Sutton had been off balance all night long. It wasn’t fear or anxiety latching onto her, it was something else. She was jittery, stumbling over her words. She didn’t flinch away whenever Camden touched her; in fact, he caught her leaning into it a couple times. But she was struggling with something, and it was driving him crazy not knowing what was going through her head.

She picked at the slice of pizza on her plate, peeling off the pepperoni and nibbling at the cheese, but she’d hardly eaten a thing.

Some sitcom he didn’t give a shit about played on TV, and Sutton sat at the far end of the couch, curled up in a tight ball while pretending to be sucked in by the show. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye every minute or two, he’d have thought she didn’t care whether he was there or not.

Another two minutes passed, and he felt her eyes travel back to him. When he turned his head and caught her staring, her cheeks instantly burned red, and she averted her gaze so quickly it was obvious.

And he was done.

Grabbing the remote, he pressed the Off button, making the TV go black.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, jerking back around to him.

“What’s on your mind, cutie?”

Her face pinched in an adorable frown. “What’s on my mind is that I was watching that.”

He couldn’t have stopped the smirk that took over his lips if he tried—which he didn’t. “No. You were watchin’ me, baby. So answer the question. What’s on your mind that’s got you so fidgety tonight?”

Looking back to the blank screen of the television, she pulled that plump bottom lip between her perfectly straight, white teeth and bit down. A glowing spotlight of a tell. She was nervous. Around him.

And he fucking hated that.

Having had enough of her distance, he reached across the length of the couch, grabbed her hips, and yanked her toward him.

She let out a startled squeak at the unexpected movement, but once he had her firmly at his side, she didn’t put up a struggle.

At least there’s that.

“So talk. Something’s bothering you. You know you can tell me anything.”

Her skin grew even redder, so dark he knew he’d be able to feel the heat if he ran his fingers along her delicate jaw. Christ. It took all his self-control not to do just that.

“I don’t think….” She clenched her eyes shut and inhaled through her nose. “I can’t.”

“Sweetheart,” he whispered gently, finally reaching out to touch her, to offer comfort when she needed it. Because he didn’t think there was anything he wouldn’t do for her. To make her happy.

Placing the tips of his fingers beneath her chin, he tipped her face up so he could see into those dazzling eyes. “Talk to me, baby. There’s nothing you can’t tell me. All I care about is making you feel better.”

That seemed to embolden her. Her eyes darted between his, and her chest rose on a fortifying breath. “I… I have some questions.”

“Anything, cutie. Ask me anything. We don’t have any secrets.”

Her throat bobbed on a thick swallow. “What is it about… about dominating that, uh, that you like so much?”

Holy fucking shit.

* * *

Sutton

I knew I caught him off guard the moment the last word passed my lips, but god, I had to know. Pandora’s box had been opened, and there was no putting that question back inside. There was something in me desperate to know what made him tick, what made sex like that so appealing. Telling him about my past had opened the floodgates, and I couldn’t hold my curiosity back any longer. There was just something so… alluring about the idea of letting a man control me like that. And while my mind resisted the thought after having my power stripped all those years ago, my body wouldn’t stop craving.

“I… what?”

“Is it the power?” I asked, the nerves and shyness having disappeared, giving way to persistent interest. I just had so many questions. “Is that what does it for you? Having complete control over your partner?”

He squirmed uncomfortably against me, dragging a hand through his hair. “Sutton, I don’t think—”

“You said I could ask anything,” I pressed, my need for answers too strong to be ignored.

“I did,” he relented. “But I didn’t think—”

“Please, Camden. I have to know.”

He stopped fidgeting and looked at me in bewilderment. “Why?”

And wasn’t that the million-dollar question. “I… don’t know. I just do.”

Looking straight ahead, he propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face with his palms. “It’s… not like that. I don’t have the power when I’m with someone like that. The woman does.”

My chin jerked back in complete surprise. “Really?” I asked on a gasp.

