The game went on for another few moves before she shifted onto her knees to make a final move. “Checkmate,” she said, squeezing her hands in between her thighs. Rubbing her lips together, she winced. “Are you mad?”
Though he was examining the board, he muttered, “Men who get mad about losing are insecure.” When he opened his eyes after a blink, they were fixed on her. “Do you think I’m insecure?”
One thing older, physically incapacitated men did a lot was play board and parlor games. There wasn’t a card game she hadn’t at least tried. Dominoes, darts, even charades were typical in Stan’s house. Chess and checkers were played almost every day.
“No, you don’t, sir,” she said, feeling an odd retreat when her skin began to prickle again. Her first instinct was to look away. Except Shyla wanted to make progress with Score, to show him that she was eager to be with him. So, bundling up her courage, she fought against that instinct. “Do I… do I get to pick my prize?”
Almost suspicious, but with a hint of amusement, he sank back to stretch his arms along the back of the couch again. “What would you like, Lamb?”
Asking for what she really wanted was too brazen. More brazen than she was capable of yet. Dropping her weight to her hands, she crawled around the table, watching him watch her as she came to a stop by his leg.
Rising to her knees, she shuffled as close as she could without touching him and opened both of her hands, presenting her palms to him. “Your hand.”
The corner of his eyes twitched in curiosity. In spite of any misgivings he slid his hand from the back of the couch and laid it over hers. Shyla drew it forward, curling her thumbs against his palm, forcing him to sit forward.
Guiding his hand to her face, she closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against his rough palm. Unable to stop herself, she parted her lips to taste him for the first time. As she pressed her mouth deeper against the heel of his thumb, the sound of his inhale encouraged her.
“Time for bed,” he said, taking his hand away from her face to stand up.
Shyla couldn’t quite figure out the quick turnaround. When it became clear he was waiting for her, she bounced onto her feet. Score strode away from the couch toward the hallway, which led to both of their bedrooms.
Suffering a little whiplash from the quiet intimacy of the moment suddenly becoming a rush of movement, Shyla had to hurry to catch up to him. Following in his wake, she was a little disappointed when he turned his back on his own bedroom. For some reason, she wanted their first time to be in his bed. That upset was quickly forgotten. Seeing his purpose while he stood there at her bedroom door infused her with happiness instead.
He didn’t open it, he just waited for her, like he was respecting her private space. Shyla went around him to push open the door and then faced him, wondering if she should say anything. Wrapping both of her hands around one of his, she crept backwards, trying to draw him inside, but he didn’t move.
“Phoenix?”
His gaze travelled down her body. “No,” he said, slipping his hand out of hers. “Go into your bedroom and take off your underwear. From now on, you sleep nude.”
Something she’d never done before. At Stan’s house, there were times she had to leap up in a hurry if one of her dependents needed her.
Shyla swallowed hard. “Okay.”
Score nodded at the bedroom door. “Leave your bedroom door open.”
She was quick to reassure him. “It’s never locked.”
“No. Open, Shy,” he said.
There wasn’t a hint of shame or equivocation in his voice, but she couldn’t stop herself thinking about how vulnerable she’d be.
Edging closer, she whispered. “Anyone could walk in on me.”
“No, they couldn’t,” he said. “Because to get to you, they have to walk past my room… I’ll be leaving my door open too.”
She already knew that he slept in the nude from her first day fumble. Just the idea that he’d leave himself open like that, open to her, made her mouth begin to water and her heartrate climb.
“Oh, boy,” she said, blowing out a breath.
“Knowing you’re accessible to me… that you’re so close and exposed… It’ll drive me wild, Shy.”
Finding his gaze, she was desperate to taste him, desperate to have his arms around her. It might be slower than she’d like, but he’d explained why he was taking his time. This was what he wanted, this pace, these steps, and she wasn’t going to refuse him.
“I am accessible to you, Score,” she said. “And I trust you.”
“Good,” he said. “And you won’t touch yourself.”
Her inhale was almost a gasp. Although they’d touched on fantasies, she hadn’t expected him to be direct about something so intimate. “Score, I… I wouldn’t—”
“You will,” he said, matter of fact about it. “When I tell you to… This is the man I am, Shy. I like control. If you don’t like it, you have the power to end this any time. I give the orders, but you’re in charge. Don’t forget that.”
Having him in control sounded like an adventure. His leadership and support were already arousing her fantasies. He talked to her in such a way that even the simplest requests sounded like both suggestions and commands at the same time.
Submitting to him was her ultimate fantasy, though she wasn’t strong enough to admit it out loud yet.
“Just… be gentle with me… I’m a rookie.”
He touched his knuckle to her jaw. Moving against him, she closed her eyes to appreciate the
