The Claiming by Tara Sue Me Page B

something. She didn’t have a way with words like he did, and she didn’t think she could come up with anything meaningful on the fly. She hoped he didn’t ask her to say anything.
    But, of course, he knew her better than she knew herself, it seemed.
    He held his hand out to her. “Come stand by my side, little one.”
    She rose slowly to her feet and found herself facing Cole, once more in front of Fritz. For some reason the big German Dom didn’t seem as scary when he was smiling.
    â€œCole,” he said, “I’ve known you for a long time. Probably longer than anyone here. I was with you as you discovered and defined your Dominant nature. You probably don’t remember and you’ll probably punch me for bringing it up, but there was a certain night when you were just starting out. We’d just finished a training session, it had been awkward, the chemistry wasn’t working, the sub had left, and we were talking. You looked at me and said, ‘Fritz, one day I’m going to find the One. And everything’s going to click. She won’t be perfect and we know I’m certainly not. But together, we’re going to be pretty damn close and when we’re together, sparks will fly.’”
    Cole didn’t move his gaze from her as he answered, “You’re right. As soon as we finish, I’m busting your nose.”
    Around them, their friends laughed.
    â€œHold on,” Fritz said. “I’m not finished. You’ve had some rough times. You never quite seemed settled. I think that’s why you were always off traveling the world. You thought you had what you wanted, but deep inside, your heart was still searching.”
    Cole squeezed Sasha’s hands.
    â€œSasha,” Fritz said to her, “I don’t know you as well, but I know you’ve had some obstacles to overcome. And I know what I see before me now is a strong, independent woman who knows with her head and trusts with her heart. It’s a beautiful and precious thing that you offer to my friend and I thank you for not being perfect, because he’s certainly not. But together, you two are pretty damn close.
    â€œSo, Cole and Sasha, I don’t have any earth-shattering words of advice. I can’t promise you that life will be smooth. I can’t even promise that you’re going to
like
each other all of the time. But I can tell you this, those sparks? They’re so bright, they’re blinding. And you have a circle of friends who are delighted and honored to share in this moment with you.”
    Sasha wiped a tear from her eye and she heard either Julie or Abby sniffle.
    â€œOh right,” Fritz said. “You can kiss now.”
    Cole’s lips came over hers, and she no longer heard sniffles and she was no longer aware of Fritz or the candles or anything other than Cole. He filled her and in those seconds when he held her, she knew she filled him, too.
    â€œI love you, my Sasha.” His voice was rough and hoarse.
    â€œI love you, Cole.”
    It was only Fritz’s cough that finally pulled them apart. She found herself surrounded by Julie and Abby, both of them oohing and ahhing over her collar. Nathaniel and Fritz brought out food that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Daniel passed out champagne flutes and everyone toasted them.
    It was the happiest day of Sasha’s life.
    She took Cole’s hand and was about to tell him that very thing when suddenly, everyone got quiet. She looked around, trying to find out what happened. Her gaze wandered up the path she’d walked down with Cole not long ago to find it wasn’t a what, but a who.
    ***
    â€œDamn it all to fucking hell and back.” Cole knew he should have stopped by Mary Catherine’s house after her interaction with the women. But he’d put it off because he didn’t want to see her and he knew if he went by her house, she’d get the wrong idea.
    All that