Page 73 of Key of Kink

As if nothing rattles him.

Alex’s words wouldn’t leave me alone.

If you only ever meet your Dom at his most controlled, you’ll only ever get the mask.

Mask. Wall. Same thing.

Max looked as though if he loosened his grip for even a second, something might slip.

Suddenly I wanted to see what happened if it did.

I didn’t want to break him, God, no, but I wanted to see him surprised. To see that control flicker. To hear him laugh again.

The thought sent a jolt through me, sharp and bright.

This is dangerous. I shouldn’t. It’s a terrible idea.

Max liked structure, rules, negotiation, containment…

So did I, but I liked him more. And I was starting to realise something that made my pulse race.

I didn’t just want to kneel for Max Rivers. I wanted to matter to him, outside the rules. He can bend a little, right? I bit back a grin. I could poke. I could flirt harder, maybe step a little closer than necessary and see what happened.

Can I crack his composure?

I glanced back at Alex, and he arched his eyebrows. “You look like a man with a plan.”

I smiled. “An idea of one.”

Max

“Your sub looks like the kind of man who wants to kneel because he enjoys it,” Leo observed.

I followed his gaze. Quinn was laughing with Alex, the sound bright and so alive.

“You’re right, he is, except strictly speaking, he isn’t my sub.” I glanced at Leo. “But how do you know that?”

He laughed. “How old are you, Max?”

“Twenty-six.”

“And I’m fifty. I’ve met a lot of submissives. Hell, I run a club full of them, and they’re all different.” He pointed towards Quinn. “And that one? He kneels for the joy of it. Which bodes well for you. When they kneel for joy, you don’t hollow out.”

I frowned slightly. “What do you mean, hollow out?”

Leo didn’t answer immediately. He watched Quinn for another moment, and I joined him, taking in the way Quinn gestured when he spoke, the easy tilt of his shoulders, the unselfconscious way he occupied space.

“Some submissives kneel because they think they’re supposed to,” he said at last.

I didn’t look away from Quinn.

“And some kneel because they believe it’s the only way they’ll be wanted,” he continued.

Something sharp lanced through my chest.

“But the ones who kneel because it lights them up?” Leo gave a small nod toward Quinn. “They’re choosing it. There’s a difference.” He shifted in his seat. “And as for what I mean by hollow out… There are Doms who mistake hunger for devotion. They see someone desperate to kneel and they take it as loyalty. But if the kneeling is filling a hole instead of expressing joy…” He paused. “You end up pouring yourself into someone who’s trying to disappear.”

I stilled.