Shayla Black: Theirs to Cherish

He raised a brow at her. “That address will do for now. Kneel for me.”

She whipped her gaze over to Sean, who didn’t say a word. He merely watched in silence.

“You brought him here?” she asked.

“We’ve talked. He asked to see you,” her fiancé said.

To apologize? To make some stupid amends? For sex? She turned back to Thorpe, blinking in confusion.

“You’re not kneeling yet, pet.” He stared expectantly at the floor, then back to her. Everything about his demeanor said that he expected to be obeyed.

“I think you should do as he asks, lovely.” Sean wore a faint smile.

Their byplay reminded her of Las Vegas. They were on the same page of some agenda she didn’t quite grasp. But she’d loved the results then. Despite the danger surrounding her at the time, Callie had never been happier.

She sank to her knees, the plush carpet cushioning her. She risked a glance up at Thorpe’s face. His expression softened.

He caressed the crown of her head, and the touch electrified her, radiating down her spine. She’d never imagined that she would ever see him again, much less be this close. The tears of joy that had assailed her during Sean’s proposal returned. Her fiancé would never have brought Thorpe here if he intended to break her heart again.

Smiling, she bowed her head. “Sir?”

“That’s closer to the form of address I’d like to hear, Callie. But I want you to call me something far more important.” He cradled her chin in his hand and lifted it to him. “I want to be your Master. I desire you to be my one and only pet.”

He brought his other hand in front of his body, gripping an oblong black box.

Callie blinked. His face was tempered with unmistakable affection and devotion. Her heart skittered, then began to pound.

Were all her dreams really coming true?

“I’m sure you have questions for me,” he murmured. “And you have every right to them. Let me see if I can answer them for you.”

“Please.” She could barely choke the word out past the emotion constricting her throat.

“I was an ass for leaving you. Stupid. Logan called me something less complimentary, and he was right. I’ve never felt so complete as when I’m with you. You fulfill all my Dominant needs when you submit . . . and you’re just bratty enough to be a challenge. I can’t live without you anymore. Please don’t make me try. If you say yes, I will treat your submission with the utmost care. I will push your limits and keep you safe, while giving you the discipline you need and the affection you deserve. There will never be another for me, and I will never leave you again. I hope you’ll consent to wear my collar and call me Master with pride.”

He opened the box, and Callie was in for the second jolt of amazement for the night. Nestled in velvet lay a glittering collar. A thick length of platinum would encircle her neck, unbreakable, symbolizing their bond. The glimmering metal met in the front and would be held together by one petite lock on each side of a massive dangling center stone. The stunning aquamarine was encircled with petite diamonds and would rest right in the hollow of her throat.

Callie raised astonished eyes to him. “Are you serious?”

“I think so. He bought it for you two years ago and has held on to it,” Sean supplied.

“It was made for you, pet. I’ve always wanted you to wear it for me. Will you have me?”

“Will you really be here tomorrow?” The question sounded as scared as she felt. Callie bit her lip.

“Every day for the rest of my life.”

Thorpe said everything right . . . except those three words that had been in their way. Still, were they important? She knew he loved her. Wasn’t the commitment more important than the platitude? Yes, but she still yearned for him to hold her close, look into her eyes, and tell her what was in his heart.

“Isn’t that what you want to hear, pet?” Thorpe prodded.

It was enough for now. But she’d also just committed her life to Sean. He’d brought Thorpe here, so she imagined her fiancé approved, but . . . she looked his way in question.

“Thorpe and I have talked, lovely. We’re reconciled. We both felt this arrangement works best because I’ve always wanted to marry you. I’m more traditional.” He shrugged. “My ring on your finger means everything to me. The press already has us linked romantically. This will simply seem like the natural evolution of our relationship to the outside world. Because it is.”

His ring on her finger meant the world to her, and she would be proud to be his wife.

“And I’ve always wanted you to be my submissive,” Thorpe said, his voice thick. “I’ve had a wife. The marriage didn’t give me that deep bond of trust and understanding I’ve been searching for my whole life. I entered into it for the wrong reasons. The union was easily broken, and I didn’t mourn its loss. What we share feels nothing like that. The minute I left you, the pain nearly crushed me. I’ve never collared a submissive of my own to”—he turned to Sean with a nod—“‘cherish’ is the perfect word. Thanks for that.”

Sean smiled faintly. “You’re welcome.”

“I want you to be the first and the last, Callie, to enter with me into the bond I hold most sacred.” Thorpe stood before her, looking vulnerable but proud. Body tall, shoulders imposing, eyes all but begging.

She melted inside. For four years, she’d watched him with sub after sub, looking for something he’d never found. The discontent she’d always seen then was gone. Her fondest fantasy when she’d lived at Dominion was to become his collared one and only. She’d always suspected that if he let himself care and took one woman as his, he would do everything to make the bond as deep and real as a marriage.

“Now, that’s not to say that he won’t regard you like a husband,” Sean added.

“Or that Sean won’t praise or punish you like your Dom when you need it.” Thorpe gave her a firm nod.

She expected nothing less.

“So you’ve heard what we want, but the choice is yours,” Thorpe said softly.

The tears she’d managed to hold at bay fell in hot rivulets down her face. She shuddered in a breath, then looked up at Thorpe with her heart in her eyes. “I accept this collar as a symbol of your ownership. To you, I pledge my obedience and my love. I have every faith that you will give me both the affection and the discipline I need. In return, I offer to you the gift of myself and am proud to call you Master.”

With a look of supreme pride and shaking hands, Thorpe fastened her new collar around her neck. Fleetingly, she noticed that it felt so right as he hauled her to her feet and brought her against him. “Thank fucking God.”

“Amen,” Sean said, rising from the chair in the corner.

As Thorpe layered his mouth over hers for a softly commanding kiss, Sean sidled in behind her and pressed his lips to her neck. “Now get ready to hear the words I suspect you’ll hear often, lovely.”

Thorpe cupped her face in his hands and fused their stares together, seeing right down into her soul. “I love you, Callie. You will hear it often. I hope you can get used to it.”

The joy exploded inside her, and she was left gloriously bleeding with emotion, speechless, and so ready for the future.

“I love you, too, Mitchell.” She turned in his arms to face Sean. “And I love you, Sean. My world is forever changed to the most beautiful existence possible because of you.”

Sean kissed her forehead, her nose, then lingered at her lips. “I love you, and I’m sure you’ll hear it from me often as well. But that wasn’t what I was referring to.”

“Oh?” She sent him a beguiling smile.