It was pretty much the same thing he’d just been thinking. Yet he felt the ridiculous urge to argue with her. Instead he just followed her down to her apartment. “Also doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with you knowing where I live. I don’t know you.”
“Very wise of you.”
He could tell he’d surprised her.
“You shouldn’t trust a stranger with where you live, shouldn’t invite him into your home, shouldn’t open the door to him.”
“I know that,” she said with exasperation.
“But I’m not a stranger. I’m a club Dom. You know I’ve been well vetted. And part of my job is to look after you.”
She shook her head. “It’s not. I look after myself. You seem to be under the mistaken impression that I—”
“Ria, I just kissed you. I held you in my arms. You snuggled in like you belonged there—”
“I don’t snuggle,” she grumbled.
He grinned at her. “Fine, you didn’t snuggle, you cuddled.”
“That’s just as bad.”
“A rose by any other name . . .”
She sighed. “Your point? Because I’m hoping this long-winded explanation has one.”
He tilted his head to one side. “Is that attitude because you’re afraid of me? Worried about letting me get close?”
“The attitude is because you’re annoying me.”
Yeah, he was. He could see that. Her gaze was wary. Definitely worried. He guessed she didn’t let many men get as close as he had tonight. Something big had happened to her to make her so guarded.
And he wasn’t looking for problems. Maybe if she just wanted to play for a night or two, he might indulge. But nothing beyond that. And he shouldn’t even be doing that until he’d ruled her out as the thief. Not that she was at the top of his list. Her background check hadn’t raised any red flags.
So why didn’t he want to say goodbye? Why was he hoping she’d invite him inside for a drink?
He needed to back off. Put some distance between them.
“My point is that I didn’t mistake the way you just reacted to me. You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did.” He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She flinched slightly. He a feeling she wasn’t used to being touched.
And he hoped like hell no one had ever hurt her physically. He made a low, rumbling noise of displeasure at the thought.
Her eyes widened. “You’re acting really odd for a guy who doesn’t know me.”
“I think we can agree that we’re no longer strangers.”
“Just because you’ve had your tongue down my throat doesn’t mean you know me. It just means I had a lapse of sanity.”
He sighed. “Ria—”
“I’m tired. I want to go to bed. Let’s just agree that what happened before was due to a rush of hormones from left over adrenaline and leave it at that, okay?”
A rush of hormones? His lips twitched. Fine, she could think that, but he knew better. And he also knew it was probably best to put some distance between them.
“Fine.”
“Good.” She nodded, staring up at him.
“You going to unlock your door now?”
“Uh-huh.” She turned around and pulled her keys out of her bag right away. That surprised him. His experience was that women had a pile of crap in their bags and their keys were usually right at the bottom.
She unlocked the door and walked in. “Bye.” She swung the door closed without even looking back at him. He reached out and grabbed hold of it before it could slam shut.
She whirled around. “What are you doing?”
“I wasn’t quite finished yet. First, when you close this door, I want to hear it lock. Understand?”
“I always lock my door. I’m not stupid.”
“Didn’t think you were. Some of your actions tonight were pretty stupid though, so I thought I better make certain.”
“Excuse me? What was so stupid?”
“Racing over to help Sophie by yourself.”
“What did you expect me to do?”
“I expected you to leave it to someone who was more equipped to handle the situation.”
She narrowed her gaze. “And what sort of equipment do you think I needed to handle the situation? A penis? News flash, a penis is not a weapon.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” He grinned.
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m not talking about you being a woman, Ria. Although, yeah, that is part of it. But you also weren’t prepared to handle those guys. They were gunning for a fight. They weren’t gonna be reasonable. And if Rhett and I hadn’t stepped in, you’d have been in the same position as Sophie.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah? Got some martial arts training under your belt?”
“No,” she said reluctantly. “But I’ve got a baseball bat.”
“That’s great considering it’s something you can carry around all the time,” he said sarcastically.
She ground her teeth together so hard he could hear them.
“I can understand your initial reflex to help your friend, and, while I don’t approve, that’s not what really upset me.”
“And we can’t have you being all upset, can we?” she muttered.
He reached out and grabbed hold of her chin. “It was the fact that instead of getting yourself to safety, as you were instructed to do, you turned around and headed back into danger.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Because Ajax got there. And that’s not the point. If you were my sub, you’d be in a world of trouble right now.” He’d never felt the urge to spank someone more. And he was surprised that Ajax wasn’t calling for some punishment. But since he hadn’t, Connor certainly didn’t think it was his place.
She stared up at him. “Well, guess I can thank my lucky stars I won’t ever be your sub, huh?” She slammed the door in his face and turned the locks.
He stood there for a moment and tried to tell himself he agreed with her—he wasn’t terribly successful.
