Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85125 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85125 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
It was going to be so hard to see Hayden in the hospital—during rounds, at staff meetings, in the cafeteria. Somehow, she’d have to learn to steel her heart, to keep her life firmly compartmentalized.
She’d keep her head down, do her job, and somehow get through it. If it became too unbearable, she’d find another job. Maybe she’d even leave the city. Hell, the state. She had her whole life before her. Doors closed, others opened. Hearts broke but eventually mended.
“But I love him,” she whispered plaintively. “Him. Hayden Pierce.” The thought of never seeing him again save for at the hospital left her so bereft she actually cried out in pain.
Someone was walking rapidly behind her in loud, determined steps. She instinctively stepped to the right to let whoever was in such a hurry pass. As she moved, she averted her face so they wouldn’t see her crying.
“Dahlia. Wait. Please.”
Hayden!
She whirled around, heart hammering.
He opened his arms as he approached her. In a moment, he was there, pulling her into his warm embrace.
“Dahlia, my love,” he murmured, burying his face against her neck as he held her close. “I’m so sorry for everything I did wrong. Please be patient with me. I’m the newbie when it comes to relationships. Please. I don’t care about Master/slave. All I care about is you. You don’t just belong to me. I belong to you.”
Relief flooded through her, leaving her literally weak in the knees. She melted against his chest as strength and comfort streamed from him like a warm current. At the same time, a persistent voice in her head warned her to watch out.
She pulled away from Hayden’s embrace, letting that voice be heard. “I really appreciate what you’re saying. And I so want it to be true. But are you going to ultimately resent me because of the compromises you’d be forced to make? After all, you made it quite clear from the beginning that you don’t just love BDSM, you require it. It’s a part of you, an essential part.”
“Yes,” he agreed soberly. “That’s true. But it’s also a part of you. Now that you’ve had a taste of the spice, can you honestly stand here and tell me you’d be just fine going back to plain old vanilla?”
“Well, no,” she admitted. She thought about how her world had shifted from black and white to vibrant technicolor since she’d taken the leap and embraced her deepest desires. He was right. She couldn’t imagine relegating her newfound love of BDSM back to pure fantasy. “That would suck pretty bad, actually.”
He grinned. “There you go. We both need BDSM in our lives.” He dropped his voice to a pleading murmur. “More than that, we need each other, my love.”
“Oh,” she breathed, losing herself in his sapphire gaze.
“All the rest is details,” he added urgently. “Details we’ll figure out together. Don’t give up on me because I moved too fast. Please. Don’t give up on us.”
And, all at once, she understood.
It was as if she’d been balancing on the brink of a precipice, resigned to letting herself tumble into the dark abyss below. But then Hayden had come running after her, just like in the movies. He’d wrapped his warm, strong arms around her, pulling her back into the light.
”Oh, Hayden,” she cried, half laughing, half crying as she threw her arms around him. “I won’t. I promise.”
They held each other, their lips meeting for a long, lingering kiss.
“Get a room,” a guy snarled as he shoved past them.
Laughing, they pulled away from each other. A brilliant smile illuminated Hayden’s handsome face. “I love you, Dahlia,” he declared, his tone heartbreakingly tender.
Tears sprang to her eyes, even as she grinned so hard it made her cheeks ache.
“Me, too, you,” she replied.
Epilogue – 4 Months Later
The last traces of winter had finally been washed away. The crabapple and cherry trees were in full flower as April edged into May. Dahlia had rekindled her relationship with her friend, Naomi, who now seemed genuinely comfortable with Dahlia’s choices. Naomi was in love, and this time she was pretty sure he was “the one.” They’d met her new guy, and they both agreed he was a keeper.
That evening, Hayden and Dahlia, along with Cameron, Jess, Jack and Cleo, were sitting outside at a round table in the cozy courtyard of a French Bistro. Fairy lights twinkled overhead in the surrounding trees. The remnants of their meals had been cleared away, replaced by tiny cups of espresso and a platter of delicious French pastries.
Cleo reached across Jack to touch Dahlia’s hand. “That’s so beautiful, Dahlia. Do you just love it?”
Dahlia lifted her hand to examine her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, her face suffusing with such happiness Hayden very nearly blushed. “I do.” She turned to meet Hayden’s eye, a beatific smile on her face. “More than anything.”