Chapter 28
There were no pews or stained glass. No distant relatives filling rows out of obligation. No music, no procession, no scripted grandeur. The setting was church enough.
Palms swayed in the warm breeze as late afternoon sun skimmed the water beyond the lawn, where forty of their closest friends gathered in a loose semicircle of white chairs.
Beneath an arch draped in gardenias and bright red mandevilla, the couple joined hands.
Emily stood barefoot in the grass, wildflowers woven through her hair, her gauzy white dress shifting softly with each breath of wind. Across from her, Alec waited steady and unflinching, Rhys and Leland at his back. Cari and Gaby flanked the bride, both blinking with suspiciously bright eyes.
Their voices rang clear as they spoke their vows, simple, honest promises offered without hesitation, their gazes locked on each other as if no one else existed.
For the childhood friends who had somehow found their way back to each other, when Dev pronounced them married, the kiss went on and on…
and on. So long that someone muttered, “finally,” a champagne cork popped too soon, and everyone in the crowd grinned like fools.
When they finally broke apart, Emily blushed while Alec looked completely unapologetic. They turned to their guests, hands raised, as everyone cheered.
“We want to thank Dev for doing the honors,” the beaming groom announced. “We extend those thanks to Cari for opening up their home once again. We have food, champagne, and music. Please stay and celebrate with us.”
Guests rose, smiling and applauding as the bride and groom walked past. The rest of the wedding party followed. Leland passed close by Julia’s seat. He didn’t look at her. And, when he didn’t seem to notice her at all, the air left her lungs.
There were forty people here, she reminded herself. He couldn’t look at everyone.
But as she rose at the end of the gathering, her pulse unsteady, her thoughts even more so, the excuse felt thin and unconvincing.
***
Music drifted across the patio as dusk deepened, the club lights flickering to life.
Servers wove through the crowd with trays of food.
Not to Gold Coast standards but charming in their own rustic way.
Alec had insisted Emily not work her own reception, and Julia couldn’t help mentally noting every garnish, every plating choice, every tray that should’ve been swapped sooner.
Julia lingered near the edge of the lawn, greeting friends and fellow members as they passed, smiling when she didn’t feel like it. Her eyes kept drifting again and again toward the dance floor.
Rhys guided Gaby into a smooth turn with a confidence that made her laugh, breathless and bright. Julia smiled, warmth spreading through her, that they had finally given in to what everyone else had seen coming for months.
Alec and Emily swayed together at the center of it all, wrapped around each other as if the rest of the world had fallen away. Dev dipped Cari so deeply her hair brushed the tiles, their laughter ringing out like something private and joyful.
Everywhere Julia looked, she saw love—hard-won and cherished. She was genuinely happy for her friends, but their happiness didn’t ease the ache inside her.
She found herself wondering, not for the first time, if she’d ever have that. If she’d ever be someone’s first choice, someone’s safe place, someone’s future.
Her gaze drifted to the edge of the patio.
Leland stood alone, a drink in hand, watching the dancers with that still, unreadable focus she’d once mistaken for depth.
He wasn’t classically handsome. He was big, rugged, tattooed, his head smooth-shaven, his presence impossible to ignore.
But it wasn’t his looks that made her heart race and her long to be his.
It was his presence—commanding, confident, and a little dangerous.
With an unshakeable certainty that drew the submissive in her like a magnet.
She knew his reputation. Not a forever dom.
A confirmed bachelor who avoided repeat scenes to prevent confusion.
But when he approached with an invitation to play, of course, she’d said yes.
Every available sub in the club would have.
He’d taken her breath away, and they hadn’t even had sex.
Just his voice, his hands, his control, had been enough to leave her trembling.
The second time had been a shock. She’d only dreamed of another chance with him. Even the other subs had been surprised.
Her friend Deanna had pulled her aside afterward, eyes wide. “I’ve watched Master Leland for three years,” she’d whispered. “This is the first time I’ve seen him stray from his rigid no-strings rule.”
