Page 41 of The Ecstasy of Sin (Brutal Brotherhood #1)

Dominic

She’s fighting her body’s need for sleep as I lift her off the back of my bike and cradle her in my arms, carrying her toward the front door.

Hunter is barking, but even the sound of his territorial alarm from inside the house doesn’t seem to rouse her.

Her pretty brown eyes are heavy-lidded, blinking slowly as exhaustion fights to claim her.

I set her down for just a moment to unlock the door, pushing it open, and letting it swing wide. I lift her in my arms again and step into the dark house.

Hunter is waiting inside, his cold nose bumping into me in greeting, tail wagging hard enough to thump against the wall.

“Hey, big man,” I murmur affectionately, nudging the door shut behind me with a backward kick. Before heading to the bedroom, I turn to face the whiteboard next to the door.

Even with her eyes shut, her voice breaks through the silence, sleepy and slurred. “Does Hunter need anything?”

I smile. “No, baby. Ghost was here an hour ago,” I tell her, reading the scrawl he left behind. Hunter was walked, fed, and given fresh water. Ghost also reminded me to check the group chat when I get the chance .

Wren yawns, and I kiss the top of her head before heading down the hall. “Stay with me, baby. We need a shower.”

“I can walk, y’know,” she mumbles, tripping over the last word.

“Doubt it.”

Hunter trails us into the bedroom, circling once before curling up on his dog bed in the corner of the room. I head straight into the bathroom, setting Wren gently on the counter so I can get the water running.

“I’m exhausted,” she says through another yawn, her eyes finally fluttering wide open. She glances down at her hands then freezes, spotting the blood smeared across her inner thighs. Her breath catches, the sound drawing my gaze as I open the shower door and crank on the water.

I walk back to stand in front of her. My hands settle on her thighs, fingers brushing along the sticky patches of dried blood. She stares at them with intensity, until her brow furrows in quiet worry.

“You stopped bleeding, so it’s okay,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. “I’ll keep a close eye on it.”

I help her shrug out of my leather jacket, then the cardigan she wore underneath it. I toss my jacket into the corner of the room, since it’s probably ruined.

I slide my hands to the hem of her bloodied dress. She leans into me, her palms pressing against my chest as I slip it out from under her and pull it over her head. When I toss it aside, she unclasps her bra and offers it to me with a small, sleepy smile .

I grab it, inspecting it briefly for blood, before tossing it into the laundry basket.

As she sits on the counter, the steam rises around us and wraps us in a veil of warmth.

Even like this, covered in blood and dirt, she’s so incredibly beautiful. Soft, pliant, and vulnerable. It makes my chest ache to see her this way.

I want her like this forever. I refuse to ever see her out on the streets again, starving and hurting. And worse, alone and hopeless.

Her fingers reach for my pants, tugging the zipper down slowly. “You ruined these,” she murmurs, tugging at a frayed thread where the button used to be.

I shrug. “I can buy a million more if I want. No big deal.”

She tugs my heavy black cargos down past my hips—and gasps again. I follow her gaze, smirking at the blood dried all over my cock.

“Fucking beautiful,” I murmur.

She blushes, and I don’t fight the urge to lean in and steal a kiss.

“Come here, baby.” I lift her into my arms, her legs hooking around my waist and her arms around my neck.

“Really, I can walk,” she protests, but she’s clinging to me anyway as I step into the shower and pull the glass door shut behind us. I set her gently on her feet and guide her beneath the stream of hot water .

She groans, her head falling back as the water rushes through her tangled hair, over the curve of her shoulders, and down her stained skin.

I step closer, letting the spray drench us both, waiting as blood and dirt swirl down the drain between us.

I wash her hair first, my fingers massaging her scalp so gently that she nearly falls asleep standing up. When she sways, I step into her, letting her body lean into mine instead of drifting away. She moans softly, a sleepy sound of contentment that makes me smile.

Yeah, I really fucking love her like this. Safe, pampered, and comfortable. Even after I showed her some of the ugliest parts of me. Not only did she choose to stay after everything we've been through, but she still sees me as a source of safety.

I press a kiss to her forehead, then curl my fingers beneath her chin and tilt her head back into the stream, rinsing the suds from her hair.

I reach for my shampoo next, but her hand slides over mine before I can flip the cap open.

“May I?”

I nod, holding out the bottle for her to take from my hands.

Her eyes sparkle, mischief breaking through the haze of exhaustion. “Kneel,” she orders, a smirk slowly taking over her face.

I sigh, the sound heavy with fake exasperation, then lift my hand to roughly collar her throat. “I beg your fucking pardon? ”

My fingers tighten, drawing her closer, pressing just hard enough to make her breath stutter as she gasps.

