He opened the box, and Callie was in for the second jolt of amazement for the night. Nestled in velvet lay a glittering collar. A thick length of platinum would encircle her neck, unbreakable, symbolizing their bond. The glimmering metal met in the front and would be held together by one petite lock on each side of a massive dangling center stone. The stunning aquamarine was encircled with petite diamonds and would rest right in the hollow of her throat.

Callie raised astonished eyes to him. “Are you serious?”

“I think so. He bought it for you two years ago and has held on to it,” Sean supplied.

“It was made for you, pet. I’ve always wanted you to wear it for me. Will you have me?”

“Will you really be here tomorrow?” The question sounded as scared as she felt. Callie bit her lip.

“Every day for the rest of my life.”

Thorpe said everything right . . . except those three words that had been in their way. Still, were they important? She knew he loved her. Wasn’t the commitment more important than the platitude? Yes, but she still yearned for him to hold her close, look into her eyes, and tell her what was in his heart.

“Isn’t that what you want to hear, pet?” Thorpe prodded.

It was enough for now. But she’d also just committed her life to Sean. He’d brought Thorpe here, so she imagined her fiancé approved, but . . . she looked his way in question.

“Thorpe and I have talked, lovely. We’re reconciled. We both felt this arrangement works best because I’ve always wanted to marry you. I’m more traditional.” He shrugged. “My ring on your finger means everything to me. The press already has us linked romantically. This will simply seem like the natural evolution of our relationship to the outside world. Because it is.”

His ring on her finger meant the world to her, and she would be proud to be his wife.

“And I’ve always wanted you to be my submissive,” Thorpe said, his voice thick. “I’ve had a wife. The marriage didn’t give me that deep bond of trust and understanding I’ve been searching for my whole life. I entered into it for the wrong reasons. The union was easily broken, and I didn’t mourn its loss. What we share feels nothing like that. The minute I left you, the pain nearly crushed me. I’ve never collared a submissive of my own to”—he turned to Sean with a nod—“‘cherish’ is the perfect word. Thanks for that.”

Sean smiled faintly. “You’re welcome.”

“I want you to be the first and the last, Callie, to enter with me into the bond I hold most sacred.” Thorpe stood before her, looking vulnerable but proud. Body tall, shoulders imposing, eyes all but begging.

She melted inside. For four years, she’d watched him with sub after sub, looking for something he’d never found. The discontent she’d always seen then was gone. Her fondest fantasy when she’d lived at Dominion was to become his collared one and only. She’d always suspected that if he let himself care and took one woman as his, he would do everything to make the bond as deep and real as a marriage.

“Now, that’s not to say that he won’t regard you like a husband,” Sean added.

“Or that Sean won’t praise or punish you like your Dom when you need it.” Thorpe gave her a firm nod.

She expected nothing less.

“So you’ve heard what we want, but the choice is yours,” Thorpe said softly.

The tears she’d managed to hold at bay fell in hot rivulets down her face. She shuddered in a breath, then looked up at Thorpe with her heart in her eyes. “I accept this collar as a symbol of your ownership. To you, I pledge my obedience and my love. I have every faith that you will give me both the affection and the discipline I need. In return, I offer to you the gift of myself and am proud to call you Master.”

With a look of supreme pride and shaking hands, Thorpe fastened her new collar around her neck. Fleetingly, she noticed that it felt so right as he hauled her to her feet and brought her against him. “Thank fucking God.”

“Amen,” Sean said, rising from the chair in the corner.

As Thorpe layered his mouth over hers for a softly commanding kiss, Sean sidled in behind her and pressed his lips to her neck. “Now get ready to hear the words I suspect you’ll hear often, lovely.”

Thorpe cupped her face in his hands and fused their stares together, seeing right down into her soul. “I love you, Callie. You will hear it often. I hope you can get used to it.”

The joy exploded inside her, and she was left gloriously bleeding with emotion, speechless, and so ready for the future.

“I love you, too, Mitchell.” She turned in his arms to face Sean. “And I love you, Sean. My world is forever changed to the most beautiful existence possible because of you.”

Sean kissed her forehead, her nose, then lingered at her lips. “I love you, and I’m sure you’ll hear it from me often as well. But that wasn’t what I was referring to.”

“Oh?” She sent him a beguiling smile.

“I’m sure not, pet.”

Callie cast Thorpe a glance over her shoulder. It warmed her to know that her acceptance of their bond put that contented look on his face.

“So what else did you mean to say?” She smiled coyly.

Thorpe drew in a deep breath. His shoulders rose, his chest widened. He wore his authority like a well-made suit as he gave her his first command as her Master. “Strip.”

She flushed from head to toe. She’d been expecting it, and it still made her tingle, made her body burn with anticipation.

“Yes, Master.”

Sean caressed her shoulder, and her gaze lifted to his face, the longing in his eyes. She answered back with a kiss.

“Now, lovely, if you please.”

A smile broke out across her face. Her world was perfect. “My pleasure.”