“What does it mean?”
“I don’t know.” Deanna’s hand curled around her forearm. “But as a friend, please be careful with your heart. I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
But the warning did the opposite, giving her hope. If he’d broken his rules for her, maybe she was the exception.
Then came the third time.
The intensity in his eyes that night had convinced her she wasn’t imagining it. The scene, riding double on one of the Sybian saddles in the playroom, with sex this time, had rocked her world. They’d parted with a kiss so passionate her knees had shaken.
He’d made no promises, but it had been enough to solidify her hope. Enough to make her believe she mattered.
And then, nothing.
No message. No approach. No acknowledgment.
Only silence.
Cari, Emily, and Greta had all told her he was busy with work. It was all over the news. Sex trafficking. Ugly. Unthinkable. Shut down by Leland and several other doms at the club who also worked for Devil. But a month had passed. In all that time, he couldn’t have texted?
Julia swallowed hard, her chest tightening. She needed to know why. She needed to know if she’d done something wrong. If she’d misread everything. If she’d imagined the connection she thought she felt.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she crossed the patio toward him.
“Master Leland.”
He looked down at her, expression composed. “The club is closed, Julia. It’s just Leland tonight.” His gaze swept over her soft pink dress fluttering in the breeze, and something flickered in his eyes. “You look lovely.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest, but it vanished just as quickly when his attention slid back to the dance floor.
“Aren’t you dancing?” she asked, trying for lightness.
“I don’t dance.”
“You never learned? I could—”
“It’s not that I can’t dance,” he clarified. “I choose not to.”
The music slowed, filling the space between them. She didn’t want to ask, but she had to.
“Did I do something wrong?”
His hand tightened around his glass. “No,” he answered.
It was too fast, too sharp, revealing a crack in his vaunted composure.
“Then why haven’t you spoken to me since?”
He drew a slow breath, eyes fixed on the dancers. “I was up front with you. No strings. No expectations. That was our agreement.”
“I remember.” Her throat tightened. “But you kept coming back.”
He hesitated, and that alone told her the truth mattered.
“Because you’re beautiful,” he said simply, meeting her gaze at last. “A dom would be a fool not to notice when someone as genuine as you offers trust so freely.” A muscle in his jaw jumped. “But it turns out, I am a fool because I accepted what you offered when I had no business doing so.”
Her heart twisted. “So you’re saying it meant nothing.”
His voice came low and steady, the words... devastating. “I’m saying it meant too much.”
She blinked hard. “Then why—”
“I don’t walk away when it gets dangerous. Everything in my life is dangerous. I won’t drag you into that.” He exhaled, the sound rougher than she’d ever heard from him. “I never meant to give you mixed signals. I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry for that.”
She didn’t pretend to understand everything he meant, only that, in his way, he was protecting her. Maybe she could figure it out when she wasn’t reeling from an apology that hit like a final blow.
Music swelled behind them as Alec lifted Emily into a laughing twirl, the whole patio glowing with joy. Well… almost.
“Thank you for being honest,” she whispered, because anything more would have splintered her voice.
She turned before the tears could rise, before he could see the crack in her composure. Her heels clicked softly against the patio tiles as she walked, weaving through clusters of laughing guests.
Julia heard him swear, low and gruff, unmistakably frustrated. But she didn’t turn back. She kept her shoulders straight, her chin lifted, her breathing steady.
She should give Emily and Alec her best wishes, but she didn’t dare.
Seeing in them what she didn’t have, what she may never have, would break her.
So she hurried around the corner of the house, away from the lights.
Alone, in the dark, her knees almost gave out, and she had to lean against the wall to steady herself as she fought back tears.
It would have been easier if he’d been cruel. If he’d dismissed her. If he hadn’t cared at all. But knowing he did, made it hurt even more.
