He lifted it free to murmurs of approval and a smattering of applause from the entranced audience.

“I ask that you put it on me and accept me as yours forever, and know that all that I am, will ever be, ever was, belongs to you. I submit to your love and trust you to be my Master.”

She said the words softly, but they carried easily to those nearby. It caused odd looks from those who were not cognizant of the underlying meanings, but it would be remembered by those who did not understand as simply an odd quirk to the day. Those like Mac and Violet, Brendan, Josh and Lauren, all watching, understood the impact of the moment.

As did he. Looking down into the face of her love and devotion, Tyler wondered for the thousandth of what was sure to be a million times what he might ever have done to deserve the gift. And what he could do to deserve keeping it for a lifetime and beyond.

“Whether it takes heaven or hell, I’ll take care of you forever and never abuse the gift of your submission to me.” He promised it, fiercely. She nodded and lifted her chin.

Her neck was bare of jewelry, for she wore his ring on her healed finger and had given back the necklace to Sarah.

He locked the clasp around her throat. His groin tightened when gooseflesh rose on her skin, her eyes heating with arousal at the sensation of the restraint. He drew her to him with a hand on the side of her neck and brought her lips to his.

Chloe, overcome, reached out, covered Brendan’s hand. “He loves her so much.

You can see it. It’s so…she so deserves it.”

Brendan looked at her elfin face, bathed in the evening light. He had noted Chloe’s slower movements down the aisle as she was obviously determined not to use the cane when she served as maid of honor. He’d had to tamp down the rage at the thought of someone harming her. He wondered if she had a lover. As she looked at their clasped hands, a bit of a flush rose in her cheeks. He discarded the idea of another man, and not just because of that flush. If he was the type of lover she deserved, he would have been by her side today, insisting on giving her an arm to lean on as she walked down that aisle.

Before she could draw away, he dared to turn her hand and enfold it in his, taking advantage of the excuse of mutual pleasure in the moment. He found he liked her small hand and hoped she wouldn’t choose to move it away too soon.

When Tyler at last eased his grip, it was with no more than a breath between their parted lips. He gazed down into Marguerite’s eyes, vibrant with their clarity and desire.

For him.

“I can’t wait to get you alone tonight,” he muttered.

Marguerite had to tear her gaze away. As the applause faded, Justin stepped forward to take the box from Tyler and dancers resumed their movement on the floor.

She gathered her scattered thoughts enough to take care of the final detail.

“It’s exquisite and perfect. Thank you.” She nodded to Justin. “To you both.” She reached out and touched Josh’s hand as well, for he had joined them.

Josh looked very sexy in Armani, a burgundy shirt under a tailored black coat, slacks, polished shoes, his hair a loose lion’s mane of brown and black on his shoulders.

Marguerite couldn’t resist the urge to tease. “Did Tyler dress you?” He clasped her hand with a smile. “He insisted, but I put my foot down at underwear.”

Marguerite smiled, looked toward Justin. “I’m sure Josh gave you an address for the invoice?”

“And it better be mine, if he values his life.” Tyler interjected. “I’ll be paying for this debt, Justin.”

“I expected nothing less,” Justin said, unperturbed. “I’ve already mailed it to your home.” Marguerite’s surprised look became somewhat mutinous at being so smoothly handled by the two men and Justin and Josh wisely withdrew, deciding it was up to the groom to smooth any ruffled feathers.

Justin Herne reflected that smoothing Marguerite Winterman’s feathers would be any man’s pleasure. However, he had a lovely bird of his own. Sarah watched him, amused, as he pulled up his chair next to her.

“That looked like a strategic retreat. You two weren’t trying to overwhelm her with testosterone, I hope?”

He slid his hand under Sarah’s fall of white-gold hair, knowing her large gray-blue eyes, soft lips and the curve of her breasts outlined in the simple spaghetti strap black dress were enough to arouse his testosterone to alarming levels. He would have to think of ways to coax her into breaking a few public decency laws on the dark highways on the way home. In fact, he liked the idea of getting his hand under that short filmy skirt, past the thigh-high stockings, finding her pussy under the swatch of nearly nonexistent panties and bringing her to climax in the car. Several times.

“Justin.” Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes heating, showing what he already knew and thanked the stars for. That he could arouse her with just a look. “Behave.

There are people around. You’re surrounded by cops.”

“And not a single one of them carrying handcuffs. What earthly good are they?”

Marguerite and Tyler danced several more times before they were separated again.

She did a three-woman dance with Gen and Chloe on the floor, enjoying quiet laughter with them as they coordinated feet and legs.

