Page 60 of A Cold Hard Truth

“Is that what you think?” Remington tilted his head to the side, still working his fingers through Sebastian’s hair, messing up the perfect styling.

“I came when I wasn’t supposed to,” Sebastian said, voice sullen, “and thinking about your reaction when I told you made me hard again.”

“Is that what it was? Or were you thinking about what would come after my reaction?”

Sebastian’s stare flickered up at him. “What?”

“Were you thinking about the correction? Or if there would be a punishment?”

Sebastian swallowed, his jaw working as he thought about the questions Remington had just asked. They were questions Remington was familiar with, as he’d sat with them plenty long himself, just not today. It was something he’d asked himself before, but in the opposite when he’d tried to figure out why the concepts of dominance appealed to him so much.

He’d realized long ago he didn’t think he’d get a sexual thrill from causing someone pain, but would he like being in control? Yes. Did doling out pain come with that? Not always, but he found he wanted it to. In his brain, he was somehow able to separate the act of giving pain from the intent of that pain.

He was all about the intent.

“Oh,” Sebastian said softly.

“Oh is right,” he agreed with a sigh. “This is all really new to you. Maybe it’s too much.”

“It’s not,” Sebastian answered quickly. “It’s not too much. It’s just confusing.”

“Maybe if we have some rules,” he offered, “or some expectations.”

Sebastian folded his legs crisscross and settled between Remington’s feet, staring up at him with hopeful eyes. Remington hadn’t met Sebastian’s brother, but he wondered what Rhys would think or say if he were to see a man who was clearly so much better than him assuming such a position.

“I’ve read a lot,” Remington said, choosing his words carefully. “I’m book smart, but I don’t have a lot of real world experience with things.”

“With sex.”

“Or kink,” he added. “I only know what feels right.”

“This feels right,” Sebastian whispered.

“What parts?”

“The schedules,” Sebastian said, cheeks flushing a dark red. “I like you telling me what to do. I’ve kind of always liked that.”

“Do you mean…”

“In bed.” Sebastian covered his face with his hands. “Oh, my God, this is embarrassing.”

“No, it’s not.” Remington pulled Sebastian’s hands away and slid off the couch onto the floor so they were face to face. On the same level.

“Daniella.” Sebastian cleared his throat. “My ex-wife. She used to…fuck me. With a toy, of course. And sometimes she was mean about it.”

“And did you like that?”

“Which part?” he asked.

“All of it.”

“Yes to the fucking. Sometimes to the other.”

“Sebastian… did she… was she abusive? Like physically?”

“What?” Sebastian’s eyes widened. “Daniella? God, no. Not…she never hit me. It wasn’t like that.”

“Emotionally,” Remington said.