Page 76 of To Catch a Sub

She stopped in front of him, and Landon reached into the pocket of the dark slacks he wore tonight instead of leathers.

The collar was lovely, and not at all what she’d expected. She’d anticipated black leather and heavy silver hardware.

Instead the collar was a dark brown leather with metal wire designs embedded in it. The gold-toned metal was worked in tight linked spirals that marched around the collar in a repeated pattern.

“That’s lovely,” she said.

“It reminded me of the bracelet.”

It took her a minute to figure out what bracelet he was talking about.

The bracelet she’d stolen from the museum. The one she’d worn for their date. The bracelet that showed him she was a thief.

Her gaze jumped to his, and there was something hard behind his eyes now. Colette lifted her hair as she turned away, presenting the back of her bare neck.

That meant she was facing the bar, and the small crowd of people. Everyone was watching.

Kitten smiled softly as she leaned against Rolf. Baby grinned, while Toy winked.

They thought this was her accepting a Dom’s collar, an exciting and meaningful thing for a sub. But this wasn’t that. Not really.

She repeated that thought over and over, a mental shield against the need rising inside her.

“If this isn’t enough, you come to me,” he said softly as he slipped the collar around her neck. The leather was warm—it must have been tucked in his pocket where it had absorbed his body heat.

“I’m not your sub,” she whispered back, and she wasn’t sure which one of them needed to hear that more.

“No, but you’re a sub, and also my protected witness.”

His fingers brushed the bare skin at the nape of her neck as he buckled the collar in place.

Colette released her hair and started to step away, but Landon laced his fingers through her tresses and made a fist. Colette sucked in air, her eyes closing.

“If you need to scene, you come to me.” He released her hair. “No one else touches you tonight, Thief.”

SEVENTEEN

Landon watched Colette lean towards a dark-skinned Dom with wire rim glasses.

Don’t you fucking dare, woman.

“You look dangerous tonight.” Andrei tipped his glass to his lips.

“I’m dangerous every night,” Landon snapped back.

Andrei snorted in amusement. Landon winced. Okay, yes, that was a fucking stupid statement.

“Master Leon is a good man.” Andrei extended the arm holding his glass towards Colette and pointed. “He’d take care of her.”

“How’s about you shut the fuck up? Git.”

“Maybe she’s doing it so you’ll come get her. Some people need to be forced into their submission.”

“That’s an oxymoron in BDSM. Submission is never forced.”

“Don’t be reductive.”

Landon blinked, glancing at Andrei for a moment.