“I need a condom,” Kai murmurs against my heated skin.
Looking over his shoulders, my eyes find Julian’s. We have a stash for the men I sleep with upstairs, but I find myself staying silent.
“Soph?” he asks, tilting his head.
Looking back up at Kai, I know I’m in the moment and it’s irresponsible to think ofnotwearing a condom. But I want to feel him bare. I’ve always loved the feeling of Julian inside of me, and I want to share this with Kai, too.
But before I can tell him this, Kai reaches out for my chin and looks down at me with a look of furtive contemplation.
“As much as I want to fuck you bare, little dove, it’s something we should discuss beforehand. Not during a scene.”
I nod as his thumb brushes against my lower lip. “The condoms are upstairs. I can?—”
“I’ll get them,” Julian says, pushing off the frame of the door. “Carry on.”
Kai watches Julian disappear down the hall, his jaw tight as he adjusts himself in his jeans. His hand brushes against my cheek, fingers lingering as if grounding himself in the moment.
“You’re enjoying this,” he mutters, though the corner of his mouth twitches into something dangerously close to a smile.
I bite my lower lip, my eyes dragging down his body. “Maybe a little.”
He huffs a quiet laugh, but his gaze sharpens as his thumb grazes my lip. “You like watching him pull my strings.”
I nod, heart hammering. “I do.”
Kai doesn’t look away. “Good. Because I’m not done with you yet.”
I lean back against the table and look up at him. “Well, then, you heard him. Carry on.”
Kai’s lips lift into an easy smile. “You’re lucky that I don’t feel like fighting you tonight, or punishing the disobedience,” he murmurs, his hand caressing my shoulder softly. “Get on your knees.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I’ll never get sick of the way his eyes darken whenever I say that, or the way his expression grows just a little bit more menacing. I slide off the table, lowering myself to my knees, and I don’t wait for permission to reach forward and unbuckle his belt.
He doesn’t stop me, but he also doesn’t move to help.
I smirk, thinking of how Kai likes to test the boundaries—the push and pull of our dynamic—and I can feel his eyes boring into me as I work his belt free. His hands remain at his sides, and a slight flex of his fingers is the only indication that he’s affected by what’s happening. Taking my time, I’m deliberately slow, knowing it will irritate him.
“Are you going to help?” I ask, my tone teasing.
“You’re lucky I find that mouth of yours charming, Sophie.” Leaning down, his fingers graze my jaw before they tip my chin so that I have no choice but to meet his eyes. “But don’t mistake charm for control.”
His voice is calm, but there’s an edge of warning to it.
I swallow, and the weight of his presence settles over me. Kai’s dominance isn’t loud or over-the-top. It’s like an ocean current, steady, inescapable, and utterly dangerous if you’re not prepared. Lowering my gaze, I continue unbuckling his belt.
The tension in the room makes me hyperaware of every sound—the scrape of leather through metal, the sound of the buckle jingling, the faint creak of the floorboards under Kai’s feet… and the soft hitch of Kai’s breath when my fingers brush against the bare skin above his waistband.
His control might be ironclad, but that shaky inhale tells me everything I need to know: he’s ready, and he won’t last long.
So many people see submission as a weakness. They don’t understand the kind of power it takes to look someone in the eye and offer yourself to them. With Kai, I’m not just giving him control, I’m inviting him to take it. There’s power in watching him step into that role, in seeing the confidence build in him as he realizes he doesn’t need to hold back.
“You’re taking your time,” he says, voice low but loaded with warning.
I let a sly smile grace my lips before looking up at him. “I thought you said you didn’t feel like fighting me tonight.”
A muscle in his jaw tics. “Don’t push me.”