Page 77 of Not Another Dark Romance

“I know you like to take care of me,” he interrupts, “but I’ve been thinking about how you’ll be spending more time at the brewery now, while also still trying to work part-time at the restaurant, and that doesn’t leave us as much time as I’d like us to have together. You’re basically already working for my art business too, and I’d like to still do the art fairs here—I’d love your help at those if you’re not at the brewery—so I want to pay you.”

“Mason, I like helping you with that stuff, you don’t have to pay me,” I insist.

“Well, then I want to pay all the bills here. Either way, I want more time with you, so if you’d rather earn a salary or commission for sales from my art for all the work you’re doing so you can pay for everything, that’s another option. However you want to approach it. But I’d really like you to not have to work at the restaurant anymore. I need more Zane time. Pretty please?”

He looks up at me with big pleading eyes, and I reluctantly give in. It would be stupid not to. “Fine. You can pay me for helping with your business. But I’m still paying our bills. You can use the rest of your money for fun things.”

“Like sex toys?” he suggests, looking pointedly at the black box again.

“It’s still not a sex toy,” I remind him with a laugh.

“Fine, yes. I’m being patient. Such a good boy, really. Maybe I deserve a reward?”

I laugh again and pick up the package. I’d already broken through the tape downstairs, so I only need to slide the holds out of place to open it, but I angle it in a way that he can’t see what’s inside yet. “I also need you to promise to consider this seriously before you jump to accept it. There is no obligation for you to agree to this, and I will not hold it against you if you’re not ready or if you don’t have interest at all.”

Mason swallows then nods once.

“When you were in the basement, and I put the collar on you, I had no idea how much I would grow to enjoy seeing it there,” I begin, wanting to explain exactly what this means to me. “It was a claim on you that I hadn’t earned, and one I definitely didn’t deserve, but I fucking loved seeing it on your neck regardless of those things. When I started calling you my pet, and you called me your master in turn, it fulfilled a dark, possessive part of me that I didn’t know existed. I quickly became obsessed. With you. With the dynamic we’d fallen into. With the idea that I could actually hold that claim over you, that you might actually be mine.”

His eyes are wide now, and he’s frozen in place, hanging on my every word. I can’t even tell if he’s breathing, but I want him to know all of this, so I keep going. “I hated taking it off you, but I think part of me knew I hadn’t earned it, even if I missed its presence every single time I’ve looked at you since. I’d like to think that by now, you really have become mine. That maybe I have earned that claim of ownership.”

I turn the box around so he can see the silver jewelry inside. There’s a silver wheat-style chain collar, thick enough to be noticed from a distance, but discreet enough to look like a casual necklace to anyone who doesn’t know the meaning. Beside it is a matching bracelet.

“It’s a day collar,” I explain. “Something you could wear all the time, that still locks, and symbolizes the power you’ve given me, the control and ownership I have over you if you’re interested.”

“And the bracelet?” he asks with a choked-up tone I can’t quite read.

“It would be for me to wear. It has the key to the collar’s lock hidden in the clasp.”

He finally looks up to meet my gaze, and his wide-eyed expression still doesn’t clue me in to what he’s thinking. “Zane, a lot of people see these as a more serious sign of commitment than being married…” He trails off, and I rush to explain in case he thinks I didn’t realize how serious this is.

“I know. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I understand if you’re not ready. I’m really happy that you want to move in together officially. That will be a huge step already. We could try out a training collar or a play collar if you’d rather⁠—”

“Holy shit, Zane!” he interrupts again, but this time a huge smile breaks out over his face. “You’re actually asking to collar me?” I nod. “Yes. I want it. Absolutely. I hated when you took off the other one, but this one is so much better. Can you put it on now? Wait, let me just⁠—”

He stops mid-sentence to jump out of the bed and run around to my side where he promptly drops down to kneel in front of me. He’s completely naked since he hadn’t actually gotten dressed for the day yet, but that feels fitting for this moment. His cock is starting to thicken, but we both ignore it. This moment is much bigger than our lust for each other.

“Okay, I’m ready! Ask me again, Master.”

I suck in a breath as I take him in, kneeling on the floor naked below me. He wants this. Just as much as I do, it seems. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised after everything we’ve been through together, but knowing he wants to wear my claim over him permanently thrills me more than anything else we’ve ever done—and that’s saying a lot.

I stand as well, bringing the box with the jewelry with me, and Mason shifts so that he’s kneeling at my feet. I pick up the necklace. “Pet, I would like you to wear my collar, permanently, as a symbol of my ownership over you. Agreeing to this means you’re giving me control over you completely. It is not a responsibility I take lightly, and I want you to understand the severity of this commitment if you agree.”

He’s staring up at me through his glasses, looking as sexy as I’ve ever seen him. “I want to wear your collar more than anything, Master. Forever.”

I smile as I lean down to place the chain around his neck. Then grab my bracelet and use the key to secure the lock before putting it around my wrist. Once it’s on, I take a step back to admire the collar. He lets out a long exhale, and his entire body relaxes. I have the strongest sense that he’s just literally shed his stress, his burdens, and entrusted them to me. It’s an honor to have him trust me so completely.

I run my fingers along the chain. Seeing the proof of our relationship, and the claim I have over him around his neck, is so much better this time around, knowing that I’ve earned it. That he wants it there just as much as I do. I help him stand and grab both sides of his face to pull him into a desperate, sloppy kiss.

“You’re mine now, Mason,” I tell him when I eventually pull back, to remind myself more than him.

His smile lights up his entire face. “I’ve been yours for a long time, Zane. But I’m so glad you finally caught up. And that you didn’t kill me.”

“I was never going to kill you,” I admit with a chuckle.

“I know,” he agrees, laughing. “That wouldn’t have made for a very good dark romance.”

EPILOGUE