He reached out and cupped her face with a gentle touch that melted her heart. "Why are you crying, sweetheart?"

"I'm okay." She smiled as he frowned and caressed his cheek in return. "Really, I am, but I have something to ask you."

His hand dropped and he nodded. "What's up?"

Reaching into her pocket, she wrapped her hand around the platinum chain. "Wyatt, I love you more than life itself, more than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the beach. I love you with everything I have, and I would like you to wear my collar."

She pulled the chain out and he grinned, then outright laughed. Not exactly the reaction she was hoping for. "Fine, if you don't..."

Before she could say another word he s.n.a.t.c.hed it from her. "No, hold on. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

This was so not going the way she'd envisioned. She wanted it to be perfect to...Swallowing hard, she mentally let go of what she thought perfection was and tried to live in the moment. To accept and recognize that her version of perfect actually wasn't all that perfect, that reality could be so much better. So instead of snapping at him, she simply shook her head.

"What am I going to do with you?"

He smiled at her, then held the medallion up and looked at the front, then the back. When he read the inscription his gaze flew to hers. "You mean it?"

"On your knees."

He dropped so quick she was glad they were on a beach with soft sand than on a hard floor that could have hurt him. She took the collar from his unresisting fingers and repeated the inscription on the back. "Mich.e.l.le's Everything."

When she leaned forward to clasp it around his neck, he jerked back. "Wait."

Hurt filled her and she blinked back tears. "You don't want it?"

"No, baby, I do, but I want something in return."

"Anything."

He smiled up at her, so impossibly handsome in the fading light that it stole her breath. "Glad you said that, but I'd still like an official yes."

"What are you talking about? Whatever it is you want, yes, a thousand times yes."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, dark blue velvet box. With his gaze on her face he opened it, revealing a beautiful ring with a large, deep blue square cut sapphire surrounded by diamonds in an art deco style. "Mich.e.l.le, will you marry me?"

She didn't think either of them was prepared for her response as she flung herself at Wyatt hard enough that he ended up falling back with her on top of him. Happiness a no a joy burst from her as she covered his face with kisses while saying yes over and over again. Laughing, he gave her a rib-cracking hug, then pulled back.

"Give me your finger."

Her hand trembled as he slipped the ring on and she turned it this way and that in the light, admiring the play of light deep within the sapphire. "Oh, Wyatt...it's stunning."

He cleared his throat. "My collar?"

Flushing, she tore her eyes away from her ring long enough to fasten his collar around his neck. "I'm sorry. I promise once my head gets out of the clouds I'll do a proper collaring with you."

He rested his hand on the collar, beaming at her. "I kind of like your head in the clouds. You should see how beautiful you look right now."

Imagining the tangled mess of her hair, her face swollen from crying, and the absolutely goofy smile stretching her face she laughed. "I must look like a crazy woman."

"Beautiful," he murmured and cupped her face, bringing her lips to his in a kiss that made her toes curl. "My beautiful, beautiful fiancee."

She sighed against his lips, then leaned up and stole another glance at her ring, happiness bursting through her like fireworks. "Wyatt, this ring is amazing."

"I'm glad you like it. I've been looking at rings for a while now, trying to find the exact right one."

Bemused, she kissed him again, loving the way he groaned and shifted beneath her. "I love it. I love you."

"Baby, you have no idea how happy you've made me."

She nuzzled her nose against his, feeling like she couldn't get close enough to him. "Let's go upstairs and celebrate."

Epilogue.

7 years later Mich.e.l.le sat next to Yuki in her comfortable beach chair beneath the shade of their enormous beach umbrella and watched James and Wyatt play out in the surf with their children. Right now Wyatt had Isadora, Yuki's seven-year-old daughter, perched up on his shoulders while James had Mich.e.l.le and Wyatt's six-year-old son, Zack, on his shoulders. Their laughter blended in with the sound of the waves and Mich.e.l.le laughed as Isadora imperiously commanded Wyatt to do something with a regal point of her finger.

With a sigh Yuki shifted in her chair, trying to get as comfortable as her eight-months-pregnant belly would allow. "Can you believe I'm going to have another girl? Better start writing me those prescriptions for Valium now."

From the baby pool at their feet Mich.e.l.le's ten-month-old son, Joshua, smiled up at the women with his two-tooth grin as he splashed. "s.h.i.t, I better start stocking up on food. Can you imagine what it's going to be like feeding two teenage boys?"

Joshua made a cute cooing sound and turned up the wattage of his smile at Yuki. Her friend laughed. "Look at him, barely able to stand up on his own but already a little ladies' man."

It was true. Joshua loved women and turned on the charm whenever a female was around. "He takes after his father."

Laughing, Yuki rubbed her stomach. "When's Wyatt's exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art again? I'd like to be able to make it if we can. After all, it's not every day I get to see our boys in their tuxedos."

"Next month, but there is no way you're getting on a plane. As charming as the thought of delivering your baby in flight is, you are grounded."

Yuki stuck her tongue out at Mich.e.l.le. "You're no fun."

She opened the cooler next to them and handed Yuki the last of the grapes. "We're running low. Want me to get some more?"

Grabbing the bunch of grapes, Yuki popped one in her mouth with a sigh of happiness. "Sooooo good."

The sounds of the men's voices got closer and she looked up, watching James and Wyatt stroll up the beach to them. Now in their forties, both men had aged very, very well. Wyatt's hair had thick streaks of silver in it, but his body was still as rock solid now as it had been while he was in the Marines. Their gazes met and her heart pounded harder, her body still reacting like an out-of-control hormonal teenagers whenever she looked into his eyes. Zack and Isadora stayed down by the waterline, building sand castles while Isadora directed Zack on what she wanted done and Zack ignored her.

