“What are you grinning at, Beth? It’s bloody freezing out here! I don’t know how you managed to talk me into this route march.”
“I seem to remember that this route march was your idea, Master,” she reminded him. “Let’s go for a brisk walk, you said. It’ll blow the cobwebs away, you said.”
“Did I say that? Are you sure I said that?”
He was teasing her. Again. Over the last few weeks, since he’d sold the business and moved to Winterleigh full-time, since they’d settled into the routine of being a couple, he’d been more relaxed and playful than she’d ever seen him, as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Unless they were playing, of course. Then he was every inch the Dom—her Master. At those times, she just melted with wanting him.
She’d also succeeded in persuading Alex to return to the counsellor, to deal once and for all with the demons from his past. Beth had sat beside him through every session, holding back the tears as Alex had gone into the details of his ordeal, passing her love and her strength to him through the simple act of touch, and on more than one night, she’d held him while he wept in her arms. The tears had helped to cleanse his soul, and then one night, after what had turned out to be his last session, instead of the tears, he had kissed her and made love to her with heart-breaking tenderness. While the memories—of both the IED incident and the kidnapping—would never truly leave him, they’d become something he’d learned how to manage. The bad days were fewer in number now.
“Oh, I’m absolutely sure.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. You didn’t answer my question.” He’d switched on the Dom tone, his sure-fire way to get what he wanted from her.
“I was thinking of when you got your own back on me for making sure you rested when you came out of hospital, Master.”
He laughed, the sound one of pure joy. “And if you tell me you didn’t enjoy it, I won’t give you more of the same when we get back home.”
Eyes narrowed, Beth shot him one of her looks while trying to ignore the desperate need curling into life low in her belly. As always, she fumed at the ease with which he turned her on, while at the same time loving it. It was all part of their game. He’d decided that they would be spending most of the festive season enjoying each other in a variety of ways, and on New Year’s Eve, he was planning to take her to Club Aegis for the first time. Beth was thrilled at the prospect.
“Here we are.”
Alex had brought her to a secluded clearing in the woods that formed part of the grounds of Winterleigh. He turned to face her. Gloves removed, he framed her frozen face with toasty warm hands, his gaze intense as he lowered his head to kiss her. It was a kiss that claimed ownership of everything that she was, everything she would ever be, and in that claiming, she knew that he was giving everything he was to her.
“I love you, my sweet sub,” he declared with a controlled, powerful passion. “I don’t tell you that often enough.”
“You don’t need to say the words, Master. Your actions tell me that every day.”
And they did. Beth knew without doubt that she was loved, protected and cherished beyond measure. She also knew she loved and trusted this man with all her heart, all her soul and all her life. He owned her, yet she felt freer than she could ever have imagined possible.
“Do they tell you how much you mean to me, sweetheart?”
She kissed his palm—an act that had come to symbolise her total devotion to him. And she knew exactly how much she meant to him. This man had risked his own life to save hers.
In the weeks that followed that terrifying incident, the truth had emerged about Ewan Underwood and the motivation behind his actions. The tragic event of his younger brother’s death while under Alex’s command had sent Ewan completely off the rails. In the years between Jimmy’s death and the incident at Winterleigh, he’d been in and out of prison, each sentence providing him with the opportunity to pick up the skills and contacts he’d needed to exact his revenge. His desire for vengeance had taken over his life and ultimately robbed him of it.
“As much as you mean to me, Master.”
He kissed her again, this time wrapping his arms around her to hold her hard up against his body. “I brought you here today for a reason, Beth. In spring this clearing is particularly beautiful—it’s my favourite place on the entire estate—but I couldn’t wait till spring. Not for this. This is too important and too urgent.”
He released her, freeing one hand to delve into the pocket of his winter-weight parka. What he brought out remained hidden beneath clenched fingers.
“Beth Harrison, a man could wait his entire lifetime and never find a woman like you. I consider myself lucky beyond all any man could hope for, that you chose me to love.”
Beth’s smile radiated all she felt for this special, unique man. He was wrong about one thing, though. “As if I had any choice. You are an irresistible force, Master.”
“In that case, you’ll know that this is not a question.” His grin clearly communicated his satisfaction with her assessment. The fingers of his clasped hand slowly opened, revealing a platinum and diamond solitaire engagement ring.
“Marry me.”
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE CLUB AEGIS SERIES
A Wanting Heart
Christie Adams
Passion reignites when two former lovers are given a second chance. After meeting again at a family wedding, Ryan Quinn and Fiona Pearce can’t fight the attraction that still exists between them.
First time around, tragic family circumstances—unknown to Ryan—compelled Fiona to end their relationship. Three years later, those circumstances have changed, and so has she. Ryan still loves her, and, determined to find out what went wrong, he asks her to go away with him for a few days.
Can they make it work this time, and find out who they really are?
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE CLUB AEGIS SERIES
Love Is Danger
Christie Adams
Having seen his best friend Alex settle down with Beth, his wife and sub, Cameron Fraser has decided that it’s time to change his single status. He doesn’t expect to meet a woman who could be everything he needs quite so soon.
For Stacie Matheson, Cam is the stranger who rescues her when her car breaks down in a storm, but who then becomes so much more. He introduces her to the sensual allure of Domination and submission, and before long, she’s in love.
Fate has brought them together—the Dom who needs a submissive, and the woman who takes her first steps into the world of submission at his side. However, there’s more to Cam’s life than the sensual games he plays with Stacie. When that life intrudes on their relationship, neither is prepared for the devastating consequences.
COMING SOON IN THE CLUB AEGIS SERIES
Passion’s Last Promise
Christie Adams
Hers to protect…his to serve…
When a failed kidnap attempt leads to CEO Dr. Simon Northwood acquiring a bodyguard, he isn’t prepared for close protection specialist Ros Edwards, a former captain in the Royal Military Police. Experienced submissive though he is, having a woman stand between him and any further threat is completely untenable.
Assigned to protect the genius behind a project of national importance, Ros unexpectedly encounters the most delicious man she’s met in a long time. As a Domme, she’d love to play with him, but even if he weren’t in need of her professional skills, there’s no way he’s submissive.
A determined man. A stubborn woman. When passion flirts with danger, the last promise is the toughest one of all…
ALSO BY CHRISTIE ADAMS
Spent Love
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When Christie Adams, author of contemporary steamy romance, isn't completely absorbed in the writing process, she's probably thinking about it—either the book she's currently working on, or one of the dozen other stories she'll have percolating away at the back of her mind.
&nbs
p; In addition to writing, she also loves investing time in reading a good book, or browsing the internet in search of cute videos of puppies, a pastime that often helps with writer's block—or so she claims. On those rare occasions when she can tear herself away from the computer, she has a weakness for James Bond movies and romantic comedies—and she cries every time at the end of “You've Got Mail”.
Good chocolate is also one of her passions in life, often accompanied by a glass of her favourite tipple, English sparkling wine. And if she can be persuaded to abandon her writing for a while, she finds that chocolate, wine and a good movie on TV is an excellent way to pass a winter's evening.
To find out more about Christie and her books, please visit her website or email her.
The Velvet Ribbon Page 28
