Page 34 of Mine to Tease

I give her a pop on her right cheek in response. “I said, bend over.”

“I thought you said you weren’t trying to tease me.”

“Maybe I changed my mind.”

“Maybe I don’t want my asshole in your face.”

“Maybe my face isn’t what you should be worried about.” I cock my brow and, again, move my hand to her right cheek. I tap my fingers against her soft skin as a warning. “It’ll feel good, I promise. And besides, it’s the last place on your body that needs cleaning before I take you to bed.”

“Well, in that case, maybe I’m not ready for you to leave yet.” Anastasia drops my gaze then and sadness takes over her features. My brows furrow and I take her hand in mine.

“Who said I’m leaving?” She looks at me. “I meant it when I said distance is the last thing I want, especially on a night like tonight. I want to make sure we’re okay, that you’re okay, before I let you out of my sight.”

Her lips draw into a smile and it reaches her tired eyes. She squeezes my hand. “Thank you,” she says softly. “Thank you for staying. Thank you for making sure I’m okay. But, most of all, thank you for fighting for me, for us. That’s all I ever wanted, Damon.”

“Then I will never stop, Anastasia. Never.”

She nods. “Then I forgive you—for everything.”

Now it’s my turn to smile. “Come here,” I tell her. This command, she follows.

As Ana sits on my lap, I wrap my arms around her and she lays her head in the crook of my neck. I hold her in this position until the water turns cold and my body feels numb. Then, with her half asleep in my arms, I carry her to the bedroom, quickly dry her off, and tuck her in. Even though we’re quiet, we wake Brinkley from his slumber since he and Ana share a room. So, as I make my final rounds to blow out the candle in the bathroom, check that the door and windows are locked, and the security system is armed, he accompanies me. I also throw my clothes in the wash and then the dryer since I’ll need them for tomorrow. Lastly, I put my watch back on my wrist so it’ll vibrate to wake me if an alarm is triggered or if I receive an important call or text. It’s after three in the morning by the time I finally make it into bed. But, with Ana in my arms, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Good night, baby bird,” I whisper. Softly, I plant one last kiss on her shoulder as I position myself behind her.

35

As my watch vibrates on my wrist, my eyes flash open and I shoot forward in bed. My ears are on high alert as I force through my grogginess to listen for an alarm. It’s quiet, which means I must’ve just gotten a text and the only people who can bypass the silencers on my devices are people who need immediate responses. “Fuck,” I moan as my head begins to ache. “I’m getting too old for this shit.” I bring my hands to my face and wipe the sleep from my eyes. It’s then that I look at my watch and find, sure enough, I’m running on only four hours of sleep. But, as I take in my surroundings—the plush floral-print comforter, the intricate woodwork of the four-poster bed—a sense of calm chases away my stress, mostly because of the woman lying next to me.

Anastasia looks so peaceful with no makeup and her hair sprawled across the white pillows. Thankfully, my sudden movements and expletive didn’t wake her. Whatever this text is about—although, I’m sure I know—hopefully, I can handle it before she wakes. It’s not that I’m back in the business of keeping secrets, but seeing the fear in her eyes last night lets me know it’s best to spare her the details of my work until it’s absolutely imperative that she know. Gently, I lean down and kiss her hair. As I do, I inhale her sweet scent and take it with me as I quietly make my way out of bed.

The second my feet hit the ground, Brinkley darts toward me. “Jesus,” I curse. The little fur ball almost gave me a heart attack. As if to apologize, he licks my toes. I smile to myself and shake my head. “You’ve got to piss, don’t you?” He tilts his head to the side. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” I snatch him up and take him with me. Making my way out of the bedroom toward the living room, I grab a blanket off the couch and tie it around my waist. Then, Brinkley and I head outside, down the alley to the back of her cottage where I find she’s set up a raised bed of sorts with just enough grass for Brinkley to do his business. Hmm, that was smart. Thankfully, he knows the drill and quickly pops a squat, kicking his little feet behind him as he finishes.

