He opened the bottle and pressed it to my lips.

“Thank you, Master,” I said when I’d had my fill.

The door to the room’s left opened and Cole and the red-headed submissive stepped out. He spoke to her softly and stroked her cheek. She left him with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

Cole was still somewhat of an enigma to me. According to Dena, he’d broken up with his long-term girlfriend several months earlier. He usually traveled for his work, and I gathered the breakup was his reason for staying in Delaware as long as he had. He was a journalist and a good one; I’d read some of his articles. I wrote for a national news blog, and since he was a writer, I was interested in getting to know him better.

Cole spotted us and headed our way.

“Master West,” he said, shaking Nathaniel’s hand.

“Master Johnson.”

Cole inclined his head in my direction. “I haven’t been formally introduced to your Abby yet.”

I wasn’t allowed to interact with Doms at a party unless Nathaniel gave me permission, so I remained where I was.

“We must correct that.” Nathaniel smiled at me. “Come meet Master Johnson, Abigail.”

I moved to my feet and waited to be introduced.

“Master Johnson, this is my Abby.” Nathaniel lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “She is my everything.”

I didn’t miss the subtle lift of Cole’s eyebrows or Nathaniel’s slight nod. Granted permission to touch me, Cole held out his hand.

“Very nice to formally meet you Abby.”

I shook his hand. “The feeling is mutual, Sir.”

“I understand you’re a writer,” he said.

“I just write a blog for WNN, Sir,” I said, slightly taken aback that he knew anything about me. It wasn’t a secret, of course. It was just, he was a writer writer.

“You express yourself through written words. You’re a writer.”

“And a damn good one,” Nathaniel added.

The corner of Cole’s mouth lifted in what could only be called a devilish grin. “I know. I’ve read her blog.”

“You have?” I nearly squeaked, and then remembered where I was and composed myself. “I mean, you have, Sir?”

He chuckled. “Yes. And you shouldn’t demean it by saying it’s only a blog.”

“Thank you, Sir. I’ll try to remember that.” I wanted to return the praise. “I’m really enjoying the series of articles you’re writing based on your time in India, Sir.”

All traces of joviality left his expression, and darkness covered his face. I wasn’t sure what I had said to upset him, but now I wished I hadn’t spoken at all.

“It was a unique experience,” he finally said.

“It’s a unique country,” I said.

“Yes. There are parts that are breathtakingly beautiful and I met some incredible people. But I think—” He looked pained. “I think I won’t be going back.”

I was momentarily stunned, since his articles seemed filled with a real love for India, but fortunately I was saved from any long, awkward silences by the appearance of Jeff and Dena.

“There you guys are,” Dena said. She was holding hands with Jeff, and they both looked so happy I couldn’t help smiling along with them. I spared a quick look back at Cole, but whatever had upset him was forgotten. The devilish grin had returned.

“What’s going on?” Cole asked.

Dena spotted Daniel and Julie in the hallway and waved them over.

“What’s happening?” Daniel asked.

“I’m wondering the same thing,” Cole said.

Dena looked so excited I wouldn’t have been surprised if she started bouncing up and down. “We set a date!” she finally said.

“A date for what?” Cole asked, and Dena’s smile temporarily deflated. Nathaniel thumped him on the shoulder. “Just teasing, you guys. Congratulations!”

“I love weddings,” I said. “Tell us when it is.”

Jeff replied with a date less than two months away.

Dena held up her hands as we all started speaking at once. “I know it’s short notice, but it’ll be small. We thought about just having the justice of the peace do it, but since our collaring ceremony was private, we thought better of it.”

Jeff slipped his arm around Dena and kissed her forehead. “I was the one pushing for a private ceremony.”

“Thank goodness she didn’t go for your idea,” Daniel said. “I’ve been waiting on this day.”

“But if she had,” Jeff said, “we’d be married already.”

“There is that,” Daniel said.

Dena had stayed with us at our Hamptons estate recently. Jeff had been out of town caring for his terminally ill father, and because she’d been getting threats from a stalker, we’d offered for her to stay with us. She was a prosecutor and her father was a prominent politician, so no one was sure who was threatening her. That was all in the past now, but Dena and I had become good friends during the weeks she’d stayed with us and I knew exactly how happy she was to be marrying Jeff.

I didn’t know Jeff quite as well, but I’d actually met him first, and one of the things I picked up on was an underlying sadness about him. There was no sadness now. Only joy and, as he gazed down at the woman who wore both his collar and his engagement ring, love.

It made me a bit nostalgic for the early days of my relationship with Nathaniel when everything was so new and we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Of course, we still didn’t want to, but it was harder to find time to ourselves. I hoped the move to Delaware would mean more time at home for him and allow us to connect more.

“Angel,” Jeff said, “didn’t you want to talk to Abby and Julie privately?”

“Yes, as long as it’s okay with Masters West and Covington.”

“Of course,” Daniel said, dropping a kiss on Julie’s cheek. “Don’t stay away too long. I have a new toy.”

The brunette’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Master.”

“I don’t have a new toy,” Nathaniel whispered in my ear. “I just want to fuck you.”

My knees almost turned to jelly. “Yes, Master.”

“Hurry back to me,” he said.

I would. I definitely would.

Dena took us up the stairs to the small bedroom that wasn’t in use. The house belonged to William Greene, a Dominant I had only met in passing. The lack of furniture and minimal decorating led me to believe he lived alone.

“I wanted to wait until Sasha was here, too,” Dena said. “But I’m not sure when all of us will be together. I’ll tell you guys and will catch up with Sasha later.”

“Everything’s okay, right?” I asked.

Her eyes lit up, and I swore she was so excited they sparkled. “Everything’s great. I’m pregnant.”

Julie’s hand flew to her mouth, and tears filled my eyes. Dena had already had one late-term miscarriage. She had told me part of her history with Jeff while she was living with us. I had been fortunate, both my pregnancies were trouble free and full term. I could only imagine how scary a pregnancy would be following a miscarriage. At the moment, though, she didn’t look frightened. She positively glowed.

“I thought it was strange you didn’t have a corset on tonight,” Julie said, and then pulled the willowy blonde into a hug.

Dena smoothed a hand over her short skirt and cropped shirt. “Yes, this isn’t my normal party outfit by any stretch, but my corsets are going into storage for the next eight months.”

“What does Jeff think?” I asked.

“Jeff’s completely besotted,” she said. “He reads Goodnight Moon to my belly every night. I told him hearing hadn’t developed yet, but he said since no one knew exactly when it did, there was no harm in it.”

“I love watching strong men get all melty because of a baby,” I said, remembering Nathaniel with our kids.

Dena nodded. “There is nothing hotter, that’s for sure. We haven’t publicly announced anything yet, so please don’t tell anyone. I had to tell you guys, because, well, I just did.”

“How are you doing?” Julie asked.

“Scared to death,” Dena said with a tight laugh. “Trying to relax, but going crazy with each ache, pain, and cramp. Jeff’s so good. He’s a great listener and he gives the best back rubs. But I know it’s hard for him, too.”