Connor stormed into the club, barely returning a greeting to the bouncer at the door. He did notice it wasn’t Lenny. Good, he should never have allowed that group of testosterone-filled idiots into the club. He took the stairs up to Ajax’s office two at a time. Suddenly, he had an excess of energy and the urge to burn it off.
He knocked on the door and barely managed to wait until he heard Ajax call out. When he walked in, the other man was on the phone.
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. Nah, Jeremiah hired him.” He waved Connor in. Knowing where the alcohol was kept, he detoured over to the cupboard and poured them both a scotch. He placed one on the desk in front of Ajax before taking a seat across from him in one of the uncomfortable-as-fuck chairs.
“I know. Thanks.” He ended the call and put his phone down. “That was Roarke. He’s not happy.”
“You think he would be? That was a clusterfuck.”
Ajax nodded.
Connor leaned forward in his seat. “What the fuck was that with Ria?”
“What?” The bigger man scowled at him.
“She went racing into danger without a thought to her own safety. And you basically smacked the back of her hand and told her not to do it again.”
“What the fuck do you want me to do?”
“Take her into the dungeon, tie her to a spanking bench and take a paddle to her ass until she understands that her safety is priority and taking stupid risks won’t be tolerated.”
A dawning comprehension filled Ajax’s face. “You think she’s a sub.”
“Of course, she’s a sub.” It was perfectly obvious. How could Ajax not see it?
Ajax shook his head. “Well, she’s not. Or at least that’s what she believes. She doesn’t play. She’s never gone into the dungeon apart from when she was shown around during orientation. I don’t have the right to punish her as a sub.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No? So, you pick all your e
Ajax growled. “My temper got the best of me.”
Right. Ajax was well known in the community for his calm nature. It’s why Roarke had sent him here.
“That girl watches over everyone else like a mother hen and doesn’t give a shit about her own safety,” Ajax muttered. “You think I don’t want to lay some discipline on her ass? Make her see how important she is?”
Connor could see the torment in the other man’s face. He should have known there was a reason he was holding back. Ajax could be patient, it took a lot to rattle him, but when something needed done, he wasn’t afraid to act.
“So, she always acts like that?” Connor asked him.
Ajax nodded. “From what I’ve seen. Yeah.”
“What’s her background?”
The other man shrugged. “She never talks about her past.”
“Roarke’s last manager hired the bouncer who let those idiots in?”
“Yeah, Jeremiah talked a good talk, but he also turned a blind eye to a lot of things. We lost a lot of membership when he was charge. I’m slowly turning that around but he managed to alienate a lot of people.” Ajax sat back in his chair, which creaked under his not insignificant weight. “I’m not surprised that she raced in to help Sophie. She and Ria are good friends. They were hired at the same time. They’re my only waitresses who don’t work in the dungeon.”
“They sign contracts?”
“Yeah. But only because their employment comes with a membership to the club. If they don’t enter the dungeon, the contract doesn’t go into effect.
Ajax sighed. “Look, as much as I’d like to ensure that Ria doesn’t do that again, there’s not much I can do.”
Maybe he couldn’t. But Connor could. If he were willing to take that step.
“Both women are subs,” he told Ajax.
Ajax nodded. “I agree.”
He thought Ajax would be a good Dom for Sophie, if they ever realized the other one was interested. The big Dom would protect the sweet little sub. Hmm, when he thought about it, Sophie was actually the type of sub he wanted for himself.
Yet he wasn’t attracted to her in the least. Which was just as well since Ajax was.
Still, it was a little unnerving to realize the person who’d caught his attention was pretty much the opposite of what he was looking for.
3
Damn man. Couldn’t he sit somewhere else?
Whenever he was in the public bar, which was far too much for her peace of mind, he just had to sit in her section. Awesome. Wonderful.
She’d been relieved that he hadn’t been here last night.
Liar.
Shut up, she told her inner voice. Not listening to you.
She didn’t want him. She did not spend last night thinking about him. She was perfectly fine with her vibrator for company. It never bossed her around. It gave her an orgasm every time. And if last night’s orgasm had been a bit more intense than usual, well, she wasn’t going to think too closely about the reason why.
She heaved out a loud sigh and stormed her way over to his table. Tonight, was busier, being a Saturday night, but she’d done the rounds for everyone else. There was just him left.
Yipee.
She thought about asking Sophie to take him, but her friend was a little quiet tonight. She looked worried. She was probably still shaken from her encounter with those dickheads the night before last. She wasn’t about to ask Sophie to take Connor’s order just because she was feeling chicken.
That kiss the other night was still haunting her. It shouldn’t be. He’d probably already forgotten it. And even if he was interested in her, well, he wouldn’t be if he knew who she really was. She had to keep reminding herself of that. She had to protect herself from being hurt.
Connor looked up as she approached. His gaze warmed. Damned if that wasn’t nice. But she didn’t let it loosen the ice around her heart.
“Got something for you.” She pulled the pamphlet out of her back pocket, slamming it down on the table.
