Page 54 of The Spare

‘Yes.’ And then some. It hasn’t escaped my notice that Ben’s carefree nature has an edge to it, a kind of… backbone that makes you want to toe the line. It’s a feeling rather than an experience so far, but if Athena was telling the truth, and my husband lined up a row of guys and ordered her to sit on their dicks, then two things are true: he has a definite alpha side, and he’s been keeping that side on a relatively tight leash in the bedroom so far.

Has he been shielding me?

Probably.

When we’re together, he’s passionate—intense, certainly, and focused—but not too intense. I wonder how much he’s been playing it by ear, treating me with kid gloves—me, the inexperienced bride who’s clearly one kinky position away from clutching her pearls at any moment.

Athena’s words come back to me: You get to reap the benefits.

‘What did you think?’ he asks, coming to a stop in front of me, hands still in his pockets. Dear sweet Jesus, he is so fucking hot.

I swallow. ‘That maybe I should let you… take the lead more,’ I finish lamely.

Something flashes over his face. ‘Sweetheart. You don’t have to prove anything. Ignore Athena. She’s very different from you.’

And yet you’ve had experiences like that with her. And I want to know what I’m missing. That’s the crux of it.

‘We have you in common.’ I try to keep my voice from trembling. I feel shaky, and I’m not sure whether it’s from nerves or desire or a sense of vulnerability that I can’t shake. He’s being so sweet, but I feel like Red Riding Hood. I have no idea what will happen if I give the wolf free rein over me, and the prospect is terrifying and titillating in equal measure.

‘That you do.’

This is it.

‘I want to know what I’m missing by… playing it safe.’

He sucks in a harsh breath. ‘That’s— Are you sure, sweetheart?’

I shrug. ‘When in Rome…’

A gorgeous smile. What must he be like when he’s in full ringmaster mode, calling the shots and commanding other people’s bodies beyond just his usual tricks with his magical body parts?

‘Give me the full Benedict de Vere Alchemy experience,’ I say with more confidence. I doubt he’ll unleash it on me unless I persuade him I can handle it. ‘If I was someone you’d picked up here tonight, what would you do?’

His eyes are hypnotic, green-ringed pools of black. I can’t look away.

‘I’d push your boundaries.’

Oh, God. ‘As in…?’

‘I’d strip you. I’d restrain you. And then I’d do whatever the fuck I liked to you until you told me to stop.’ He says the words slowly, as if gauging my reactions in real time. My core clenches in excitement.

I know Ben.

I trust him.

My body trusts him.

But this entire side of him is unknown to me.

It turns out, fear and intrigue make for an intoxicating combination.

I uncross my arms and hold them out wide. ‘It unzips at the side,’ I tell him.

‘Little beauty,’ he says with an exhale, closing the gap between us. The rough rasp of the zip as he tugs it down my side and over my hip sounds like the last of my defences surrendering to him.

CHAPTER 25

Selena