Page 218 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 1-4

‘It’s not that.’ Her chin firmed in that stubborn way he was beginning to recognise. ‘I’m not your girlfriend or your wife, and I don’t want to be either of those things. And I won’t be your...’ she made a gesture with her hand ‘...brood mare that services you whenever you’re in the mood, either.’

Strangely, now he’d made a decision, the restless tension that had been gripping him receded. Perhaps it was merely the aftermath of his rather stupendous orgasm, but he felt lazy and sated, and the sight of her pretty golden eyes sparking with temper amused him rather than annoyed him.

‘A brood mare,’ he said slowly as if tasting the words. ‘Yes, you’d look very pretty with a halter on, in a stall. Though I think you’d bite so maybe you should have a muzzle.’

She scowled. ‘I wasn’t joking.’

He let his amusement go. ‘I know. So how about this? I will live in the manor and you live in the cottage. We will have our own lives. But at night...I could sleep with you or you could sleep with me, I don’t mind which.’

She sniffed. ‘You’re assuming I’m going to want to sleep with you.’

Dominic moved his hand slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away, sliding his palm beneath one round breast and cupping it gently. ‘You don’t want to sleep with me?’ he asked casually, stroking his thumb back and forth over her nipple in a lazy movement. ‘Because of course, if you don’t want to, I won’t make you.’

She swallowed, her eyelashes falling again, a soft breath escaping her. ‘I... I...might not want you.’

‘You might not?’ Very gently he pinched the tip of her nipple, making her gasp and shudder. ‘You’d better be clear about this. I wouldn’t want to make any mistakes.’

She’d begun to press herself into his palm, arching her back slightly. ‘I mean...there might be times when...I don’t want you at all...’

‘Of course,’ he murmured. ‘In which case I’ll respect your wishes. But you’re a passionate creature and I think those times will be few and far between.’ He bent and gently circled her nipple with his tongue, before drawing back and blowing gently on it, making her shiver all over. ‘Don’t you?’

She gave him a frustrated look from underneath her lashes. ‘You’re manipulating me.’

‘Yes,’ he said, unrepentant because he was getting hard again and all he could think about was being inside her. ‘But all you need to do is say no and I’ll stop.’ He took his hand away. ‘Shall I stop?’

Her chin jutted as she glowered at him. ‘Did I say stop?’

She looked adorable just then, pink with arousal, golden eyes glittering with desire and frustration, and he couldn’t help but take her hand and guide it down to the front of his trousers. ‘Just remember that manipulation can go both ways,’ he murmured. ‘And what works on you, also works on me.’

Her expression changed, becoming thoughtful, and he couldn’t stop the heated rush of anticipation that flooded through him in response.

You want her to have that power over you?

Not exactly. But he wasn’t averse to it either. She had no guile, this woman. She wasn’t going to use it against him, not the way he would. And it was odd to think that even as she’d given him her trust, he was giving her his.

‘Try it,’ he invited. ‘Try it on me and see what happens.’

She didn’t need to be asked twice and soon proved his point, much to their mutual satisfaction.

CHAPTER NINE

MAUDECHECKEDHERWATCH. It was nearly twelve-thirty, the time Dominic had told her to meet him by the waterfall. Apparently, he had a ‘surprise’ for her and she’d been thinking about it all day, conscious of a building anticipation that felt a lot like excitement.

She’d been experiencing that more and more often in the past week, since Dominic had relocated himself to Darkfell Manor.

When he’d first suggested living at Darkfell, she’d been instantly wary. She hadn’t been sure why he’d wanted to be here for a start, and then she’d wondered if it was so he could be a control freak about the baby. Certainly, after the day they’d ended up having sex on the couch in the cottage, and he’d felt the baby kick, he’d suddenly started deciding things and expecting her to go along with them.

He was a man who liked to take charge of a situation, and yes, she’d been wary about what would happen when he arrived here. Not that she’d had a choice in the matter. He did own the place after all.

She’d thought the instant he’d moved back, he’d be at her door, demanding sex, since that seemed to be the implication after he’d seduced her again on the couch. Yet...he hadn’t.

In fact, the day he’d moved in, he’d stayed in the manor all day and she hadn’t seen him at all. She hadn’t seen him the next day, either. The third day had come around with still no sign of him, and she’d felt...disappointed. And she’d hated that she’d felt disappointed, because what did it matter if he clearly wasn’t as desperate for her as he’d led her to believe? Itdidn’tmatter. Not to her. She’d gone without sex long enough that another couple of days weren’t going to make a difference.

It wasn’t until the third night that he’d appeared on her doorstep. She’d opened the door to find him lounging against the doorframe, and all he’d done was raise an enquiring brow. That had been enough to find herself in his arms, her mouth on his, hungrily devouring him as he’d devoured her.

They’d spent the night together every night since then, and usually they didn’t talk. They gave in to their own mutual hunger and let that guide them instead, and in the morning she always woke up to find herself alone.

That was good. That was what she preferred. Living her life bound by nobody’s rules but her own.

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