"Hey, baby," James said and leaned over Yuki, giving her distended stomach a kiss, then kissing Yuki, "and hot mama."

Wyatt leaned over Mich.e.l.le, shaking his head so cold drops of water sprinkled down on her. "Wyatt! Knock it off. It's bad enough I have Mud and Tuba soaking me."

At the mention of their names, the dogs turned away from their nanny duty to give her an inquiring look. They took their job of protecting the children very seriously and loved them to bits. Mud gave her a soft whine and she nodded. "Go to Zack."

He barked with excitement and trotted down to the children, his tail wagging as Isadora spied him and then ordered him to sit in a loud voice, then giggled when he covered her in kisses.

James groaned. "We really need to work on her bossiness."

"Good luck," Mich.e.l.le said while she leaned over to splash water on Joshua's shoulders, making sure he kept cool. "Have you met her mother?"

Yuki snorted. "Pot, meet kettle."

With an abrupt move, Wyatt scooped Mich.e.l.le out of her beach chair and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Thanks for watching the kids, guys. We'll be back in about thirty minutes."

Laughing, Mich.e.l.le thumped him on the b.u.t.t. "Try ten."

"Hush, you," Wyatt said with a mock growl and turned, walking up to their beach house while James and Yuki laughed. "You're going to hurt my man pride."

When they reached the boardwalk leading to their house he slid her off his shoulder and she let out a happy sigh as she slipped her hand into his. "I'm so glad the construction is finally finished."

Wyatt beamed with pride as he gazed up at their summer home. "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

She nodded and paused for a moment, examining the house. It was still the light yellow color of the original structure Wyatt had brought her to all those years ago, but had easily tripled in size. At over ten thousand square feet with twelve bedrooms, three family rooms, two kitchens, a game room, and a dining room big enough to fit their twenty person table, it was big enough to host the never ending stream of family and friends that came to stay with them.

Walking slowly up to the house, Wyatt glanced down at her. "When are your parents going to be here?"

"Later this week. My dad decided to take my mom on another honeymoon."

Wyatt laughed. "What is this, their twenty-eighth honeymoon?"

"Dad says he has to make up for lost time."

"I think he just wants to be here to get some more tips when Petrov and Maya are visiting with their grandkids on how to handle your mom."

She gave Wyatt a smack on the a.s.s. "Yuck, and speaking of lost time, don't you owe me a flogging for losing at poker last night?"

He winced. "I do, but can we do it later? I hate the smirk James gives me whenever he sees my marks."

"Do you?" she purred and lightly scratched her nails down his tattooed back. "Well then, we'll just have to break that bad habit, won't we?"

He shot her a look that was part antic.i.p.ation, part l.u.s.t, part fear. "Ummm...no?"

Giving him her best evil grin, she began to walk faster. "Come on, we only have thirty minutes and I feel the need to put some welts on that pretty a.s.s of yours to show Yuki."

"Now that's just cruel."

"You love it."

"I love you."

She paused and placed a soft, delicious kiss on his lips. "I love you too."

"My Domina," he whispered against her mouth.

"My everything."

He suddenly swept her up into his arms, "If I don't get inside you soon I'm going to come in my swimsuit."

"Can't have that." She laughed and clung to his shoulders, listening as he described all the things he wanted to do to her, for her, in a hot rush that made her blood boil. Even after six years of marriage she was as hot for him as on the first day they met and his dark gaze captured hers back in the desert of Afghanistan and she knew her life would never be the same.

Thankfully, she was right.

Acknowledgements

Thank you so much for once again giving me the chance to entertain you. Like all indie writers your reviews are like glittering rainbow unicorn kisses of earthly delight to me, so if you are so inclined, please take a moment to consider leaving one.i I've been thinking about writing a prequel for the Long Slow Tease series in which we get to travel back in time to when Yuki and James first met, before they became the loving couple they are today and were one big, fat, hot, I hate to love you love to hate you mess. If you'd be interested in reading about Yuki and James, leave a review and let me know by mentioning it in your review or contact me via Facebook, Twitter, my website, etc etc ra ra ra la la la.

As always I would like to give a special thanks to my beloved Beta readers Catharine Dollase, Lisa Simo-Kinzer, Kitty Kelly, and Suzanne Voris. Without you lovely b.i.t.c.hes my books wouldn't be possible. I'd also like to give a shout out to the amazing bloggers that helped to spread the love The s.m.u.tty Kitty, Dark Desires Book Blog, Abigail Books Addiction, Ill.u.s.trious Illusions, Virginia Nelson, Lia's Book Haven, Francesca's Mindstream, For Whom The Books Toll, For the Love of Bookends, We Love Kink, Naughty Book Eden, Isabella LaPearl, Kelsey's Corner Time, Kinky Book Reviews, Scorching Book Reviews, Delighted Reader, Zany PNR Addict, As the Pages Turn, What's On the Bookshelf, and In The Pages of a Good Book.

And last but very not least, I'd like to thank my editor Ekatarina Sayanova for putting up with my crazy a.s.s. She's endured phone calls with my children screaming about zombies in the background, researched the most obscure s.h.i.t, and suffered through my abuse of the English language. Love ya, babe. ;) Yours ever so truly, Ann

About the Author.

With over thirty published books, Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened.

From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that was often at the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and c.r.a.ppy s.e.x. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the s.e.x scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back.

Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 's.e.xy s.p.a.ce' and has accepted that her Muse has a severe case of ADD.

Ann loves to hear from her readers and you can find out more about Ann at: http://www.annmayburn.com https://www.facebook.com/ann.mayburn.5 https://twitter.com/AnnMayburn http://www.pinterest.com/annmayburn/

Other BDSM Romance by Ann Mayburn