She shook her head again. “Do you hear yourself? You don’t control me.”
“Seems like I control you just fine in here.”
“This is the bedroom, Talon. And I like submitting to you in the bedroom. It’s a turn-on for both of us. But I will not be a submissive in any other facet of our lives. I’m my own person.”
“What if that’s the kind of relationship I want? A submissive not just in the bedroom but in every facet of our lives?”
She regarded me, her steely blue eyes both angry and sad. They misted over, glazing with tears. “If that’s truly what you want, I’m afraid I’m not the woman for you.”
She gathered her clothes, quickly dressed, and walked away.
Don’t let her go, Talon. Don’t let her go.
She was everything I wanted. The only thing I had ever wanted.
Was I ready? Was I ready to truly make her mine?
Chapter Eleven
Jade
This wasn’t ending. I knew that. At least, I didn’t think it was. But Talon had to understand that he didn’t own me, that I had a right to my own life. If I wanted ink on my body, I would have it. And if he couldn’t commit to me, I had every right to—
Oh, hell. Who was I kidding? I didn’t want to date Steve Dugan or anyone else. I only wanted Talon. Feared I’d want no one but Talon for the rest of my life.
As I neared the kitchen, warm hands caressed my shoulders. Hot breath whispered into my ear.
“Don’t go.”
I turned into Talon’s warm embrace. I didn’t say anything at first, just let him hold me. He clung to me as if he were afraid I would disappear.
“Please don’t go,” he said again.
I pulled back from him a bit. “I don’t want to go, Talon.”
“Then don’t.”
“But you’re asking me to be someone I’m not.” I turned him around, and slowly we walked back to his bedroom, into the sitting area. I sat down on his couch and motioned for him to sit next to me.
“I love making love with you, Talon. I like submitting to your desires. It’s what I want to do in the bedroom. I want you to take what you need from me. That’s how I show you my love, how I show you my trust. But I also show you my love in other ways. I’m not asking you to be something you’re not. Yes, I’d like to go public with our relationship, but if you’re not ready, we won’t.”
“That’s not exactly how you put it, Jade. You said if we don’t go public, you’ll just go out with whoever asks you.”
I giggled. I couldn’t fault him for that one. “Talon, I’m not going out with anybody else. I don’t want to.”
“Then why did you say that?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I guess because I get tired of you forbidding me to do things. I’ll be your submissive in the bedroom, but I won’t be your slave.”
“I never asked you to be my slave.”
“Not in so many words, but when you forbade me to get a tattoo—”
He stood, pacing, clearly
nervous. “That tattoo…”
“What about the damned tattoo, Talon? Why did you react so violently about it? So violently that you went down to the tattoo shop and paid them off not to tattoo me?”