Freed (17 page)
“I want that for you, too,” he murmured. “I want that for us.”
She sighed. “If only it hadn’t taken—”
He placed a finger over her mouth. “If you hadn’t thought of Charles when we were together, I doubt I would’ve been so drawn to you. You showing me that type of submission, that type of affection between a Dom and a submissive, is what made me believe it’s possible.” He smiled, cupping her face. “But it’s also something that can’t be faked. You felt it with me, because we share that same type of connection that you experienced with Charles.”
God
, she knew that, too, which made her next move an easy one. She reached for her necklace. “This was once a symbol of Charles and me, but I know it’s time to move on.”
“Stop.”
She hadn’t realized she’d shut her eyes, but she forced them open. Elliott’s gaze was in direct line with hers and his brows were drawn together. “Don’t remove the collar Charles gave to you, Mary.” He gathered her hand from her neck and lowered it to his lap. “That is a special part of you. It should always stay a part of you. I never want to take Charles’s place. I just want to be there beside him. I want you with me, at my side.”
Consumed by him, her heart clenched. “I want that, too.”
“Ah, darlin’, you have it. You have me, always.” He rose from his seat, pressing his body against hers and taking her into a kiss that stopped time. Passionate, affectionate—it was the beginning of love. When he broke the kiss, he said sternly, “Now let’s go and get your clothing. We are going to leave the party in someone else’s hands. We have something to do.”
Disappointment pulled her lips into a frown. “We’re not playing tonight?”
“No.” Sliding both hands into her hair, he held her to him. “Tonight I want you to ache for me like I’ve ached for you. I want you to feel what I’ve gone through, wanting you, nearly going mad in my lust, without any way to quench my need.” He stared at her with a firm look, and she shivered under the regard of
her Dom
as he continued. “I also want to do what I’ve wanted to do since the first time I saw you.”
She leaned in to him, gazing up into the face of a man who she saw with open eyes now. “Which is?”
“I’m going to take you out on a proper date.” His smile was both tender and wicked, as one brow slowly arched. “I want to spend more time getting to know the woman who through her body told me she is
mine.
”
The sun beamed down on Elliott at Mary’s lake house, and he inhaled the richness of it. Laughter and splashes of water made him smile. The past six months had settled into a life that he had once dreamed of. That he now lived.
A quiet life that involved falling in love with Mary.
He stared at her as she swam in the water just off the bow of the boat with her daughter and her daughter’s friend from the theater. Elliott had given up on his dreams of children a long time ago, but meeting Mary’s children made him feel as if he had a second chance. For the first time in his life, he had a family of his own, a family that had welcomed him with open arms.
“She looks happy.”
Elliott turned as Dmitri sat down next to him, and Mary’s sailboat rocked on the water. Dmitri watched Elliott with a keen eye only another Dominant would have. Elliott smiled. “She is happy.” He glanced out to the water, seeing Dmitri’s submissive, Presley, had joined Mary and the others.
Presley was a young, very sweet woman. And he saw love written all over Dmitri’s face, as he always smiled when she talked. Elliott mused, love was in the air, and it was wonderful.
Dmitri’s heavy sigh drew Elliott’s focus, and Dmitri raked a hand through his hair. “I think we need to talk about something, since you two are clearly getting serious.”
Elliott noted the tightness in Dmitri’s expression. “All right. Talk.”
Dmitri drew in a long breath and then continued in a solemn voice. “Before Charles died, he asked me to provide for Mary and the children. It’s a promise I will never break to him, unless I know she is taken care of.”
“You give her money?” Elliott asked.
Dmitri nodded, staring out at the women swimming around in the water. “Once a year to her and the three kids.” He turned to Elliott. “Charles was like a father to me and guided me when I most needed it. Mary”—he smiled softly—“she’s made me into the man I am today. I owe them both a great deal.”
Elliott returned the smile, now understanding more about how Mary and Dmitri knew each other. Over the past six months, he thought their relationship was sweet. Mary had told him that she and Charles thought of Dmitri always as a fourth child, but seeing the love on Dmitri’s face for Mary only confirmed how special the relationship was. “How much do you give her?”
