By the time I got back to the house, I was ready for a shower and food, but not necessarily in that order.
The kitchen was still empty when we returned, the girls likely still asleep. The three of us grabbed water bottles, then sat on the barstools and counters as we cooled down.
“The maid service comes by today,” I reminded Ian. “Figured we could get out of here for a bit. Run them by Dante’s.” I glanced over at him. “In case you need anything from there.”
Dante didn’t respond immediately, but I saw the question in his eyes, waited for it.
“How long’s this going to last?”
I knew he wasn’t talking about the relationships that were building.
“As long as it has to,” Ian said, not looking at him. “I’m not letting any of you go back there until this guy is no longer a threat.”
“What about Heaven?” he prompted. “She wants to go to her sister’s.”
Ian shrugged. “Probably a good idea that she does.”
Well, that told me more than I probably would’ve gotten out of my brother. He was willing to let her leave, which meant there was no attachment.
Dante broke eye contact with Ian, pinned his gaze on the counter. “I got fired yesterday.”
“Fuck, man,” Ian breathed out. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.”
I had to bite my tongue, remembering the argument I’d had with Ian. Asking Dante and Everly to move in here permanently would likely come across as abrupt, not thought out. It wasn’t true, but I could see where he was coming from. The issue was, I was certain about them. More so than I’d been about anything in my life. I couldn’t say the same for Heaven because … well, because she wasn’t what I was looking for.
“I can get another pretty easily,” Dante said. “Just need time to go look.”
“No,” I said. The single word snapped out had drawn Ian’s gaze. He was glaring at me, but I shrugged it off.
I hopped off the counter. “I want you here. With us. And if that’s the way it’s going to work, you won’t work. Not if I have a say in the matter.”
Not wanting to hear Ian’s rebuttal, I turned and left the room, making my way to my bedroom. I opened the door, noticed Everly still tucked in sound asleep. It would be so easy to wake her, to slide into the bed, sink deep inside her, and lose myself for a few minutes, but I wanted her to rest up. I’d taken a lot from her these past couple of days, and since I didn’t see that slowing anytime in the near future, sleep was what she needed most.
I hurried through the shower, dressed, then headed back to the kitchen. It was empty, so I made a pot of coffee, grabbed a cup and Dante’s limit list, then headed down to the basement.
Bypassing my desk, I sat on the sofa, got lost in reading. I skimmed it first, focusing on Dante’s hard limits. All the ones that matched my own hard limits had been marked: asphyxiation, breath control, bestiality, and so on. The ones I’d expected based on the trauma he’d experienced: cages, cells, closets. I wasn’t into that, anyway, but I was glad to know he’d been honest. There were a few I hadn’t expected but would respect because he had elaborated with reasons. That generally wasn’t how it worked, but I appreciated his candor all the same.
On the other hand, I noticed he had marked anything to do with bondage as a nonissue. I had to trust him. That was the only way this would work.
He’d gone so far as to rank them from zero to five for those he didn’t consider a hard limit, five being the most desirable. I went back through the list three times, rereading his notes, and it all told the same story in elaborate detail. Dante wanted to serve and please. How some Dom hadn’t come along and realized the gift he was, I would never know. Then again, he’d been targeted by some fucker using BDSM as his excuse to harm.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, drawing my attention. I expected to see Ian, but my brother wasn’t joining me. It was Dante, his steps somewhat lighter than they’d been in recent days. He moved with purpose, coming to stand before me. He knelt without direction.
“May I speak candidly, Sir?”
“Please.”
He kept his eyes down. “I would never want to come between you and your brother. If I have, I wish to leave. I understand the fear for my safety, and I can promise, I’ll do everything in my power not to get into a situation I can’t get myself out of.”
“You haven’t come between us,” I told him firmly. “No one will ever come between me and Ian. If there was a chance, that person would not be welcomed in our lives. We have a difference of opinion on certain matters. I respect his view, he respects mine. And as is human nature, we butt heads from time to time.