Taking a slow breath, Julia straightened her shoulders and walked to the parking area at the front of the house for the last time.
***
Couples drifted into the indoor lounge, drawn by the promise of air-conditioning and a break from the Florida humidity. Warm from dancing, Rhys and Gaby followed. He snagged two bottled waters from an ice-filled tub on the bar and led Gaby to a love seat with a clear view of the backyard.
They settled in, Gaby curled comfortably on his lap, both of them getting used to the smug looks from friends who’d figured out they were meant to be together long before either of them had—particularly Rhys.
“How long will this go on, do you think?” Gaby asked, not really minding. She was perfectly content tucked against him.
Rhys took a long sip of water then deadpanned, “Until every last one of them gets tired of congratulating themselves for being right.”
She breathed out a laugh, lifted her own bottle, but when a flash of pink passed by the windows, her hand froze before it ever reached her lips.
“Uh-oh,” Gaby murmured. “I know that look. It’s the heartache of wanting something, but what you want is too stubborn to see what’s right in front of his eyes.”
Rhys tightened his arms around her. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, love.
But it can’t be us. We’ve worked everything out and have now embarked on our happily ever after.
” He leaned in, voice dropping. “Side note: just because the club’s closed doesn’t mean I can’t open one of the rooms if a sassy submissive needs practice. ”
She looked at him for a long beat. “I could always use more practice.”
Rhys laughed, squeezed her close, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I really was an idiot for not seeing how perfect you are for me.”
His sincerity stole her breath more than the teasing ever had.
“She won’t be back,” Emily said from across the room, peering out into the darkness after her friend.
“Who won’t?” Cari asked as she and Dev joined them, still catching their breath from all the dips, lifts, and spins.
“Julia,” Emily answered without turning back. “Her membership ends tomorrow. She told me she’s not renewing.”
“Why?” Gaby asked.
Cari’s eyes narrowed, homing in on Master Leland as he swept in from outside. “I don’t know. Maybe Master Leland knows why Julia, a member for nearly three years, would want to end her membership.”
Bristling already, he snapped, “I make my boundaries clear up front. It’s not my fault if subs don’t listen.” His jaw tightened. “And after watching the hell the six of you have gone through, do you blame me?”
Then he stalked off toward the dark hallway deeper inside the house.
“I should go check on her,” Emily said, moving toward the side door.
Alec intercepted his bride. “Where do you think Leland was going?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea in his mood,” she said, obviously worried, but like everyone else, she knew Leland was trustworthy, and she joined Alec on one of the plush couches.
Cari exhaled. “We have another dom with a mystery.”
“I had no secrets,” Dev said mildly, settling into a wing chair and pulling her into his lap. “That was all you, sprite.”
“I didn’t either,” Alec added dryly. “It was my bride.”
All eyes turned to Rhys and Gaby.
They raised their hands in unison.
“Guilty,” Rhys said.
“We admit it,” Gaby added. “Can we move on now?”
Cari tilted her head to look down at her husband. “You’ve known him forever. What’s Leland’s story?”
Dev shrugged. “He’s been a confirmed bachelor as long as I’ve known him. Some people prefer it that way.”
“You’ve never asked him?” Cari pressed.
Dev smiled faintly. “No. He’ll figure it out. Or he won’t. But it’s none of our business.”
“Or ours,” Alec said gently, squeezing Emily’s hand.
Rhys tipped Gaby’s face down to his. “Are you a matchmaker too, love?”
She laughed. “Hardly. I had a hard enough time making my own match.”
He kissed her temple. “But look how well it turned out.”
Cari and Emily exchanged a look. The kind that said they weren’t convinced, and definitely not finished. They’d nudged more than one stubborn dom toward happiness before. If they had any say in it, Leland might be next.
Gaby, however, had not recovered from her last ordeal, and she had to work with Leland, not to mention live with Rhys. So she settled deeper into his lap, leaving her friends to their scheming without saying a word.