In my lap, he placed a small, thin black box. I gingerly lifted the top, my heart skipping when I saw what was inside.
It was a simple black leather collar with a rose gold ring in the center. The strap of leather was thin, the design sleek and unassuming—just bold enough to make clear what it was without being flashy.
Wes cleared his throat. “And if you don’t like it, I will gladly find something better suited to your style. You don’t need to wear this in public, only at kink events, if we were to go to any together. Or on dates when I want you to be in a particular headspace. But if you did want something more permanent down the line to wear at all times, I’d be happy to provide you with a day collar as well.”
I kissed him, shutting him up, as adorable as it was to see Wes flustered. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
When I pulled away, he still looked anxious, unsure. Which, of course, provoked my own insecurities about all of this being too good to be true. Was he second-guessing his decision?
Did he know something about whatIhad been hiding? Him canceling our date last night had also ruined my plan to explain the Roman situation.Shit, and now we were running out of time, probably only minutes away from the estate.
I couldn’t wear Wes’s collar without coming clean about Roman’s advances, especially when Roman was going to be here this weekend.
“I need to tell you something,” I said at the exact same time Wes did.
His eyes widened.
“Sorry, um, you first,” I murmured.
Wes rolled his neck. He opened his mouth.
The car turned, and the tires met gravel for a few rotations before coming to a halt. Someone knocked on Wes’s window. I jumped.
Both of our heads turned to the bulky man in all black standing next to us.
Wes rolled the window down.
“Members only past this point,” the man said gruffly. “This driver was not approved by The Circle.”
The driver slowly met Wes’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Wes ground his teeth together. “Enjoy your weekend, Marty. I’ll call if our timing changes.”
The man nodded. “Thanks, Wes. You too.”
Wes and I slid out of the car, and I noticed the way he kept his hand on me the entire time as we collected our bags and stepped toward the security guard. Our car made a three-point turn and slowly drove away.
The afternoon sun was golden as we approached sundown, illuminating the stone pillars and the grand black gate before us.
The burly, bearded man wordlessly led us forward, typing something on his phone. The gate swung open, revealing a long, winding, tree-lined gravel driveway on a slight incline. Wes and I passed through the gate.
When the estate came into view, I clutched Wes’s arm in shock. This was no cabin in the woods, though woods did surround the building on all sides.
The same woods were pictured in another cryptic PicWave story on Lorelei’s account this morning. She washere.I could’ve been mere moments away from seeing her again. My breathcaught, and my heart picked up speed. All these months, I’d been preparing what I would say to her once I saw her again—how I might convince her to finally get help, what she would say in response.
My current theory was that Lorelei was going by a different name and had kept her past from everyone. Well, that was one of my theories, given I was still partially convinced The Circle knew everything and was merely fucking with my head.
I closed my eyes for a moment and shook myself out of my spinning thoughts.
I focused back on the massive house ahead of us, ifhousewas even the right word.
“Jesus,” I whispered.
“Baby, there is no God here,” Wes muttered, glaring at the opulent display of wealth. When we made it to the circular driveway, there were three parked black cars.
The front door of the mansion opened, revealing Jayne and Archer.
I didn’t like Archer’s triumphant smirk one bit. Jayne, on the other hand, looked like her smile hid underlying stress. It looked strange on her usually serene, angelic features. She had not a single perfect black ringlet out of place, her simple purple dress cinching at her waist and showing off her curves.
“Welcome, Nova and Wes. We’re so pleased you both could join us. However, you two are late,” she said, revealing the cause of her tight smile. “We’re already gathering everyone for the hunt.”
