Page 11 of Learn For Me
“I’m not staying. ‘Preciate the offer, but she’s your responsibility now.”
“Is she? A shame then, that I’m transferring that responsibility in the morning.”
His eyes narrowed. “To whom?”
“Darius is looking for someone to take care of. Now that he and Tabitha have decided to make the move to Phoenix, he’s expressed an interest in exploring BDSM. With Avalon reopening soon, I think Olivia would be an ideal candidate for him to practice aftercare on.”
Blinding rage seared his vision with red. “The man fillets men faster than a dockworker guts tuna.”
“He’s an efficient killer,” Atticus agreed as he walked away. “Perhaps he’ll prove himself to be an even better Dom.”
Speechless, practically chewing on his tongue, Zeke thought of Jasper’s half-brother. After the explosion, once his brain stopped trying to kill itself and he’d been discharged, Jasper and Atticus had sat him down and explained the whole sordid mess, give or take a few details he was sure he didn’t want to know anyway.
Jasper was a trained assassin, but his body count was nowhere near as high as Darius claimed his to be. Still, he was a sadist, through and through, and he’d been lucky to find the perfect masochist in Anarchy.
What were the chances that Darius’ sexual proclivities weren’t equally driven by pain?
Practiceaftercare? She wasn’t a damn doll the asshole could beat until she cried so he could learn how to soothe her, for fuck’s sake! A man either knew how to cuddle a sated sub or he didn’t, and it infuriated Zeke that Atticus believed Olivia was…
He growled and started after his friend, then hesitated.
Goddamn it, he couldn’t leave her alone in the truck.
Muttering under his breath, he yanked open the back door. Mouth open again, breathing heavily, she was mentally and physically wiped out. That fact gentled his hands as he grasped her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the seat. With an arm under her butt, he slid his other hand under her back and lifted her against him.
Her head found the perfect spot on his shoulder, her hair pressing against his neck. She snuffled softly; her body completely limp.
Zeke used his elbow to push the door closed, then stalked to the house with her pressed securely against him. She smelled faintly of cinnamon and mildew, an oddly disturbing scent. His cock rose regardless, only to be ignored.
The girl needed her ass slapped, a hot shower, and a full belly before she was put to bed for a week and told to rest.
None of that was his damn job.
The house was quiet when he walked in, only the soft clink of glass alerting him to Att’s presence in the kitchen. There were two beers on the counter amongst the chaos of a pregnant Little and two young children.
“The couch is made up in my office,” Atticus said as he headed off again. “Make her comfortable, and I’ll join you with the beers after I put Link down.”
Gritting his teeth, Zeke followed Atticus down the long hallway, cutting right into the stylish office. He almost tripped over the beast Alicia called Snog, a massive chunk of pure muscle masquerading as a dog.
Only a year ago, the mutt probably would have savaged his leg, but intense training by one of Att’s team had turned him from a mannerless whelp into a fierce, controllable guard dog whose family was his entire reason for existing.
“Hey, Snog.” Striding over the grumbling animal, Zeke saw that the couch was indeed bedded up with pillows and blankets. Some kind soul had left a stuffie tucked between the cushions—Alicia possessed a compassionate heart.
Depositing Olivia on the makeshift bed, Zeke sighed and arranged her so she wouldn’t wake with a crick in her neck. A moment later, he was fiddling with the pillows, positioning them so they formed a cradle for her head and shoulders. He debated covering her with the blankets, then chose one and spread it over her. It took ten seconds of procrastinating before he tucked it down the side of her, shifting it down slightly so she wouldn’t get too hot.
Finally, he picked up the patchwork stuffie in his hands, studying the button eyes and stitched smile. The rabbit wore a pair of overalls, his long ears incredibly soft and silky. Feeling foolish, he tucked it under her arm.
“Thought so,” Atticus rumbled in a low voice, apparently pleased.
Plastering on a scowl, Zeke shot him a disgruntled glare. “You thought what?”
“The two of you. Always wondered if something happened between you at the hospital. The first couple of months, Sonic didn’t leave your bedside if she didn’t have a reason. Then she wanted to work remotely so she could still be with you, even when she had to work.”
“Nothing happened.”
“Nothing physical, maybe, but I think you both did something you didn’t intend. Her thoughts were pathetically easy to read; she wears her heart on her sleeve when she’s distracted, but you… you’re a cagey bastard. Never gave her an inch, did you?”
“There wasn’t an inch to give. I’m fifty-five. I don’t put the moves on women half my goddamn age.” His eyes slid over to her of their own volition. “She’s a sweetheart, she doesn’t need to be saddled with an old coot.”