“I just don’t want him to be upset with me.”
“Duchess, look at me,” he said firmly. “I’m sorry for the way I behaved down there. I’ve got things to work on. You want to call him, ask him to come back, then you do that. He’s your friend.”
“You’re really okay with that?”
“I am. As long as you’re honest with me. Remember, being lied to is a trigger for me.”
“I get it. I’m a lot of trouble,” she whispered to him.
He wrapped his hand in her hair and tugged her face back. The pain should have scared her, the aggressiveness. But it was tempered. She knew he wasn’t using his full strength, not even close. And something about the movement just did it for her. Arousal spiked through her blood and she was nearly squirming in need. His glare was almost enough to send her crashing into an orgasm. And wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
“You kidding me?” he growled. “Too much trouble? I don’t want to hear bullshit like that from your mouth, understand me?”
She attempted to nod, but he had her pinned down tight. She licked her lips.
“Words.”
“Yes,” she replied. Her voice was so quiet she wondered if he could hear her, but satisfaction filled his face.
“You’re not trouble. Got me?”
“What about . . .” She pointed at her bed.
He quirked an eyebrow. “You think I shouldn’t want you because of your bed?”
He knew that wasn’t exactly what she meant. She gave him a look.
“You know I’m a Dom.”
She nodded.
“Before Linda, I used to go to a BDSM club a lot. You know my favorite room in that club?”
“The torture room?”
“No.” He shot her a quelling look. “Not the torture room. Although, do you have a basement in this monstrosity?”
She shook her head, wide-eyed. Nope. That wasn’t happening.
“Hm. Maybe I can convert a bedroom. I have a feeling you’re going to earn a lot of punishments.”
She would not!
“You’ve got more than one punishment owing for the way you keep disobeying me.”
What?
“It was the Littles room,” he said, not explaining about these punishments further. “You’re a Little, aren’t you, Juliet?”
Was he . . . did he . . .?
“Juliet?”
She nodded slowly.
“Now that you’ve trusted me enough to speak to me, I’d really love if you could keep using words. But is it painful to talk? Has your voice always been like that?”
She winced. Trust Brick to come out and ask. In fact, she was surprised it had taken him so long.