to do with her.”

“That sounds suspiciously like you making me submissive and telling me what to do.” There is no edge in my voice—I even smile at him.

“It is.”

My brow furrows.

“The difference is that you’re free to not listen to me. To tell me no.”

That hits me the wrong way. “She’s free to tell you no.”

He shakes his head, like he realizes how that would have come across. “Absolutely, but we’ve negotiated a dynamic where she wants me to direct her. You and I haven’t negotiated that.”

That distinction makes a lot of sense.

“So you can ask me to do something,” I muse.

“Or tell you, depending on the scene.”

The corners of my mouth turn up enough to let him know I’m teasing as I respond, “And I can tell you to fuck off.”

He smiles. “I’d prefer something less disruptive if Cami is deeply in scene, but yes.”

“I’m good with that.”

He leans forward, forearms bracing on his spread thighs.

“If you agree to follow my lead, though, I need you to actually follow it until you tell me you’re not going to anymore. I don’t want Cami getting conflicting directions from us, if she wants to submit.”

“That I do understand.”

“And if something I do or direct her to do bothers you, I need you to tell me.”

I hesitate.

Ronan notices. “What?”