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“I love you, Mrs. Denning. Hell, I enjoy saying that.” He laughed, filled with light and joy and more happy tomorrows. “I’ll probably say it a lot.”
“Good.” She grinned, then gazed out the windshield. “I think all the moms and kids are gone.”
He glanced around the empty parking lot. “I think you’re right.”
Gia opened the door, stepped out, and bent to toss him a come-hither look. “You know, I’ve been a very bad girl, Master.”
“You have. I still owe you one hell of a spanking for deserting me for so long.”
“You do,” she agreed. “You’ll always keep me safe, right?”
“With my last breath.”
Her smile filled with mischief. “Then spank me…and whatever else you have in mind. That is, if you can catch me.”
Her words clicked through his brain and had registered with his libido by the time she slammed the car door and dashed into the park. He’d finally have her here, where their relationship had almost ended once—and now she’d trusted him enough to surrender. She’d love him more than enough to make it sweet.
“It’s on, baby,” he muttered as he jumped out of the Porsche and clicked the fob to lock it as he ran after her. “When I catch you, I’m going to spank your ass red and take you right then, right there.”
As she reached a towering tree, she curled her arm around the trunk, then peeked back at him with a grin that lit up her whole face. “I can’t wait…”
EPILOGUE
A year later
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Jason opened the door to his sprawling new house to admit his mother.
Samantha raised a brow as she stepped inside and presented her cheek for a kiss. “You know why I’m here.”
Dutifully, he dropped a peck near her temple and smiled. “I do. Head to Gia’s office.”
His mother gave him a genuine smile. “Thank you. Are you doing well?”
“Great, actually. You?” He followed her as she headed down the hall, her heels click-click-clicking on the hardwoods.
“I am. Not marrying Geoffrey was the best decision I ever made. Going to counseling wasn’t easy, but it was for the best. I haven’t told you that I appreciate you encouraging me, but I do.”
“Even though you fought me, kicking and screaming?”
“Maybe I wasn’t a model patient…”
Jason huffed. “Maybe?”
She batted him on the arm. “I’m learning. I’m getting better.”
Samantha was, and he had Gia and her family, at least in part, to thank. Finally, his mother witnessed firsthand marriages built on love and respect, on common interests and common ground. She envied the years Marco and Silvana had shared, the family they had built. She’d finally decided she wanted something like that for herself. He supposed it also helped that Samantha had seen him transform from a billionaire bad boy to a devoted husband in the last year.
“You are.” He dropped a hand to her shoulder. “And I’m proud of you.”
In a rare show of emotion, Samantha blushed. “Thank you. Now shoo. Let me get what I came here for.”
Jason laughed as he trailed his mother to his wife’s office.
The scene inside was organized chaos. Gia sat behind her homey desk, facing her sleek new computer with her phone pressed to her ear and a pen in her hand, jotting notes. Around her, two assistants with laptops fielded emails.
“The gala will benefit the families of fallen officers. Can we count on your donation for the silent auction? Yes? That’s fantastic. Thank you! One of my assistants will be in touch with more details. A trio of tickets? Of course. It’s ten thousand a plate—all for a good cause.” A pause. “Excellent. Thank you!” Gia hung up with a huge smile, then turned to him. “That was Callie MacKenzie-Thorpe. She’s so fantastic.”
She’d always been the dungeon brat, but it seemed everyone had changed… “I’m thrilled she’s helping you.”
