“I imagine you’d like to see your brothers and sister this morning.”
She eyes me warily and doesn’t speak for a moment. She swallows, then nods. “Aye.”
I walk to her, my hands in my pockets. She follows me with her gaze, apprehension written on her features.
“Then let’s play a little game, shall we?”
Her lips quirk up. and she nods. “Sure. Why not? I’m naked and cuffed in your bed. What could possibly go wrong?”
I can’t help but chuckle. She drives me fucking crazy, but hell, I love that mouth of hers.
“The better question, doll, is what could go right?”
She licks her lips, and this time, I don’t think she’s playing. Her chest heaves when I draw near. I’d do well to remember how she ticks.
She responds well to being dominated. I sit on the side of the bed and reach for her hair. I can hardly stop myself from weaving my fingers through the soft, fragrant mass of it.
She closes her eyes for a moment, tipping her head back. “I know I’m fucked up,” she whispers. “I know it, and I won’t pretend otherwise. But I do love when you touch my hair.”
I drag the tips of my fingers along her scalp and tug so that I’ve got her in my grip. Her mouth parts. I lean in and kiss her, and hell she tastes good. She kisses me back.
“You like that, do you?” I whisper in her ear.
“Mmm.”
“Remember how you address me, lass, will you?”
“Aye,” she breaths. “Yes, sir.”
I reward her with another hair pull. I watch her body’s response, the way her breasts swell and the tips of her nipples harden with just the hair pull. I lie beside her and hold her hair in one hand, tightening the grip while I drag my palm down her body.
“Let’s start at the very beginning.” I need many answers from her, but it’ll go better if I start with the easier questions. “Did you know the O’Gregors run Stone City?”
Her half-lidded eyes fly open and she stares at me. She blinks before she responds. “I know my ex was involved with them,” she says. “I know I’ve seen them in the city before. But no, I don’t know the intricacies of their involvement there. Damn.”
I nod, reaching my thumb to her nipple. I pinch and squeeze. “Is that the total truth?”
She gasps. “Yes,” she pants. “They peddle drugs there. My ex-boyfriend’s in with them.”
I release her nipple, bend down, and lap at it lazily. She moans and moves closer to me.
“Is he, now?” I ask. “Does he work for them as well, then?”
She nods. “Aye.”
“Would’ve been helpful to know that before I busted his arse, no?”
I bite her nipple. She gasps and writhes but can’t go very far with her restraints.
“Aye,” she says. “Probably would have, but honest to God, you didn’t ask, and I didn’t know if you’d care or that he’d even be there.”
I look in her eyes, still holding her nipple between my teeth. It seems as if she’s telling me the truth.
“Not care?” I ask around the tender bud in my mouth. “Not care that I ventured into rival mafia territory to save your family and now I’ll have to deal with that aftermath?”
I lap lazily, and she bites her lip.
My phone rings. I leave her restrained on the bed and go to answer it. She follows my every move.
It’s mam. “Yes?”
“Nolan, will you be coming to breakfast?” she asks. “The children are asking for her, and I don’t know what to tell them.”
I glance over at Sheena. I want to test my theory. “Aye,” I tell her. “Tell them we’ll be down in ten minutes.”
I hang up the phone and look at her for a moment before I fill her in. “Imagine you’d like to see the children.”
She swallows hard, and her voice wobbles a little. “I do. Please, Nolan. Please, sir,” she says. “I’ll give you what you want if you only let me see them.”
I fold my arms on my chest and hold her gaze. “And what will you give me if I make sure they’re cared for? If they’re safe and protected, well-fed?”
Her eyes brim with unshed tears. Either she’s a very good liar, or I’ve struck a nerve.
“Anything you fucking want.”
“I’ll remember that.”
I unfasten her cuffs and send her to the bathroom to get ready. We dress, but before we leave, I pull her over to me and lift her skirt. Cupping her arse, I whisper in her ear. “Today, you give me answers. Down there, you’ll stay by my side. You’ll speak when spoken to, and keep things normal with the children. You don’t leave my side.”
“Aye,” she says, nodding.
I continue with my instructions. “You speak respectfully to my family. You earned a spanking last night I’ll deliver today, and how that goes depends directly on your behavior at breakfast. Am I clear?”