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He studied me, and I ached to know what he was thinking. At last, he nodded.

“I think we should stop here.”

I had my answer.

I’ve messed up, haven’t I?

He put the Magic Wand aside, then unfastened the cuffs on my wrists and ankles, rubbing the skin where they’d pressed. He helped me to sit up, stuffed pillows behind me, and handed me a bottle of water.

The silence was driving me nuts.

“I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that,” I protested between sips. “And I wasn’t trying to provoke a reaction.” I took a longer drink, trying to steady my breathing.

I’ve ruined everything with one fucking word.

“I know.”

“It just… came out.”

Max leaned back on his arms, watching me with the same careful focus he used in our scenes. “But why at that point?”

That was harder to answer.

“It makes me feel…” I stopped.

He waited, and I was grateful he wasn’t pushing me.

“Held,” I finished. The word made me sound younger than I wanted it to, but it was an honest one.

Max studied me. “Held how?”

“Like I don’t have to prove anything,” I said slowly. “I don’t have to be clever or impressive or sharp, just… yours. In this space.”

His gaze shifted slightly at that.

“Not owned,” I clarified quickly. “Chosen.” Another hard swallow. “I don’t want to be owned,” I whispered. “I just want to be known.”

Something I’d never said to anyone, but I had to say it to him.

Max didn’t interrupt. He simply watched me, absorbing every word.

“In the past, I knelt because that was expected of me.” I looked him in the eye. “But it isn’t like that with you.” My heart hammered. “I don’t kneel because you tell me to—I kneel because I choose to.”

His expression softened, and that was all I needed to keep going.

“I don’t want someone running my life,” I continued. “I want someone who chooses to guide me when I ask.”

He cocked his head. “And you associate that with Daddy?”

“Yes.”

He exhaled slowly, his gaze shifting past me for a moment as if something—or someone—had stepped into the room.

“That word carries a lot of weight for me.”

Tell me something I hadn’t already guessed.

“I figured.”