I arched a brow but didn’t move. “Why?”

His smirk deepened. “You came here on the terms of you surrendering yourself to me,” he murmured, reaching down and gripping my jaw lightly, tilting my head up to face him. The touch was possessive like he already owned me. “That starts now,” he said, his voice low, edged with something darker. “Stand up.”

Slowly, deliberately, my bare feet sank into the plush rug as I straightened, my eyes never leaving his. Legend studied me, the faintest glint of satisfaction flickering across his face. Then he reached out, his fingers tracing the thin straps of my dress, dragging them slowly down my shoulders. In an instant, my dress was a pool beneath me leaving me bare. Naked.

He let out a low grunt and licked his lips. “You’re gonna let me teach you exactly what surrendering truly feels like.”

I watched him reach into the top drawer of his nightstand and pull out something dark. Silky. Long, smooth lengths of black fabric coiled in his palm. My pulse skipped, my thighs pressing together on instinct. He smirked like he saw it. Like he felt it.

“Will you trust me?” he asked, voice low, gravelly, sending a shiver straight through me.

I swallowed hard, the weight of the moment settling over me like a heavy, unseen hand. I didn’t know this man but I knew the way he made me feel. The way my body responded to him before my mind could catch up. The way his presence alone felt like something undeniable, unshakable—something I had no desire to fight. So I nodded.

His smirk deepened. “Lay back.”

Before I could process it, he was moving. His hands—strong, warm, practiced—gripped my wrists and guided them to the wooden bedposts, looping the soft silk around them in precise, controlled motions. The silk was cool against my skin, snug but not uncomfortable, the perfect amount of restraint that made my breath quicken.

Once my wrists were bound, Legend stepped back, admiring his work, his gaze dragging over me like he was memorizing the way I looked, laid out for him, helpless beneath his control. I bit my lip, shifting slightly, testing the ties. They held firm and I was officially at his mercy.

His voice was quiet, unreadable as he trailed a fingertip down the inside of my arm. “Too tight?”

I shook my head. “No.”

His eyes flickered, dark and pleased. He moved down to wrap the silk around my ankles. When he was finished, I was completely spread for him, my body tense, burning with anticipation, my breathing uneven as I fought the urge to squirm beneath his gaze. Legend took a step back, dragging a hand over his salt and pepper bearded jaw, admiring me like I was some kind of masterpiece he had just finished painting.

Legend smirked. “You look good like this.”

Heat flashed through me at the roughness in his voice. “I can’t move,” I whispered.