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“Okay then.” He held out his hand again and I placed mine in his.

His grin turned victoriously beautiful, blinding me from the whiteness of his teeth and the wicked tilt of his lips.

He turned to Shawn. “Perhaps it will make you more comfortable if Rebecca and I follow you and Miranda back home. She mentioned you were her neighbors.”

“Works for me,” Miranda chirped.

“Rebecca?” Shawn asked.

I grinned at Shawn. His protectiveness over me simply because I was friends with his wife made everything rattle inside my brain. “That’s acceptable.”

“Said with the enthusiasm of a woman being led to slaughter,” Bennett muttered, lips still tilted into a grin.

Huh. Perhaps he had a sense of humor hidden beneath all his scowls and arrogance.

“I suppose you’ll have to prove me wrong, then.”

“Ah, that Miss Morales, will be my absolute pleasure.”

Gulp.

* * *

We were in Bennett’s black Audi. In front of us, Shawn’s BMW taillights stayed close. So far, Bennett had been a gentleman. After my agreement, he’d ushered me out of Luminous with all the gentlemanly qualities I typically sought. One hand on my lower back, guiding me gently but purposefully. When we reached outside, he’d taken off his black suit coat and draped it over my shoulders so I’d stay warm. We’d walked just behind Shawn and Miranda and when we reached Bennett’s car, he waited until Shawn pulled up next to us before pulling onto the street and following them.

As soon as my hand slid into his, something between us had shifted. It stripped my confidence and my conversation, like I’d suddenly gone mute, waiting for his commands.

Meanwhile, Bennett had walked as arrogantly and confident as ever, shoulders back, spine straight, chin up, although he’d slowed his steps to a more manageable pace for me to walk with him.

Since he’d guided me into the passenger seat, not closing the door until I was settled and buckled in, the only sound in the car had been the bumps of his tires over potholes and cracks. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck.

“Are you aware that your thoughts are spinning faster and louder than a roller coaster?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say right now.”

“Do you have questions for me? I’m assuming you do.”

Only one popped out. Because as much as we’d spoken, he still hadn’t had the soft, tender look in his eyes like he had for the woman he’d earlier called Kaila.

“Who was that woman to you tonight? The one you were on stage with?”

He turned and met my gaze for a moment before turning back to the road. “Of all the questions you could ask, that’s the most surprising.”

“Is it?”

He nodded. “Kaila’s a sub, unattached, and to be honest, much more intense than I. But she performs beautifully for a crowd.”

“You said that you don’t typically use, um, well, you prefer your hand.” It was getting hot in his car. A quick glance at the heat told me that hadn’t risen, so it was my blood boiling with embarrassment. Lovely. Every man loved a splotchy, blubbering, terrified woman. Lover.

Shit. What had I gotten myself into?

“Yes. You’ll find that in BDSM, like any vanilla relationship, you could line up one hundred couples, and you’d have one hundred different examples. It’s not all that unlike any vanilla relationship, Rebecca. We all have our preferences, our ways of showing dominance and submission, and any partner, any relationship still needs to find the right fit and what works for them, together.”

“You make it sound so reasonable.”

“A good Dom sets forth expectations that are reasonable, as well as clear. Most importantly, what I want you to know is that unlike Shawn, and what I’m assuming you’ve heard of his talents, I don’t want a woman to bend over a bench or be strapped to a cross for pleasure, nor do I need it. I enjoy the control, and a woman submitting. Whether at her knees or on her feet, a woman trusting me with the most precious parts of her and her desires, that’s the gift you give me.”

A delicious shiver spiraled through me. I turned and watched the skyline of Grand Rapids fly by. “What you described sounds...manageable.”