My sister had insisted on staying for dinner.
Which meant my intended meal for two had turned into one for four.
Graham was with the nanny, something I considered to be a blessing because it meant my sister would have to leave soon after dinner; she wouldn’t want to be away from her son for too long.
Unfortunately, it still granted her ample time to question my mistress.
Something she was doing right now in the kitchen while Adalyn helped me chop up vegetables. I’d offered her the task with the hopes of pulling her away from Darby.
Alas, my inquisitive sister had followed us.
So far she’d only really asked for the basics, such as my mistress’s name and how we’d met.
“Adalyn” and “On the island” had been the responses.
Then Adalyn had asked Darby about how she’d met Yon, and she’d continued her own line of questioning that had my sister spilling every detail about her life.
I suspected that natural flow of conversation had something to do with Adalyn’s “training” in the art of deflecting questions.
It’d worked for a while.
But my sister was persistent.
She perched herself on the barstool at my kitchen counter and sipped the cocktail I’d made her. Yon sat beside her with a beer, his gaze flicking to mine briefly.
We both knew the inquisition was coming. I could see the calculations forming in her dark eyes as her tongue played with her straw.
Adalyn ignored her, focusing on the vegetables. Her hair possessed a wild note to it since she’d let it dry naturally, the long, dark strands flirting with her upper back. She’d slid her dress back over her head in my office before running her fingers through her tangles. No other preps. And I found I very much appreciated this somewhat casual state.
Knowing she still wore nothing under that dress had my blood heating.
Primarily because I kept thinking about picking her up and devouring her on the counter.
Something I absolutely would have done if my sister hadn’t intruded on my evening plans.
Caylin had helped a little by procuring more supplies for me, but I’d still dismissed her early. I’d promised her the night off, and I wasn’t about to change that because of my sister.
I could handle a meal for four.
Especially with Adalyn helping me.
“Do you want me to boil these?” she asked, gesturing to the stack of potatoes I’d washed before starting to prep the meat.
I shook my head. “No, I’m making scalloped potatoes. Do you want to slice them?”
She considered her knife. “Um, yes. How thin?”
“You’ll want to use the mandoline slicer,” Darby told her before I could. “It’ll help make them even.”
I washed my hands before opening a cupboard to pull out the tool in question. She picked it up, her brow furrowing. “Okay.” She turned it over, causing the top to fall off of it. “Um, right.” She cleared her throat, picked up the top, and set the whole device flat on the counter.
That alone told me she’d never seen one of these before. “Want me to show you how to use it?” I asked her.
She glanced at me, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “Yes, please.”
I smiled. “First, it goes like this.” I kicked out the little stand on one side. “And you have to set the slicer width here.” I pointed to the dial, then moved it to the appropriate setting for her while she observed. “I’d also recommend a paper towel under it because the slices will come out here.”
She grabbed a paper towel and rearranged it. “And this?” she asked, holding up the part that had fallen off.
“That’s the part you jab into the potato to hold it in place.” I stepped up behind her. “Pick it up.” She did. “Grab the potato.” She selected one with her opposite hand. “Good.”
I reached around her to take hold of her hands. She felt good against me with her back pressed to my chest, almost making me want to cook like this every night.
“Now we’re going to press this button,” I said, my lips near her ear as I guided her finger to the button in question. “That causes the prongs to descend.”
“Okay,” she whispered, focused on the tool in her hand. “Should I stab the potato?”
“Yes.” Similar to how you stabbed Nathan Spencer, I imagine, I thought. But I didn’t voice that out loud for obvious reasons. Instead, I focused on gently holding her as she moved.
The sharp little blades bit into the potato, securing it.
“Perfect,” I murmured, pulling one of her hands away to the slicer on the counter. “Press down here to hold it in place. Then place the potato here and slice it downward.” I demonstrated once by leading her movement and providing just enough pressure to cut a piece off the potato.
“Oh. It’s like a deli slicer.” She glanced back at me. “This is useful.”
