They waited for Severin to say something, but he was eerily silent. Minnow pushed herself up to peer down at him. Eyes closed, face smooth, breathing even.
Their master was dead asleep.
Chapter Twelve
The foyer echoed, hollow and eerie, as Rodrigo dropped his bag by the door. There was no sound of galloping mutts. No music came from the kitchen.
Were they out somewhere? Or maybe they were at the forge?
His shoes sounded obnoxious in the space, even though the boots Severin clomped around in were far louder.
“Minnow?” he called. “Sev?”
There was no one on the main floor, and he made his way upstairs, needing to change out of his suit before he could relax.
There was a small lump under the blankets in the bedroom, and wavy brown hair tumbling over the white pillowcase. Minnow? Why would she be in bed at two in the afternoon? The room smelled like vomit. An alien, irrational fear gripped him.
People got sick. A stomach bug, bad food...
He sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to make the mattress dip too much.
“Minnow? Preciosa, what’s wrong?” He laid his palm on her forehead. She wasn’t warm, but her skin was clammy to the touch.
Her eyelids opened a slit and she shrugged a shoulder under the mound of blankets. “I don’t know.”
“Did Severin call the doctor?”
“It’s nothing. I’m hardly throwing up anymore. Just tired.” She was pale, and he didn’t like it at all.
“Where’s Sev?”
“He took the dogs out this morning.” She tried to push herself up, but her arms shook and she sank back down. “I don’t know where he is now. He’s been hard to read since you left for Brussels.”
“No headache?”
“No, Sir.”
Protectiveness surged, too loud to be ignored. He opened the curtains and French doors to let in a fresh breeze from the balcony.
“How was your trip?” she asked. “Are you hungry? I’ll make you something.” She struggled up to a sitting position, and he wedged some pillows behind her back before urging her to lie back.
“You’re not getting out of bed until I say so, understood?”
“But you must be tired, let me get –”
“So help me, woman, don’t make me spank you when you’re not feeling well.” He pulled his cell out of his pocket and stripped out of his coat, dialing the doctor’s number as he rolled his sleeves.
“Don’t call the doctor,” she objected. “You don’t call a doctor every time you get a hangnail.” She was shaking.
“If it’s nothing, it’s nothing,” he said as soon as he got off the phone. An hour and the doctor would be there.
“How long have you been feeling like this?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been feeling off since before you left, but I didn’t feel this bad until a couple of days ago.” She gulped. “You shouldn’t be hanging around. I’m going to make you sick too.”
He ignored the compulsion to wring her pretty neck. Why hadn’t she sent a message to tell him she was sick? Sure, he’d been in meetings for the past few days, but he’d texted back and forth with her, and talked to her on the phone a couple of times.
“When did you eat last?”
“I had an apple.”
“When?”
She squinted at him. “What’s today?”
Rodrigo swore. He went to the kitchen and grabbed crackers and Gatorade, then forced her to start eating while he ran her a bath.
“Quit stomping around. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine! When I’m not here, he needs to step up to the plate and look after you, for fuck’s sake. I shouldn’t come home to find you half dead while he’s off doing God knows what.” He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, stripped off her sick-soured clothes and put her in the bath.
“I was hired to look after him, Rodrigo, not the other way around, remember?”
“We’re not talking about any ‘who hired who for what’ bullshit.” He found her body wash and cleaned her with his bare hands, reassuring himself she was okay. He washed her hair while she griped at him then left her soaking in the tub while he changed the bed and started some laundry.
When that was done, he dried her off and blow-dried her hair, then held it out of the way while she emptied her stomach into the toilet. He carried her to bed after that, dressed her in a pair of her clean flannel pajamas and sat with her, talking quietly, while they waited for Dr. Liu.
Severin strode past, glancing in as though he was afraid to.
“Come here!” Rodrigo snapped.
Severin froze just past the doorway, his footfalls going silent as the dogs milled around, looking confused.
“Excuse me, puppy?” Severin strolled into the room, and the temperature seemed to suddenly drop. “Were you speaking to me?”
Rodrigo opened his mouth to take him to task for leaving her alone when she was sick, but the dangerous glint in Severin’s eyes made him pause.
“When I’m away,” he began carefully, “you have to watch out for her.”
“I was going to call the doctor but she told me not to.” He shrugged, but under the nonchalance of his gaze was a wariness. He glanced at her, then away, rubbing his hand against his dirty T-shirt. “She’s not a child.”
“As her dominants, her health is our responsibility. As people who love each other, we take care of each other.”
The muscle in Severin’s jaw ticked. “All I manage to do is make people die or leave, Ro. I don’t know how to do this.” He gestured vaguely at Minnow, still not looking at her. “Playing Florence Nightengale isn’t my forte, but hey, it looks good on you.” He clapped Rodrigo on the shoulder and gave him a condescending smirk.
“Don’t be a prick.”
“You’re the one who chose me, little puppy,” he said, baring his teeth. “You don’t like me the way I am, you know your way to the fucking door.” He stalked off, leaving Rodrigo glaring after him.
