by Anya Summers
“Your home is lovely, Piper,” Theo said, following her into the kitchen with its shiny silver stainless steel appliances and forest green marble countertops. Now that he had her all to himself, he wasn’t letting her get away. He had been stupid and ignorant on the island, more concerned with his own sense of self-righteous indignation than his sub’s pain.
“Thank you. Why are you here, Theo?” she said, leaning back against the counter and putting the kitchen island between them. He didn’t miss the symbolism of it, or the way she held herself away from him.
No matter the outcome, he owed her this much, needed to explain. He said, “I came to apologize. I should have told you I was leaving the island, and more importantly, why. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach you.”
She held up a hand, guilt contorting her beautiful face. “I know I handled things poorly that night you wanted to do a scene with me. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so worked up afterward, and I didn’t mean to make you leave the island to prove your point. I just—”
His heart squeezed at the damage he’d done. “Piper, I didn’t leave the island because we had one scene not go well. I’m made of sterner stuff than that. At least, I’d like to think so, and I had every intention of apologizing for pushing you before you were ready. We were still building trust between us. In my enthusiasm to your responses—but also because I wanted you to be mine completely, and thought such a scene would solidify the bond between us—I pushed before you were ready. So, when the time came, I didn’t think of you that night, but me, and what I thought you needed, so I overlooked the signs that your body was clearly sending me. For that, I am so unimaginably sorry, and still hope that you will give me the chance to atone for my sins that night. But no, you weren’t the reason I left the island so suddenly, love. My son, Jacob, was injured in an accident. His mum called me from the hospital as they were taking him in to surgery.”
Concern dotted her face and she said, “Oh god. Is he okay? I didn’t know, no one told me. I’m so sorry, I just assumed…”
“Yes, he’s recovering at home, finally. It was an unfortunate rugby accident; broken leg, torn ACL and some bruises, but after two surgeries, he’s healing. I didn’t get your messages right away, and I’m sorry for that. I didn’t have my work cell phone with me, only my personal one. I’ll have to make sure you have the number for it in the future.”
She shook her head and said, “I don’t think that will be necessary. I’m glad Jacob is okay but you didn’t need to come all this way to tell me this. A phone call would have sufficed.”
Theo had prepared himself on the long flight that she might not want him, that he had once again miscalculated. However, he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet, and knew he’d have to lay all of his cards on the table. Drawing on his courage, he glanced down. On top of the green marble, Theo spied a file. He flipped it open.
“Wait, don’t,” she protested, trying to keep him from looking inside. But it was too late. Theo almost laughed at what he discovered. Joy hummed and spread inside his chest. He’d been worried that she didn’t want him or wouldn’t accept him, but as he stared at his own face, at the images she’d printed and kept, seeing one of the two of them kissing, relief flooded his veins and hope surged in his chest. Piper was his submissive, and even if it meant he had to split his time between her place and his, they would make it work. He would make it work because he could no longer see his life without her in it.
“Why did you keep these?” He nodded toward the photos.
“You weren’t supposed to see those.” She bowed her head, but not before he spied tears glistening in her eyes.
His heart hammered in his chest as he moved around the island and caged her against the countertop with his arms. He murmured, “If we are going to make this work between us, we need honesty from each other. It’s one of the reasons why my marriage to Jacob’s mother didn’t work out. I won’t go back to living a lie. I want you, Piper. I want you so much, I ache when you’re not with me. Tell me why you kept the photos.”
* * *
Fear danced with hope in her chest. It came down to her deciding what she wanted in her life, for her life. His scent intoxicated her and she wanted to curl into his nearness, into his body, and feel his arms around her again. When push came to shove, there really was no choice at all.
She loved him.
What more was there to debate? He hadn’t abandoned her but had left to take care of his injured son. Any anger she’d had evaporated as if it had never existed. Theo was the only man, the only Dom, she wanted to give her whole heart to and gift with her submission. Peace settled over Piper’s being as she made her decision. No matter the outcome, the anxiety that had been building in her chest relaxed and subsided.
“Piper, talk to me, love. Did I ruin everything between us at the club that night?”
She shook her head and finally answered him. “No. You didn’t. It would have been easier if you had, but I was as much to blame for that night. If I had been honest with you about what happened to me, then maybe we could have avoided it. I kept your images so I would have something to remember you by. I thought you decided I was too much, that my past was too much for you, and you opted out of the relationship with your departure.”
He tilted her face up until their gazes clashed. “Do you really think so little of me that you would believe I would toss you aside like that without saying a word?” he said.
“It’s happened to me before and it’s all I really know, Theo. I wanted to believe that you were different but when I didn’t hear from you, I just assumed you didn’t want me anymore.”