She melts under my grip. Her knees wobble, her body going soft and yielding in my hands. “I…” Her voice is a breathless whisper, arousal blooming red across her face and neck. “You’re too tall.”

I release her throat, allowing her to draw in a full breath, then pull her against me. “Let your body recover before this pretty little mouth of yours gets you into any more trouble,” I warn.

I press my lips to hers, kissing her deeply, before pulling away and dropping down onto one knee.

Shock flickers across her face as I hold the shampoo bottle out to her. She hesitates, then a small laugh bursts from her lips as she takes it.

I smirk, watching as she pours some shampoo into the palm of her hand and begins working it into my scalp.

A man could get used to this. Her fingers are fucking magic, her nails scratching gently as she massages through my hair. She’s making me feel drowsy and relaxed, but it makes me want to get this shower over with so I can drag her to bed and curl up with her in my arms.

When she’s done, I rise and rinse the shampoo from my hair. I grab a bar of soap next and begin thoroughly washing her entire body.

By the time I’m done, she’s barely conscious as she sways in my arms like she can’t find the strength to keep herself upright. I rinse her off, then tilt her chin up to kiss her.

“I’m fading here,” she murmurs, sighing deeply .

I open the shower door and reach for one of the big, fluffy towels, guiding her out onto the mat and wrapping it around her body. “Give me a few minutes.”

I step back into the shower while she towels off, scrubbing the blood and filth from my body, and then rinsing it all away.

When I’m done, I join her on the mat, grabbing a clean towel for myself. Once we’re both dry, I lift her in my arms again and carry her through the door and out into the bedroom.

I set her down on the edge of the bed and pull back the sheets. They’re clean, thanks to Mrs. Caldwell, who I paid to stop by earlier. She is one of the older women on Ryker’s payroll. I’ve paid for her services several times before, and Ryker seems to trust her.

Wren slides into my bed, curling up beneath the sheets. I follow her in, watching as she sinks into the bed with a content sigh.

My heart begins to race at the sight of her drowsy and comfortable in my big bed, and a surprisingly welcome thought enters my mind.

I’m falling in love with her.

I stare at her for a moment, watching as her face softens, her body relaxing as sleep takes her fast. She looks so fucking delicate. Naked, fragile, drowning in the sea of dark sheets and oversized pillows.

It’s time to find the perfect property and build her the safest home imaginable.

Laying on my back, I grab my phone from the nightstand and unlock it .

I hesitate, thumb hovering, deciding to pull up the group chat before I draft an email to the real estate agent who sold me this house.

RYKER

Maksim died before we could drag his worthless corpse out of the cage.

GHOST

No way he was surviving what Dominic did to him.

RYKER

Dimitri is obviously pissed the fuck off. A fight broke out behind the club between my crew and his. He told me the four of us are as good as dead.

TORIN

We knew it would trigger the apocalypse.

GHOST

We need to meet up at Dom’s place and make sure we’re all clear on the our next steps, then arrange a meeting with Killian.

The last message came in an hour ago.

We were supposed to meet here tomorrow night, but since Dimitri decided to put his hands on Wren, things need to happen sooner rather than later.

ME

I really need to fucking sleep.

RYKER

Good morning, sunshine.

ME

It’s three in the fucking morning. Do you three ever sleep?

RYKER

Only when I’m snuggled up with my bros.

TORIN

…

GHOST

Glad you made it home alive. I was expecting Dimitri to hunt you down and snipe you right off your bike.

ME

Fuck Dimitri. Give me an hour. Be quiet when you come in. Wren’s asleep.

TORIN

Roger that.

GHOST

Alright.

RYKER

Tell my favourite sister I miss her.

GHOST

Sigh.

TORIN

For fuck's sake.

ME

First order of business: castrate Ryker.

I don’t wait for a response, I shut off the screen and glance over at Wren. Her breathing is deep and even, telling me she’s fast asleep.

I slip from the bed, and head for the kitchen, Hunter quietly following behind me. I shut the bedroom door gently as soon as Hunter is through, then head to the front door and lock it.

As exhausted as I am, I have too much on my fucking mind to sleep.

Before my brothers show up, I want to pay my real estate agent a ridiculous amount of money to secure a new property before the sun rises .

The sooner I make Wren safe, the less likely I am to start slaughtering every stranger in the province as a deranged form of preventive measures to ensure her safety.

Now that Dimitri knows Wren exists, things need to move quickly. I need a safer place for her to be while I hunt Dimitri down like the worthless roach he is.

We already had plans to wipe him and the Bratva out, but he went and changed the game.

He put his filthy hands on her, and for that, he’s going to fucking suffer.