“He’s worried,” Minnow said, voice lacking inflection. She was probably too tired to be annoyed.
“If something like this happens again, you call me and I’ll send Mayte or my mother. Even Fidel would be more helpful. Hell, Loïc would have done better.”
“Shh.” She frowned at him, looking fiercer than he’d expected her to have the energy for. “He offered to call the doctor and he kept the dogs busy. When he gets sick, he hides and wants to be alone, so why would he even think I’d want to be taken care of?”
“I don’t care if you don’t like being taken care of or not. It’s what dominants do.”
“Are the BDSM police coming to take his Dom card? He is what he is, Rodrigo. The only way you can change a man is if he wears a diaper, and that’s not my kink.”
He sighed and sat on the bed beside her. “I get worried leaving you two alone out here when I’m gone. Maybe I should hire someone to help keep an eye on things.”
“A pretty girl you can call your own?” she asked, arching a brow at him.
“Maybe you’ll like her,” he teased.
Minnow burst into tears.
For a moment all he could do was stare at her. What on earth?
“Whoa, whoa, Min. I was joking.”
She sobbed, burying her face in his lap. Minnow crying outside of a sexual context made him want to find someone to punch. He stroked her hair and shoulders. Was it his imagination, or was she bonier than before he left? Fear slithered through him. What if there was something really wrong with her? This emotional outburst wasn’t like her – especially not over a joke.
“Every time you leave I always wonder. I think of all the women who try to hang all over you at those parties and I just keep thinking how you could have any of them.”
“Other than the pre-nup thing, I’m not sneaky or a liar. Why would I jeopardize this? Us?”
She kept going as though she hadn’t even heard what he’d said. “I’m not even blond.
I’m not tall and skinny like the fancy models that are always following you around, and I’m not...high maintenance enough for someone like you. I don’t even get manicures. And now I’m sick. No guy wants to see a girl like this.”
“Preciosa, if I knew you were sick I would have come back days ago.”
“And missed your meetings?”
He sighed. “Do you honestly think my business meetings are more important to me than you are? I could fucking retire tomorrow and our lifestyle wouldn’t change. It’s not like we need more money.”
“So what? You would have rushed home so I could puke on you? Sexy.”
Annoyed, he growled and pulled her onto his chest. “Oh my god, Minnow. Be a good girl and tolerate my affection, okay? After you’re feeling better we’re going to be having a discussion about all this attitude.”
“Discussion? That word... Don’t turn me on while my guts are churning. If I end up with a vomit fetish it’ll be your fault.”
“I guess you’re not that sick if you still have the energy to be a brat.”
She swallowed hard, looking uncomfortable. “Just don’t put me belly down on your lap, okay? Not without a bucket close by.”
He rubbed her back until she dozed.
When the doorbell finally rang, Severin answered with the dogs in tow. He led the doctor to the bedroom, but mumbled something about work and made a break for the forge.
Dr. Liu was in her early thirties and had been big into the local kink scene until she’d finished med school. Now she tended to the kinky and wealthy in the area, dealing with things people didn’t want to take somewhere as public as a hospital.
“Dr. Liu, this is my fiancée, Minnow.”
The young woman smiled, her. “Minnow? Is that your real name?” She set her briefcase down on the dresser and opened it, revealing med bottles and doctoring shit.
“Um, yes?”
“Cool beans. You want him here for this, or do you want privacy?” the doctor asked.
“We don’t have secrets.”
She nodded. “Okee dokee. What’s the problem?”
“I – I’ve been tired. A bit weak and dizzy. I’m having trouble keeping things down. It’s probably just a flu or a bit food poisoning or something.”
“Hmm.” The doctor examined her and ran through a litany of questions that sounded standard – when did it start, how bad were the symptoms, what had she eaten. She checked her vitals.
“Okay, I have two theories. One is easy enough to rule out.” She went to her kit and grabbed a package, then handed it to Minnow.
“You know how to use one of these?”
Minnow glanced down at the box mostly obscured in her hand, and turned even paler than she had been.
“It can’t be this.” She tried to hand it back.
“You’re abstinent? You don’t do men? You’ve had your tubes tied?”
“I’m on the pill.”
Rodrigo’s legs went out from under him and he sat on the edge of the bed, his first instinct to deny it was possible. “She’s on the pill,” he parroted, not sure what else to say.
“The pill isn’t a hundred percent effective, boys and girls. It’s up to you if you want to take the test or not, but if your symptoms don’t go away anytime soon, you might want to consider checking. If you are pregnant, and have severe morning sickness, it may need intervention if you choose to go ahead with things.”
Minnow’s gaze met Rodrigo’s, and she started to cry again. It was so unlike her – maybe she really was pregnant. He pulled her into his lap.
Knee-jerk fear dogged him, but he pushed it away as he held her close against his chest. He wasn’t a high school kid anymore, and Minnow wasn’t just some girl – he loved her. She was going to be their wife. Even if she was pregnant, what was the worst thing that could happen? His mind immediately flew to complications and TV hospital dramas. What if it was his, and it killed her? Protectiveness warred with joy at the idea of a baby – hers and his and Severin’s – toddling around, wreaking havoc on this museum of a house. He stroked her hair, but his hand was shaking.
