Placing his hands on either side of me on the counter, Avery pulled back and looked at me. I was noticing the way his shirt was tight across his shoulders and the freckles on his face.

Reaching out, I ran my hands through his hair, marveling at the red color and wishing I could have a paint exactly the same shade.

“We’re all different,” he said gently. “Some of us are more dominant than others, but none of us like causing pain. Spanking, however, is different. I know I’ll gladly turn your ass pink if you want it. Roughness?”

It was a question about what I liked. My mind was slipping over itself, and I was having a hard time focusing when he was so close and he smelled so good. Why weren’t we in the bath yet?

Avery smiled and went to turn the water on. I asked the question without realizing it. The bath was incredible. Probably big enough for ten people with jets and bubbles. With that kind of tub, they didn’t really need the pool downstairs. “We’ll be there soon. Lift your arms, baby girl.”

My entire body shuddered at the term. I didn’t know why him calling me that made me feel so good. Cherished. More like an Omega than I’d felt like in a long time.

He lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it aside so I was only in a bra, and his scent thickened as much as mine. One glance down at his zipper told me he had incredible self-control. More than I had right now.

“How rough do you like it?” He asked.

“I like it all,” I finally blurted. “Gentle and rough. I can’t even think straight about anything right now, Avery. You’re wearing too many clothes.”

He chuckled, stripping out of his shirt and giving me the first glimpse of his chest. My first impression of his body from yesterday was correct. Avery was built and burly, hair that matched the rest of him spreading across his chest. Smooth, slightly rounded stomach that was still firm with muscle. This man could probably lift a tree in one go.

A watercolor spiral flowed over one shoulder, spreading to a beautiful and abstract half-sleeve. “My mentor did it for me,” he said when he caught me staring. “I have plans for more, but I always seem to be too busy tattooing other people.”

On the other forearm, there was a sequence of sharp lines and shapes, like tangled geometry.

I couldn’t stop staring at him, a beautiful dichotomy all together. Lumberjack and teddy bear. My teddy bear.

“Only a couple more questions,” he said. “I’m about to get you naked. I know you know that, but I still have to ask.”

“Please.”