“Do you remember the conversation we had the night I brought up the trip?”

   She couldn’t help the smile that crept across her face. “Parts of the conversation. More than that, I remember what happened after the conversation.”

   He gave a short laugh. “Indeed? Yes, I remember that as well.” He took her hand and led her to a nearby couch. She knelt beside him and sighed when he ran his fingers through her hair. “You told me you sometimes felt like you were living in a dream and sometimes had a hard time conceiving what you meant to me.”

   “Yes, Sir. I remember.” She leaned her head against his knee, wanting to feel more of him.

   “The thing is, I collared you rather quickly and we didn’t have anyone with us to witness. I know you’ve never worn anyone’s collar before mine and I’ve collared only one other woman.”

   She was glad he couldn’t see her face because she knew her frown had come back. Why was he talking about that and why the hell would he be mentioning Kate?

   “You see, Sasha, everyone is here in the UK because I invited them to our collaring ceremony.”

   Her jaw dropped and she looked up to see his face. He had such an expression of love and adoration, it made her heart hurt. “Sir?” was all she managed to get out.

   “I know you wear my collar daily, but I’d like for us to make it official. In front of those we love and those who will support us in our lifestyle choices.” He slid off the couch and came to his knees before her. “Sasha, my beloved little one, will you wear my collar?”

   “Cole.” She threw her arms around him. “How did you know I wanted a ceremony?”

   “I wish I could take the credit for knowing, but I didn’t. I thought it might be a way to show you how much you mean to me.”

   “I didn’t stay to watch when Daniel collared Julie and I’ve always regretted that. And then I thought, maybe it’s better that way because then I won’t know what I’m missing.”

   He gathered her into his arms and pulled them both to standing. “I wish you had told me sooner. I want to meet all your needs, even the unspoken desires you don’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone.”

   She nodded against his chest.

   “But, Sasha, you have to tell me. You have to share them with me.” He pulled back and made sure she was looking in his eyes. “Understand?”

   “Yes, Sir.”

   “I think to make sure we keep communication open, I’ll have you pick back up your journaling. I want you to write every day. Even if it’s only a few lines. That way if there’s something you want me to know, but maybe don’t feel comfortable talking about, you can write it first.”

   “I like that idea.”

   “You do?” His eyes danced with mischief. “Even if I still count off for grammar?”

   “Yes, especially if you count off for grammar. Maybe you’re rubbing off on me. I actually don’t mind writing now.”

   “I’m glad.” He kissed her. “Before we start the ceremony, I’m going to need to take your collar off.”

   Her hands flew up to her neck, “I know you’re going to put it back on me, but just the thought makes me sad.”

   “I’m actually not going to put this one back on you.”

   “You’re not?”

   “There you go with the frowning again.”

   She sighed. “You keep saying things that make me sigh.”

   “I suppose I do.” He reached behind her neck and undid the clasp. “I think we’ll have this made into a bracelet or something.”

   “It’s my first collar,” she said. “I’d like to keep it.”

   “Of course.” He took a long slender box from the drawer beside the couch they’d been sitting on. “Would you like to see your new collar?”

   She nodded even though she couldn’t imagine liking any collar better than the one he just took off her.

   “Remember when Kate came by that first morning?”

   Seriously? Kate again? Sasha didn’t consider herself jealous, but seriously? “Yes,” she said, when what she wanted to say was, “Kinda hard to forget your ex-slave coming by the morning after the best sex of my life.”

   “She stopped by to drop off a box I inadvertently left when I moved out.”

   Ah yes, she remembered. He’d asked her to take the box to his bedroom and while she’d been off doing that, he’d had a few words with Kate in the living room. “I remember,” she told him.

   “The box contained the jewelry that my family hid when we fell out of favor with Henry the Eighth.”

   “It still boggles my mind that you can sit there and be all Well, you know Henry the Eighth had it out for my family. I mean, that’s like me tracing my ancestors back to George Washington.”

   He laughed. He did that a lot lately according to Daniel, who’d said so at dinner the other night. He’d smiled when he said it. Then he added that Cole had rarely laughed around Kate. She was glad he felt more jovial around her.

   “I’m glad we were able to hide the family jewelry. Or else I wouldn’t be able to give you this.” He opened the box and revealed a gorgeous choker collar. It was double-stranded pearls and every so often distributed among the strands, there was a gem that looked like an emerald. But surely it couldn’t be.

   He lifted it out of the box. “The technical name for it is a carcanet, but it looks so much like a collar, I can’t help but think my family was getting kinky five hundred years ago. Sasha?”

   She couldn’t speak. She could barely breathe. Matter of fact, she wasn’t even able to think very much.

   “Sasha?”