My shock seemed to ignite something in him, and he started speaking much more candidly. “When I’m with a woman like that, she’s in complete and total control at all times. What she says goes. If it’s not workin’ for her, it’s my job to change things up so she’s getting every single ounce of pleasure out of the experience that I can give her. We might be fuckin’ how I like it, but it’s all about her. Every goddamn second of it.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… or the relentless tingle between my thighs his words created. “But in that video—”

He spoke again before I could finish my sentence, turning his whole body so he was facing me, those intense dark blues pinning me in place. “Believe me, she loved every single second of it. I didn’t need her to speak to read her loud and clear. I’ve been doin’ this long enough to know when a woman is lovin’ everything I’m giving her.”

A sudden wave of jealousy spiked in my blood. I’d hated the woman from the video before for being an opportunistic bitch who gave all other women a bad name. But now my hatred was for a completely different reason.

She’d gotten something from Camden that I was beginning to crave more and more. And not only had she taken if for granted, but she used it against him when she got pissed.

“H-how long?” I asked, having to lick my lips against the sudden dryness in my throat. It was as if desire had drained all the fluid from my body and channeled it to one very private, very intimate area in particular.

“How long what?” he asked, his voice ragged and throaty.

“Um….” I bit my lip again. “H-how long have you… you know.” Fire exploded in my cheeks on those last two whispered words.

“Since I was eighteen and figured out that’s how I fuckin’ loved it.”

Oh, god. I was going to burst into flames at any moment. I just knew it. Collapsing back into the couch, I muttered, “That’s… wow.”

“When I’m with a woman like that, she’s in complete and total control at all times.”

I couldn’t stop replaying those words and the images they provoked in my head. They played on a continuous loop, making it harder and harder to breathe.

“Baby.” Placing a palm on my cheek, he turned my face toward his, trailing the pad of his thumb along my jawline. “What brought all this on, huh? Why the sudden curiosity?”

“It’s not really all that sudden,” I admitted in a soft, barely there voice. “I’ve, um, actually been thinking about it… for a while.”

Camden’s whole body went tight, and his nostrils flared as his expression grew fierce.

It seemed the past few days was all about deep, meaningful admissions, and I opened my mouth to lay another one on him right then. “I’ve only been with two other men since I was attacked.” I worked to regulate my breathing as I wiped my clammy palms on my jeans. “It took me years, and I made sure I knew everything about them before I opened myself up like that.” I let out a slightly bitter laugh. “Honestly, I don’t think it would’ve surprised them if I’d done a background and credit check. I put them through the ringer. But I had to be sure.”

His hand came down on top of mine and squeezed. “Be sure of what?”

“That they were safe. I needed to be sure they weren’t a threat, and they weren’t. They were… dull and so boring. In and out of bed. But it was all I could handle then. I just needed to prove to myself that I could be with someone of my choosing, you know? That I could sleep with a man without freaking out. And I did, but it wasn’t good. I didn’t enjoy it, but not because of the rape. Or maybe….” I stopped, closing my eyes and giving my head a shake. I was screwing this up. I couldn’t find the right words. “Maybe it was because of that, I don’t know. All I know is I didn’t get what I wanted or needed from either of them.”

Camden’s chest rose and fell with each erratic breath while the muscles in his jaw ticked violently. The air in the room went electric, crackling and sparking with energy while the two of us remained unmoving.

Finally he spoke, breaking through the growing tension. “Baby, what are you tellin’ me?”

It was now or never. I’d already come this far. There was no backing out now, even if I wanted to. “What I’m trying to tell you, very awkwardly, is that… well, um… I want to have sex. With you.” Dear God, kill me now. “What I mean is, well, I think… I think it could be really good between us. I trust you, and I know you’d….” I lowered my voice as embarrassment stole over me. “I know you’d take care of me, make it good. And I want that. I want to know I’m capable of having good sex. No, great sex. And honestly, I need great sex. And you’re the only one I’d trust enough to be that vulnerable with. Just once, that’s all I’m asking for. Just one night.”

I couldn’t believe I managed to get all that out, but now that I had, I held my breath, waiting for him to either pounce or shoot me down.

God, I really hope he doesn’t shoot me down.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to show my face again if he did.