Unconditional Surrender by Desiree Holt

certainly had no reservations with Slade at The Edge. And even now just sitting across from him made her entire body quiver with need.
    “I was…curious.” She stared down into her drink and gave a nervous little laugh. “I like to read erotic romances. It’s a nice change of pace for me. And a lot of them are based around BDSM. I have to admit the whole thing intrigued me.”
    She felt his hot gaze on her and looked up. The heated lust in his eyes nearly undid her. As it was, she had to keep from squirming in her chair to still the pulsing in her cunt.
    “And did it meet your expectations?
    She knew exactly what he was asking.
    “I was lucky enough to meet a man who was wise and gentle as well as commanding. He made the experience both wonderful and memorable.”
    “I’ll take that as one of the best compliments I’ve ever received.” He reached across the table and stroked the back of one hand. “It was…unbelievable for me, too. You had a freshness I hadn’t seen in a long time. And a strength that was more inner core than brashness. Every moment of that night is still etched in my memory.”
    “I think that freshness has probably worn off a little by now.” She retrieved her hand, wondering if he saw something in her that wasn’t there. If it was just that memory that appealed to him.
    He took her hand again, this time closing his fingers around it. “It will always be there, Kari. It’s part of who you are. It’s what made me…have feelings for you.”
    He looked as if he’d been about to say something else then changed his mind.
    Their glasses were empty and, without asking her, he signalled the waiter for another round. When it came, she inhaled the smoky flavour of the whisky before taking a sip.
    “What exactly is it you do that takes you away for so long?” she asked finally. “Why are you afraid to tell me?”
    “You first.”
    She swallowed a sigh. Would he respect her for her profession or think she was just a hard-assed bitch like so many other men did?
    “Come on, it can’t be that difficult to tell me,” he joked. “Assassin? Pickpocket? Con artist?”
    “How about assistant district attorney?”
    “No kidding?”
    She listened for a hard edge to his voice but it wasn’t there. What she heard instead was…admiration?
    “No kidding.”
    “I’ll bet you’re damn good at it, too.”
    “I am.” She couldn’t keep the pride out of her voice. She’d worked her ass off to build her reputation and she knew it was well deserved. “My friend and I are among the few women in the trial division. I prosecute scumbags.”
    He snapped his fingers. “That’s why you told me that time you couldn’t see me for a while.”
    She nodded. “I was just starting the prep for a big murder trial. It always consumes me. And when we finally go to court—my day doesn’t end when the courtroom doors close. I always have a lot of work at night going over the day’s transcripts and prepping for the next day.”
    “I thought at first you were just giving me the brush-off.”
    She stared at him. “Wait. A big macho Dom like you thinking something like that? Hard to believe. Besides, I’m just one sub out of many.”
    “Not hardly, Butterfly.” He put his drink glass down and reached across to link his fingers with hers. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before. You’re a lot of things that appeal to me and, besides that, I think you’re a very strong woman. One who is comfortable in her own skin. It takes someone like that to be a very good sub and not lose herself in it. Anyway, you couldn’t succeed in your career without a lot of guts and smarts. And a sense of humour.”
    “And what about you, Slade Donovan? Ready to tell me finally what the mystery is all about?”
    A muscle twitched in his jaw and for a moment there was a distant look in his eyes.
    “I’m in the military.”
    The military? That was his big secret?
    “Okay. Which branch?”
    “Army.” He took a