“Alright, let’s go.” Brinkley races me back to the door, which lets me know I’m supposed to feed him next. Back inside, I grab his fresh food from the fridge and prepare his bowl just the way I’ve seen Ana do fifty times before. I almost make the mistake of giving him water from the sink, but then remember his work-up and give him filtered water from the fridge. He spins around five times as I lower the two bowls to the floor.

As he dives in, it amazes me how much my life has changed since meeting Anastasia. Hell, since meeting Brinkley. Though, as the thought comes to me, I’m reminded of the text that woke me and hope it’s not an indication of more big changes to come our way. I never thought I’d say this, but everything is perfect now and change is the last thing I want.

With Brinkley occupied, I head to the bathroom, relieve myself, and hop into the shower. I give myself a quick five-minute scrub to help wake myself up and get the places I didn’t get as good last night. Then I grab my clothes from the dryer, get dressed, brew myself a cup of black coffee, and sit on the sofa for a moment of silence before getting down to business.

Business—I unlock my phone to find not just a text from Gio but three missed calls from Aidan. “Great,” I groan. Aidan didn’t leave a text or voice mail, though I’m sure he’s just wondering why his men didn’t return last night. That conversation won’t be a quick one, so instead, I check to see what Gio has to say. In typical Gio fashion, his message is short and vague. He needs me at the Compound as of thirty minutes ago. I text him that I’ll be there in ten minutes and finish the rest of my coffee, which soothes what’s left of my headache.

As I set the empty cup on the coffee table, Brinkley hops up on the couch to lie beside me. It’s then that I remember he’s used to having a morning walk. “Well, little buddy, you want to see what Damon really does for a living?” He looks at me and licks his lips. “No, I don’t have any more food, heifer.” I get up and Brinkley follows me back to the kitchen. I find a piece of paper and leave Ana a note letting her know I’ve taken him for a walk so she isn’t worried if she wakes before I get back. Perhaps, subconsciously, I take Brinkley as an insurance policy that I do, in fact, make it back.

I don’t know what I’m walking into. It could be a simple meeting with Gio to discuss the events of last night, which is standard procedure after calling for a cleanup. Or it could be another ambush meeting with Aidan where he threatens to cancel my contract and take Anastasia away from me depending on how angry he is about his men not returning from their mission. A third option does pop into my mind as I awkwardly maneuver Brinkley into his harness. Gio knows I was with Anastasia last night, and he saw the state of the parlor when he arrived to supervise the cleanup and repairs to the front door. Which means he saw our discarded clothes. Surely, he wouldn’t have outed me to Aidan, because if he did, I’m as good as dead. Or, at a minimum, I’ve already broken my promise to Anastasia that her brother doesn’t have to know about us until she’s ready. But after the last time Gio and I saw each other, he may be more interested in maintaining his alliance with Aidan than keeping the peace between Aidan and me. My stomach twists as this new possibility comes to mind. But since I can’t keep Gio waiting any longer, I grab Brinkley and we make our way from Ana’s to the Compound next door.

“Time to face the music,” I mumble to myself. “Or mayhem.”

* * *

“Enjoy your beauty rest, princess?” Gio asks from the second-floor balcony overlooking the courtyard inside the Compound.

“Yeah, beauty rest,” I scoff. Gio cracks a smile and shakes his head as he spots Brinkley. The curious white fluff is already tugging against his pink leash.

“I never thought I’d see the day. This girl’s got you wrapped around her little finger.” I suppose it’s only fitting since I have her wrapped around my dick. I shake my head and bend down to let Brinkley off his leash as Gio descends the iron stairwell to join us.

“I have to say, I’m almost surprised it’s just the two of us given the last time I saw you.” With Brinkley free to roam, I stand tall as Gio reaches the final few steps. He nods and shoves his hands in his pockets, not surprised by my lingering bitterness.

“I deserve that,” he admits.

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