“Alcoholics anonymous?” He looked shocked. Good, she’d actually managed to surprise him.
“You might want to give them a call. Find out where their next meeting is.”
“I’m not an alcoholic.”
“You’re here a lot. Drinking. Seems to me you’ve got a problem.”
He looked flabbergasted. Then he threw his head back and laughed. Around her, people stopped and stared. The women smiled.
Connor shook his head as he stopped laughing. There was still a wide smile on his face as he tapped the pamphlet. “Honey, I can assure you I am not an alcoholic. I never drink more than two beers in a night.”
“Then how come you’re here so much?” she asked suspiciously.
“Maybe it’s due to your sparkling personality and warm demeanor.”
She snorted. “Right.”
“Have you been thinking about me?” he asked in a low voice.
“Uh, no. Why would I?”
“Maybe you’ve been thinking about our kiss.”
“That isn’t happening again.”
“No?”
“No,” she told him firmly.
“Oh, I think it will. I’m a patient man.”
“If you give me some line about being a predator and me being the prey, I’m going to find a gun and shoot you.”
“Honey, I would never mistake you for prey.”
She narrowed her gaze. “You know, I can’t actually tell if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“Would you like to play with me in the dungeon?”
Where the hell had that come from? She stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Have I finally shocked you into silence?”
She shook her head. “I’m not a sub.”
“You’re wrong. You’re most definitely a sub. What I’m not sure about is if you know it and are in denial, or whether you’re completely oblivious to your needs.”
“I don’t have needs. And I don’t want to play with you. And you can get your own damn drink.”
She turned and stormed off, trying to ignore the way her hands shook. She tried to work up some anger at his presumption that she’d want to play with him.
Thing was, it was way more tempting than she would have liked it to be.
Shit.
The vibration of her phone woke her. She sprang up and reached under her pillow for it. She pulled it out and looked at the name on the screen.
Sophie.
Fuck.
She quickly answered, pulling it up to her right ear automatically. “Sophie? What is it?”
“He’s here. Ria, he’s here!”
Fuck. Fuck.
“I’m coming. Where are you?”
Sophie sobbed into the phone. “Oh, God. Oh, God. Jerry’s here! He’s in a rage. He’s going to kill me. I can hear him tearing up the apartment.”
She quickly jumped out of bed and dragged the bat out from under the bed.
“Sophie. Where are you?”
“The bathroom. I heard him coming, grabbed my phone and locked myself in here.”
“Good. Have you called the cops?”
“N-no.”
Sophie had an aversion to the police. They’d failed her too many times for the other woman to feel comfortable calling them. Even when some psycho was trashing her apartment. Ria didn’t have much love for them either. But she knew they would need help. She raced out of her apartment, bat in one hand, phone pressed to her good ear. She was dressed just in a pair of panties and an over-sized T-shirt but she didn’t have time to get dressed.
She raced down the stairs to the floor Sophie’s apartment was on. She could hear him yelling from several apartments down. Surely someone had called the police.
“Ria!” Sophie screamed through the phone. “He’s breaking down the door.”
Fuck. Fuck.
She pulled the phone away and with shaking fingers pressed the emergency call number.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“My friend’s apartment was broken into. The man is still in there. He’s going to hurt her.” She quickly rattled off the address and hung up as the operator told her to stay on the line.
Like hell. She wasn’t going to just stand there while some asshole beat Sophie.
She wasn’t raised to run when the going got tough. Friends were hard to come by. Loyal friends, next to impossible.
Sophie was her friend. Her family now. And no one touched what was hers.
She dropped her phone next to the door, knowing she couldn’t carry it and use the bat. She heaved her bat over her shoulder as she stepped through the broken door.
Piece of shit wood. Much like the rest of this apartment block. It had probably only taken one swift kick for Jerry to make his way through it. Of course, he was built like a rhino and had the personality to match.
She stepped inside as another of Sophie’s screams hit her, making her stomach drop. Fear had her heart racing, her palms sweating, but she continued into the apartment. No one else was coming to their aid. Around these parts people kept their shit to themselves. She was pretty certain she could be getting her ass kicked in broad daylight in the middle of the street and people would just walk around her.
As she entered the living room, she saw Jerry, his back to her as he dragged Sophie by her foot out of the bathroom. His muscles bunched as he easily pulled her petite friend across the floor.
Sophie cried out, trying to scramble for something to hold onto, to slow him down. But not much would stop him. How the hell had he found her?
“Hey, asshole!” she called out as he paused and reached down to grab Sophie.
She tensed, nerves threatening to make her expel the contents of her stomach. But she knew what came next if she didn’t stop him. Sophie would get the shit kicked out of her, and end up in hospital where some well-meaning person would call the cops. They’d make all the right noises and do nothing.
Yeah, well, it wasn’t going down that way this time. Because Sophie wasn’t alone anymore.
She rested on the balls of her feet as he turned.
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