“It may be a stomach bug or a touch of food poisoning, like you said. I’ll send over a prescription that’s safe to use for nausea, even if you’re pregnant. Try to keep hydrated. If the meds don’t work, call me back. If it’s a pregnancy and you want to discuss your options, you have my number.”
She patted Rodrigo’s shoulder as she took her leave.
“What if it’s true?” she asked quietly. “What am I going to do?”
“What would you want to do?”
She slid off his lap and stood there, staring at him. “It’s going to be negative, right?”
“Sure.”
She looked at the test then back at him, a small, terrified girl. She was alone in the world, other than Severin and him.
“I’ve never used one of these before,” she admitted, staring blankly at the back of the box as though she’d forgotten how to read.
“Want me to come in with you?”
“No!” she yelled, her wide dark eyes, begging him to call her bluff.
“Too bad. I’ve developed a sudden kink for watching girls piss, and you’re already in trouble for not calling me, so you don’t get to safeword.” He hesitated, wondering if she’d argue.
Not only did she fail to argue, she grabbed his hand as if she was dangling from a skyscraper in an action movie.
“I guess since you watched me puke earlier, pee shouldn’t freak you out too bad.”
“I held your hair last time we were in there. What am I holding this time?”
She tried to laugh, but nothing came out but a gasp of fear. “Severin. Should we go get him? He deserves to be part of this. In case.”
“I think we should avoid freaking him out if there’s nothing to freak out about.” Rodrigo cleared his throat, not sure how to say what he was thinking. “If you are, and you want to go through with it, it might be best if he thinks it’s mine.”
She rubbed her forehead on his shirt. “God. If I am... We’re going to end up on Jerry Springer. I don’t even know who my kid’s father is.”
“Would knowing affect your choice?” A wave of jealousy surprised him, the sudden notion that she might not want it to be his hurt. He loved her with a passion that astounded him, but maybe she didn’t feel the same. They always had to keep their relationship with each other low key so Severin didn’t feel as if he could disappear on them, but maybe she’s just accepted him on Severin’s behalf. Having been their third wheel for so long, he still wasn’t always sure of his footing.
She gave him a strange look. “You can’t believe there’s really something wrong with Severin’s genes.”
“No. I just wondered if you’d make different choices based on the child’s paternity.”
She glared at him. “What are you saying?”
He shrugged. She stared at him for a long moment before comprehension lit her gaze.
“You’re asking if I’d have his child but not yours?” Her brows drew down low, wrath emanating from her little body. Before he could draw back, she shoved his chest, then put her hand over her mouth as though she’d shocked herself. “Oh my god, I’m sorry.” Then she did it again. “But how could you even think that!” Her hand splayed over her flat stomach and she heaved, but nothing came up. “If you think for a goddamned second that I’d have his baby and not yours...” She raised her hand again but this time he caught her wrist. “I love you, idiot. I loved him first, but that doesn’t mean I love you less.”
She gave him a disgusted look, yanked her hand back, and marched off into the bathroom, shutting the door between them. The lock clicked.
He thumped on the door. “Open it, Min.”
“No!”
“Open the fucking door or I’ll bust it down,” he growled.
“Fuck.”
“What?”
From the other side of the door he heard her sigh. “That’s kind of hot.”
; He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. He opened his mouth but just managed a weak laugh. The lock clicked again and the door opened a crack.
“Are you going to punish me?” she asked, peering out the gap at him.
“We’re both freaking out a little right now. I’ll cut you some slack.”
She nodded and swung the door wide to let him in.
The two of them stood at the vanity, reading the tiny print of the instructions. It wasn’t as if it was complicated, but they only had one test, and it was a long drive to get another one, especially with rattled nerves. Her shy blushes as they read the instructions made him want to drag her back to bed and snuggle her for a few hours before they took this step.
When he handed her the test, they both blew out a long breath.
“It was the mayo in the egg salad I made,” she said, giving a firm nod. “I should have checked the date.”
“Of course, preciosa.”
“Rodrigo?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for pretending you’re calm.”
“I’m hyperventilating on the inside,” he admitted.
“The soles of my feet are sweating.”
He snorted.
“More scared than when we branded you?”
She nodded. “I thought the brand was a big deal at the time, but this would change our lives.”
“All of us. Forever.”
“Even more than getting married.” She bit her bottom lip and scrunched her eyes closed for a moment. “Okay, turn around until I do this part. I won’t be able to pee if you’re watching me.”
He snorted, but did as she asked, freaking out silently as he stood there waiting.
A child.
Such a real, magical, terrifying possibility.
Even if they hadn’t put one inside her yet, there might be one any time. Fuck. They were constantly on her – in her. No amount of birth control could indefinitely protect her against the siege they laid on her body.
He thought of her belly growing, her breasts getting heavier. Of her being marked as theirs that way...
Tragic King (The Dominant Bastard Duology Book 2) Page 23