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She worried her lip. “One other thing. I can’t promise I won’t give you a little, er, attitude.”
He laughed, deep in his throat. “Kitten, that kind of thing only makes me harder. I told you yesterday, I don’t want a doormat. I want an equal. Yeah, I’m a sexual dominant, and I like control in the bedroom, but if you’re submissive to me there, it’s because you gave me that control. It’s called a power exchange, and exchange is the operative word here.”
That tickled her funny bone. “Now who’s giving grammar lessons? Operative?”
He grinned and tweaked her nose. “Pay attention.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I do love the way that sounds on your lips.” She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but she smiled anyway, and he continued. “It means we each give, and we each receive equally. You give me your trust, and I give you mine. In return you receive, hopefully, a five-star orgasm and the type of pleasure you’ve always wondered about, and I also receive a five-star orgasm and satisfaction that fulfills a different part of me. But none of this happens without your consent and mine. Equally.”
He squeezed her hand again and they made a U-turn and started heading back around toward their own cabin.
Her heart thudded as she thought back over his dinner-table confession last night. “Yesterday, you told me what you liked. Things that are a normal part of your relationships. You mentioned some scary ones.”
He nodded. “Restraints, spankings, floggers and canes? Yeah. We can go slow there, see what you like or don’t like.”
Blood rushed to her face. “What if I don’t want to go slow on some of it?”
A smile creased his face. “You tell me what interests you, kitten. I wasn’t kidding when I told you that. You want to experiment with me? Go for it.” His smile faded. “But you have to do this because you want it, not because I do.”
Well, that was the question, wasn’t it? She took a deep breath and screwed up her courage. “Sam and I hadn’t slept together in a month because I had some, uh, female issues. Hannah and I had gone out to dinner, talking about what I might do to spice up my marriage, and adding a bit of sexy play was one of the ideas. You know, scarves and blindfolds, that kind of thing. Sam was in a good mood one night, so I decided to take a chance. Turns out I was wrong.”
She kept an eye on his face as he processed her words. His eyes grew hard, but surprisingly, he chose to focus on the point she was trying to get across to him, rather than the obvious.
“You like the idea of being tied up?”
She nodded. “I don’t know why. But it sounds like fun.”
“It is fun.” His grin was fleeting, though. “That was the night he hit you.”
“Yes. But that’s not why I told you that. I told you because I want you to know I may not have a lot of experience, but I have a vivid imagination.”
“So noted.” Then, another quirk of a grin that faded too quickly. “Kitten, I know it’s not any of my business, but I’m curious. How is it you were married that long and you’d never given him a—”
She cut him off, her face flaming. “Can I just say it wasn’t because I wasn’t interested? I don’t feel right telling you more. I know I don’t owe him anything, but that’s how I feel.”
He laughed wryly. “You really are something.”
She frowned. “Something good or something bad?”
“Something amazing, and I’m a lucky bastard that you’re giving me a shot. You are giving me a shot, right?”
His tone was hopeful and it made her feel stronger about her decision. “I am.”
Instead of dragging her right back to the cabin as she’d assumed he would, he took photographs in the waning light as they walked back, shots of the trees and the critters they saw wandering out into the dusky night, foraging for food. They were mostly silent, both of them, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. Awareness flowed between them like electricity, arcing and sparking whenever they touched.
Which was frequently. Her contact-starved soul drew it in, turning it into pure arousal. And Jeremy touched with his whole body, with hip bumps, hugs and full body presses. By the time they reached the cabin she was a giant mass of need.
She went up the stairs ahead of him and nearly tripped when he reached out and pinched her ass. She looked over her shoulder and he grinned, unrepentant. She couldn’t do anything but laugh and grin back. He stepped around her and unlocked the door, and her heart raced with anticipation.
* * *
Jeremy had to force himself to slow the fuck down. In spite of her bold words, he still planned on moving carefully with Becca. He would with any submissive woman he dated, and she was so much more than that to him.
He closed the door behind them and locked it with a snick, turning just in time to see Becca jump. Which only reinforced his earlier decision to keep things light for the time being. He moved to the fireplace and lit the logs waiting there for them. “We need to decide on dinner, and then we can get our stuff unpacked. I brought a portable DVD player and a few movies. I have cards, too.”
Her eyes flew wide. “Can we play strip poker?”
