Page 97 of Dance for Me

Braun rubbed her arm firmly.

More than one argument had focused around Alicia, and Bodie’s point-blank refusal to see her sister. His subbie got incredibly defensive when pushed to talk about it, and in this instance, Braun had dug his heels in and damn near dragged the truth out of her before she could squirrel it away into the unknown vault where she kept her emotional baggage stashed.

Doubts and insecurities were the main reason.

Bodie hadn’t seen her baby sister since she was sixteen, and Alicia just twelve. Believing Alicia blamed her for the accident which left her paralyzed from the waist down, hated her as fiercely as their parents, Bodie hadn’t made contact with her after she left home.

Finding out eleven years later that Alicia didn’t hate her had almost drowned Bodie in guilt. Especially in the weeks when lying in bed was all she could do, and her brain hashed out all the things she could—should—have done differently.

Hindsight was such a bitch.

Alicia had made several requests via Connie to visit, but Bodie hadn’t wanted her baby sister to see her battered and broken, not when the last memory Alicia had of her was of a fit and healthy sixteen-year-old.

Bodie wanted Alicia to see her that way again.

Atticus inclined his head. “She understands, Boadicea. She doesn’t like it, but she gets it. She’s scared you won’t like the person she’s become since you last saw her. Living with that kind of evil can change people—trust me, I know—but Alicia is a sweet, funny girl with the world at her feet, just like her big sister. Not quite as mouthy though.”

“Thank God for that,” Braun muttered.

“Amen,” Jasper seconded. “There’s only one Bodie.”

The conversation died off as people started to gather, coming to pay their dues to Bodie. They came alone and in pairs, taking a few minutes of their time to wish her a speedy recovery. It didn’t take long for the attention to unnerve her and, although she plastered on a brave face, Braun felt her start to unravel.

“Want to go, darlin’?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. There’s just a lot of people, more than I thought. Everyone wants me to get better, and I’ve never had that. Never had anyone apart from Liam, and then all of you who thought I was worth caring about.” Shoulders lifting in a shrug, she blushed. “It’s overwhelming, that’s all.”

Don’t do it. She’s not ready for a scene.

Braun sighed, met Jasper’s eyes, then the wise green gaze of Atticus. Jasper smiled slowly, interpreting Braun’s intentions, then wagged his fingers in a go on with you gesture. Atticus just nodded, obviously approving.

Pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead, Braun sat her up and got to his feet. At her puzzled look, he offered his hand. “Come with me, little one. I can help with overwhelmed.”

She brightened. “Are we...”

“Against my better judgement, yes. Nothing strenuous, just something to take the edge off.” Adrenaline crawled into his blood, stirring his Dominant instincts into life. His voice dropped an octave, eliciting a shiver of delight from his eager subbie. “Better hurry up, Boadicea; I might change my mind.”

She wiggled, accepting his support and all but bouncing on her good toes as soon as he pulled her to her feet. Judging by the fresh fire in her eyes, burning away the doubts and insecurity he’d seen, this was the right decision.

She was more animated than she’d been in weeks.

“Am I allowed to ask what we’re doing?”

If she squealed like a little girl, it wouldn’t surprise him. The energy bubbling inside her was infectious, her excitement palpable. It soothed something within him he hadn’t realized was raw.

Finally, he could wrest back control over something in his life. For too long, his life and Bodie’s had been captured in the curve of someone else’s hands. Keeping Bodie safe, fixing her hurts and repairing catastrophic injuries had fallen to the doctors. Their experience, their dedication, their unwavering care had pulled Bodie back from the brink of death—and he’d been pushed to the side, surplus to requirements, with nothing to do but hold her hand and watch from the sidelines.

For a Dom, it was the worst kind of punishment.

His mission in life was tending his submissive, and he’d been denied that.

No more. I’m taking care of what’s mine, he thought darkly, bending and scooping Bodie off her feet. The darkness he hadn’t seen shrouding him for the last few months lightened a shade, lifting with her panicked gasp and girlish squeak of alarm. “Naughty girls don’t get to ask questions, little one.”

“Crap, what have I done now?”

“Would you like me to list your infractions over the past six months, Bodie?” Braun carried her out of the pit and past the bar where Anarchy efficiently served members with competent ease. “Snotty attitude, rudeness, swearing at Savannah—and at me.”

“Oh boy,” she whispered.

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