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“You should be.”

“I don’t trust you exactly the way I did before.”

“I know.”

She opened the box and lifted the collar from inside it.

“What are you going to do when you’re afraid?”

“I’ll learn to manage my fear. I’ll talk to you.”

“What if I make a choice you hate?”

“I’ll tell you. I won’t override you.”

She turned toward the mirror above the bookcase, and my heart began beating harder.

“You don’t have to,” I said.

Alessia gathered her hair over one shoulder and looked at me through the reflection.

“I know.”

She fastened the collar herself. The silver clasp closed with a soft click, and the black leather settled around her throat where the bare skin had looked wrong since she left the townhouse.

I didn’t move.

Alessia returned to the table and removed the matching leash from the box. She clipped it to the small ring at the center, then crossed the room until she stood in front of me. The leather hung loosely between us. She placed the handle in my palm. My fingers remained open beneath it.

“Take it,” she whispered.

I closed my hand. The connection between us was barely any weight at all, but it felt heavier than anything else I had ever carried.

“If you break my trust again, an apology may not be enough.”

“I know that.”

“Don’t make me regret giving it back.”

“I won’t.”

She moved closer, the leash remaining slack between my hand and her throat. I lifted my free hand but stopped before touching her face. Then she leaned into my palm.

“My little pet,” I said.

Her eyes closed and the first shaky breath she released moved straight into my soul. When she opened them again, her gaze was warm.

“My Daddy,” she whispered.

I bent my forehead to hers.

“I’m sorry,” I said once more.

“I know.”

She kissed me first, softly, her hands sliding over my coat until they reached my shoulders. I kept the leash loose and touched her as though every place my hands landed was being given to me for the first time all over again. Her mouth warmed beneath mine.

I didn’t pull her closer.