Page 200 of The Enslaved Duet

I didn’t realize his voice was pitched louder than normal, or that Dante had moved closer, his face a snarl in the thin orange light of the streetlamps.

There was only the wanton, shameful sound of Alexander’s fingers on my drenched pussy, my rough breaths in the cool air, and my increasing desperation to break open and come, come, come.

“Yes, Master,” I keened as he twisted his hand so his thumb could dip into my entrance and rolling deep, powerful circles just inside me that threatened to drown me in pleasure. “Yes, Master, anything for you.”

“Then come,” he said simply, but the words cut the last taut threads holding me together, and I came, spilling out over his hand. “Come for me.”

My cries pierced the night, bounced off the brick walls and came back to me so it seemed we were all so submerged in my ecstasy we might drown.

Even Dante.

I didn’t remember him, though, not as I finally came down, gyrating my swollen sex over Xan’s soothing, petting touch, lolling my head against the wall as I tried to catch my breath.

I didn’t remember him until Xan called in the voice I was all too familiar with, the one that was cold and deadly as an icicle impaled through someone’s chest, “I hope you enjoyed the show, Edward, because that is as close as you will ever get to her.”

I stiffened, but Dante spoke before I could intervene, “Satisfied with your little display?”

Xan shrugged, but he wasn’t looking at his brother. His eyes were on mine, dark and turbulent as a storm over the sea. His fingers caught in the hair over my temple and slid through to the back so he could hold my head as he ran his nose along mine.

“I was having a moment with my woman after thinking the worst might have happened to her. You didn’t factor into it until youmadeyourself a factor in it.” His tone was bland, his words cutting.

I didn’t have to look at Dante to know he was scowling, wincing from the blow.

“If you’re done,” he retorted, his anger getting the better of him in a way it never would with Xan. “Why don’t we get Cosima off the streets and debrief about what the fuck happened to her.”

“All right, my beauty?” Xan asked me softly, still touching his face to mine, his affection tactile as a lion, rubbing our jaws together, his nose over my cheek. He wanted his scent on me, and more, he wanted his tenderness on me as certain as his violent passion painted marks against my neck made with his teeth.

I sighed gustily over his lips and slumped in the bracket of his embrace, knowing I was safe and suddenly unbearably tired. “Yeah, Xan. Let’s go home.”

Still ignoring Dante, Xan pulled back to put my dress to rights and smooth down my hair before seeing to his own trousers. Before I could step forward, I was up in his arms, held with an arm under my back and another under my knees.

“Xan! I’m not an invalid,” I protested, smacking his chest. “Stop with this Neanderthal act. You’re anearlfor Christ’s sake.”

His mouth twitched marginally, but he couldn’t hide the thread of amusement in his voice. “I am; therefore, I can do as I wish.”

“It’s unnecessary,” I hissed lowly as we neared Dante, and he turned on his heel to power ahead of us.

Alexander’s blasé shrug jostled me. “You’re saying that because you’re embarrassed I shamed Edward for watching us, but think of it this way, little mouse. I let him watch because desire anchors you, and you were both literally and metaphorically lost when we found you. His regard made me feel safe to give in to what your bodyandyour mind needed after the trauma. I knew that, and I gave you what you needed. Danteneededto watch us because he is too curious about you, and that needed to be put to bed. He will never have you. It’s cruel for him to waste a single moment on wishing otherwise, so I made sure he knew it. Lastly, my beauty,Ineeded to take you like that. Submission makes you feel at peace just as Domination does for me. Losing you for even an instant was unbearable. I needed to take you like that, and now, I need to carry you like this because after what happened, I don’t want to let you out of the circle of my arms let alone out of my sight. Can you give that to me?”

Immediately and without conscious thought, I said, “Yes, of course.”

He ducked his head to rub his nose again over mine, a new habit that melted my heart. “Good girl.”

We reached the car, but Alexander didn’t let me go to slide me into the vehicle. Instead, he sat with me cradled gently in his arms and ignored the look Dante gave him when he didn’t put me in my own seat.

“Now, tell us what happened,” Xan demanded.

I took it as a good sign that he said “us,” and I could tell by the slight softening in Dante’s shoulders that he did too.

I didn’t want to ostracize him again.

Sucking in a deep breath, I related my rendezvous with Seamus to the Davenport brothers, powering through their grumbling growls and clenched fists to finish my story before they went nuclear.

“I’ll take care of it,” Dante said immediately upon my conclusion. “Don’t worry about him,tesoro, I’ll find a meaningful way to make your message known to him.”

“I don’t want you to start a war over this. Please don’t do anything stupid, D.”

His smile was red as blood smeared between his cheeks. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle my own business, and Seamus just told you, he wants a part of that.”