Over the next couple of months, my life was almost too quiet. We heard nothing from Sam. No threats, no surprise visits. Jace had checked in at another rehab facility and the reports were positive. Hopefully, he stood a better chance this time around since I had found my footing and was ready to take over once the personnel at the rehab let him stretch his wings.

Other parts of my life were not quiet at all. After that first intense part of our relationship, where everything somehow seemed to work against us, Marc and I had taken the first tentative steps toward the scene where we first met. He reassured me again and again that it had to be my choice and that he wasn't expecting anything, but after my last heartfelt confession that I truly wanted to try it out, he relented.

We both agreed that a full-time D/s relationship was out of the question. Marc didn't want Tilia to be involved, which was a perfectly sane reason to keep it in the bedroom. In the bedroom, however, I found a heady sense of comfort by knowing what was expected of me. He made me feel treasured even as he tied me up in knots.

I grinned at the thought, checking the clock on the kitchen wall. He would be home any second, hopefully without Tilia. She was staying with a friend for a few hours, providing the perfect opportunity for an real scene.

We'd talked about it briefly last night, but when Marc got down into the details, I shut him up. I didn't want to know everything beforehand, and I trusted him fully.

Taking a deep breath, I entered our shared bedroom, taking care to settle my body into a smooth rhythm as I undressed. A metronome ticked in the deep crevices of my consciousness, counting the seconds of anticipation. Naked, I knelt on the hardwood floor, assuming the position he taught me.

Forcing each muscles to relax, I could feel the pressure rising from my core. Molten lava pooled in my groin as the metronome continued to tick. I had to work on my patience, and every session we shared was a forceful reminder. Marc would let me stew on my spot on the floor until he saw fit, and not a second earlier.

I heard the faint click as the door opened downstairs. My entire body sizzled with attention—my skin burned and my cock leaped with desire.

His footsteps sounded on the stairs, one by one, each closing the distance between us. I fought to keep my gaze lowered, fought to stay absolutely still.

I could feel his presence next to me, a stillness in the air. He was my center of gravity, and my body ached to be close.

Fingers ran through my hair—his touch soft and loving.

"You're stunning," he said, leaving a lingering longing as his touch disappeared. I wanted it back. I needed it. It was a deep-set craving for intimacy that I'd learned to treasure since Marc walked into my life. I had lived most of my life without it, lost in shadows and dark alleyways.

"You're allowed to watch," he said, inviting me to look as he undressed. The process was painstakingly slow, button after button on his dark blue shirt loosened to reveal his naked chest beneath. I would have torn it off if I were allowed.

He unfastened his belt and placed it over his bare shoulder. The dark leather fit him perfectly.

"Rise."

I did as asked, tipping my head forward to look at the floor. I was allowed to watch, but I also wanted to submit. Fully.

He walked behind me and placed his belt around my neck like a makeshift collar with a leash. It had an extra hole to attach the belt with perfect comfort without the danger of choking me. I loved that belt, loved how it scraped gently across my sensitive skin.

With a light tug, he steered me toward the bed.

"On your stomach."

"Yes Master." The reply was instant. Ingrained. A response that felt utterly right whenever we played.

I settled on the bed, clutching the cover to relieve some of the building tension.

He tugged the leash again, letting me know that I was still his, still under his control.

"Spread your legs."

It didn't matter that we were fully intimate with each other—every time he asked me to expose myself, I felt a weird exhilaration mixed with nervousness.

Light touches of thin leather strips caressed my upper legs and ass. My breathing picked up instantly. I knew that touch. I knew it and I wanted more. So much more.

I was close to begging when he gave me a first taste of the flogger. A swift sensation, and then fire.

"Fuck. Yes," I exclaimed.

He hit me again, this time with a firmer snap. "Are you already begging for more?"

"Yes." The world left me with a rugged breath.

Another hit.

"Yes Master."

He dropped the flogger to the floor. "You're not ready for it yet. Have to warm you up, love."

