She stared at him, stunned. “I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
His hands framed her face, tilting it up to his. “Say that you love me and that you want me, not only as your dom but as your husband.”
Her breath caught. Something dangerously close to hope bloomed in her chest. “Are you really proposing?”
“To love and to cherish for the rest of our lives. Isn’t that what you want, sweetheart? Because I have for a very long time.”
Tears gathered, blurring the lights and shadow around them. “I don’t want anyone else. Without you, all of this”—she gestured to the labyrinth, playground, and kinky crowd surrounding them, wincing a bit when the chain pulled—“is just a means to a physical end. Like a sneeze or an itch to scratch. That’s not what I want or need. I know that now, and I’m sorry for being a fool for so long.”
His arms tightened around her. “You’re not a fool. You just needed help finding your way.”
The world narrowed to the rhythm of his breath and the strength of his embrace. Her body still hummed, her mind still spun, but in his arms, she eased into a calm she hadn’t known in years. Alec lifted her chin, and he kissed her—slow and certain—sealing everything they’d finally allowed themselves to feel, everything they were choosing now, and the truth they could no longer deny.
She could have stayed that way forever, his mouth warm on hers, hands threading through her hair, bodies melded together, but Devil’s voice rang out again.
“In third place—Gabriella.”
They broke apart to watch, Emily turning in Alec’s arms as her friend stepped forward.
Devil gestured toward the doms who’d played the game. “Make your choice.”
Gaby’s gaze swept through them and landed on Rhys.
He stood at the edge, slightly apart, arms crossed, expression unreadable. The moment their eyes met, something shifted. Tension arced between them.
Emily felt it—a string pulled taut.
Rhys stared back at Gaby for one long beat, jaw ticking then he turned and strode off. No words. No gestures. Just the sound of his boots on stone and the echo of something unspoken.
She stood frozen, her hands clenched at her sides. Devil cleared his throat but didn’t rush her.
Emily’s heart ached. She knew that look. That moment when hope cracked and something raw slipped through.
Gaby lifted her chin and met Dev’s gaze. “Thank you, but I’ll pass.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Devil nodded solemnly. “That’s certainly your choice.”
She turned, her composure hanging on by a thread, and walked away, disappearing into the shadowed sidewalk along the side of the house.
An awkward silence followed, the membership shocked by the outcome.
“I should go after her,” Emily whispered.
A familiar voice spoke. “I’ll see to her,” Master Everett said quietly. His expression calm but purposeful, he followed Gaby.
Emily watched him go, her chest tight with gratitude.
“I can’t believe Rhys rejected her so publicly,” she said, her heartache for one friend spurring anger toward another. “What was he thinking?”
Alec’s jaw flexed. “He’s a friend, and a good guy, but he can be a stubborn ass. After the sting fades, hopefully she’ll see that and realize she’s better off.”
Emily leaned into him, grateful for the clarity the maze had given her—and the man who’d waited at the end—but her heart hurt for Gaby. “You’re right. She did what she had to for her sister. If Rhys is too blind to see that, he doesn’t deserve her.”
“Everett will make sure she gets the aftercare she needs.” He scooped her into his arms. “Which leaves me to take care of you.”
“Does that mean I can take off these clamps? They’re starting to get uncomfortable.”
