“Do you think I can’t smell you,” Daniel said.

She gasped, withdrawing her hand and loosening the hold on her nipple. Going to her knees, she shuffled to the edge of the bed and opened the lace. Daniel stood in the doorway between their rooms.

“I can smell and hear what you’re doing. I didn’t give you permission to play with yourself.”

He stood completely naked. His cock was rock hard and stood out in front of him. The size of him made her mouth go dry. There was no way he’d fit inside a woman and it be comfortable.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not. If you wanted to touch yourself then you should have come to me for permission to do so.”

“I didn’t know we were in a scene.”

Daniel sighed. “We’re not in a scene, Dawn. You need some strict rules in your life. You keep everything at arms’-length, hiding behind your walls of frost and depression.” He folded his arms, staring at her. “This can’t wait until morning. We’re going to have this discussion now.” He stood facing her, making no move to put some clothes on.

“Can you please get dressed?” It would give her time to grab a robe and not be completely naked in front of him.

“So you can hide from me? I don’t think so.” He stayed where he was. “We’re going to see each other naked. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be now.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re like a god while I’m blubber.”

He glared at her. “Step off the bed now!”

His voice deepened. Dawn stared at him wondering if she could simply go back to bed and sleep without him ordering her around.

“Don’t disobey me, Dawn. I was willing to wait until tomorrow, and all you’ve done is test me. I don’t like being tested.” He stayed still even as his voice travelled throughout the room. The Alpha inside him raised the hairs all over her body. Her clit swelled at the command within his voice. Slowly, keeping the lace in front of her, she stepped off the bed.

“Drop the lace. You’re not hiding from me.” He walked toward the door and flicked the light, illuminating the whole room. There was no hiding anymore. He made sure of that.

“This is unfair.”

“Unfair is having a mate for a whole year denying you. Unfair is that mate fingering herself instead of coming to her Dom. Don’t even begin to tell me what’s unfair or not. You’ll not like what I’ve got to say.” He folded his arms once again.

His gaze was on hers, waiting.

“I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. If you don’t I promise you there’ll be a severe punishment, one you won’t like.”

What wouldn’t she like? She’d pushed Daniel the entire year they’d known each other. He had every right to be mad and punish her. How far would he go to consider her punished?

The uncertainty was too much for her. She gripped the lace tightly, before slowly stepping from behind the security of the lace.

She kept her head bowed and pressed her palms together in an attempt to control her shaking. Letting a man see her naked took a lot of effort for her. She was used to pushing her skirt up and having the man suck her nipples through the shirt. Her entire sexual life was appalling. The only man who’d seen her naked were dead. She’d let him hurt her in the worst kind of ways.

“Look at me, Dawn.”

Glancing up at him, she didn’t know what she expected to find. Would he lose his erection? Show any signs that he hated what he saw?

Again she was in a strange territory for her.

His cock remained rock hard. He’d not deflated or grown flaccid since seeing her naked.

“What did you expect to see?” he asked. He didn’t make a move to touch his cock.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m not stupid. I see in your eyes that you were expecting something from me. What?”

The desire to lie struck her again.

Don’t lie to him. He’ll know.

“I didn’t expect you to be hard.”

“Why wouldn’t I be hard?”

She stared at the tip of his cock. He was glistening, aroused.

“Look at me,” she said, releasing her hands so not an inch of her was covered. “I’m not beautiful. I eat too much, and you’re perfect. You should be a model or something.”

His arms remained folded over his chest. Neither of them said a word. He kept looking at her. There was something in his gaze that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Get on your knees,” he said. The words were spoken slowly, with menace, leaving no mistake of his anger.