Both of his hands cradled her face and in his eyes, she saw such naked emotion, her heart trembled. “Piper, you’re incredible to have survived what you did, to be as warm and inviting as you are. There’s no place I’d rather be than in your arms. And as for clubs, those don’t matter. I haven’t been big into the club scene in years. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to help you past that fear, but I’m willing to work with you on it and take the time needed. And if we don’t ever get there, we don’t. Those things don’t matter to me. You do. As long as you’ll still have me, accept me as your Dom.”
With her heart trembling and hope swirling in her chest, she said, “You want to be with me?”
“Piper, my life was rather staid and boring before you came along. I wasn’t unhappy but I was comfortable being just a father and a workaholic. It was far easier than putting myself back out there. But then you barreled into my life and made me see just how lonely and closed off I’d become. You brought sunshine into my life when all that had been present were gray skies and rain. Do I want to be with you? That’s like asking if I want air to breathe. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I love you.”
“You really do?” she said, amazement and disbelief clouding her voice. Theo loved her, even knowing about her past and her deficiencies. He was willing to put aside attending clubs and public scenes to be with her. Tears rained down her face as she stared into his eyes. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve him.
He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, catching her tears. “Yeah, I do. What do you say, love, are you going to take a chance on a boring sod like me?”
“Theo, I…” The words seemed to lodge themselves in her throat so she planted her lips over his, pouring her heart and her soul into his capable, loving hands. He effusively returned her kiss, growling into her mouth, and taking it deeper until her every breath came from him. Piper wrapped her arms around him, plastering her body to his until there was no space between them.
It was Theo who released her at length, his thumb stroking over her lower lip. “Was that a yes? I need you to spell it out for me, love, so that there are no further misunderstandings.”
“Yes. I love you. There’s no other Dom for me.”
His smile took her breath away. And then his lips did the same as they claimed hers for a soul-deep caress. Piper melted in
to his embrace, kissing him back with all the love she felt for him. His hungry lips swallowed her moans as the kiss heated, stoking flames of desire at the torrid mingling. It felt like months had passed since she’d felt him and she couldn’t seem to get close enough to him, needing to be closer to him, feel his skin against hers. Theo hoisted her into his arms and she went willingly, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to an unforeseen destination.
“Bedroom?” he asked, sucking her earlobe into his mouth.
“Back there.” She flailed her arm behind her and then resumed their kiss. She trusted he would get them where they needed to be. But she never wanted to stop kissing him. They entered her bedroom and she helped him strip her blouse off. She tore at his dress shirt, eager to feel his flesh beneath her hands. Buttons flew off, pinging across the room. He chuckled darkly.
And then he groaned as her hand slid beneath his slacks and gripped his cock.
“Christ, love.”
“Hurry. I need you, right now. We can worry about finesse later,” she said, her breath shuddering out in short, shallow pants. She squeezed his shaft, stroking his firm flesh.
“Good call.” He laid her on the bed, shucking his pants and boxers, while she shoved off her skirt and panties. Then she opened her arms and he was there, following her down, and kissing her like he needed her in order to breathe.
He settled his large form between her thighs. She grasped his shaft, fitting him at her entrance. With their gazes locked on each other, he thrust, and his cock furrowed inside her clasping channel until he was seated to the hilt. They held still, his shaft embedded inside her, connecting them as they stared into each other’s eyes, feeling the love they each found in the other. Theo rolled his hips, stroking his length inside her heat. She moaned into his mouth as she kissed him, meeting his thrusts, surrendering to the passion, and yes, the love between them. She had ached when she’d thought she had lost him forever and now she overflowed with him, his love, his steadfast heart, and she gave him everything.
She undulated her pelvis, meeting his fervent thrusts again and again as they made love. Over and over, he rose above her, holding her close as he made her body soar to the heavens. She clasped him tightly, her nails digging in to his muscled back, sliding down to his tight rear, and holding on as he plowed through all of her defenses until her whole world boiled down to him.
He thrust and she met him each time as the tempo of their lovemaking accelerated. She moaned and arched her back as pleasure scored her system.
“Oh, Theo,” she cried into his mouth as her climax blasted through her. She clung to him as her body tremored and shook, her pussy clenching at his cock. He strained in her arms.
“Piper,” he groaned. His shaft jolted and a warmth flooded her channel as his cum poured inside her.
In the hazy afterglow of their lovemaking, Theo kept himself between her thighs, stroking her face. “I do love you, Piper. I don’t want to live without you ever again. I want you warming my bed every day and every night.”
“I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing you say those words. Especially when I’m so in love with you, but I’m worried that we live so far apart. You live in London, I live here.”
He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “So we make it work. We’ll split time between our places and go from there. We’ll make it work, love, because I want you more than I want air to breathe. Why don’t you come to London with me for a bit? I’d like to introduce you to my son. And I know Jacob would like to meet you.”
Knowing how much his son mattered to him, the fact that he wanted her to know him spoke volumes to Piper and waylaid any lingering doubts she might have had. Stroking her hands down his back, she said, “I’d like that. I will need to find a darkroom so I can work.”
