Page 56 of Surrender

"Baby, you dropped into subspace." Another pet to my hair.

"Subspace," I repeat. "I like it here. Can I live here?"

I'm awash with a child-like euphoria that feels so amazing, I don't want it ever to end.

He chuckles again, and it's a sound I've never heard before. I like it. It's a good sound. He should make it more often.

"You really are perfect, aren't you?" The warmth in his voice is not something I'm used to. Warmth in his actions, sure, but the tone he's speaking with right now is something else.

He lays me down before bringing a blanket to cover me. I'm about to take a nap when he kisses my forehead, cheeks, neck, and chin. There's a rustle of clothing as he takes off his suit coat, but then there's a gentle tap on the door.

Declan answers it and there's a low, hushed, exchange of voices.

I think it's Harrison.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes."

"What is this?"

"She dropped into subspace. I'm taking care of her."

"You rigged an employee."

"I didn't want anyone else."

"And you still don't have a contract with her."

"Leave it alone."

I don't hear the rest of the argument as I fall asleep.

And what an amazing sleep it is.

Chapter thirty-two

Declan

Serenity's been exploring the exhibition rooms more. I love watching her watch different scenes. Her body is still, hands clasped behind her, still as a statue. At least that's what she looks like to someone who hasn't spent the last five months studying the sweet little thing in front of me.

Me? I see the pink in her cheeks even in the darkened hallway. I see the way her chest pumps just a little faster, like it does on our runs. She's not as unaffected as she thinks she is.

I peer around the corner to see what she's watching.

It's the female couple from her first night. The sub is in nothing but her eternity collar, and her domme is sitting, still fully clothed, on a throne. The domme slides a finger through the collar and tugs her sub up her lap.

I clear my throat to let Serenity know of my presence.

She quirks her head slightly, still watching the scene in front of us.

"I've seen those collars on a couple of the patrons. What do they mean?"

The image of Serenity, on her knees in front of me, in nothing but her collar has my cock thickening against my slacks. Fuck, that's a nice image. To claim her as mine forever, in a public statement like that? An unwanted surge of desire and possessiveness washes through me.

I clear my throat again and push those thoughts away. She isn't mine to possess, to control. To publicly claim her as mine. I don't know what she is to me.

"They're called eternity collars. It's a symbol to the rest of the community that she's in a committed relationship with her domme."

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