“Depends how good my year is.”
“Average amount?”
Dmitri glanced at Mary as she laughed at something Presley said. “A hundred grand, and about that much into each of the kids’ accounts.”
Elliott knew Mary didn’t need the money. She made a good income and she wasn’t materialistic, buying only what she needed. Yet he also knew the promise Dmitri made wasn’t about the money, it was about stepping into Charles’s role to see that Mary had a life without worry. Which is why he understood why Dmitri was bringing it up—that role now belonged to Elliott.
“You’ve been good to her,” Elliott said, placing his hand on Dmitri’s shoulder. “I would imagine that from what I’ve heard of Charles, I would think he’d be very proud of you.”
Dmitri dropped his head and blew out a slow breath filled with emotion. When he finally lifted his head, the appreciation shone in his young features. “I promised to take care of her.”
“A promise you didn’t have to keep.” He squeezed Dmitri’s shoulder, sensing a deeper friendship building between them. He understood why Charles and Mary loved Dmitri. He lived up to his word, and that was something to be respected. “You’ve done right by your vow to Charles, but Mary is mine to take care of now.”
“Which is where we have a problem.” Dmitri gave him a measured look. “I won’t stop providing for her unless I have your word you will step in and take care of her. And Mary won’t allow for you to give her and her children money. She fights me every time I do it, but she knows I won’t break my vow to Charles.” He shook his head in frustration and stretched out his legs over the side of the boat. “But having you take over my promise is something she’ll never allow. She has too much pride.”
Elliott pondered and turned to Mary, watching her swim. In his younger years he was hesitant in his choices, but he wasn’t young anymore. He’d been married. He’d dated all types of women. He didn’t have a lifetime to wait to discover if things were happening at the right time. He knew what he wanted. His choices had never been so clear. “Yes, that is a problem, but there is one way to ensure she can’t say no.” He rose, moving to the bow of the boat.
Mary swam over to him, smiling from ear to ear. She grabbed on to the ladder and pulled herself up to rest her arms on the side. “Come in. The water is amazing.”
“Not just yet.” He knelt in front of her, reaching into the pocket of his shorts. Then he pulled out the small black velvet box. For a month now, he’d kept his mother’s wedding ring with him, waiting for the right time. When he placed the box in front of Mary’s face, her eyes widened.
With no hesitation in his mind, he said softly, “Marry me.”
She stared at the two-carat vintage ring before she lifted her head. She blinked. “It’s only been six months. It’s too soon.”
“Is it?” He paused, allowing her the time to process exactly what had been on his mind since he’d met her. “I’d say it’s been nearly five years for you, and even longer for me, to find what we both needed and wanted in our lives. Doesn’t seem too soon, does it?”
Searching her teary eyes that were overrun with raw emotion, he continued. “Happiness and love, time means nothing when something is meant to be. I know what I want, Mary, and that’s you.” He smiled at her, brushing away her falling tears. “This, between us, is right.”
He took the ring out of the box, hearing Mary’s daughter scream in joy, as were the other girls. Though he couldn’t take his eyes off Mary and off the love shining in her features. Nor could he look away from the second chance they both had.
Holding the ring to her, he said, “You haven’t answered me, Mary.”
A bright smile, radiating warmth, spread across her face. “Yes, Elliott. Of course I’ll marry you.”
He slid the ring onto her finger, fitting her perfectly. From a distance, Mary’s daughter and her friend were clapping wildly. Presley looked to be crying. Elliott jumped into the water and gathered Mary into his arms. Then he pulled her under the water with him and kissed her.
There, it was silent. Her lips against his were perfection. There was no noise. No one else but them.
Nothing else, but…
Hope.
Submission.
Love.
When they broke the water, Mary laughed, squeezing her arms around his neck. “I love you, Elliott.”
Overrun with emotion, he stared into her beautiful eyes. “You were
mine
from the second you first looked at me. I’ve loved you from the moment I put my hands on you.” Fate had finally led him in the right direction.
