Page 20 of Incoronate
“What? Chained to the bed?” My lips twitched from the effort of trying to keep a straight face. “Your idea of romance needs work.”
“Wasn’t trying for romance.” His smile widened, and the bond pulsed warmer between us. “Just keeping you close and safe.”
His words wrapped around me like a warm blanket.
He wanted to keep me safe. Oddly enough, and in spite of everything that was still looming just beyond the walls of this room, I felt exactly that laying beside him right then.
Dominic roused beside me a second later, his eyes opening unhurriedly like he had all the time in the world to grace this life with his presence. He didn’t move right away, just took in the room the way he always did, registering everything in a single sweep before most people would have finished blinking. His gaze tracked from me to Trace’s hand resting on my waist, then back up to my face, cataloguing every minute detail even through the last dregs of sleep.
‘Morning, angel.’ His honeyed voice slid through my mind as the corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Sleep well?’
My cheeks heated as I nodded that I had.
His gaze lifted to the handcuffs still locked around my wrists. “I must say, they suit you quite well.”
Not him too.
“Don’t get used to it,” I said, staring down at his mouth. “I like to use my hands.”
A rumble sounded from his chest, somewhere between a growl and a purr. “That can be arranged, angel.”
Trace’s hand stilled on my hip, his fingers tightening just enough to be noticeable. He made his own sound, half scoff and half growl, as the bond between us blazed in sharp, possessive protest.
Dominic’s eyes slid to him, amused. “Feeling territorial this morning, are we?”
Trace didn’t look away from me when he answered, “Always.”
Despite myself, I laughed. The sound bubbled up out of me before I could stop. Even though I wasn’t sure it was completely appropriate, I couldn’t deny how much I loved moments like this with them. When everything felt easy and comfortable and so devastatingly normal it almost hurt.
Dominic’s expression softened at the edges, curiosity breaking through the teasing. “Is that amusing to you, angel?”
“Don’t even try to drag me into this,” I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. “I’m not getting in the middle of you two and your issues.”
“I hate to be the one to point it out, love, but you’re already quite firmly in the middle of it.”
“Right.” My face flamed, but I refused to take the bait. “But I’m still pleading the fifth.”
The last thing any of us needed was me going down that road first thing in the morning and admitting just how nice it felt to be there with them, or how much I wanted more of it, or how terrifying it was that I already couldn’t imagine mornings without them just like we were.
Adding fuel to that particular fire was the last thing any of us needed, so I changed the subject instead.
“Well, as much as I’m enjoying this all-inclusive hostage situation,” I said, tugging at the chains above my head. “How long are you planning to keep me like this?”
“That depends,” answered Dominic, tilting his head to examine me. “Are there any whispers or lingering urges to slip out and answer calls you shouldn’t?”
I quickly shut my eyes, not for drama, but because I wanted to be absolutely sure before I answered him. Holdingmy breath, I turned inward again, searching past the buzzing warmth of the bond, past the echo of last night, past the restless edge of power humming just beneath my skin.
Nothing.
My eyes flew open as I beamed back at him, “Nope. Not a one.”
“Good.” His hand moved to the nightstand, pulling open the drawer. He retrieved a small silver key, holding it up between two fingers where it caught the morning light. “Then the question becomes whether we release you now…” His dark eyes glinted with mischief. “Or make you work for it first.”
Heat crawled up my neck. “Dominic!”
“Yes, angel?”
“Stop messing around!”
