A shocked gasp escaped his lips and I set my shoulders, ready for rejection. “You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready,” I added.
“Caine, I’ve been waiting for you to say those words since I saw we first signed our contract. That’s all I ever wanted.” He looked up at me, brown eyes shimmering. “Caine, I love you.”
“I want to make you happy, but you’re going to have to be straightforward with me. Can you do that?”
He nodded.
“Good. We have some time apart to really figure out what we both need from each other. You can email it to me if you’re more comfortable discussing it that way, but the next time I see you, I want to have this all hashed out. No unanswered questions. No needs left unshared.”
“I can do that.”
“Good. Now, let’s tackle this packing thing and see if we can cut you down to a more reasonable number of suitcases.”
The next two hours went by fast, and when we were done, I’d helped him reduce his luggage from eight to three. It wasn’t what I was going for, but it was a start.
“Spend the night,” he implored when we were through.
“I can’t. We need to stick with the plan, even if it’s hard.”
“No pun intended, right?” he laughed, then he kissed me one more time and walked me to the door.
“I’m going to miss you,” I said, hugging him tight and trying to memorize how he felt in my arms. “Don’t be gone too long.”
“I won’t,” he promised, brow furrowed and eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“It’s already too long.”
“I know it will go by so fast, but right now, it doesn’t feel that way.”
One last long, achingly tender kiss, then one last goodbye and I was out the door and heading home.
I spent the better part of that night tossing and turning, giving up shortly before dawn to write out what I needed to be happy in a long-term relationship. I knew Shelton’s list was going to be long, but I could only think of three things: Shelton, him moving into my home, and seeing him happy. If it took the rest of my life, I was going to make those things happen.
For both of us.
Epilogue
Shelton
Two Months Later
The phone rang in my pocket as I was unlocking my door. I dropped my suitcases in the foyer and grabbed it on the third ring. “Hey, Alex.”
“Shelton! It’s been a long time. How is everything?”
“Wonderful. I’m just getting back from a work trip.”
“Really? I thought that was only a month.”
I smiled. This was the third time today I’d been asked that exact question. “The getaway was super popular, and with Caine’s touring schedule picking up, it just made sense.”
“How is Caine?”
“I haven’t seen him yet. We’ve talked nearly every day, but after the talk show, our schedules got heavy. Things should start simmering down soon.”
“Good to hear. Listen, I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m going to get straight to it. I’m asking all the consorts to nominate a friend for possible membership and you’re the last one.”
“I’ve been out of pocket for a while, I’m sorry.”
“No worries. Any ideas, or do you need a little time?”
“You know what, I don’t. My buddy Seb Owens would be a wonderful consort.”
“Can you text me his number?”
“I’ll do that right now. And, Alex?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for not giving up on me. The Club changed my life and I can’t thank you enough.”
“You already have. Do me a favor and give Seb a head’s up. I’ll talk to you later.”
I didn’t even have time to put my phone in my pocket when it rang again. My stomach lurched and I fumbled with the keyboard, too excited to keep my hands from trembling. “Caine,” I breathed. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you more.”
Doubtful, I thought, but it wasn’t a contest. “I need to see you. When can we meet?”
“I was thinking about Chinese, on my balcony while we talk about the book you wrote me of all the kinks you’d like to explore.”
“Tonight?”
“Be here by six. That gives you two hours to get ready. Plan on spending the week.”
His voice was firm, his request nonnegotiable, and I could feel my dick hardening. He’d read my desires and didn’t think I was too kinky. The joy hit me all at once and suddenly two hours was too far away. I wanted to see him now. But now wasn’t the time to push the boundaries. Tonight would be our first night together since we started talking about everything we wanted in a sexual relationship. If Caine was planning on spending the next couple days exploring that list, I didn’t need a spanking for being naughty. I wanted one, but I had a feeling there was already one in my future. Maybe even two.
I showed up exactly two hours later, standing on the front porch so nervous that I couldn’t quiet my breathing. My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth by the time Caine answered the door.
His smile was slow, his gaze positively feral. “Leave your clothes on the porch.”
My eyes widened and I cast a furtive glance around to see if the neighbors in the distance could possibly see me. Arms crossed, he arched an eyebrow and my eyes lowered until they rested on the wide belt that looked exactly like the one I’d linked him in one particularly bold email. “Yes, sir,” I said, disrobing right there in the waning light of day and standing before him completely naked.
He stepped back and I walked in. When his arms went around me, my pulse quickened and my adrenaline surged. Throwing me over his shoulder with ease, he locked his arm around my waist and the flat of his hand connected with both my ass cheeks at once.
“Yes,” I whispered, squirming a little.
He carried me past the dining room and set me down at the base of the stairs. Both hands swatted my ass at the same time and I yelped, delighted. “Up the stairs you go. Dinner comes after I do.”
I shivered with anticipation, rushing up the stairs and into his room.
The table beside his bed held several different toys, each identical to the example pictures I’d embedded into my submissive wishlist.
“On the bed, all fours,” he ordered.
My erection was throbbing, and when I heard the belt slide through the loops of his jeans, I was struggling not to come right then. His strokes were gentle, more sting than anything, but the leather licking my skin felt delicious, and I knew when we found our grove as Master and sub, I would know the wild abandon of a trip over his knee that left me breathless and eager to serve.
But tonight was about taking it slow, and we had the entire week ahead of us. I arched my back, hopeful that he would spend some more time working me over, but on the tenth swing, he stopped. His nails raked over my stinging flesh, then between my legs to examine my most private areas.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pick up one of the plugs, this one with a harness on it. My insides fluttered and I couldn’t help the moan that came out when I felt the lube dripping down my crack. He worked the short, wide toy inside me, then he secured the straps that would hold it in place.