He’d obviously sensed that she didn’t really want it last night, even though he didn’t know the full reasons. It was unnerving, that he’d read her so well. It was dangerous.

But his comment had given her a good lead-in to the explanation that finally came to her. “I did want it. I mean, I want to want it. It’s just not always easy, trying something new.”

“Yeah.”

She couldn’t tell at all what he was thinking, and it worried her. She pressed herself against his side, wrapping an arm around him, hoping physical touch might distract him from whatever he was puzzling out about her. “I’ve never been in a relationship before where I was able to—to try things out. I want to. I want to be able to—to stretch myself that way, even if it’s hard.”

Ironically, it was true. It was absolutely true. She’d never once in her life been in this deep with a man. No one had ever been with her sexually the way Caleb was.

He tilted his head down to press a kiss into her hair. “Then we will. Just tell me the truth about what you want, and don’t force yourself to change all at once. I don’t like feeling…”

When he trailed off, she looked up at him, strangely breathless as she waited for him to continue. “You don’t like feeling what?”

“Like you’re using me to—to hurt yourself.”

She sucked in a breath and ducked her head, hiding her face in his shirt to keep him from seeing her expression.

Because he was right about that too, when she hadn’t even been conscious of it.

Sometimes it felt like she needed to be punished for not hating him enough.

He didn’t press her for a response, just kept an arm around her, and she forced her mind back under control, reminding herself that she needed to act quickly or the situation would spiral even more into chaos than it already had.

So she made herself force down the vulnerability and emotion and instead took the first step in her plan.

“You’re not going to work today, are you?” she asked in a different tone. This one light, feminine, almost flirtatious.

He dropped his arm from around her and shifted his gaze back to meet hers, a different sort of question in his eyes. “Probably later. I always work on Sunday afternoons. Why?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t. You work all the time.”

A smile lifted the corner of his lips. “Did you have something else in mind?”

“Nothing in particular. I’m not slavering after your irresistible body, if that’s what you think. I just wanted to spend the day with you.”

“We spend plenty of time together.”

If she’d been in a real relationship with him, she would get really tired of coming in a distant second to his work. As it was, it was actually helpful—since he wasn’t always around, getting in her space all the time. She gave him a little pouty frown and didn’t reply.

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her again, pulling her into a half hug. “You’re not going to start with that kind of thing, are you?”

“No. I’m not going to start with any sort of thing. You can work all the time, for all I care.”

He looked ridiculously pleased, and a little smug, as if he’d identified a soft spot in her that he liked. “Don’t lie to me. I can always tell. I’ll work from home this afternoon, instead of going into the office. How’s that?”

It was evidently a great concession on his part, and he leaned down to kiss her to seal the deal.

But she had a good idea now, and she’d set things up perfectly to follow through with it. So she told herself it didn’t matter when her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck to return the kiss.

—

At four in the afternoon, she walked into his home office wearing a little sundress and carrying the black silk cords he’d used on her the night before.

He’d been working since noon, and she’d waited long enough that he wouldn’t feel genuinely annoyed with her for the interruption.

She had to play this exactly right, or it would never succeed, and she needed something dramatic enough to distract him.

After what happened last night, the cords would get his attention.

He was clearly startled by her presence, but fortunately, he wasn’t on the phone. He took in her appearance in about two seconds, which is when she saw his expression shift from surprise to understanding to a knowing sort of approval to pure heat.

She shifted from foot to foot, trying to look exaggeratedly shy. “Are you still working?”

“You can see very well that I am.” His tone had taken on that low dominance she was familiar with—different in resonance than his more characteristic, natural authority.

“I was hoping you were done.” She let her loose hair fall over her shoulder so she could hide her face behind it. He was always saying how much he liked that she looked innocent, inexperienced, so she might as well take advantage of it.

He had to be into this all the way if it was ever going to work.

His eyes slanted down to the cords. The brief question in his eyes eased back into desire, which was a relief. He was certainly an enthusiastic sex partner, but he wasn’t a predictable man—and so it wasn’t always easy to manipulate him.

“We’re not using the cords,” he said at last, in the same low, textured voice.

“But I—”

“No arguments.”

He sounded a lot bossier than he normally did when they weren’t playing a sexual game, but she still couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. She’d had the whole thing planned out, and she wasn’t sure normal sex would do the trick, so she didn’t want some pretense of sensitivity on his part to get in the way of her plan. “I’m ready,” she said, straightening up and meeting his gaze so he knew she was sincere. “I wasn’t ready last night, but I really want to do it this time.”

He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, somehow looking both sophisticated and debauched in his expensive shirt and trousers. He murmured, “We’ll see if you’re ready.”

With a quick intake of breath, she realized he was in after all—he was just changing the game a little. “How?” she breathed.

“Drop the cords.”

She let them fall to the floor and saw them curled like a snake beside her sandals and polished toes. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to see how ready you really are to be bound.”

She swallowed hard, her body already responding to the intensity of the heat in his eyes and the authority in his voice, and it was somehow even harder to resist, since she kept remembering how tender he’d been last night.

It didn’t seem to matter who he was or what he’d done—she simply couldn’t help but want him.

“I was working when you interrupted, so you’re going to have to wait until I’m ready for you.”

She shifted slightly, since her arousal was already pulsing between her legs. “Wait how?”

“Walk over here.”

She did as he instructed, her cheeks flushing as his eyes crawled up and down her body.

“Take off your dress.”

Her hands were trembling a little in anticipation as she reached behind herself to unzip, and then let the dress fall down her body to the floor. She saw his response as he watched, and it fed her desire, knowing he wanted her so much.

“Bend down over the desk, holding on to the opposite edge.”

She obeyed, leaning over the edge of the desk, which was mostly empty because he nearly always worked at the attached computer arm. The desk was wide, but she was easily able to reach the opposite edge when she stretched out her arms. “Like this?” she whispered, turning her head so she could see him, seated in front of his computer.

“Yes. Very good. Now, pretend I’m binding you with invisible rope.” He reached over and trailed his fingertips gently along her spine.

Her whole body jerked at the tingle of pleasure.

He drew back. “Put your hand back where it was.”

She gulped, repositioning herself the way she’d been, understanding now what he was doing, what he was making her do.