Page 44 of Cook

“What the fuck?” Wilde’s ice blue eyes had all sorts of accusations written in them.

I dragged my hand through my hair, groaning.

“Ya know, Cook,” said the Prez and waited for me to give him my attention. “This is why Doc and I brought Doctor Richardson here. She’s an expert, or something, when it comes to victims like Maddie.”

“Maddie’s not a victim.” The words were out before my brain caught up. Shewasa victim of the Mafia bitch. “Shit. That’s not what I meant.”

“No?”

“No.” My jaw clamped shut. I didn’t know how to explain. There was something strong in Maddie, but it needed a firm hand to make it shine. It needed someone who could take control. And would. “But she’s not a kid like the others.”

Something shifted in the way he looked at me. “Ya know, there’s no standard reaction to trauma.” Wilde reached into his saddlebag, pulled out a cloth, and started polishing the dust off his tank. His hand lingered over the airbrushed rose Bou had painted for him.

The Prez continued, “When that fucker Luke raped my Bou—”

I held up both hands, not wanting to revisit that shit.

But Wilde ignored my attempt to shut him up. “I was scared as shit to touch her, but she came to me.Shewanted to fuck away the feeling of the slime on her skin.”

“Dude, she’s like a sister to me,” I complained, scrunching my face with disgust. It was one thing to know about the rape, but another to think about her as any kind of sexual being.

He just chuckled. “Point is, there’s no tellin’ what someone needs to recover.”

I twisted my lips to one side, then bit the bullet. “Have you ever had to... ah, give her orders? In—” I waved my hand in the air. “You know.”

Fuck, I really didn’t want to know about Bou and him.

He cocked his head to one side. “Like sexually?”

“Well, that, and in general.”

Wilde laughed for what I could swear was a solid minute. He got me now, but the laughing needed to fucking stop.

I grumbled. “It’s not funny, asshole.”

He let out an audible end-of-laugh sigh then said, “Nnnnnno. Not Bou. I’m pretty fucking demanding, but not in any kind of Dom-sub way.”

Shit. If anyone, I would’ve thought him. But he was right: it didn’t fit Bou.

“But Maddie. You think she’s into that?” asked Wilde, considering my points at last.

I clenched my jaw, not really wanting to have the conversation. But I didn’t know how to be what Maddie needed.

“Guess it makes sense,” said Wilde nonchalantly. “Especially after all she lived through.”

“It’s not because of what happened,” I blurted. That was a cop out. I shook my head, perhaps convincing myself as well as Wilde. “I’ve seen her go feral—on the doctors and when, well, one other time. This is different. She relaxes when she... or when I tell her what to do. It’s like it frees her from the pain.”

Wilde shot me a look like I was insane. Fuck, I had to be. In the span of several short days, Maddie had managed to upend my simple life.

“Talk to the Warden,” said Wilde. “He and Belle met at one of those lifestyle clubs.” Wilde tucked the cloth back into his saddlebag and walked toward the house as though Bou was calling.

I watched him go, thinking about how he would do anything for Bou, and damn it, I wanted that too. Better yet, I wanted Maddie to have what Bou had with Wilde.

Pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I stared down at the illuminated screen. The sun was coming down at an awkward angle, and I glanced around like I was being watched. Now that Wilde knew, Bou would know. Maybe Celt would find out too. But I couldn’t give two shits about the rumor mill, only the broken woman in my house.

What was she doing to me? Maybe she needed me to be her Dom, but she dominated my every thought.

Not having Ward’s number, I texted Doc. The Warden and his ol’ lady should’ve been at the recovery house for the trafficked kids. He was supposed to be in town, setting up security protocols anywhere the MC might frequent. Not a moment later, Doc texted back that Warden was still there.

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