Perception (37 page)

“Did I
mention that I really like it when you dominate me?” she asked him softly.

Yeah, she
had mentioned that.

Xander’s
throat was suddenly dry.

Realizing
there was no better time than right now, Xander slid his hand into his pocket
and pulled out the ring he’d been carrying around with him for the last three
months.

Yes, for
three months he’d contemplated popping the question but hadn’t been able to do
so because he felt as though he owed her. He’d made a deal and now that he had
followed through, he knew there was nothing stopping him.

He
reached for her left hand, lifted it to his mouth and placed a kiss on her
fingers. When he lowered it, he didn’t let go. Instead, he stared into her
eyes, holding her gaze for long moments before he managed to get the words past
his parched tongue.

“Marry
me.”

Mercedes’s
eyes widened. “What?”

“Marry
me, Mercedes. You’re already my soul mate. And now I want you to be my wife.”

“I...”

“Wait.
I’m not finished,” he told her as he slid the ring over the first knuckle,
pausing. “I crave your submission. I crave your love. But nothing in this world
is more important to me than to know that you’ll be by my side for the rest of
my life. I love you, Mercedes.”

A tear
trickled down her cheek and for a brief moment, Xander’s heart stopped beating.
He was sure he was going to suffocate from lack of oxygen since he’d actually
stopped breathing. “Tell me that you’ll marry me.”

But then
she resuscitated him with the sweetest words he would ever hear. “Yes,” she
whispered. “Absolutely yes.”

“God, I
love you. So damn much,” he whispered, sliding the ring all the way on.

“I love
you, too,” she whispered against his lips. “
Master.
”

And just
like any regular business day, Xander and Mercedes moved on to their next
meeting.

The naked
meeting.

Where
they sealed their deal once and for all.

The End

As you may have heard, Xander’s book was
rather difficult for me to write. It had nothing to do with the subject matter,
but more so because Xander is a rather difficult man to please. I actually
started writing Perception in mid-2013. Let’s just say, this book was written
several times before Xander finally got with the program. Or maybe it was me
who finally got with the program. Either way, I am so happy that his story has
finally been told. Xander and Mercedes are a couple that I will love until the
end of time.

And I have plenty of people to thank for
helping me to get the story written.

First and foremost, I have to thank my
family. My husband and my children are by far my biggest fans and I know that.
They make sure I know that and it means more to me than they will probably ever
know. So, thank you. I love you with all that I am and all that I ever will be.

I definitely can’t leave out my mom and dad
and my brothers. Your support and love mean everything to me. When you tell me
that you are proud of me, I’m not sure you even realize how much that means. I
love you guys!

Denise and Chancy, I hope the two of you
know how much you mean to me. I could never ask for better beta readers, but
more importantly, I could never ask for better friends. If it weren’t for you
questioning me and pointing things out, I wouldn’t have been able to finish
this book. I love you both!

I also need to thank Nicole-Nation. As
always, you ladies keep me going. Although I had to hide out in my cave for
quite some time these last few months, your emails and your comments have
spurred me on, kept me going. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.

To every single person who has taken the
time to message me… YOU inspire me to keep going. Whether you send me a
sentence, a paragraph, or a several page email, I read every word. If I haven’t
responded to you, please note that I will. I promise. I haven’t forgotten you.
You can blame Xander if you’d like. He won’t mind.

To the blogs… Gosh, I’m not sure you even
realize how much you mean to me. Your unwavering support is humbling. I’ve said
this before and I’ll say it again, if it weren’t for all of you, I wouldn’t be
here today. I would list them out, but there are so many and I couldn’t live
with myself if I left someone off.

Additional
Books by Nicole Edwards

The
Club Destiny Series:

Conviction

Temptation

Addicted

Seduction

Infatuation

Captivated

Devotion

Perception

The
Alluring Indulgence Series:

Kaleb

Zane

Travis

Holidays
with the Walker Brothers

Ethan

The
Devil’s Bend Series:

Chasing Dreams

Nicole
would love to hear from you:

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Website:
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