Pleasure's Edge Read Free

know what you mean.”
    Why were her cheeks heating up? Why was she thrown so off balance? She hated that he had such an effect on her.
    “I think you understand enough about this subject to know exactly what I mean.”
    She blew out a breath. “Of course I have some idea of what a bottom is. A submissive. But that’s not me. Being a top, a dominant, simply makes sense for me. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m someone with control issues.”
    “Which is exactly why you need to bottom. You need to let go.
    You need the safety in handing the control over to someone else in order to do that.”
    She was getting angry now, but trying to keep her temper in check. “You’re very arrogant.”
    “Yes, I am. I’m also right. I am always right about this. You do have control issues; I can see it in the way you hold yourself. I can see it in the anger in your eyes. In the tight set of your jaw. And you could probably manage to successful y ‘switch’ now and then, top a man. Or a woman. But it wouldn’t reach inside you as deeply as bottoming would. It wouldn’t give you what you truly need.” She shook her head, her teeth clenched.
    He leaned forward again, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his once more. It was large, enveloping hers in heat and strength.
    “Dylan, let me make a proposal to you. Bottom for me.” She tried to yank her hand from his, but he held on tight.
    His gaze was hard on hers, his eyes that impossibly compel ing, bril iant blue. “Try it,” he went on. “See how you respond. If it turns out I was right, you’l have learned something about yourself and you’l have some very personal and unique research for your book.
    And if I’m wrong, wel , you’l stil have done your research.”
    “I can do that research as a top.”

    “No, you can’t. It’s extremely difficult for a bottom to teach an inexperienced top. Once the endorphins begin to pump through a bottom’s body, once they’re down in subspace, that head space where everything goes quiet and al they can feel and see is that interaction between top and bottom, the sensations and scents, they aren’t present enough to act as teachers for you. You can’t possibly learn as much that way. But you can learn from me. I’m very good at what I do.” He waved his free hand. “I know, I’m being arrogant again. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is the truth.”
    “Maybe.”
    Maybe it was true that this was the best possible way for her to learn. Maybe it had nothing to do with the fact that Alec sitting so close to her, holding on to her hand stil , was making her hot al over. Was making her wet, for God’s sake. But this was nothing more than intense chemistry. It didn’t mean anything, didn’t lend any credence to his argument. She was sure she could prove to him just how wrong he was.
    She bit her lip.
    He was definitely wrong about her.
    “How long would we try this for?” she asked.
    He shrugged. “For as long as it takes. For as long as you need to discover what you should know. For your book. For yourself.”
    “So we would sort of play it by ear? See how things go?”
    “Oh, I know how things wil go.”
    “Real y? And how is that?”
    She was angry again. And he was stil holding her hand. His thumb caressed her knuckles, sending a spark of lust deep into her system. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of trying to pul away again.
    “You’l fight it at first. I’l have to real y work with you. Gain your trust.” His voice was low, a gravel y murmur. She had to lean closer to hear him. “But bit by bit, you’l turn yourself over to me. Into my hands. I’l be hard on you. And gentle.”
    He lifted her hand and brushed his lips across it, the heat scalding her, shocking her. She couldn’t say a word. Her mind was in a smal state of chaos.
    Alec laid her hand down on the cool tabletop, his gaze locking with hers. “That’s how it wil go, Dylan.”
    She hated that she felt