“Yes, it is,” I said, grazing her cheek with my lips. “Think you can make a pile for me?”
“And you want the skin?”
“It’s my favorite part, so yes.”
She nodded. “I’ve got this.”
I kissed her on the cheek again before whispering, “Thank you, sweetheart,” into her ear.
My sister was gaping at me when I released Adalyn, a myriad of questions filling her expression.
I warned her with a look not to voice them.
But of course she ignored me. “You met on the island,” she said slowly. “How long ago?”
“Recently,” Adalyn replied, her brow furrowing as she focused on her task.
“Let Adalyn breathe for a minute, Kid,” I said before Darby could speak again.
“How about we go for a walk before dinner and let them work?” Yon suggested, picking up on my vibe.
“But I—”
Yon leaned in to whisper something in her ear, similar to breakfast the other morning.
And just like that occasion, her cheeks reddened. “Oh, okay,” she whispered, clearing her throat. “We’re going for a walk.”
“Dinner should be ready in forty minutes,” I told them. “We’ll set the table for you.”
I didn’t want to know what Yon planned to do to distract my sister. I was just thankful he’d given me some space again.
“She’s persistent,” Adalyn mused after my sister and Yon disappeared through the sliding doors.
“That’s one way to put it,” I muttered, returning to the meat again.
“It’s like she hasn’t seen you with a woman before.” Adalyn pressed down on the slicer, her focus on the potato and not on me. “She keeps staring at me with wonder in her eyes.”
“Because she’s never met any of my girlfriends,” I told her. “And I’ve never had a mistress before, either.”
Adalyn paused. “Never?”
“Other than the occasional date in high school? No, never.” I shrugged. “I tend to keep my dating life private. Which is why she’s so enamored with you. She had no idea you would be here, so now she thinks you’re this big secret I’ve been keeping from everyone. She’s in her digging phase now. Then she’ll open up the sibling group chat and let them all know.”
Big dark eyes met mine. “Will that be a problem?”
I shrugged. “Only if you dislike random visits from family members. They’ll all want to meet you.”
Which reminded me—I needed to call Kane back. He’d texted me an hour ago with a message that read, Don’t avoid me, brother. We need to talk about your flower problem.
I assumed flower was a play on Adalyn’s last name.
So either someone had mentioned her presence on my island to him.
Or he’d learned something about the events of this week.
Either way, I obviously owed him a phone call.
If I didn’t react quickly enough, he’d probably put his ass on a plane and come harass me in person. And I really didn’t want to deal with another sibling on my isle right now.
“Why will they want to meet me?” Adalyn asked quietly, her hands still frozen on the slicer.
I set the meat down again and washed my hands once more. “Because…” I stepped behind her and reached around to take hold of her frozen limbs. “They’re going to want to meet the woman I’ve claimed as mine.” I pressed my lips to her pulse before guiding her movements against the potatoes again.
“Claimed as yours,” she echoed.
“That’s the plan, isn’t it?” I helped her finish the current potato before picking up another. “I’m possessive. You’re mine. I don’t share. Sin Cave owes me recompense. You are the valuable item I desire.”
She shivered. “And then?”
“And then you stay here with me. Or in your own villa, if that’s your preference. But you’ll be safe and able to make your own decisions here.” I considered for a moment. “You could even invite Jen for a visit. You said she’s into the lifestyle, right?” She’d mentioned they’d gone to Ecstasy together.
“She has submissive tendencies. Her older brother is a Dom. So is his best friend.”
“You could invite them all. I’d arrange a villa for them, free of charge.”
“Assuming Pierce has come to his senses,” she muttered, sounding slightly miffed. “I don’t even know if they’re together.” Her jaw clenched. “I… I didn’t expect to see her again.”
I couldn’t imagine that sort of pain, making a friend—someone who barely knew the real you—and knowing you’d never see her again.
Something told me Adalyn had kept her at a safe distance to ensure her protection. And that she likely considered a clean break to be the safest option for them both.
