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Stunned by the sudden exodus of their friends, Thane shifted Connie onto her feet. “I'll see you out.”
“It's okay, we know the way. Connie's barely containing herself from a very public display of affection.” Chuckling, Atticus winked and headed for the door. “Nine o'clock, boys and girls.”
Jasper stood, steadying Archie as she found her balance. He let her go as she hurried to Thane, eyes narrowing as she bent to kiss Thane's cheek. It was a simple thing, a butterfly kiss against the scruff of beard on his face, but it was beautiful in its simplicity, packed with emotion. “Thank you for listening, Master Thane. Thank you for not judging me.”
He didn't touch her back. He doubted he'd have his fingers left if he did. Friends or not, Jasper's face highlighted his displeasure at the interaction. Archie would probably have a sore ass before she even got to Avalon tonight, punishment for straining the limit of Jasper's comfort zone. He wasn't a Dom who shared without permission.
“You're a good girl, Archie. I've got no right to judge, so I won't. Go back to your Dom and show him how lucky he is to have you.”
She grinned and whispered. “Has he got his growly face on?”
“Growly face?” Baffled, Thane risked a glance at the man. “I don't know what expression that is, but he looks as though he's ready to strip off his belt and whip both our asses if you don't hurry back to him.”
“Perfect.” Calming her features into a somber mask, she turned and did indeed hurry back to the sadist, squeaking as he immediately curved his arm around her waist, leaned her forward, and smacked her ass with several sharp spanks that made Thane's palm tingle with jealousy.
“Sometimes, I think you intentionally rile me, kitten.” Jasper stood her upright again, then nodded to Thane. “Appreciate you taking the time to hear us out, Thane. I hope what we've told you helps you going forward. We'll see you in a few hours.”
Connie slipped off his lap as soon as their friends were out of sight, dropping to her knees between his thighs. Toying with his zipper, she peered up at him. “You took Anarchy's secret well. Do you see why I couldn't tell you myself?”
He threaded his fingers through her hair. “Oh yeah. That's a nasty clusterfuck she narrowly avoided. She'd be sitting in a cell right now if Atticus wasn't some kind of mercenary superhero. She's a very lucky girl. Strong, brave…she reminds me of you.” When Connie tried to shake her head, he clenched his fist and stopped her. “Don't argue, sugar. Denying it won't change my opinion of you or her. I'm sorry she was put in that position, but she's got a fucking spine beneath all that innocence.”
“She really does.” The front door closed, making her jump as though she'd forgotten their company had only just left. “Did you mean what you said about…moving in with you? Taking Alicia on?”
“Moving in? Absolutely, as long as you're sure that's what you want.” He loosened his fist, letting the tautness of her scalp relax. “As for Alicia…the door is always open for her, if that's what shewants. Her time at the facility is almost up, right? How does she feel about that?”
Connie sighed. “The last few times I called her, she said she was going to stay there if Braun would let her. But she's not happy, I could hear it in her voice. She'll stay, convincing everyone she wants to, because she doesn't want to be a burden. I hate that she'll sentence herself to a lifetime of unhappiness in a place she hates, because she wants everyone else to be happy.”
Been there, he thought, still have the scars. “We'll talk with Braun and Bodie, see what we can come up with. It'll take me a few weeks to get the renovations done, but if you say she's not in the right place to heal, I believe you.”
“What cloud did you fall off, Thane? There's no way you can be this damn perfect.”
“For you, sugar, I'll be as perfect as I can be. Is that a yes?”
The zipper lowered, and his cock rose from the confines of the material to be enveloped in a wash of warm breath. A soft, pink tongue licked a line up his shaft, drawing a bead of precum to the slit, only to be lapped away. He groaned and refrained from thrusting his crown past her lips. He wanted a fucking answer before he gagged her.
“I can't think of a reason to say no, Sir.”
***
Chapter Fourteen
There came a time in a woman's life when she re-evaluatedeverything she thought she knew about herself. Her body, her needs. The life choices she'd made, and the path carved ahead of her. It was a time for reflection, for change, for self-growth and facing fears. It hurt like a bitch to pick at the seams of her carefully constructed shelter and discover that the woman she'd buried beneath the façadewas mummified, forgotten, in the foundation stones of a life that was quickly spinning around on its axis.
The catalyst for Connie's internal overhaul was saying yes to Thane's request that she move in with him. It jolted her down to the core that she could even think about it after what living with Evan had done to her, yet there was a frisson of excitement singing under her skin as they walked into Avalon.
Thane had nothing left to prove to her. He was a gentleman, he was charming and funny and sweet. All the things Evan had been, she reminded herself wryly, remembering the man who'd swept her feet out from under her and carted her off into hell. But her lover lacked one essential element that Evan had possessed in spades—psychopathy.
Evan wouldn't have offered to take Alicia into his home and treat her with the respect Thane showed in his voice. No, that asshole would've found a disabled young woman the most entertaining of toys. Remove her chair, and she was trapped wherever she was put. He'd have swung her from her wrists for days, torturing an already broken body and fractured mind until she shattered completely.
Connie ran her fingers over her puffy lips, still swollen from the blowjob she'd gifted Thane earlier. Her damn jaw ached from stretching to accommodate his girth, but she continued to float under the haze of satisfaction she was beginning to crave. The peace of mind that tagged along behind pleasing her Dom so thoroughly, he'd spent an hour with her curled in his arms, crooning about what a good girl she was, how proud he was of her surrendering to her submissive side by choice. How good she made him feel.
Beside her, Thane noticed her touching her mouth and grinned. “I can still feel those lips around the base of my cock, Mistress.”
They signed in with Saul at the front desk, then stepped through into the social area. Thane dropped back a step, prepared to follow on her heels like a good sub, and for the first time, Connie's resolve wavered. She'd spent the last ten years building a reputation on being a damn good Domme, a reputation that was only half true. If she and Thane continued to grow their dynamic, was she sentencing him to a decade of hiding his Dom in the dark like she had with her submissive side? Only letting the Dominant out to play away from curious eyes?
No. No, she wouldn't allow that.
She was learning to embrace that discarded side of herself. She was finding the joy in submitting, the pleasure in serving a good man's needs. She didn't want to cloak herself in shadows anymore, concealing a vital part of herself in fear and anxiety. It wasn't fair to her—or to Thane.
