Finding Master Right

She did. He looked as if he was holding something behind his back. What was he hiding?

His forehead crinkled, and he stared down at the ground. “Kate, I . . .” He paused, seeming to be at a loss for words. “Fuck. I had this all pla

Had what pla

With a sigh, he lifted his gaze to her face. “You know I love you. But do you know how much?”

She nodded. “A lot. Just like I love you a lot.”

“More than a lot. I can’t even explain it.” He heaved a breath, then continued. “We’ve come such a long way. I thought I knew what I wanted in a slave. You weren’t what I pictured at all.”

“Heyyy,” she teased.

“I thought I wanted perfection, but what I needed was you.”

“But I am perfect, Master.” She gave him a mischevious smile, partly to cut the tension and make him relax.

“You are.” He looked at her, then, with so much love it made her cry. “You’re perfect for me.”

She swiped at tears that welled.

“I’ve already collared you. That’s a big commitment, and you know with you it means forever to me.”

Nodding, she wondered if this was leading toward something she’d been thinking about for a while. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“Kate.” He sighed, then shifted his weight. “I want to be with you forever. Not only as your Master, but as your husband.”

He brought his hands forward and in his palm sat a small box. When he opened it, an antique diamond filigree ring sparkled in the sun from the skylight.

For a moment she was so dazzled she couldn’t speak.

“I’m asking you to marry me, Kate.” His voice broke. “Will you please marry me?”

She started to sob. Did he think for a minute she’d refuse? He wrapped his arms around her and held her as if she were the most precious person in his world. Her tears ran down his chest.

“You idiot!” she finally said, pulling back. “You had me so worried!”

“What?”

“I thought something was wrong! With your family . . . Or that I was in trouble or something.”

His eyes widened. “No. No, nothing like that. I was just nervous.” He ran his hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. But . . .”

She tried to control her emotions but only managed a ridiculous sort of crying laugh.

“You didn’t answer.”

Answer? “Oh!” She looked down at the ring. “Yes! Of course the answer is yes.”

Hands shaking, he took the ring out of the box. “It was my grandmother’s.”

She held out her hand, and he slipped it on her finger, feeling as though she were watching a scene from a movie. She’d never been the type to picture getting engaged—how a guy would propose—as her friends used to do. But now that it was happening, she couldn’t imagine it being any better, even naked, damp, and teary.

His eyes turned worried. “Do you like it? If not, we can pick something else. I won’t take it personally—”

“I love it.”

“Wait there.” He gri

In the mirror across from the bed she caught a glimpse of how the ring looked. Even from a distance, it sparkled and somehow made her feel prettier than before. She couldn’t stop gri

He came back holding her collar and tied it around her neck, looking smug.

“I can’t wait to tell everyone.” She stared at his handsome face and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. If he hadn’t gotten an invite to that costume party, there was a chance they would never have met. “Janine has been pushing me to propose to you.”

“So that explains why Chris brought it up a couple weeks ago.” He laughed. “I already had the ring sized, but I wanted to ask you while we were here.”

“Oh, I’m sure Janine put him up to it.” She looked toward the laptop on the desk in the same room. “I wonder if I could get her online to show her.”

Ba

She blinked at him i

With a growl, he toppled her over.

She gave in, laughing as he bit her neck possessively. As sore as she was, she couldn’t refuse a man with such a sexy growl, especially one who’d just put a ring on her finger to go with the collar around her neck.

His. Now in every possible way.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, we have to thank our agent, Nicole Resciniti, from the Seymour Agency. If she didn’t pluck us up from the self-publishing pool and convince us to take a risk on a traditional publisher, we may not have even written this book. Ba

Thanks to our editor at Penguin, Kristine, and the hard work she’s put into guiding us, answering all of our silly questions, and showing an interest in our writing in the first place. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the future. I can’t think of a kinder, more patient editor to have been given.

Of course our book wouldn’t be what it is without our beta readers. Lina Sacher, who’s become one of our most trusted set of eyes when we complete a book—or think we’ve completed it, only to find out it needs more work! Janine, our good friend, fan, and long-time lover of smutty books, who showers praise upon us so our heads grow so big we can barely fit through doorways. Good thing we have Cari Silverwood, close friend and fellow author, who’s not afraid to stick a pin in our egos in the name of improvement. Thanks to you guys, we revised and revised until our eyes bled to make this book as perfect as it can get.

We’d like to thank our families, who put up with our daydreaming, rushing to the computer in the middle of di

And most of all, our readers. We do this for you.

Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next book in the Masters Unleashed series from Sparrow Beckett

PLAYING HARD TO MASTER

Available from InterMix October 2015

Morning shift sucked, and not in the good way. Covering Morgan’s maternity leave at the salon was proving more difficult than Everly had anticipated. It wasn’t just the double shifts that made her feet ache and loathe heels for life. The worst part was having to drag her sorry ass out of bed early to open the hair salon.

As a hairdresser, she was expected to look her best—full makeup, hair styled, cute shoes, etc. Getting dolled up at eight AM sucked major monkey balls. Maybe eight in the morning wasn’t early for most people in the working world, but she really, really wasn’t a morning person.

The bells above the door jingled at ten o’clock sharp, signaling her first client was here. Who made a hair appointment at ten in the morning, other than senior citizens? From the back of the salon, she spotted the guy. He was no senior citizen.