He kissed her nose. “I had a feeling you might say something like that. And I have a contractor standing by to make modifications to a room in my house for you.”
“Really? You were so certain?”
“No, I wasn’t. I just knew what I felt for you was true, and I believed that you felt the same way after your messages.”
“I do love you, Theo, so much. I can’t believe you would do that for me,” she said, love for him swamping her. She never dreamed that she would feel this happy and complete, and all of it was because of this wonderful man.
“Because I want all of you, love, I want you happy and with me. It’s just a room, and I figure we can spend time here, too.”
“You really thought of everything?”
He gave her a sexy grin, his eyes intense as he said, “I did. I’m a solicitor, it’s what we do. Oh, and you’ll have to marry me so that you are legally bound to me. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Are you proposing then?” She gasped as he rocked his hips, and she discovered his recuperative powers were more than up to the challenge as his shaft hardened and lengthened inside her once more.
“No, I’m giving you the rundown so you understand I’ll not only be your Dom but your lawful Master from here on out. You will have to obey me.” He wiggled his brows.
“In your dreams, Sir.”
“My life is never going to be dull again.”
She gripped him tight, pleasure radiating from her being as his shaft plunged to the hilt. “Not if I can help it.”
“I couldn’t ask for anything more.” And then he claimed her lips in a torrid, hungry kiss.
After all the pain, and sorrow, and the years of loneliness, Piper surrendered everything to the one Dom who had made all the long, lonely years worthwhile. The road she’d had to travel to reach him—even the horrors involved—had all led her to this time, this place, and this man: her Dom, her everything. She wouldn’t trade a thing, not when he was her reward. She wondered how he would feel about a Vegas wedding on their way to his home in London.
Now that he was hers, she was never letting him go.
Epilogue
Three years later…
Two hundred royal blue graduation caps were tossed into the air, sending the crowd into an effusive fit of cheers.
Piper glanced out over the soccer field as the wind blew, rocking Nora against her breast. She was being fussy, today of all days, when her big brother was graduating. They waited for Jacob, in his cap and gown, to find them near the back edge of the crowd.
She peeked at the now sleeping bundle in her arms. At five months, Nora and her twin sister, Nina, were giving her and Theo a run for their money. Their little miracle twins that modern medicine had helped them have. There were tears in her husband’s eyes today. The only other time she’d seen him cry had been when he’d held their daughters for the first time.
As the crowd began to disperse, Jacob located them. His mom, Diane, and her husband, Don, followed closely behind him, beaming in their pride at his accomplishment. Theo hugged his son, patting him on the back in his joy.
“Congrats, Jake. I’m so proud of you,” Theo said as Jacob, now as tall as his dad, pulled back with a huge grin on his handsome face.
“Thanks, Dad. And how are my sisters this morning, Piper?” Jacob said. He looked more and more like the spitting image of his father every day. It had taken the two of them a bit in the beginning, but Piper had grown to love her stepson dearly. And he absolutely doted on his baby sisters.
“Being fussy,” she said, standing up from her seat and giving him a one-armed hug while cradling Nora in the other. “I’m so happy for you, Jacob. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Piper.”
“Picture time,” Diane chimed in, nearly dancing in her excitement.
Piper placed her sleeping bundle in the buggy beside Nina. Fresh air always made Nina conk out and sleep like the dead. She’d be more worried if Theo wasn’t there to tell her it was totally normal when babies had a lot of fresh air.
“I can do those for you,” Piper said, pushing the dual stroller over.
“Oh, if you wouldn’t mind,” Diane said, handing over he
r camera.
“Not at all.” Piper already had her Nikon set up. After all, she was the photographer in the bunch, promising profusely to send Diane all the images she’d snapped with her camera as well as Diane’s. She took ones of Jacob with his mom, with his mom and step-dad, with his mom and dad, with just his dad.
Nina and Nora woke up just in time to have their picture taken with their big brother. Piper got the three of them, and then a few with their dad.
“Now we should get one of the whole family,” Jacob said, directing the show a bit, what with his parents blubbering all over the place.
Piper adjusted her camera lens, setting the focus once everyone was in position to make sure she got everyone. Then Jacob transferred Nina to her father’s arms and repositioned Nora in his, and then said, “You too, Piper, we need the whole family for this one.”
Tears welled up instantly in her eyes. Since the girls’ arrival, she’d turned into a blubberer. She glanced at the group, with Theo holding Nina and a hand out toward her, his love shining in his eyes. Even Diane and Don were waving her over. She nodded and blinked back her tears, then set the timer on her camera and strode over to Theo’s outstretched arm.
Piper, who had once believed she would live a lonely existence, slid into her husband’s arm and smiled just as the camera clicked, capturing her family.
The End
Anya Summers
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.