I was about to whine when he settled on top of me, kissing the nape of my neck. He trailed a finger along the collar. "Want me to warm you up?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes."

He began to administer kisses along my spine, rubbing his hands across my body. I wanted to squirm beneath him but knew that he would correct me. He massaged my ass and raked his teeth across it. Not roughly, but with the perfect amount of sting—he knew how I liked it.

"Turn over, love."

I did as asked, eyes closed to stave off the burning need. Patience he called it. Fucking inconvenient a times.

He twisted my right nipple with nimble fingers, drawing a moan from my throat. He twisted the other with even more force, teasing me in the best way possible. I wanted the clamps but knew better than to ask.

His touches continued. Soft then rough, then soft again. My body answered his call, reaching higher and higher beneath his hands.

A gasp left me as he took my length into his mouth, sucking and lapping with determination. I was close, far too close, but I didn't want it to end. Losing my sanity, I focused my breathing. I had to hold on.

He took me to the edge before he let go. "That's it, love. You're doing good."

I melted beneath his tender touch, feeling his fingers run through my soaked hair.

"On your knees. Ass in the air."

"Yes Master." I fought for the words. Fought to control my tongue.

Leaning on my knees and elbows, I closed my eyes, longing for the sting of the flogger.

The blows rained down, one after the other. I cried out. I cried for the sweet pain and rising pleasure.

I was panting as the blows ceased, swallowing hard as he prepared my entrance with a slicked finger. He didn't hold back as he spread me for the taking. Only, he wasn't finished. My core burned deliciously as he inserted the plug, twisting it around to nudge my prostate.

"Yes," I whispered.

Another blow awakened the pulsing need, heightened by the welcome invasion. My channel squeezed around the plug as he continued, and I was slipping faster and faster. Too close.

He tugged the leash. "Not yet, love."

"Please. Please. I can't."

"You can."

I gripped tighter around the sheets, delirious and wanting. I wanted him inside. So badly.

He pulled the plug just as I thought I would fall. "On your back. I want to see your face when I fuck you."

My limbs was ready to give in, but I forced them into cooperation. This was it. Finally. Just a little while longer.

He settled above me, his eyes dark with pleasure and shining with love. I spread my legs willingly, opening up for him to enter. He eased inside without pause. Perhaps the relentless teasing was over. Perhaps.

His strokes were even, his pace measured. He knew exactly where to hit and when to do it. My body received him with open arms, begging him to go deeper, harder.

"Please. Master."

As soon as the words left my lips, he increased the pace. This time, I wouldn't be able to hold back. I knew it, and so did he.

Without slowing down, he cupped my cheek. "Come with me, love."

Eyes closed, I cried out my release. It overwhelmed me like a raging storm, relentless and wild. One gust after another, it emptied me completely only to fill me up with warmth and comfort.

Marc landed on top of me, nuzzling the skin beneath my ear.

"I love you, Ethan. Never forget."

I placed my arms around his back, too tired to do much else. "I love you, too. I love this. I love everything. You make me so unbearably happy."

He chuckled. "Unbearably happy?"

"Yeah. I think I need a shrink. This isn't normal."

A kiss stole my lips. Slow and lazy. Warm. Loving.

"Who needs normal?" he whispered.

I kissed him again.

"I don't."

Fighting to stay awake, I tried to move, but he wouldn't allow me. His weight settled me into the bed as a firm reminder of where I belonged.

I belonged with him. Always. Our life together had just begun, but I knew that I was more alive than ever before. Surely, that had to count for something. He was my beginning and hopefully, one day many years from now, my end.

THE END

A/N Okay, so...first of all, I'm sorry for how long I've made you wait for this last update. I wasn't sure how to end the story, and it's always been a difficult one to write. But, thank you so much for staying with me throughout this long journey. Without your support, I doubt I would have been able to finish it. 

Sending all my love to each and every one of you. You're fabulous.