me. The desire slammed into me so sudden and intense it shocked me: I wanted to be the only one to touch him like that, to know these things about him.
Arousal curled low in my gut, and my cock stirred in my pants. I wanted him comfortable, protected, happy, and mine.
“I know that’s kind of weird,” Heath said awkwardly. “It’s just—”
“It’s not weird,” I said immediately. “I like that about you. A lot.”
Something about my expression, the tone in my voice, made Heath’s blush darken even further.
I dropped my hand to his thigh and rubbed gentle, comforting circles with my palm. “But because of that, and since we’re giving this a try now—I wanted to get everything out in the open. Everything I want. And I’m going to start with a question: Have you noticed how you… respond to me?”
“Um.” Heath laughed a little nervously. “What do you mean?”
“When I give you instructions, you listen,” I said carefully. “You listen really well, and it seems to make you happy. I love it. But I want to make sure you know what that means—what that could mean—what you’re doing. Do you?”
“I mean.” Heath sighed and leaned back into the couch. “It’s like… I get really anxious sometimes. And when you just give me an instruction to follow, the anxiety just… goes away. I don’t know why. It’s like part of me has been waiting for that? Waiting for someone I trust to just… take away some of that uncertainty.”
“How does it make you feel?” I asked gently, even as my heart was jackhammering its way into my throat.
God, he trusted me, even after all of our missteps and miscommunications. I wanted to cover his small body with mine and show him I felt the same, kiss him until he was incoherent with it. But I had to be sure, first. We had to be on the same page. I wasn’t going to make any more assumptions—wasn’t going to make any more choices for him.
Heath chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. Finally, his gaze slowly lifted to meet mine. “Safe.”
“Yeah?” I encouraged. “Tell me a little more.”
Heath visibly steeled himself. “I’ve never really had any… stability in my life,” he admitted. “Not until Hell’s Ankhor. I’ve only ever had myself to rely on—the only person who cared about me was me. And it’s a lot of work, being alone like that. It’s exhausting.
“So when you—” he swallowed “—when you tell me what to do, it’s like, I can let go of that burden. I can stop being so careful and vigilant. Because I can trust that you’ll keep me safe. And make me feel good.” He buried his face in his hands. “God, this is so embarrassing to say out loud.”
The affection in my chest was so powerful it made me feel short of breath. “It’s not embarrassing,” I said. “It’s—” Perfect. “It makes sense.”
Heath uncovered his face and looked up, brow furrowed. He was so fucking sweet, and so close to being mine. I just had to take the final step.
“Heath, I’m a Dom,” I said. “Dominant. Always have been.”
Heath’s expression dropped a little. “Like—tying people up? Hitting people? Whips and chains?”
“No, no, no,” I said immediately. “Not anything like that. For me, it’s more about… instruction. And control. Well, maybe a little spanking, but only if my partner wants that.”
Heath looked interested now, and I kept running my hand up and down his thigh. I had to make sure I didn’t get overeager—the most important thing was that he understood, and could make an informed decision about how we moved forward.
“Basically, I like telling my partner what to do,” I said with a casual shrug I hoped was disarming. “In bed, but outside of it, too. Not to control your entire life—but just little things. Day-to-day things. Maybe what to wear sometimes, or what to pick up for dinner, or where we’ll go on dates, things like that. But only when it’s something we agreed on, that I know would make you happy, things that you want, too.”
Now, he looked entranced.
“I want to make the bulk of the decisions,” I said, “if that works for you. And in bed, I like being in control. I like it when my partner gives up control and just… lets me please them. Because that’s what it’s about, for me. Making the person I’m with feel happy, and safe, and content. At the end of the day you’d be the one to set the