Page 126 of The Ecstasy of Sin

Even this mild and medicated migraine can’t ruin my happiness. A dull ache pulses faintly on the right side of my head, but it’s distant, powerless in the face of the peace I feel in his arms.

“We’ll head over to our new house tomorrow afternoon to meet with Dr. Everly,” Dominic murmurs, his hand stroking slowly up and down my spine. “After that, I need to meet with my brothers. You can explore, or you can be there with us. Whatever you want.”

I’m surprised when the awful feelings from earlier don’t even try to crawl back in. “Okay,” I whisper. “What’s the plan for the rest of the day?”

He places a kiss to the top of my forehead. “I need to get up and take care of Hunter. Then I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Do I get to join you?” I ask, lifting a wrist to jingle the cuffs and remind him that I’m chained to his bed like a captive.

He shakes his head. “No. You need to sleep off the rest of your migraine.”

I lift my head and glare at him, only to see a wicked grin stretch across his unfairly gorgeous face. “Seriously? What if I need to pee?”

He laughs, the sound deep and low. “I’ll make sure you’re all set before I leave. And when I get back, you can consider me your personal slave. Whatever you need… I’ll provide.”

“So I have to stay in bed all day?”

He considers this for a moment. “I could transfer the cuffs to my belt, if you’d like to accompany me around the house later.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You’re insane.”

“I am,” he agrees, without an ounce of shame.

I lift my head toward his, and he leans down to kiss me. It's slow, deep, and perfect.

This is crazy, but this life is mine now. He’s got a tracker in my arm, and my wrists are cuffed to his bed. Even if I wanted to run, I wouldn’t get far.

Thankfully, I have no desire to run anymore. And all these feelings of safety, of love, and of comfort that are filling me to the brim as I lay here in his arms?

It was worth every bit of struggle to get here.

CHAPTER 31

Wren

Myeyeswidenaswe pull up to intimidating black iron gates, with a surrounding fence lined with barbed wire that curves inward toward the heavily wooded property. It’s ominous, reminding me of a federal prison.

When Dominic first turned down the long, freshly paved driveway in his Camaro, I fully expected us to drive up to a hidden cottage tucked away in the trees.

I wasn’t expecting this.

“Are you… taking me to jail?” I ask, leaning forward to stare out the windshield at the gate.

Dominic laughs, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “No, baby. This isn’t prison. Just extreme safety measures to keep you safe.”

“I don’t think I’m worth all this,” I point out in a whisper.

When silence fills the car, and he doesn’t move to open the gate, I glance over at Dominic. My breath catches from the way his hands grip the steering wheel, his knuckles white from the tension.

“I will fuck you on the hood of this car until the only words you’re capable of saying are, ‘I deserve everything,’” he whispers, his voice low in warning.

The threat of sexual violence never fails to make me wet. “No need for violence,” I reply softly, and even I can hear the arousal in my voice.

He smirks. “There’s always a need for violence.”

Rolling down his window, he reaches out and presses a button on the entry terminal. A moment later, a voice crackles from the callbox speaker.

“Full name and purpose?”