Page 19 of Deeply Examined

“I—oh, damnit.” I take in her narrowed eyes and give in. “Fine, cupcake. That’s the safe word.”

“Good.” Jessica swallows hard, but when she meets my gaze again, there’s no fear. Only anticipation.

She hands back the rope, fingers brushing mine for the briefest moment.

I pause and stare down at the coil, feeling the weight in my hands. The weight of my choices.

Both equally heavy.

My thumb drags over the rope’s fibers, rubbing them against my fingertips. My mind is already calculating where I’ll tie each knot, where I’ll wrap her wrists, how she’ll look beneath me, stretched and bound. I push the thought away and inhale deeply, forcing my muscles to stay loose.

When I look back at her, the playfulness from before is gone. Jessica watches me carefully, breath slower now.

Something tightens in my chest. Maybe the last shred of my morality or maybe the ghost of a conscience I thought I buried long ago.

I step in and close the distance, then bend forward until my palms hit the mattress on each side of her hips. We’re face to face now, closer than ever before. Her breath is a warm caress, ghosting across my cheek.

She stills. Green eyes wide, lips slightly parted.

“Tell me to stop.” I say urgently, my voice low and husky. “Tell me no.”

It’s more of a plea than a command.

I know what comes next. She doesn’t.

For a long moment, neither of us moves.

One second.

Two.

I wait for her to take the deal, reject me, but instead, resolve hardens behind those beautiful eyes. They blaze with a stubborn, reckless trust.

Like she’s challengingme. Jessica deliberately lifts her wrists, pressing them together like an offering. A silent surrender.

That’s when I know…I’m going to ruin her.

And even worse?

She wants it.

I exhale slowly, accepting her decision to move forward, a choice that suddenly feels inevitable. Like this was always where we would end up. Like we’re race cars locked on a collision course, engines roaring, neither of us willing to hit the brakes, unable to stop the wreckage.

“Not like that.” I gesture behind her. “I’m going to tie you to the bed.”

Jessica whips her head around with her mouth hanging open. “The bed?” Her voice goes up an octave.

“Yes. The bed.” Amusement stirs, brought on by her shocked expression. “Why do you think I got it?”

She looks at me, looks at the bed, then looks back at me again.

Her mouth opens and closes. On the third try she gets out, “You bought a bed…to tie me up in?”

It’s not accusation.

It’s wonder.

The air thickens between us. Jessica’s pulse thrums at her throat, her breathing shallow. She wets her lips, her fingers twitching at her sides like she doesn’t know what to do with them. A flush creeps across her collarbone, rising up her neck like she can already feel the ropes binding her.

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