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“Kate.” He sighed, then shifted his weight. “I want to be with you forever. Not only as your Master, but as your h
usband.”
He brought his hands forward and in his palm sat a small box. When he opened it, an antique diamond filigree ring sparkled in the sun from the skylight.
For a moment she was so dazzled she couldn’t speak.
“I’m asking you to marry me, Kate.” His voice broke. “Will you please marry me?”
She started to sob. Did he think for a minute she’d refuse? He wrapped his arms around her and held her as if she were the most precious person in his world. Her tears ran down his chest.
“You idiot!” she finally said, pulling back. “You had me so worried!”
“What?”
“I thought something was wrong! With your family . . . Or that I was in trouble or something.”
His eyes widened. “No. No, nothing like that. I was just nervous.” He ran his hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. But . . .”
She tried to control her emotions but only managed a ridiculous sort of crying laugh.
“You didn’t answer.”
Answer? “Oh!” She looked down at the ring. “Yes! Of course the answer is yes.”
Hands shaking, he took the ring out of the box. “It was my grandmother’s.”
She held out her hand, and he slipped it on her finger, feeling as though she were watching a scene from a movie. She’d never been the type to picture getting engaged—how a guy would propose—as her friends used to do. But now that it was happening, she couldn’t imagine it being any better, even naked, damp, and teary.
His eyes turned worried. “Do you like it? If not, we can pick something else. I won’t take it personally—”
“I love it.”
“Wait there.” He grinned and walked over to the dresser.
In the mirror across from the bed she caught a glimpse of how the ring looked. Even from a distance, it sparkled and somehow made her feel prettier than before. She couldn’t stop grinning. Her aunt and uncle would be so happy for her. They loved Banner as if he’d been in the family forever, and her uncle would be so proud to walk her down the aisle.
He came back holding her collar and tied it around her neck, looking smug.
“I can’t wait to tell everyone.” She stared at his handsome face and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. If he hadn’t gotten an invite to that costume party, there was a chance they would never have met. “Janine has been pushing me to propose to you.”
“So that explains why Chris brought it up a couple weeks ago.” He laughed. “I already had the ring sized, but I wanted to ask you while we were here.”
“Oh, I’m sure Janine put him up to it.” She looked toward the laptop on the desk in the same room. “I wonder if I could get her online to show her.”
Banner frowned, sending a nervous and excited flutter through her. “When you just agreed to marry me? While you’re naked in my bed? No fucking way.”
She blinked at him innocently. “Well, I could put on a robe.”
With a growl, he toppled her over.
She gave in, laughing as he bit her neck possessively. As sore as she was, she couldn’t refuse a man with such a sexy growl, especially one who’d just put a ring on her finger to go with the collar around her neck.
His. Now in every possible way.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, we have to thank our agent, Nicole Resciniti, from the Seymour Agency. If she didn’t pluck us up from the self-publishing pool and convince us to take a risk on a traditional publisher, we may not have even written this book. Banner and Kate thank you, and every reader who identifies with them, or gets something from this book thanks you too.