When Josh coaxed Mac out onto the floor with Violet and his own wife, she laughed, really laughed, so that she couldn’t help the reflex to cover her mouth. Tyler drew her hand away as they watched Josh try to teach the big cop the first steps of a sexy Latin dance. Mac was not too enthused about gyrating his hips, even with his tiny Mistress laughing and pushing him from behind.

She and Tyler gave Natalie the honor of cutting the first piece of cake. They carried on conversations with almost every guest. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, they saw them off in cabs or their cars, depending on their level of inebriation.

Marguerite held on to Komal a long moment before letting her into her car. She’d been unable to talk her into staying in a guestroom, but Tyler assured her several of the guests were headed back to Tampa. He quietly arranged for them to keep Komal’s vehicle in their sights until they were sure she’d made it back to the turnoff to her suburb development.

She watched with quiet delight when Brendan walked Chloe to her car with his hand beneath her elbow. He even held on to it a few moments before leaving her, visibly reluctant to go. Marguerite didn’t bother to hide her laughter this time when Chloe turned and mouthed Oh. My. God. across the driveway. Gen rolled her eyes and ordered her into their vehicle, then blew Marguerite a kiss. “See you back at the shop after the honeymoon!”

“Tired?” Tyler slid his arms around her waist as she watched them bump across the oyster shells down the driveway.

“In a way, yes. In another way, I feel like I could dance under the stars forever.”

“Well, we’ve one more group of guests to deal with. They’re vowed to stay and mooch off our hospitality until the last bottle of champagne has been opened.” She chuckled as they strolled back to the party area. As she expected, she found the lone inhabited table was the one with Violet and Mac, Josh and Lauren, Justin and Sarah. Josh stood up and held out a chair for Marguerite while Mac pushed one out for Tyler beside it with his foot. Nearly half asleep, Violet blinked at them in benign pleasure, her body leaned into the curve of Mac’s.

“Exhausting, isn’t it?” Lauren, who looked like she should be a lifeguard on a Hollywood fluff drama rather than a doctor, crinkled her blue eyes in a smile at Marguerite. Josh’s arm lay across the back of her chair, fingers playing with her bare shoulder. Sarah had her feet in Justin’s lap. He was massaging them, his fingers occasionally drifting up her thighs so that she could slap at him like at a mosquito, making his dark eyes twinkle.

“Little Madonna.” Tyler reached over, touched Violet’s knee. “What a mother you’re going to be. Watch, Mac. It will be a girl and you’ll have two spoiled brats to care for.”

“You’re pregnant?! Oh my God, you didn’t tell us!” Sarah jerked up, bringing her feet down so abruptly she managed to thump her heel into Justin’s groin, then smacked her friend smartly in the arm as he winced good-naturedly.

“Hey, delicate condition here.” Violet fended her off, laughing and shook a finger at Tyler. “You, I’m going to kill. And aren’t you supposed to defend me?” She shot a glance at Mac.

Mac grinned at her. “Sugar, men never break up fights between women. It’s the closest thing to watching them have sex with each other and we’re always hopeful it will lead to that. Kind of like how it does between men and women on soaps.”

“Yeah, like that happens,” Lauren said dryly. “I always feel like having sex with Josh when I want to kill him.”

“You always desire me,” he said, unruffled. “You just pretend to be angry with me to make me work harder for it.”

“Men. Pigs. The lot of you.” She tugged his hair. Obligingly he tilted his head toward her, giving her an easy smile. Marguerite saw no shadows in his eyes tonight.

There was too much love to light their way this evening, no room for nightmares.

“We’re simple creatures, Mistress, when all’s said and done.”

“No. No, you’re not.” Marguerite was surprised when the words rose so strongly in her. She thought of what she knew of Josh, his artistic talent and those nightmares, his ability to give comfort with his easy manner. Mac’s protective nature. And the small taste she’d had of Justin…it was obvious to her. And she wouldn’t even begin on the man who sat next to her, his arm around her, holding her into his body, his warmth.

His statement of perpetual protection and love on her throat. “You’re so much more than that.” She looked at each of them in turn. “You’re our dreams come true. The dreams we all pretend we don’t have until we meet you and then it all makes sense.

From then on we know no matter what happens, it’s going to be okay.” She raised the glass of wine Tyler had put before her. “To love. In all its forms. It gives us the ability to fly. To believe we can fly with the angels.” She raised her gaze to Tyler and he met her look with warmth and all she’d just spoken reflecting back at her.