Keeping his arms around her, he moved his mouth to hers. Kissing her slow and sweet. His body was hard and warm against her own and there was no ignoring the brand of his c**k through the denim of his jeans against her stomach.

When he pulled away, she was lightheaded and need for him pulsed through her.

Each taste she got of him made her want him more. The raw nature of that need edged her senses.

“You do something to me,” he murmured, stepping back.

She nodded and they walked out the door without commenting any further. What else could she say? It was true but she couldn’t just let it go. She wanted more of it, more of him.

Dinner at the small Thai place in Wallingford was nice. Just a few miles from her house, the restaurant was one of her favorites.

“So how was your day?” Tegan asked, liking the way his sweater stretched over his upper body.

“The usual in the human crime world. An assault, car theft. All the excitement came after I got a call from Lex.” He spoke quietly but not in a whisper that would get attention.

“Yes. It’s been a very busy day. Nina is pissed at Lex for putting extra security on her. We had a very long meeting this afternoon about the new teams.”

“I know what it means to pull a double shift. Would you like to call things a night early so you can get some sleep?”

She slowly shook her head. She knew what she wanted and it wasn’t sleep. Not then.

Not for hours she hoped.

“Well, perhaps I can help relax you.” There was a question in his eyes and it wasn’t about a massage.

Tegan watched him for long moments. She’d never really submitted to anyone other than Lucas before, except for the hour long play sessions she’d engaged in a few times at the club. She knew, watching this man and the determined way he handled everything from ordering food to flogging, that he was not a man of casual appetites. If she took this step, she’d be taking a step with him above and beyond a few hours of slap and tickle.

And one couldn’t submit if one didn’t trust the dominant. Tegan was a woman who went by gut instinct. It served her well and kept her alive during the time she’d spent as one of Lex’s Enforcer guard. And her gut told her two things. One that she could trust Ben Stoner with her very life and two, taking this step would mean something monumental. He was not merely a date if she let him top her. He’d see her as more and she would see it that way too.

Something about the man called to her, made her respond in a way she hadn’t in a very long time. And she didn’t want to ignore that.

“I’d like that,” she said at last, taking a leap and hoping like hell she wouldn’t be sorry.

“Good.” He smiled warmly.

After dinner they decided to skip a movie and go back to her place. Once inside, they sat on her couch and he turned to her.

“Tegan, I don’t top anyone casually. I don’t play outside a club unless I’m sure the woman is going to be a regular person in my life. And me in hers. I think it’s important to say all of this up front so you know what I need and I expect. And so I know what you need too.”

“Okay.”

“So laying it all out—I’d very much like us to see each other regularly. And exclusively. Some doms can separate the sex from the play but I can’t. Leaving you last night without being inside you was very difficult. Is that what you want?”

“A relationship with you? Exclusive?”

He nodded.

“I haven’t been with anyone other than Lucas. Not as a submissive anyway. I dated before I met him but I was twenty when I mated and then after he died there was no one.

Not until you. I’ve dated a few times in the last three months but nothing serious. I’ve played three times at the club but none of it was anything approaching how it felt last night. So yes, I’d like to see you exclusively.”

“Good. We can work out your limits as we go. You have a safeword and I expect you to use it if you’re in trouble or overwhelmed. We can also work up to new levels of things we do. I’d love to see you in my collar but it’s something I take very seriously so I wouldn’t collar you until we’d been together a while and I knew you were truly willing to submit to me.”

“Okay, that sounds appropriate.”

They spoke for some time, outlining boundaries and expectations. Tegan liked that he seemed to place so much importance on open communication. D/s wasn’t something to be taken lightly in the context of a relationship. She was relieved to see he thought so too.

“Now, I don’t have any desire to top you twenty-four hours a day. I only want your submission in the bedroom.”

“Good. Because I don’t take orders except there.”

He smiled in a way that promised very wicked things.

“I want you to get up, remove your clothes and then lead me to your bedroom.”

Standing on somewhat shaky legs, Tegan leaned over, pulled her boots off and slid out of her skirt. The sweater followed and Ben looked her over as she stood in her bra and barely there panties.

“My God, you’re so beautiful.” His voice was smoky and hoarse, it stroked over her senses and soothed her even as it seduced.

One hand popped the catch between her br**sts and her bra fell to the ground. She stepped out of her panties as she walked from the room, feeling absolutely gorgeous. He made her feel so beautiful and sexy just by looking at her.

Once in the bedroom she stood next to her bed, waiting.