Page 16 of Their Domme

“With my children, there is no such thing as calm,” I deadpanned, forcibly redirecting my thoughts before I let them take me in a direction I didn’t want to go.

She threw her head back, laughter spilling from her and lighting her up. It took my breath away. Nicholette, everything about her, brought life back into my life. Her laughter was always something that drew me to her. “Blake and Em don’t know anything about calm, unless you mean the calm before the storm.”

“And you know about calm?” I arched an eyebrow as I turned into a neighborhood and reached out to punch in a security code for the community gate.

“Depends on who you’re comparing me to,” she replied flippantly, curiosity clear as she arched an eyebrow at me before turning to look out the window. The thick woods near the roads made it impossible to see the homes in the community, which I preferred. We were just outside the city, and everyone here valued their privacy more than anything else.

We took care of our own if something were to happen, and most importantly, people kept to themselves and minded their own business. The police weren’t even allowed on the premises unless the residents were forewarned. It was the perfect place to settle down. I’d moved here after Blake left, needing the memories of the old house gone.

Nicholette stared out the window as we moved down the driveway, turning to me once my house came into view. Her eyes were bright, and her jaw had dropped. It was a modern home with wood, concrete, and black accents, surrounded by open land that sprawled in all directions for half a mile. The huge windows were bulletproof for security. Parking right in front of the house, I got out and went around to open the door for Nicholette. She kept her gaze on the house as she took my offered hand.

“Welcome to my home,” I told her gently. “No one will bother you here until you’re ready.”

“Do Em and Blake know about this place?”

“Emmerich does,” I answered, then let out a hard laugh. “Which I’m sure means Blake does as well. But no one else, and let’s just say the people who live here… There’s an understanding of how things are taken care of.”

“So, basically, this is where criminals come to retire?” she asked, looking up at me with humor dancing in her eyes.

“If not for the doctor’s visit, I’d make you pay for that commentary,” I said as I led her up the stairs and into my home. “I’m nowhere near retirement, Liebling.”

Her amusement changed to awe as she looked around inside, and a spark of pride warmed my chest. The place wasn’t perfect, more rooms were empty than I cared to admit, but there was enough space to run away from my thoughts when I needed to. A big fireplace, brown couches, and a big TV made up the living room. The kitchen was clean, industrial, and had just a few things on the counter since I hated clutter anywhere.

Nicholette wandered through the open downstairs and came to a dead stop by the wall of windows facing the back of the house. There was a large deck that connected to an infinity pool overlooking the forest. It was one of my favorite views… at least until I saw her standing there at the windows taking it all in for the first time.First time?!I shook my head.I can’t let myself get drawn into her webs of chaos. Too many people, too many plays at political machinations that have never been my forte.

“Can I swim?” she asked, not glancing back at me as she opened the sliding glass door.

“Of course.” Before I knew it, she stripped out of her clothes, dropping them on the ground and jumping in completely naked. Only Nicholette would turn her back on me and strip like it’s nothing.

She glided through the water, and I could almostfeelsome of the tension inside her draining away as she swam to the other side of the pool. Reaching down, I gathered the clothing, folding it and placing it on one of the chairs before sitting back to watch her.

Nicholette lost herself in the water, swimming laps for about thirty minutes before she stopped by the edge of the pool closest to where I was sitting. I raised my eyebrows, waiting, curious to see what she was going to say, and it wasn’t anything that I expected.

“You should swim with me.” She wiped at the water on her face. “You’re wound as tightly as I am.”

“I amnotwound tight.”

She leveled a glare at me. “Ansel, you’ve been sitting stiffly since the drive to the doctor’s office, and it’s only gotten worse since we got here. Whatever injury you’re hiding is going to give you a shit ton of problems if you don’t do something.”

I didn’t try to deny that I was hurt. In fact, my shoulder and arm hurt like a motherfucker, but that wasn’t anything new. After I’d found out what my brother had done to Blake… I lost it. Killing Frederick would have been a mercy he didn’t deserve, so I was going to give him to Blake to handle. I knew that they would have no mercy for him. In true coward’s fashion, he pulled the trigger before I could even open my mouth, but the idiot was no hitman. The bullet hit my shoulder, tearing through muscles, but the pain wasn’t enough to stop me from doing what needed to be done.

But the injury and its lasting effects were starting to show. The arm would always ache, throbbing with pain at times, and the doctor said it was a miracle I could still use the damn thing considering the damage the bullet had done to my nerves. However, thatmiracledidn’t make me feel any better about the situation or the reminder of my age as I watched her heave herself out of the pool and pad over to me.

“Come on, Ansel. I promise it’s not holy water. See? I’m perfectly fine.”

“You make it seem like we’re the same, but we aren’t,” I said coolly, not taking the hand she held out. I was too focused on trying my damndest to not check out her naked body on display in front of me. But I was no saint; all I could picture was her curves and the memory of her skin against mine as she cried out.

“We aren’t. You’re a hitman for the mafia. I’m a prostitute-turned-call-girl who kills people to relieve stress.” She put her hand on her hip, staring me down in challenge. The movement drew my eye, and I stilled, my eyes zeroed in on the name carved on her inner thigh. “You’ve seen me naked before, Ansel—”

“Someone carved a name on you,” I growled.

“He did.” Her gentle, vulnerable tone made me look up at her. Tears were in her eyes as she brushed her fingertips over the name. “He’s going to be so fucking pissed when I see him again.”

“Youletsomeone do that to you?”

“Says the German whose Family brands people,” she shot back, but there was no real heat in her retort. “He was jealous, mad about me dancing with my ex and going off to do stuff without telling him… He wanted to remind me who owned me.” A shiver ran through her body, and I saw goosebumps cover her skin while she licked her lips. “Come on, Ansel. I know just what I need to help me relax enough to face what I just learned.”

“What is that?” I tilted my head to the side, curious as to what she was going to say. “Sex?”

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