Page 54 of Bound

I undress, taking off everything. Lucian watches like he did the first time in this room. Like I am revealed to him.

His.

My skin heats beneath his gaze. He steps closer but doesn’t touch me yet.

His smile is wicked. “Still green?”

“Yes.”

I think…

Warm hands guide me to the bed. “Lie on your side.”

My stomach flips as I lie down on the black satin sheets, facing the window. The glass shows me bare and Lucian dressed, controlled, and watching me. Twisted is as twisted does.

God help us all.

The mattress dips behind me. His hand settles on my hip, warm and steady.

“First rule,” he says.

“Always with your rules,” I whisper.

His mouth brushes my shoulder. “You like my rules. You love my rules.”

“I like rules when I can break them creatively.”

“You will not be creative with this one.”

I smile despite the nerves climbing my spine. “Fine. What is the first rule?”

“You do not endure discomfort to please me.”

My smile fades.

He strokes his thumb over my hip.

“If it is too much, you say yellow. If you want it over, you say red. You do not grit your teeth. You do not prove anything.”

The ache in my chest is sudden and sharp.

Maybe because tomorrow I will have to prove things.

Maybe because this room is the only place where proving myself is not allowed.

“Okay,” I whisper.

“Second rule.” His mouth touches the back of my neck.

I breathe out. “There’s more?”

There is always more. “What’s the second rule?”

The bed shifts as he reaches for the lubricant. The soft click of the cap makes my pulse jump. His hand returns to my hip.

“Breathe,” he says.

“I am.”