To Mary.
“This is our second chance, isn’t it?”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and shook her head. “Not a second chance. Our second journey.” She shifted against his hardened length pressed against her sex and wiggled her eyebrows.
He chuckled and kissed her cheek, then, keeping the conversation private, he whispered in her ear, “Tonight I’m going to flog you until that skin that belongs to me is dark red. I’m going to fuck you hard and make you come around my cock that belongs to you. Then I’m going to do it all over again.”
She shivered against him, and her gaze flared with the adoration he had longed to see. “Promise?”
Pulling his hand out of the water, he tapped her diamond necklace. “This was once Charles’s promise to you.” He reached for her hand and water dripped off her fingers as he kissed her ring. “Now, darlin’, this is mine.”
For my husband, who is the best inspiration for my book boyfriends.
To my readers, there are no words to explain how grateful I am for the support I’ve received for the Club Sin series. For all of your kind e-mails, posts on Facebook and Twitter, and everything in between, thank you. Your support means the world to me.
As always, big love to my fabulous editor, Sue Grimshaw. I’m certain I’d be lost without you, Sue. Thanks for all that you do!
To my agent, Jessica Alvarez, I cannot thank you enough for always having my back in this big, scary world of publishing!
Huge hugs to my critique partner, Lea Griffin. Thanks for just being you! And to Gina Gordon: Every gal needs a good writing buddy and friend, and I’m one lucky girl to have found both in you!
Last, to everyone at Random House, nothing beats your awesomeness!
Y
S
TACEY
K
ENNEDY
Club Sin
Claimed
Bared
Desired
Freed
PHOTO: PAIGE RICHARDSON
S
TACEY
K
ENNEDY
is the
USA Today
bestselling author of the Club Sin series. While Stacey was growing up, her mind wandered the path less traveled, and that path most often led to love. She has always broken rules, and she continues to feed off emotion—staying true to her heart. Those traits are now the bones of her stories. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who puts any of the heroes in her books to shame, and their two young children. If she’s not on mom duty or plugging away at a new story, you’ll find Stacey camping in the summer, hibernating in the winter, and obsessing over
Penny Dreadful, Game of Thrones,
and
Sons of Anarchy.
As the hustle and bustle of the holidays, not to mention cold and flu season, approaches Loveswept’s prescription for your well-being is very simple, and reasonably priced too: Check out our new November releases, as low as $2.99. Just what the doctor ordered, right?
The courageous men of
USA Today
bestselling author Tina Wainscott’s Justiss Alliance series never give up and never make promises they can’t live up to—
Wild Nights
comes out this month and features Saxby Cole and Jennessy Shaw in Tina’s wildest story yet.
USA Today
bestselling author Stacey Kennedy’s Club Sin series continues with the wicked, sensuous novel from
Freed.
Ashlyn Macnamara’s historical romance
What a Lady Demands
introduces readers to a smoldering new love story threatened by past betrayals—fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries will adore it.
USA Today
bestselling author Maggie McGinnis has written a captivating novel spiced with holiday magic, featuring a rugged Montana man who mends a Northeast girl’s jaded heart—don’t miss,
A Cowboy’s Christmas Promise
. And the Weird Girls return in another edge-of-your-seat novel,
A Curse Unbroken,
from Cecy Robson! Just when Celia thinks the supernatural world can’t turn deadlier, a new rival emerges to prove just how dangerous a power-hungry Were can be, yum!
For the New Adult reader, check out our Flirt line featuring debut author Amber Hart as she pushes contemporary romance to its wildest limits in the heart-pounding novel
Until You Find Me,
the story of a girl who travels to Africa to protect the legacy of one man—and stays for the love of another. Regina Cole’s debut,
Draw Me In,
is a steamy novel of hot ink and delicious angst, where two tortured artists take a leap of faith despite the past that threatens to tear them apart.
Stay well and follow the prescription above—if you do you’re guaranteed a happy, healthy, romantic holiday season. Until next time…
~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher