Chapter 60: Chapter 60

"No," Eric said flatly.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

He met her gaze levelly, and she could see his jaw begin to tick. "You are still my sub, and my answer is no," he said matter-of-factly. "Though you didn't form it as a question, nor did you address me correctly, which you will pay dearly for later, but no."

"Eric—"

"I will not let her shame you, Ana. I won't let her shame us," he hissed.

Ana sighed. "I don't even know what we are, Eric! Are we just a piece of paper with guidelines on it? Are we—?"

Her voice trailed off when he traced her collarbone with his fingertip. "Stop trying to distract me," she whimpered. His grin was so sexy she had a hard time collecting her thoughts.

"It pleases me to know that I distract you, Ana." He leaned forward just enough so she could feel his warm breath on her neck. His hand skimmed down her side until he grasped her waist, and he groaned as he jerked her against him. "Do you not enjoy it?"

"Eric, please," she whispered breathlessly as her hands settled on his shoulders. "I want to go."

He dropped his hands and stepped back; his eyes were a steely Miller shade she'd never seen before, and she felt cold under his stare. "Are you pulling out your safe word, Ana?" he asked in a low voice.

"Wha…what?" she stuttered as she shifted under his glare.

"Did you not hear me?"

"I heard you," she whispered.

"And?"

She stood there for a moment, frozen in fear. If she pulled out her safe word…this was it. The consequences would be grim, and she wasn't sure she could handle them. Hysterical laughter bubbled up her throat at the notion…her safe word was supposed to be her shelter, but she had a feeling it would only provoke Eric. He quirked a brow at her as the mirth made its way from her lips, and she bit down on her lower one, earning her a glower. She opened her mouth and took a shaky breath.

"No," she said wearily. "I'm not pulling out my safe word."

Warmth surged through her as he once again closed the distance between them and lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was something she'd never experience with him before, tentative and soft as he brushed his lips tenderly over hers. "Thank you for trusting me," he said gruffly.

Ana was mortified to feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, and she blinked furiously as he pulled away from her.

"Hey! What're you two doing hiding out in the corner?"

Luckily she was saved as Mia practically bounded up to them.

"Trying to get a moment alone," Eric responded dryly.

His sister just flashed him a charming grin. "There'll be plenty of time for that later," she insisted as she winked at her brother. "Maybe now that old room of yours will finally see some action."

Ana felt heat rise into her cheeks at her teasing.

"We're not staying the night, Mia," Eric informed her.

"You're leaving?" she asked pitifully. "You can't leave! We've hardly seen you!"

"You'll see me on Christmas," he reminded her.

"It's not the same! It's tradition. You always spend the night here," she said with a sulk.

"I'm sorry," Eric said. "But we didn't plan on staying, so Ana doesn't have a change of clothes."

"I have an extra change of clothes," Kate said softly as she came to stand beside Mia; Elliot was standing on her other side. Her friends gaze was pleading, and Ana knew instinctively that it was her way of apologizing for crossing a line. She couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Then it's settled," Eric remarked, his tone allowing no argument. "We'll stay."

"Should I make myself a bed on the floor?" Ana asked cautiously as she reached for the clasp on the back of her necklace, resisting the urge to study his childhood room.

Eric frowned. "What the hell for?"

"For me. I know you prefer to sleep alone."

"I do, but this is a unique situation, Ana," he said huskily as he stepped forward and pulled the pearls from her grasp. He gently set them on the desk just behind her. "I haven't seen you in days. It would be incredibly hard for me to fuck you while I was in bed and you were on the floor," he pointed out.

"We can't have sex in your parent's house!" she whispered, her tone as harsh as it could be while so low.

"I know you're not arguing with me," he said with a disapproving look that gave way to a grin. "But I'm having a hard time figuring out why you're whispering. We're on the third floor. Everyone else is on the first."

"Eric," she said weakly as he reached around her and slowly lowered her zipper.

"No one will hear you if you want to scream."

She didn't want to have sex with Eric in his parent's house, but God. She'd been so long without him there was no way she could wait. She could be quiet. She'd have to be quiet. It would be mortifying if anyone heard them.

As Eric stepped back, he pushed her dress down over her shoulders until it pooled at her feet. "Take your bra off," he ordered.

She reached around and fumbled with the clasp for a few seconds before it finally came loose, and she let it slide down her arms until it joined her green dress on the floor.

"My sweater."

She reached for the hem of his sweater and he put his arms in the air as she began to lift it over his head. "Don't touch me," he warned.

"Of course not," she agreed.

"I've been lax with you tonight, Ana," he informed her. "But not anymore. How do you address me?"

"Of course not, Eric," she repeated.

Blood simmered in his veins as his name left her lips, and he felt his cock twitch. Why, when she said his name, did it have such an influence on his body? As she pulled the sweater over his head, he lowered his arms so she could rid him of it.

"My belt," he prompted.

She reached for the leather strap and unbuckled it, then gave it a solid tug until it was hanging in front of him.

"Turn around," he said as he took it from her.

She obeyed immediately, and he pulled her arms behind her. She gasped as he pinned her wrists together and bound them with his belt, then spun her around.

He quickly removed the rest of his clothes and then pointed to his bed. She strode toward it and turned around, gazing at him as she waited for further instruction.

"I want your right cheek on the mattress and your ass in the air, Ana," he informed her.

"Yes, Eric," she breathed.

He studied her as she turned around; she carefully placed one knee, and then the other on the bed, crawling forward slowly before lowering her upper body down onto the bed, her right cheek on the comforter so she was facing him.

He walked over to the bed and felt it shift beneath him as his knees sunk into the mattress.

"Now, tell me, Ana," he said gruffly as his fingertips dug into her hips. "How could this possibly feel wrong?"