Page 59 of The Dom with a Safeword

“Please? Please, please, please?”

He ignored her and took the last steps with big strides.

Q met them at the bedroom. The lights were on and the relief on her face was clear. “Are you okay, beautiful?” Her gaze met his. “Is she?”

“Sure.” He walked to the bed and dropped Sabrina onto the sheets from a foot above, so she bounced a little, then rolled her over into the center. “Pile in everyone. We’re cuddling.”

To his delight, that drew a chuckle from Sabrina.

By the time they’d gotten comfy he had an armful of Sabrina on one side with Q on the other. The women’s heads bumped his chin now and then as they whispered to each other. Seeing them care for each other like this, letting him be a part of it… He watched as Q played with Sabrina’s hair. Damn if he didn’t want to keep this going. Summer only? What a waste.

“You scared the fucking shit out of me, little girl.” The sternness in Q’s voice made him jiggle her.

“Hey. Q. Be nice. I just spent five minutes gluing her back together.”

“Yeah. Shh, Miss Dommy Pants. Besides…” Sabrina shifted where she nestled and reached over to prod at Q’s side. Only Q grabbed her hand first.

“Besides?” Q’s tone made him feel like an emperor peering down at two sparring gladiators.

“Besides…I can’t help that I had to pee. I didn’t check bathroom control on my questionnaire so my bladder only works on my schedule.”

He smiled. The return of the feistiness. Brat One versus Brat Two.

“You weren’t just going to the bathroom, little girl. You were off downstairs, doing something else.”

“I was…” She cleared her throat, pulled her hand out of Q’s hold. “I was looking for a ghost. My detectors went off. I thought I saw something, and when I got trapped, I just was so terrified.” Her breath hitched and he wondered if she was about to cry. “I’m sorry I worried you both. But look...”

She squirmed a bit and he felt her fiddle at his side before her hand popped back up with the damn camera, again. “This! I took pictures of the ghost.”

“Uh-huh.” Q sounded skeptical. “So you went off gallivanting and got yourself in trouble. In all the time you’ve been ghost hunting, what have I said? Go with a chaperone or not at all. You get hyper focused on your gadgets and don’t look at your surroundings, Sabrina. You could have fallen down some hole in this house.” Q’s hands stroked over Sabrina, as though to reassure herself that she was okay.

“A hole? Like a bottomless pit to hell?” She snorted. “Let me guess, Jude is Satan’s evil demon sidekick? Seriously, Q? I have a fucking picture of a fucking ghost! And you’re talking about home repairs?”

“Enough with the pictures. Put the camera away. Check in the morning.” Jude squeezed them both to him for a second. The ache in his chest had just multiplied by a thousand. “What am I going to do? You two are going to give me several heart attacks before this summer is over.”

Sabrina stiffened and sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry. So…I was bad? You want us to go then? I don’t want to go,” she said wistfully.

“Hell! No.” He lifted his head off the pillow and peered down at her. “I never said that.”

“Jude,” Q murmured, toying with his chest hair.

“Yes?”

“Thank you for not bitching out Sabrina. Some guys would have lost their shit instead of being nice.”

He couldn’t help frowning. “I didn’t do anything special. Besides, it was a pleasure. I got to carry Sabrina up the stairs.”

Q, seemingly without realizing it, had wound her fingers into some of his hair so tightly she was tweaking it at the roots. He resisted protesting. Something bothered her. He waited.

“I’ve met some men who’d have been pissed.”

“Assholes then. There’s no reason for a man to be like that. Boyfriend?”

Her shoulder moved as if she shrugged. “Yes.”

“Well, forget him. I’ve got you both now.”

She stayed quiet but exhaled slowly then her muscles relaxed and Q snuggled closer.