Zara’s POV
I swallowed hard. The words landed deep, and I knew exactly what he meant. The thought of it — me over his knee, his hand coming down in steady strikes until my skin burned hot and red — sent a quick rush of heat through me before I could stop it. I shoved the feeling down and lifted my chin.
"I'm in college to gain new experiences," I said. "That's the whole point. So if I want to go to a party, I'll go to a party. I don't need your permission for anything. I'm not a child."
He didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed on mine, steady and unreadable, like he was turning my words over in his head and deciding what to do with them. Then he took one slow step forward. The space between us closed until I could feel the warmth coming off him. Close enough to catch that clean colo
