Page 68 of Tarnished Reign

“You think I'm overwhelming?” is what he comes back with.

“On every single level,” I reply.

“You're not exactly underwhelming yourself. You look incredible in that dress. You look incredible in that makeup. Each time I tell myself you surely can't look any better, you go and prove me wrong.”

Again, with nice words but an angry tone.

“Is that a problem?”

“It is for me,” he replies.

Is he some puritan who wants women to dress like nuns? “Why don't you like women who look nice?”

“Don't be naive, Adriana,” he snaps. “I like you far too much, and you know that's the problem. I want to get you back on that boat, into my bedroom, and tear that fucking dress right off your body.”

I suck in a breath and don't reply, because what the hell can I say to that?

Do I want him to tear this dress off my body? The way my nipples peak says yes, yes, I do. The way my core throbs says hell yes, and the way my throat runs dry begs, yes, please.

I still retain some of my sanity, though, and I'm all too aware that he's an experienced man, a big, muscular, older experienced man. I'm not experienced at all.

“After you rip my dress off me, would you take it easy?” My hands tremble in my lap as I speak.

This is like that time I wandered out of the shallow end of the pool before I could swim.

“Do you want me to rip your dress off?”

“I think I do, very much so.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” he says.

“As long as you’re gentle with me after, then I want you to rip my dress off.”

“Oh, I’ll be gentle after I rip that damn thing from you.”

I suck in air. “Then why do I need to be careful what I wish for?”

“Because I won’t be gentle every time after that.”

“There will be more times?” My voice is breathless at the thought.

He glances at me, his eyes glittering and intense. “You think I’m going to get a woman like you underneath me and be done with once?”

Holy crap.

“I might be bad at sex.”

He barks out a surprised laugh.

“What’s funny?”

“It’s your first time; it’s not your job to be good at it.”

“What is my job?”

“To enjoy it. And if you’re not enjoying it, or you need me to stop, then communicate that with me.”

“Like a safe word.”

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