Page 98 of Stand Your Ground

This is dangerous,a voice inside me warned.Don’t be stupid.

Business transaction.

Means to an end.

Freeze eggs.

Set up life.

But it was Valentine’s Day.

Who called off a kinky sex arrangement on the holiday of love?

“True,” I finally said, heart picking up its pace as I set my jewelry to the side. “Then that leads me to my next question.”

Carter cocked a brow, waiting.

“Is playtime included in this whole lazy day itinerary?”

My smirk was wicked, and instantly, I felt Carter harden under where my legs were in his lap. He hummed, hand traveling up the inside of my shin, my knee, my thigh.

“You can play with me anytime you want, Liv,” he promised.

I leaned up, meeting him in the middle, my lips dangerously close to his. “Then take me to the biggest mirror you have and lose the clothes, Rook.”

Stand Your Ground

Carter

In what had to be the wildest emotional moment of my life, I was naked and on my knees in front of the large mirror in my bedroom, and I’d never felt stronger, sexier, or more powerful than I did then.

Which was insane — because I wasn’t the one in charge.

Livia stood behind me, tall and composed, her hand tangled in my hair, her gaze locked with mine in the reflection. It was magical, how quickly she’d transformed. One moment, she’s this cozy, comfortable woman wearing my t-shirt with her feet in my lap, and the next, she’s wearing nudity like a ballgown and commanding my attention, my obedience.

“This,” she said, her voice low and smooth and completely unhurried, “is where we see exactly what you’ve learned. Everything I’ve taught you — without fear, without hesitation. You’re not hiding behind the game face, or a joke, or what you think people want from you. You’re owning it. You’re claiming it. This is where you stop waiting for permission and start demanding what you want.”

I swallowed, heat prickling the back of my neck.

Her grip tightened in my hair, tilting my chin up until I was looking directly into my own eyes.

“Look at yourself,” she said. “Look how desperate you are for it. That’s good. That’s where we start.”

AndGod, it wrecked me — seeing myself like that. Not just on my knees for her but wanting to be there. She was right. I was desperate. My knees were spread, cock hard, chest heaving with anticipation.

I didn’t feel an ounce of shame about it.

All the fears I’d had when we’d first started, the embarrassment I’d felt… it no longer existed. Livia had snuffed it out with the structure she provided, with the way she made me feel safe to explore any want or need.

“Touch yourself,” she ordered.

I curled my fist around myself, every nerve ending lit, my own reflection suddenly foreign and raw as I watched the man in the mirror act without hesitation.

“Slower,” she soothed. “I want you to see what you look like when you can’t stand it anymore.”

Changing the pace took effort, my body crying out for me to keep going. I squirmed at the switch in sensation, looking up to Livia in the mirror for permission to make my next move.

“Don’t look at me — look at you,” she murmured. “Watch how you fall apart for me. That’s the face I want. Desperate. Hungry. Mine.”