Page 34 of Hard Discipline

His hands lift and he cups my face between his large, warm hands, the look in his eyes searching. “You know I have nothing to give you, right? You heard that? I’m twice your age, my heart is fucking dead, and I have no idea how to be in a relationship with anyone let alone you.”

I relax against him, his body hard and hot and strong, the feeling in my heart sinking deeper and deeper, and I don’t resist. I surrender, because I’ve learned how. And maybe in time, I can teach him to surrender too. “I don’t care.” I look up at him, straight into his beautiful blue eyes. “I’m an anxious mess who overthinks everything, so I guess we’re even.”

“Odette,” he says again, a little helplessly, his thumbs stroking along my cheekbones.

“It’s okay,” I whisper. “I’m staying.”

He looks down at me a long moment, and then slowly, but surely, his mouth curves. It’s a faint smile, but it’s very definitely a smile, and right then and there I swear to myself that I’ll make him do it again and again. “Tonight,” he says. “Stay tonight and tomorrow. And then we’ll see where we are.”

Then he bends and kisses me and then it’s my turn to smile, because I know exactly where we’ll be.

Together.

EPILOGUE

Gideon

That one night became two, then three, and then a week passed, then six months, then a year, and she’s still here. Every so often she’ll check with me that it’s still okay for her to stay and every time she asks, I answer through my teeth, “If you ever fucking leave, I’ll drag you back here myself.”

After three months, I came home to find my penthouse full of little knickknacks and pillows and sculptures and all sorts of other female paraphernalia. Apparently, she’d moved all her stuff in when I wasn’t looking, and so I had to punish her. Naturally we both enjoyed it immensely, though I didn’t tell her to move any of her things out. I was starting to like the pillows, anyway.

I’ve tried to repair my relationship with Lucas and while we’re getting there, it’s going to take some time. I told him flat-out about Odette, that we were together, and he was at first furious with me. Not because he wanted her, but because he thought I was taking advantage of her. She soon put himstraight, since she’s no one’s helpless victim, and now he’s coming round to the idea.

She’s an obedient little sub when I’m her Master, but when we’re Gideon and Odette, she argues and fights with all the stubborn determination in her soul. She’s magnificent. She’s perfect. She’s everything I wasn’t looking for and didn’t know I needed, and I have a horrible feeling that I’m falling in love with her.

Or maybe I’ve already fallen. Maybe I fell that first night in the hotel room, when I turned around saw her standing there.

One thing I’m certain of though, is that before, I was lost and now, I’m found.

My swan princess found me.