CHAPTER SIX

The strange fear didn’t fade when Grayson walked away.

It followed me into sleep.

And it was still there when I woke up.

Morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, pale and unforgiving. For a second, I forgot where I was. Then I remembered the glass walls. The silence. The man who owned all of it and now, in some unspoken way, had a claim on me too.

A soft knock came at the door.

My heart jumped.

“Leo,” Grayson’s voice called, calm as ever. “You awake?”

“Yes,” I answered, sitting up too fast.

“Good. Come out.”

No command. No threat.

Still, my body moved before my brain caught up.

He was already dressed when I stepped into the living space dark trousers, crisp shirt, sleeves rolled up like yesterday never ended. He stood by the kitchen counter, coffee in hand, watching me with that unreadable expression.

“You sleep?” he asked.

“A little.”

He nodded, as if that was enough. “Sit.”

I did.

He didn’t touch me. Didn’t crowd me. Just leaned back against the counter, eyes steady, assessing.

“You look nervous,” he said.

“I am.”

“Good,” he replied. “Means you’re paying attention.”

I frowned. “To what?”

“To yourself.” His gaze flicked briefly to my hands, where my fingers were knotted together. “This only works if you know when to stop.”

That surprised me.

“I thought you’d want obedience,” I said quietly.

A corner of his mouth lifted. Not a smile. Something sharper. “I want honesty.”

Silence stretched between us again thick, charged, but controlled.

He stepped closer then. Not enough to touch. Enough to make me aware.

“Tell me something, Leo,” he said. “Have you ever been with a man before?”

Heat rushed to my face. “No.”

His eyes didn’t change, but something in the air did. Curiosity. Interest.

“Does that bother you?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“No.” A pause. “Does it bother you?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Everything feels… new.”

“That,” he said evenly, “is not a weakness.”

He reached out not to grab, not to pull but to briefly brush his fingers against mine. Light. Testing.

The contact sent a shock through me anyway.

“You can walk away,” he said quietly. “At any point.”

I looked up at him. “You don’t think I will.”

“No,” he agreed. “I think you’re trying to understand why you haven’t already.”

That hit too close.

He withdrew his hand, leaving the absence louder than the touch had been.

“This isn’t about money,” he continued. “And it’s not about ownership. If we do this, it’s because you choose to be here. Every day.”

My chest tightened. “And what do you get?”

His gaze dropped just briefly to my mouth. Then back to my eyes.

“Someone honest,” he said. “Someone who doesn’t pretend this is easy.”

I swallowed.

The space between us felt smaller now. Not because he moved closer but because I stopped pulling away.

“I don’t scare you,” he murmured.

“No,” I said. Then, softer, “You make me think.”

That earned a real smile.

“Good,” he said. “That means we’re starting on equal footing.”

He stepped back, giving me room again. Control restored. Boundaries redrawn.

“Eat,” he added, gesturing to the table. “Then we talk about what comes next.”

“And after that?” I asked.

His eyes held mine.

“After that,” he said, “we see how close you’re willing to stand without being touched.”

My pulse jumped.

He turned away like he hadn’t just undone me with words alone.

And I realized something terrifying.

This wasn’t about what he wanted to do to me.

It was about how easily he could make me want to stay.

The fear of a man I had just met touching me made me nervous, but the fact that Grayson Knight the CEO and owner of Magical was kissing me overshadowed my fears and turned them into curiosity.

Could I really do this? Could I sleep with someone I had just met? And a man at that? So far, the only people I had ever slept with were women.

The moment I felt his hard length against my butt, my nerves spiked. Sitting on his lap felt strange and uncomfortable… but I didn’t dislike it. In fact, I liked when he touched me.

If Max could see me now… I would never live this down. Leo Cater, the ladies’ man sitting on a man’s lap and fully erect because of him.

Grayson’s hands slid from my butt to my waist as his grey eyes devoured me. The hunger in his gaze made me feel hotter, weaker, and small in his grip.

“I’ll be gentle,” Grayson murmured, his hands moving slowly up my back as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my chest. His mouth tugged into a smirk.

“Just for today.”

Holy shit… what did I agree to?