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he said. “I’ll not have you walking blindly into it without knowing exactly where you stand and what you can expect from it.”
    “Big of you,” she said dryly.
    He gave her hair a slight tug. “Little minx.” His eyes became half-lidded as he stared into her eyes. He disentangled his hand from hers and lifted his fingers to her lips where he traced the outline of her mouth with the tip of his index finger. “I want you, Mia. And I’ll warn you now. I’m very used to getting my way.”
    “So you want me to work for you and you want…me. Physically, I mean.”
    “Oh yes,” he murmured. “Definitely.”
    “And this relationship you propose. What exactly do you mean by nontraditional?”
    He hesitated for the briefest moment. “I’ll own you,” he said bluntly. “Body, soul. You’ll belong to me.”
    Whoa. That sounded so…heavy. She couldn’t even wrap her brain around it. Her mouth went dry and she tried to lick her lips but stopped when she remembered his reaction when she’d done it moments earlier.
    “I’ll guide you through this,” he said in a more gentle tone. “I’m not going to throw you to the wolves. I’ll be patient as you learn your way through the kind of relationship I expect.”
    “I don’t even know what to say right now,” she blurted out.
    His hand slid over her jaw and to her cheek. They were on eye level, their mouths just a few breaths apart.
    “I think this is where you tell me where I stand with you,” Gabe prompted. “Do you want me as badly as I want you?”
    Oh God, was this really happening? Did she dare to say the words out loud? It was like standing on the ledge of a skyscraper and peering over the edge. Wind in your face, knowing one misstep and you plummet.
    His mouth moved closer, past her mouth, skimming over her jawline, his lips just brushing her skin. He nipped at her earlobe, eliciting a full-body shiver that sent chill bumps racing across her flesh.
    “Tell me what I want to know,” he commanded in a husky voice that whispered over the shell of her ear.
    “Y-yes,” she croaked.
    “Yes what?”
    “Yes, I want you.”
    The admission escaped with a sigh, reluctantly tugged from her lips. She couldn’t even look him in the eye.
    “Mia, look at me.”
    There was something about the calm authority in his voice that registered with her. Made her hyperaware of his presence, of him as a man. And it made her want him all the more.
    She turned her gaze on him, saw the blaze in his eyes. He caught her hair again, tugging slightly as he toyed with the tresses.
    “I have a contract,” he said. “It outlines every nuance of our proposed relationship. I want you to read over it very carefully this weekend and then I want your decision on Monday.”
    She rapidly blinked, so startled that she didn’t immediately find words. When she did, her tongue felt large and unwieldy.
    “A contract? You want us to have a contract ?”
    “You needn’t sound so horrified,” he said in a level voice. “It’s for your protection. And mine.”
    She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t even understand.”
    “My tastes are extreme, Mia. Read the contract and, as I said, read it very carefully. And then consider whether you can commit to the kind of relationship I demand.”
    “You’re serious.”
    His brows drew together and his lips tightened. Then he leaned over, putting his arm tighter around her waist to prevent her from toppling out of his lap. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a thick document that was paper clipped together. Then he dropped it on her lap.
    “Take the weekend. Read over it. Make sure you understand it. I’d like your answer Monday morning. If there are things you need clarification on, we can discuss them then.”
    “So that’s it then,” she said, still bewildered by it all. “I go home, read your contract and then we meet on Monday to finalize the terms of our relationship?”
    His lips tightened again but he nodded.