Page 85 of For the Love of the Gods

I was a little uncomfortable with that realization, but I had fixed a lot. There was a lot to be proud of, especially given how—

“Since you both have been in power, we are free of the problems we once faced,” Plutus said, stealing my thoughts. For one, my father used to charge obscene taxes, far more than we needed. The first thing I’d done was drop them to a reasonable level.

“Speaking of, how have taxes been collected?” I asked Plutus. “With different rates.”

“Oh, not an issue at all,” Plutus said, waving a hand. “Your rates have always been the same.”

Dominic’s head turned toward me at the same time I looked at him. Agreements between us felt like tapping out in a fight. Dominic nodded at me, poking his tongue into his cheek, while I just scrunched my nose up at him.

He’d be pulling that little detail out later, I knew he would.

“Well, this has been easy,” Dominic said, looking right at me as he shoved the envelope into his back pocket.

“You are asking to get that stolen,” I said, nodding to the white I could see over his hip bone.

“And if I gave it to you,” Dominic said, dragging his eyes down my body slowly, lewdly. Down the tight, pocketless sundress that covered it. “Where would you put it?”

I moved closer, reaching around him so I could grab the envelope. When it was in hand, I folded it lengthwise and tucked it between my breasts, safely under the wire of my bra. With a little adjustment of the neckline of my dress, the envelope was hidden.

Dominic’s eyes were zeroed in on my chest, his eyes darkening with every second he burned through the layers to look at my breasts. He knew what they looked like, and yet there was shock in the line between his brows.

I turned my head to Plutus, who was watching the whole interaction rather intently. “Thank you, Plutus. Your help is always appreciated.”

“It’s an honor, Lady Pluto,” Plutus responded. “I hope to see you next month.”

I smiled and nodded at Plutus, before looking at Dominic, who had snapped out of whatever trance he was in.

“Let’s go,” he practically growled, ushering me out the door. I laughed, full and rich, at his demeanor.

I turned to him, a quip likepoor Dominic, did you get distractedbrewing, only to be cut off by his viciously murderous stare.

“What?” I asked.

“That’s all it takes to make you laugh?” Dominic asked, his tone deep, threatening. Completely contradictory to his words. “Me staring at your tits and shoving you out the door?”

Another laugh, this time a smaller chuckle. Dominic's eyes went a shade deadlier. “Yes.”

“Well, shit, if I knew it was that, I would have done it a long time ago,” Dominic said, before taking off down the street. In the opposite direction of our house.

I ran after him. Had to to keep up with his insane strides. “Is making me laugh something you want to do?”

Dominic grumbled. “More like want to knowhowto do.”

I nodded. “And that just makes perfect sense.”

“Does to me,” Dominic said, stopping in the middle of the street, right in between a small cafe and store. “That way I can make sure you never laugh again unless—”

Another laugh was already building in my throat as the sound of a door chime muffled whatever Dominic was going to say. I looked over his shoulder to see the cafe door opening to see Laurel, of all people, leaving with a bag of coffee beans in hand.

“Oh,” she said, when she saw us. “How good to see you both.”

Dominic looked at her, and said, “You too, Laurel,” his voice rumbling out of his throat.

“Hi, Laurel,” I said, forcing a kind smile to my lips. Nice, despite how poor our last interaction went.

Laurel looked at me, eyes bouncing to Dominic, then back. With what seemed like a deep breath, she said, “Good to see you, Rose. What brings you both here today?”

I sputtered a little at the genuine kindness in her tone. “Um, seeing Plutus.”

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