Page 156 of Give In

When we reached his room, he set me on my feet, keeping hold of my hips to steady me.

I pushed him back until he was sitting on the bed. “Close your eyes.”

Smirking, he did as I said, but grumbled. “You’re getting bossy.”

“I learned it from you.” Nerves tingled through me as I went to the closet and quietly opened it. I scanned the still packaged toys and accessories, and almost changed my mind in favor of trying some of them. Sticking with the plan, I grabbed what I needed.

He’s insane.

And so am I.

Keeping it behind my back, I moved to stand in front of him. “Okay, open your eyes.”

Amused eyes traveled up my body until they reached my face.

“I lied,” I pointed out.

The amusement that’d lit his expression died from one blink to the next. His jaw ticked, his shoulders bunching. “Eden—”

I put my fingers to his lips.

He glanced down then back up before quirking his brow, though he stayed silent.

“I lieda lot. I lied by omission even more. I broke your wine glass that was from a set and there’s no bachelor version to get a replacement from. You’re just SOL now.” Holding out the hem of his tee, I showed him how it unfolded. “I ruined this shirt because I unraveled the thread while you were unraveling my tangled knots.” Pain and regret sliced through me. “And I didn’t trust that once I was unraveled, you’d help me hold all my pieces together, so I tried to end us.”

As I spewed all my truths, a gambit of emotions had gone across Damien’s face, ranging from anger to amusement to tenderness. At the reminder of my breakup attempt, though, his expression hardened, and his body went tight.

“There’s no ending this,” he growled.

“I know, Professor Caine.”

His eyes widened at my words before going hooded. “You’re mine.”

“I know, Professor Caine.”

“Then get your ass over here and kiss me.”

I shook my head. “No.”

His nostrils flared. “Now, Eden.”

“That was a long list of things I’ve done,” I started before pulling the crop from behind my back. “Things I should be punished for.”

“Tonight was…” He shook his head. “Angel, you’ve had a rough one. I’m not—”

“This is who I am. There’s no safe word. No hours of operation or fantasy,” I said, throwing what I could remember of his words back at him. Inhaling deeply, I revealed my last truth. “I’m so insanely in love with you, but I tried to end it because I was scared. I didn’t trust you to take care of me.” Holding out the crop, I smiled. “But now I do.”

His eyes closed as he lowered his head, and I knew in that moment more than any other that night, I made the right choice. My love and my trust weren’t meaningless to him. He appreciated the profoundness of me giving in.

Looking at me through lowered lids, darkness filled his gaze.

Filled him.

And me, too.

“The crop?” he rumbled, slapping it hard against his open palm.

I lifted a shoulder as I licked my suddenly desert-dry lips. “You were right. I love to hate it.”