“That you’re not submissive?” he offered, that smile back again.

“No!” Her protest came out quite forcefully, surprising her.

His smiled widened. “I didn’t think so.”

“No,” she said again, softer this time, trying to explain. “I just realized that if I went through with it, that I would regret it.”

He cocked his head, curious. “Why?”

“Because…” She looked down, toying with her button-the one on the other side was missing. “Because…”

Because he isn’t the one.

But she couldn’t tell him that. “I guess it just felt wrong… with Patrick.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Liam nodded, glancing over at her. “You should always trust your instincts.”

“What did you mean when you said that Patrick was a top, but not a Dom?” She thought she knew the answer already-she’d read everything she could get her hands on and had memorized all the terms and their definitions.

Liam was quiet for a moment, the only sound the hum of the engine and the wet slush of the tires on the road. “My brother is focused on how much control he has over someone else. That makes him a top, not a Dom.”

His answer surprised her, going far deeper than anything she’d ever read. “So what’s a Dom, then?”

“A Dom…” He looked thoughtful, his lower lip pulled between his teeth, eyes on the road. “A Dom measures how much control he has over himself, not how much control he can exert over a submissive.”

“Oh.” She blinked at his response. For some reason, it made her feel warm all over. In fact, the heater was now making her rather… hot.

“Too complicated?” Liam half-smiled as she took her feet off the dash, her socks dry now, slipping them into her clogs. “I guess what I’m saying is that tops act. Dominants simply… are.”