Colt found a spot near the bar where he could watch all the action. He even found something that he bid on. He figured it was something he could write off as a charitable donation if he won, and it might not hurt as an act of penance on his part.
And, as the night progressed, he watched Avery. She dazzled and entertained. Gone was the science klutz, and he began to wonder where the woman he’d fallen for had disappeared to. He ended up with the winning bid, and pocketed the diamond tennis bracelet. If Avery wouldn’t accept it, he could always give it to his mom for Christmas.
But then she was there, standing before him, looking almost untouchable in her beauty. If he had met this woman first, he doubted he would have touched her, or even thought he had a chance with her.
“I’m done for the evening, and passed the baton to the Foundation chairman.”
“Great. I can get us a cab.”
“There’s no need. Follow me,” she replied, but she didn’t touch him.
He was one step behind her as they left the ballroom. In the hallway, he watched her as she nodded at passersby, drawn in by her elegance and poise, but still wondering where his Avery had gone off to.
They rode the elevator up to the penthouse level and his brows rose up almost to his hairline. When they exited the elevator, Avery tripped over her gown. Colt moved into action, catching her before she tumbled to the floor.
“There she is, there’s my girl,” he murmured.
“Ah thanks,” she whispered, but extricated herself from his arms.
She used a key at the only door on this floor, and entered. He trailed in after her. Inside, he glanced around at the place. It was huge, first off, and decorated in a way only the wealthy seemed to know how to do.
“What is this place?”
She shrugged. “It’s home. There’s another penthouse in Manhattan, and a villa in France. My grandma lives on the family estate in the United Kingdom for most of the year. There’s a house in Malibu, and I think on Cape Cod, too. I don’t remember all the properties half the time.”
It finally started to sink in. Avery wasn’t just well off. She put him and the Anderson family to shame with her wealth.
“Can I get you something to drink or to eat? I’m sure there’s something in the fridge. If not, I can have room service whip up something in a snap. The restaurant in the hotel has some of the finest chefs in the country. It received two coveted Michelin Stars.”
“Avery, stop. Look at me, please.”
She stilled next to a huge bank of windows that overlooked the Las Vegas strip and all the colorful life of the city. It suited her and it didn’t, because she was apart from it, an impartial observer. And the one thing he noticed during his perusal of her place was that she was alone here, achingly alone.
He strode over until he stood before her. He clenched his hands at his sides to keep himself from reaching for her. “I’m sorry. I need you to understand why I did the things I did. It doesn’t excuse them, and I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. Years ago, I was engaged. I told you that that day at the stream. The thing is, I thought Carly loved me. I was twenty-five and blinded by her. But she wanted to turn me into a slick city businessman and wanted me for the lifestyle she believed she deserved. She thought that since I was an Anderson with access to the family fortune, she would have an all-access pass to it. She broke off the engagement because I wouldn’t budge on having her sign a prenup. To say it ended badly after that is putting it mildly. And I didn’t tell you that I owned the ranch, I lied about it because for the first time—in forever, it seemed—I had someone looking at me not with an angle for what they could get, but because they wanted me. Me, Avery, not my family’s money. I know I hurt you. And babe, I’m so sorry. If I could take it back, I would. I didn’t mean those things I said. You discovered I owned the ranch and then said you loved me—it messed with my head. And I was having visions of Carly all over again.”
Avery crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest and said, “But when I told you that I wasn’t with you for the money, you didn’t believe me. Relationships are built on trust. Isn’t that what you told me is at the foundation of a relationship between a Dominant and submissive?”
Colt nodded. “It is. And I let my fears get in the way of that trust, let it cloud everything. I love you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I’m going to ask for it anyway. I’ll do whatever you want, if you would please forgive me. Before you came into my life, I was dead on the inside, going through the motions of my day. And then you rocketed across my world. You brought me back to life, Avery. If you’ll let me, I promise to show you every day from this day on just how much I love you.”
“But the ranch—”
He grabbed her arms and said, “Screw the ranch. It’s land, that’s it. It doesn’t matter a bit if you’re not there with me. And if you want to go to Bermuda or Timbuktu, then I will go with you. It doesn’t matter where we are, as long as we’re together.”
“You’d leave the ranch, your home, for me?” she asked, and he heard the quiver in her voice.
Finally.
Colt went on instinct, slid his hands up, and cupped her face. “Babe, don’t you get it? You are my home, where we are on the globe doesn’t matter. Wherever you are, that’s where I belong.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs.
“Are you going to leave me hanging, or are you going to say something? Just please don’t send me away.”
“You realize that if you’re with me, you’ll end up being a kept man, right? Like, that’s not going to bruise your manly Dom ego and cause problems later, is it?”
He laughed, his heart light and full. “As long as you are my keeper, Avery, I’m good.”
“I do love you, Colt, so much. I never thought I would find someone who loves me, not really. You’re my penguin.”
“I’m your what?” He laughed as joy blotted out the darkness.
“I’ll explain it all to you later. Right now, I was hoping you could help me out of this dress. You know, I have this tub with all these jets, it works marvelously, maybe we could take it for a spin.”
Colt did what he had wanted to do from the moment he spied her on that stage. He kissed her. And with his kiss, he showed her how much he loved her, thrilled that his heart had finally found its home.
Joy bubbled up inside him as he swept her into his arms, her peals of laughter healing him, healing them, as he carried her into the bedroom, where he vowed to love her until the end of his days.
Epilogue
November
Avery curled against Colt, pointing out the various constellations as they watched for the Northern Lights. His girl had gotten it into her head—after two months in Bermuda—that they just had to go to Finland and stay in the igloo hotel with the glass domes where they could watch the lights.
“I’m freezing my nuts off, you know.”
She shook her head, currently cradled against his shoulder, and said, “No you’re not, they were fine five minutes ago.”
“That was five minutes ago. Now they’re feeling neglected.”