Page 107 of Ask Me Something

Chapter Twenty-Two

With the way Brian had left me, I was astonished to see him here at my building. But damn if my pulse didn’t race at the sight of him. We rode the elevator in silence to my floor. I unlocked my front door, and he quietly followed me in.

Slipping off my shoes, I faced him. “I didn’t expect you to be here tonight.”

He shed his coat. “I owe you an apology—”

I hadn’t expected that. “Okay, I’m listening.”

He pulled me into his arms, and led me gently onto his lap on the sofa. “I’m sorry for getting mad.” He kissed my neck.

I took a deep breath and realized those words held a lot of power. Especially being someone who didn’t say them often enough myself. “I’m sorry we didn’t discuss it ahead of time, but it was sprung on me last minute. I hope you understand why I had to go.”

“I didn’t at first, but then I realized I’d do anything for my friends and you were doing the same for yours. Plus you were up front with me with where you were. If anything, at the end I was angrier with myself than with you. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I think it could be argued that kind of tortured pleasure wasn’t so bad.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “You liked it?”

I felt my face heat, but was honest. “I did, but maybe next time we could do it without invoking rule number one.”

He smiled and held me a few minutes. “Definitely. We’re both tired, and I’d like nothing more than to take a nice hot shower and slip into bed with you. Can we do that?”

I nodded and was led into my bathroom. He warmed up the water and we both stepped in under the spray. We took turns silently washing one another, and I finally couldn’t stand it any longer. “I need to ask you something …”

He tensed and then sighed. “I knew about that place because I’d been there with someone a couple of years ago. The woman I was with was into some pretty hard-core things, and she wanted me to learn how to be more dominant, incorporating the pain aspect. She had me watch another couple with her. I hated it. Call me crazy, but whipping or caning a woman isn’t something I can stomach. She wanted it. I didn’t. End of story and our arrangement. And maybe my history had something to do with my initial reaction to you being there.”

I stood there a full minute processing, unable to respond.

“You wanted to know,” he muttered defensively, waiting for my reaction.

“Uh, no. I didn’t. I wanted to ask you if you enjoyed it tonight. I don’t have a frame of reference for that type of sex.”

Now it was his turn to look stunned; then his arms went around me. He let out a shaky breath. “Remind me to never answer a question that you haven’t actually asked.”

I smiled, thinking I would’ve gotten around to it eventually. “I’m still glad you told me.”

“As for the other: I have no words for how amazing it was, and I love that I was your first like that. Especially since it was my first time, too.”

Holding my breath, I let it out slowly as his words soaked in. “What?”

He gave me a goofy smile and kissed me softly. “I’ve used, uh, other things, but I’ve never wanted to until you.”

I met his eyes and pleasure overwhelmed me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “Because you trusted me to take care of you, and I worried if I told you it was my first time, then you might not be into it. Male pride, I guess.”

Hugging him close, I felt sleepy under the warm water.

“Let’s get washed up and get some sleep,” he murmured in my hair.

* * *

I’d always heardthe throes of passion could get you to say things you might either regret or, in my case, overthink later, but I’d never pictured actually doing it. I thought about what Brian had meant about being his earlier tonight. I was a grown woman, financially secure, professionally successful, and the natural inclination was to balk completely at being owned by anyone. But it had been carnal and so alpha in that moment that I’d also been extremely turned on by it.

We lay there in my bed, both unwilling to start the day and break the intimacy.

I leaned back, my fingertips brushing the planes of his face.

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