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“Gee, thanks dad,” I tut sarcastically. He grabs my chin and tilts my head back to hold my gaze intently.
“It’s Daddy,” he corrects, making me squirm.
A flush spreads across my face and I glance away, taking the tiny mouthful between my lips and groaning at the amazing burst of flavour on my tongue.
“Fuck, more please, daddy,” I moan, my eyes closed to savour the taste. I sense rather than see him smirk. I don’t care. So long as he keeps feeding me, I’ll call him anything he likes.
Eventually my eyes flicker open and North’s smirk widens as he feeds me another bite. I relish in the taste of the lasagne, feeling like every bite is a healing balm for my body and soul. It reminds me of the conversation with Wint at the Russo’s restaurant, and it heals some of the frayed edges of my soul.
The rest of the room fades away as North continues to feed me, his touch gentle yet possessive. I can feel the heat emanating from his body, and I find myself leaning towards him, seeking his warmth and comfort.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asks, his voice low and soothing.
I nod, unable to speak with a mouthful of food. North chuckles, and I feel the vibration in his chest – I’ve moved that close to him without realising. He sets down the spoon and takes a sip of his own water before turning to me.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he says, his eyes searching mine. “I didn’t mean to come off as harsh.”
“I know,” I say softly. “It’s just been a lot to process.”
“I understand,” he nods. “But, we do need to talk.”
My heart sinks. I don’t want to. I’m peering around the room just as Frost walks in, freshly changed into dry clothes. He gives me a reassuring nod, not in the least bit phased that I freaked out, left him in a cold shower and ran away.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation that I know needs to happen. “Okay,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
North takes my hand in his, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. “We need to talk about what happenedbetween you and Dash at the club on Christmas night,” he says, his gaze never leaving mine. “Do you remember?”
“I don’t know,” I say, feeling uncertain. “I’m not sure what it all means.”
North squeezes my hand. “I understand that,” he says. “But I – we – need you to know that we care about you. More than anything. And we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make you feel safe and loved.”
A lump forms in my throat at the sincerity in his voice. My eyes fix on Frost again, silently pleading for his help. He gives me a small nod, indicating his support.
“I remember,” I finally say, my voice hoarse. “But I don’t know how to feel about it. At the time I was so upset, but after everything that happened…it feels silly now.”
North nods, his eyes never leaving mine. “Okay,” he says softly. “That’s okay.”
He feeds me another small bit of lasagne. “The one event doesn’t negate your feelings towards the other. Tell me about the guy in the bar. What did he say to upset you?”
I nod, feeling the weight of his words. I know that I have a lot to process, but for now, I feel safe and loved in their presence. I take another bite of lasagne, focusing on the feeling of warmth from North’s hand still holding mine.
“A guy approached me and started talking about watching me. I thought maybe he was watching through the window, but he talked about watching me in the woods and the other time too. I excused myself and that’s when I bumped into Dash in the changing room. He could tell I was upset and made me tell him what had happened.”
I stop and take a drink, stalling for time. Sensing my upset, North focuses on feeding me several more spoonfuls before nodding at me to continue.
“His reaction wasn’t what I was expecting. He was agitated. Not surprised. Guilty, if anything. He knew exactly what I was talking about. He tried to explain but I didn’t want to hear it. He said it was all him – nothing to do with the rest of you – but he sold front row tickets to some of your members to watch me on camera.”
A painful sob escapes my throat and my eyes well up again. I’m so foolish to be reacting this way after everything that happened after, but his betrayal still stings.
A loud crash breaks the silence. We all turn to see Don, his face red with anger, standing over the remnants of a shattered plate by the sink. Wint rushes over to him, trying to calm him down.
“Mother fucker!” He growls. “I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill him myself.”
“Where is Dash anyway?” I ask again, finding it odd that he’s not here. Is guilt keeping him away? Does he think I don’t want to see him because the last time I saw him things ended on a bad note? Because I want to throw myself into his arms and feel his warming comfort that only he can give. It hurts that he’s not here. Doesn’t he care about me?
Wint walks over to me, taking my free hand in his. North’s still stroking the other and I flick my gaze between the two of them, dread pooling in my belly at their serious, reluctant expressions.
“Tesoro,” Wint eventually says. “You don’t need to worry…”
