Sure, he’d never ignore a safeword, but she certainly hadn’t told him no the other day.

“What do you think you are doing?” he growled at her.

She bit her lip and glanced up at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

Oh, she was going to try and get out of this by giving him a cute look? Did she think that would work?

“Don’t even think about it,Malyshka,” he told her in a softer voice than he’d intended.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Fuck. First Little girl and now Little one? Yeah, his mind was definitely stuck on a loop after that conversation yesterday.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t feel right to call her those things.

“Never you mind that. What you need to mind is me.” He pointed at himself.

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

He wondered if she showed this sassy side in front of Roman and Salem. He was betting she didn’t. Salem liked submission. He liked to feel in control and needed.

And he bet that she wasn’t a brat with Roman because he likely gave her whatever she desired.

So the brat was for him.

That was fine. He could easily deal with this.

“I need to mind you?” she asked. “I don’t believe I read that in my contract.”

“Hmm. Then we need to rewrite the contract, don’t we?”

Was that a flare of heat in her eyes? He thought it was.

Placing his hands on the arms of the chair, he leaned over her. He watched her closely to make sure he wasn’t pushing too far. But she didn’t seem intimidated.

More curious.

Those wide eyes and her cute nose reminded him of a bunny.

“You’ll mind me, Bunny. When it comes to safety and health, especially.”

“Bunny?” She swallowed heavily. “Or what?”

“Or you’ll get yourself into trouble. More than you already are in. Unless you want to have your bottom heated again.”

She sucked in a breath.

Maybe she did.

“We can’t do that again. It’s not proper behavior. And Salem and Roman . . .”

“Don’t worry about them.”

She closed off, withdrawing back from him.

Shit. That was the wrong thing to say. She clearly didn’t want to forget about the other two men.

In fact, it seemed more proof that she would walk away if asked to choose between them.