However… “You don’t have to hide here, Adalyn,” I told her. “We just have to convince the Elite that you’re mine. Then, if you want to keep in touch with Jen, you can.”
“But am I yours?” she asked, her hands still moving with mine as we sliced through the potatoes together.
“Do you want to be?” I countered.
She frowned. “That’s not how it works.”
“That’s exactly how it works, sweetheart.” I finished off the potato, then grabbed her hips and spun her toward me, wanting to see her eyes. “I realize your world is all about being told who to submit to. But I want a willing submissive, not a slave.” I leaned into her. “So if you stay with me—really stay with me—it’ll be because it’s what we both want. Not because of some network mandate.”
“But if they found out—”
“They wouldn’t,” I interjected. “Because we will play our roles. And I will protect you.”
“Until you find a better submissive.”
I arched a brow. “Darling, I don’t think that’s possible. You’re absolutely perfect.”
“I think you mean broken.”
“I mean perfect,” I reiterated, cupping her cheek. “You have a past, yes. But don’t let that define your future, Adalyn.”
“Our history is what makes us who we are. It’s the building blocks of our personalities and actions. And my initial foundation is flawed,” she argued. “You have to see how unstable I would be.”
I considered her for a long moment. “What I see is a strong woman who has survived hell and is still fighting for her future. A woman who stood up against her abuser and had the last word. A warrior who is going to stand beside me next week and survive.”
I searched her face, willing her to understand.
She swallowed in response, her gaze still wary.
“Adalyn, you are the most stunning woman I’ve ever met,” I told her. “Am I concerned about our roles? A little, yes. But I’m ready to be the stability you need to create a new layer in your foundation. A cement one that can’t be broken or touched by anything or anyone.”
It wouldn’t be easy.
And I was probably insane for taking this on.
But there was just something about her that I couldn’t turn away from. I wanted more, not less. A future, not just the present.
This girl was special.
And if I had to tell her that for the rest of her life in order for her to believe me, then I would. Every damn day.
“We’re only just beginning,” I promised her. “And maybe it won’t work. Maybe you’ll find someone else. Maybe you’ll decide you want to leave. But right now, all we can do is take it one day at a time. And for the purpose of protecting my family, I will be claiming you as mine. Just like I will be staking that claim with Sin Cave. It’s the only way to guarantee your safety and mine.”
“At the expense of potentially your own happiness,” she whispered back to me. “What if you find someone else?”
I sighed. “You asked me why my sister is so enamored with you. I told you—it’s because she hasn’t met a woman in my life before. As I said, I tend to keep my dating life private. But the reason for that privacy is because I haven’t met anyone worthy of introducing to my family.”
“And you only introduced me because of our current situation.”
“Perhaps,” I conceded. “But that doesn’t undermine the fact that it felt right to introduce you to my sister. Which is why your mistress term is irking me. You’re more to me than a mistress. You’re… Adalyn.”
She frowned. “Mistress is a more appropriate title since we just met.”
“Perhaps. However, it’s not who you are to me.” I slid my palm to the back of her neck, giving it a squeeze. “This is all new. But give me a chance before you throw up your walls. Our circumstances may not be ideal, but I’d accept them again and again if they meant meeting you.” I pressed my lips to hers, sealing my truth with a kiss.
Because I meant every word.
I had no idea what was happening between us or why I’d chosen this woman to save.
But it felt right.
And I wasn’t going to turn my back on fate.
“Now, I need two more potatoes sliced, please. Then I’m going to make the sauce for them.” I released her neck. “Help me and I’ll reward you again later.”
Her eyes instantly heated. “A reward of my choosing?”
“Always,” I promised her.
She licked her lips. “Okay.”
I smiled. And you say you’re not a perfect submissive, I thought, amused. This woman had no idea how special she was.
But I’d ensure she knew with time.
I’d heal every bruise, both physical and mental.
And if she wanted me, I’d claim her.
Again and again and again.
