Page 45 of Their Domme

“Works for me,” Robin agreed. “We’re ready when you are.” Conrad remained silent, not protesting, as Blake looked down at their sweats.

“I’ll change. Give me five.” With that, they hurried upstairs. Ansel was texting someone, presumably his contact in Ashview, instead of chiming in on the conversation.

“We need to check in for our job,” Vas reminded Sacha. “The client is going to want an update.”

“It said messages only, no phone calls, so that should be easy enough,” Sacha agreed. He strode over and gave me a firm kiss before he and Vas walked off.

Bodhi looked between Rhodes and me then nodded at the older man before walking outside, Alexei falling into step beside him. Part of me was sad I hadn’t had a moment alone with Bodhi yet, but the chaos that was our lives apparently meant we’d have our one-on-one reunion later. Dealing with all of these people was an emotional fucking minefield, a delicate dance of who to check in on since there were so many people in a group. The others had said that Bodhi hadn’t lost his faith in my return, but did he truly believe that down to his core? Or had he just been putting on a strong face for the others? Maybe there was some kind of forgiveness that needed to pass between us.

Emmerich and Ansel both stepped out too, probably to get their stuff together, leaving me with Rhodes. I took in his face and ragged posture and decided that there was no way to step around it. He looked like shit. When he realized I was approaching him, he exhaled a shaky breath. “Love…”

I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my face into the worn leather of his jacket, being mindful of the guns he had strapped to him. He swallowed me in a hug, breathing in deeply as he rested his chin on my head.

“I missed you, hotshot,” I whispered. “I’m sorry about the compound.”

“It’s all gone,” he replied roughly, squeezing me tight. “The fire tore through everything, and the firefighters couldn’t stop it.”

“Rhodes…” My words trailed off, unsure of what to say when he pulled back and tilted my face up. I rocked up on my tip toes and kissed him gently, then Rhodes fisted a hand in my hair, pulling me close as he kissed me back. I fell into it, hoping to comfort him in some small way before I had to leave. I cupped his face, my fingers tracing the scars on his face in a soft, gentle way that made him shudder against me.

“Go meet with Roderick and whatever else you have planned, then meet me at the compound,” he ordered me huskily when we broke apart.

I licked my lips. “Okay.”

“Are they going to find your little murder room?” he asked with a spark of humor in his gray eyes.

“Doubtful,” I told him with a grin. “I put in a failsafe. If the entire compound burned, so did my space. The real question is what deal do I need to make with you to get a new one?”

A smirk tugged his lips upward, and he kissed me again just as I heard Blake come back downstairs. “I’ll think of something for you, and I’ll make sure it’sverycreative.”

“I love the way you threaten me, hotshot.”

“So fucking twisted, love. I’ll see you soon.” He kissed me one more time before he let me go and walked out. Before he got outside, he yelled out, “Keep her safe, Ansel.”

“Hey,Ican keep her safe!” Blake called back, sounding put out, just as Ansel and Em rejoined them in the foyer.

“Nic doesn’t need help finding trouble,” Rhodes replied dryly, making Em snort. Even Ansel’s lips twitched, but Blake’s men wisely stayed silent.Smart men.

“I’m picking up Cosimo at Logan, then I’ll be joining you all. I’ll call Blake to see where to go.” Em held up a hand and left without waiting for commentary.

“The Chicago Family?” I looked over at Blake with a curious expression.

“You know Cosimo?” Conrad asked, his voice quiet.

I hummed. “We’ve met a few times. Anyway, are we ready to go? If there are any more emotions right now, I’ll break out in hives.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before getting with so many people,” Ansel replied, and I gasped, though no real offense was taken.

“Are you cracking a joke with me, Ansel?” I asked, pressing a hand to my heart before dodging his hands when he tried to grab me. “I like getting fucked six ways to Sunday, not the emotional entanglement side of things.”

Conrad snorted at that, and I even earned a small smile when I winked at him before walking outside. I headed straight for the SUV, getting in the backseat. The others joined me soon after, with Blake and Ansel claiming the front while Robin and Conrad climbed into the back with me.

Robin got in on one side and Conrad on the other, safely tucking me into the middle. I shifted slightly closer to Robin, making sure to give Conrad space. Robin shot me a questioning look when I brushed against him, but his face cleared when he looked to my other side and put two and two together.

Ansel broke the silence as he started up the SUV. “Where are we meeting Rorik?”

“Maeve’s place.”

Ansel met my gaze in the rearview mirror as Blake whipped around to look at me. Their dark brown eyes were narrowed in suspicion.“Why?”

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