“Okay, so what’s the plan?”
Obviously, she was going to let him take the lead. Which was definitely how he preferred things. “First rule, we’re going to have to act very close. Like we’ve been close for a while.”
She nodded.
“Like we’ve been physically intimate,” he said to emphasize his point.
She nodded again, seemingly not fazed. “Obviously.”
“So we probably should go over some specifics.”
“Specifics like what?”
“Like that I need…your consent.” So that sounded awkward as fuck out loud.
But again, she barely hesitated. “You have it.”
“I haven’t even asked you for anything.”
She took a step closer. “Colin, I completely trust you. Whatever you need to do, I’m in. You have my consent to do anything.”
His body tightened in response to that. There were several things his cock thought he needed to do at least, and the idea of having her all in, just completely trusting him, letting him lead the way…. Jesus. This was dangerous. Having this woman’s consent to do whatever he wanted to and with her was like a dream come true and a nightmare all rolled into one.
She. Was. A. Client.
Basically.
Just because she wasn’t paying them at the moment, his responsibility was to keep her safe. And he was more or less on a job interview tonight, right?
He took a breath and attempted to pull his shit together. “Okay, that helps. You trusting me is really important. There might be moments where I can only give you instructions without explanation.”
“I get that,” she said. “I’ll cooperate.”
“And there might be times I have to just do something without any words at all. And…explain later.”
She nodded. “Got it.”
“So…is there anything you absolutely can’t tolerate? Any triggers? Phobias?”
She lifted her brows. “Give me an example.”
“Total darkness. Having your face covered. Certain smells. People touching your hair. Anything like that you can think of?”
Hayden was staring at him, but Colin could tell it was not in fear, but fascination. He was grateful that she seemed to be carefully considering what he’d asked. Finally, she shook her head. “I honestly can’t think of anything.”
“Are you allergic to anything?”
“No. Not that I’m aware of.”
“Is there anywhere you don’t want me to touch you?”
She didn’t even think about that one. “No.”
Again, his body reacted. He stubbornly focused on the conversation. “You’re sure? No spots that are off-limits? Anywhere you’re ticklish?”
“No. I mean, I’m a little ticklish. Like anyone. But there’s nowhere that I don’t want you to touch me.”
His pulse hammered in his veins. He moved in closer. She was going to have to get used to him being close to her. Very close. And this would help emphasize what he was asking about and help him gauge her reactions. He needed to be sure. She might be trying to spare his feelings, or she really might not be aware of things that might, in the moment, make her uncomfortable.
“I have to play your boyfriend tonight. Someone who knows you well and who’s been close to you. Naked with you. Who’s seen and touched and tasted you,” he said, letting his voice drop. It wasn’t intentional, but he didn’t fight it when his voice got husky. “If I touch you and you stiffen up, reflexively pull away, act skittish, and he’s watching, he’ll notice.”
She didn’t lean away. In fact, she stepped closer. “Colin, I honestly can’t think of a single place where you could touch me that I wouldn’t like it.”
