Page 29 of Bought

He won’t though. You can feel how leashed all that strength is.

I could. That hard body behind mine was rigid with the force of his will, every part of him under his strict command.

He wouldn’t lash out in a fit of rage like Dad did.

He wouldn’t let anything get the better of him, including me.

Sexy. It was sexy.

“You know what to do.” The warmth of his breath against the side of my neck made me shudder. “I won’t ask again.”

But I still couldn’t kneel, not yet. I wanted to prove that I was just as strong as he was. “And if I don’t?”

“I think you know that already. You’ll be punished.”

A thread of cold snaked down my spine. I didn’t like the sound of punishment, not at all. “What kind of punishment?”

“I’ve been patient.” His voice got impossibly deeper, darker. “Very patient with your questions, little one. And I’ve been giving you leeway because this is new for you. But now it’s time to do as you’re told.”

It was a thrill to keep pushing him, to keep getting a reaction, and I was definitely getting a reaction. I could feel the evidence of it pressing against my ass, and holy hell, he was big.

My heart thudded and I knew I couldn’t keep pushing forever, because who knew where his line in the sand was? He might even lose patience and leave, and I couldn’t afford that.

I didn’t have enough breath to speak so I only nodded and began to lower myself, wondering how I was going to do that while he was holding my wrists and had his hand around my throat. But he kept me steady, using his grip to ease me down the length of his body so that I slowly dropped to the carpet in front of him, the silk rug soft beneath my knees.

He remained behind me, keeping hold of my wrists and letting go of my throat. But only to shift his grip to the back of my neck, taking me by the scruff like cat with a kitten. His hold was firm and possessive, an anchor.

I took a breath, my heart thumping even harder.

His heat was at my back and then his mouth was against my ear as he bent over me. “Here are my rules,” he murmured. “You will do what I tell you, when I tell you and you will do so promptly. You will not argue. You will not talk back. You will not speak unless spoken to. The only exception is your safe word. If you break any of these rules, you will be punished.”

“But I—”

“Quiet.” His hand tightened on the back of my neck. “The punishments will be ones I deem appropriate for you. And one more thing. I don’t like brats, so behave yourself.”

My pulse raced, the cold thread winding tighter. I knew what punishments were about. Dad taking off his belt and using it to strike me because I hadn’t washed a knife well enough. Dad casually backhanding me because I hadn’t swept the floor properly.

“Useless. Just like ya fuckin’ mother.”

“Don’t be afraid.” Fox must have picked up on my fear because voice softened slightly. “Many a sub has grown to love the punishments I give out.”

My muscles relaxed then, as if my body had decided that he was okay, and I could trust him. And why not? He’d given me rules, he’d told me consequences. There were no eggshells to walk on here, no sense that the world was shaky under my feet. He was in charge completely and utterly.

And you want him to be.

The burst of insight took what little breath I had left.

He was a man who commanded the space he was in, and who took control effortlessly. Who radiated strength and competence and cool intelligence. There would never be uncertainty with him. You would always know where you stood, exactly where you stood.

I wanted that certainty. I wanted his certainty. I wanted his strength, and I wanted his control too. I wanted a moment to fall apart, to be vulnerable, and have someone else pick up the pieces of me.

It was crazy, I’d only known him a couple of hours if that, and yet there was something about him, despite his cold eyes and his invulnerable will, that instilled trust.

He was Isabel’s father, and he was fanatical about her safety.

He wouldn’t hurt me.

A hot ball of nervous excitement sat in my gut as if I was afraid of what he’d do next and yet wanting it at the same time. Wanting to break every single one of his rules, too, despite the threat of punishment.