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I nodded and slid my hand behind his head, stroking his skin. "That sounds perfect."
He nodded, his gaze moving over my face. "I'll revise it and then I think we should sign it again. Make it official. We're Dominant and submissive in the bedroom. We're equals outside of it."
"Are we always going to be doing D/s when it comes to sex? No vanilla?"
He kissed me. "Let's play it by ear. As long as you’re honest with me about how you feel, I should be in tune with our needs. Will you let me make the decisions about that? Do you trust me to know what you need?"
"Yes," I said.
"Kate, I don't want anyone but you."
I smiled and cupped his face with my hand. "I don't want anyone but you."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
On the day we departed, we went to my father's for breakfast and then they took us to JFK to see us off. After checking our bags and getting our tickets, the moment arrived for us to part. I became all choked up despite my excitement about our trip. I'd be gone for six months. A lot would happen during that time, especially my father's campaign for the House seat. I'd miss him, and especially miss our new relationship.
I embraced Elaine first, and kissed her on the cheek, promising to send her emails with photographs. Then I turned to my father, while Drake was saying goodbye to Elaine.
He pulled me into an embrace, squeezing me tight, his bulldog face flushed with emotion.
"I'll miss you, Katie," he said, in his gravelly voice. "But I'm so happy to see you going with Drake. I know it will be a great experience."
"Thanks, Daddy," I said, my eyes filling with tears. "I'll miss you. These past few months have been so…" I struggled for words. "So wonderful. I feel like I know you better than ever before."
"You're all grown up, Katherine. I'm so proud of you. Take a lot of pictures. Skype me as often as you like."
"I will."
He kissed me on the cheek and turned away, and I could see tears in his eyes. Drake took my hand and pulled me away.
Our flight landed in Naples, Italy where we plan
ned to stay for a few days at a resort Drake liked before traveling on to Kenya. After an overnight stay in a hotel in Naples, Drake rented a car and we drove down the narrow road bordering the Mediterranean to the tiny resort village of Ravello. Drake wanted to show me the location, famous for being the inspiration for Wagner's opera Parsifal.
Wagner had called Ravello a slice of heaven. I'd never been to the Amalfi coast and since it was on my bucket list, I was only too pleased to go. We'd decompress for a couple of days and then continue on to Nairobi, where Drake would take up a position as a visiting neurosurgeon with the hospital and then teach his class. On our way back to Manhattan, once Drake's term was up, we'd stopover in Paris, so I could see it once more. I'd barely spent time there when on a trip in high school, the stay so short I didn’t feel like I'd seen the real city – just the tourist traps.
Our hotel in Ravello was amazing, the hotel itself picturesque, neoclassical with white stone walls and columns. Set on the side of a rocky cliff, each room had a small balcony that looked out onto the Mediterranean.
The first day, after we slept almost through the morning, we spent the day walking the narrow streets and enjoying the village's ambience. Then, we had a quiet dinner alone – fresh fish, some salad and some nice white wine ordered in through room service. I was starting to unwind finally, the stress and worry of the past two months seeping out of me with each breath of fresh salt air from the Mediterranean.
We sat on the couch once we were done with our meal and watched the sunset through the open doors of the balcony, glasses of wine in hand.
"How are you tonight?" He rubbed my back. "Still a bit tired?"
"A bit," I said. "Nothing I can't manage."
He pulled me closer, so that I sat on his lap like that first night in my old apartment.
"You've made me very happy, Kate."
"I'm happy that you're happy."
"I thought for a terrible few hours that day that I'd lost you," he said, tilting my chin up, his gaze on me. "I know it was crazy, but in the back of my mind was this fear that I'd helped you overcome your fear of kink and then, you'd go back to Kurt, who was more your age."
"You're more my age," I said. "Besides, I can't imagine being with anyone but you."
"Neither can I."
