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A slow smile spread across his face, like he knew he’d won the battle. “I might make you want to stay.”

She shook her head. Like she’d thought before, he was too much. She would fall so hard for him, and it would disintegrate at some point in time. She couldn’t handle it again. “I won’t. I’ll get on a plane to London and I’ll go back to my world. But maybe a few weeks in yours wouldn’t be terrible.”

“It wouldn’t be terrible at all,” he said, his fingers tangling in her hair. His eyes suddenly went hard, but in an incredibly sexy “I’m taking charge” way. “I think you should relax right now.”

There were reasons for her to not do that at the moment. “We’ve got a PI looking for us.”

“And if he shows up, what will he find, Nina? Will he find us plotting how to bring down a spy, or will he find us doing what engaged couples most like to engage in?”

The man knew how to make sense, but he was forgetting a few things. “And the saleslady?”

“Will be happy to let me stay in here for the rest of the day because she’s smart and she knows I’m going to tell her we’ll take it all at the end of this.” Those fingers tightened, pulling at her scalp in a perfectly delicious way. “Do you agree that I’m in charge when it’s time to relax?”

She could fight him, but she didn’t want to. Not in any way. She knew she was bargaining but she couldn’t help herself. Perhaps if she went into the relationship knowing it wouldn’t last, she wouldn’t get hurt in the end. “You’re in charge.”

“Damn straight I am. Now turn around.”

“Am I going to try anything else on?”

“I told you we’ll take them all. As for trying something on, yeah, you’re going to try me on. I think I’ll fit just fine.”

Her whole body lit up at the dark tone his voice had taken. He’d used a form of this tone the night before, but this time he’d deepened his voice. Maybe it was unconscious, but it wasobvious he’d gone into top space, and that made her skin sing in anticipation. She turned and he had the dress off her, allowing her to step out of it before he laid it on the bench. Then he had the clasp of her bra undone in a heartbeat. He tossed it aside, and that was when she noticed she could see herself in the mirror ahead. She wore nothing but the pair of white cotton undies she’d put on earlier in the day.

“You’re so fucking pretty,” he said, his hands winding around her torso to come up to cup her breasts.

She could see the way her whole body seemed to relax the minute his hands were on her. All she could see of him was his hands and the dark silk of his hair as he bent over to caress her neck with his lips. When he set his teeth on the nape of her neck, a shiver went through her. He grazed his way to the top of her shoulders. All the while his strong hands cupped her breasts, thumbs circling her nipples. He would brush over them and then roll them between his thumb and forefingers, and when she thought he would pinch them, when she was ready for the little flick of pain he would likely give her, he would go gentle again.

He was a sadist.

“You’re tense, baby.” He whispered the words in her ear, his tongue flicking her earlobe. “This is supposed to be relaxing. Am I not doing it right?”

“You know it feels amazing.” Some Doms liked to tease like this. It looked like JT liked to play games. The good news was so did she. “But I need more, Sir.”

Those fingers tightened lightly around her nipples. “More? More what? And I like the way you say Sir in that oh-so-posh British accent of yours.”

She’d worked hard for that accent. She’d perfected it since she was originally from the country and sounded like it. It wasn’t fair, but she’d known sounding cultured meant something in her world. It would mean something in JT’s, too. He had an accent,but there was no questioning the man’s intelligence. “You can get a bit rougher if you like, Sir.”

“Rougher?” His arms tightened, pulling her back against the hard muscle of his chest. “If I like? I want you to like. How about this?”

His fingers closed around her nipples and he gave her a quick twist, sending a flare through her that went straight to her pussy. She gasped and the world seemed a bit softer than before as arousal took over and she started to forget all the reasons this was a bad idea.

“Nina, I need your words.” He nipped at her earlobe. “Do you like that? Do you like me twisting your pretty little nipples? They’re pink right now, but I think they’ll be gorgeous when I’ve licked and sucked and bit them. They’ll be ruby red.”

“I like it very much, Sir.”

He twisted her nipples again. “Watch it in the mirror. Watch how you respond to me.”

She forced herself to obey, though she wanted more than anything to close her eyes and let the moment take over. But obedience was part of the agreement—even if they didn’t actually have a formal agreement. She did as he asked, and the sight of those gorgeously callused hands on her skin made her tighten in anticipation. The fact that he was completely dressed and she was barely clothed did something for her. It made her feel sexy, like he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her, so he’d stripped her down and hadn’t bothered with his own clothes. It let her know that penetration wasn’t the only thing on his mind.

It let her know he wanted to play and there were rules to the game—but there was also so much to win, and if she played right, there were no losers.

“You like a nip of pain?” He was staring at her in the mirror, his head up and eyes locked on hers.

She nodded. “I do. I like the sensation. I like the crispness of it, and then the heat that takes over. If you’re serious about having sessions at night while we’re at the retreat, I like a flogger with a little sting to it.”

He grinned, a sexy expression. “I can handle that for you. Now tell me you won’t give me hell about wearing my ring.”

He was a manipulative bastard. “I’ll wear whatever you want me to wear and you’ll do what I tell you to do if the bullets start flying. That’s the deal, Malone.”