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“Are you okay?” she asked, wrapping the towel around her torso.
He gave a firm nod, and then he motioned toward the bedroom. “Go get ready for me. I’ll be there in a sec.”
Curiosity filled her more and more with each step into the bedroom. They’d been having so much fun. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt happier, more loved, more cherished, and more full of hope and life. Banner was everything to her. Why did she feel like something bad was about to happen?
She tried not to let her worry show as she climbed onto the bed. When he said “get ready for me” he wanted her kneeling, hands behind her back, head down, knees apart. Despite feeling as if she might throw up, she got into position, making sure it was perfect for him. Had she been too bratty? He seemed to like her joking around at times. He even said it gave him a reason to punish her, which his sadistic side loved.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the hardwood floors, and she felt his presence in the room. She fought back the urge to lift her head to try to read his expression. She’d wait like the good girl he taught her to be.
He stopped in front of her. The heat from his body so close to hers warmed her down to her toes. He ran his fingertips from her shoulder, down her arm, then across her collarbone. She arched into his touch, loving the way it felt on that vulnerable part of her. His hand drifted to her throat and held her there softly.
She swallowed hard. When he held her throat, it always made her feel safe and protected. It was sexy because it was dangerous, but something about trusting him near her throat was deeply satisfying.
“Very nice,” he rumbled. “But you’re missing something. Where’s my collar?”
Crap. “I took it off.” He’d given her a day collar just before this trip. The simple chain was beautiful but especially so because of its meaning—the commitment and love it symbolized.
“Why?”
Was she in trouble? Was that what this was about? “I don’t like wearing it in the ocean. I’m scared it’s going to get ruined.”
There was silence for a moment, and she prepared for the worst.
“Why didn’t you put it back on after?”
She looked up at him, hoping he would see the honesty in her eyes. “I was going to but you told me to get into position.”
His face remained unreadable.
“I’m sorry, Master.” She ducked her head. “I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s not like I lost it or anything. It’s right on the—”
“Shh.” He put a finger over her lips, and she fought back the urge to suck it into her mouth. This didn’t feel like sexy time. Something was bothering him. “It’s okay,” he said. It sounded as though he was fiddling with something in a bag. Then the noise stopped. “Look at me.”
She did. He looked as if he was holding something behind his back. What was he hiding?
His forehead crinkled, and he stared down at the ground. “Kate, I . . .” He paused, seeming to be at a loss for words. “Fuck. I had this all planned out, and now I’m getting tongue-tied.”
Had what planned out? Giving her a gift? Was it a new collar? But why?
With a sigh, he lifted his gaze to her face. “You know I love you. But do you know how much?”
She nodded. “A lot. Just like I love you a lot.”
“More than a lot. I can’t even explain it.” He heaved a breath, then continued. “We’ve come such a long way. I thought I knew what I wanted in a slave. You weren’t what I pictured at all.”
“Heyyy,” she teased.
“I thought I wanted perfection, but what I needed was you.”
“But I am perfect, Master.” She gave him a mischevious smile, partly to cut the tension and make him relax.
“You are.” He looked at her, then, with so much love it made her cry. “You’re perfect for me.”
She swiped at tears that welled.
“I’ve already collared you. That’s a big commitment, and you know with you it means forever to me.”
Nodding, she wondered if this was leading toward something she’d been thinking about for a while. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
