He’d have to teach her.
He stroked his hand down the side of her face then bent to help her stand. Her brow wrinkled in confusion, but he kissed her forehead in an attempt to ease her. “Follow my lead, Jay, okay?”
“Okay, but…” She swallowed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed—”
He shushed her with a brush of his thumb across her bottom lip. “I’m going to tell you. All you need to do is relax and focus on me, okay?”
She paused, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”
Her mouth opened slightly and then closed again, and Noah knew she was fighting against her impulse to ask more questions. He let the silence settle between them so she could get used to it, get used to not being able to control the speed of their interaction. He knew her well enough to know this would be the hardest part for her, so he didn’t try to rush it.
When he felt that she’d grown somewhat comfortable with the unknowing, he gave her the guidance she longed for. “Okay, here’s the rules.” He stroked his hands from the top of her spaghetti straps down her bare arms. “I’m the boss. You don’t argue with me. You don’t refuse my commands. If you don’t like something I ask you to do, just tell me and we’ll go back to something you’re more comfortable with. But the pleasure in this comes from trust. If you constantly question my requests, then neither of us will be as fulfilled as we can be. I won’t hurt you. Not really. Though I may bite. And spank. You are not allowed to do anything to me without permission. If you want to kiss me, you have to ask. If you want to touch me, again, you have to ask.”
“Do I have to ask for permission to speak?”
He chuckled. Expecting silence from Jay was irrational. Besides he loved her voice, loved the things she had to say (most of the time), loved the sounds she made in the back of her throat as they kissed. And he certainly couldn’t wait to hear what she’d cry out when he made her come.
His pants grew tighter in anticipation. “No, you can talk. But I may ask you to be quiet at times, and then you’ll have to obey. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Noah.” Her brows creased. “Or am I supposed to call you ‘sir?’”
He barely controlled his eye roll. “Noah’s fine.” Yes, he liked to be the dominant in his sexual encounters, but he was by no means a true Dominant. He didn’t do the leashes and the collars and the sex clubs. Not that they didn’t sound fun for a night or so, but it wasn’t his lifestyle. He simply liked to control the pleasure exchange between him and his lover. He was good at it.
But Jaylene couldn’t know that yet. She’d find out soon enough, though. He ran his hand through her hair, careful not to let her feel like she was being petted like a dog. “Any other questions?”
“Just one.” She peered up at him with lust-filled eyes that held only a hint of trepidation. “Be worthy of me, okay?”
God, that simple request tore him down, made himself question everything he’d ever thought he knew about what it meant to be a man. Made him want to be better, to be worthy of her in a way he’d never been worthy of anyone. His voice was so choked he couldn’t speak. So instead, he kissed her. Kissed her in a way that told her he’d give her what she wanted. That he’d make every attempt to be the lover she didn’t even know she needed.
It was then that he decided how he’d be with her that night—slow and patient. He’d boss her around, but it would be all about her. He’d teach her to relax and he’d show her how freeing it could feel to let someone else have the reins for once. He’d be worthy of her. And maybe, as she let her guard down for him, he could learn to let her in, too.
* * *
Noah’s kiss was amazing. It stirred her in places she hadn’t known were able to be stirred. More than anything, it made her want to move further—to rip off his clothing and force him back onto his bed.
But she controlled herself, hard as it was. When he broke from her, she couldn’t help smiling. Even though it was the exact opposite direction that she wanted to be moving, she’d let him lead, and that gave her a silly kind of self-pride.
He took a step away from her and issued his first command. “Take off your dress.”
It was baffling how Noah’s low and gritty voice could be so spine-tinglingly erotic. The way he looked at her, the way that he appraised her as she reached behind her and unzipped, the way his eyes dilated as she moved first one strap off a shoulder then the other, letting her clothing fall to the floor in a pool at her feet—it aroused her as much as if he was already rubbing her toward an orgasm.