The overprotective Dom’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t leave the room. For God’s sake, don’t let her run. If she bolts in this state, we might not find her for a week.”
With an incline of his head in acknowledgement, Reaux rose. “She will not bolt. Don’t worry, Merrick, all will be well.” He moved the table a few inches, then held out his arms. “Come to me, little pixie. Time for us to have a chat, yes?”
Tamsyn burrowed deeper into Violet, but he was not taking that as an answer. Grumbling to himself in French, Reaux simply plucked her off Violet’s lap into a bridal carry, maneuvered around the table, then shifted her onto his hip like a child.
He strolled away, talking to her as though she was capable of conversation. Before he even reached the quieter area across the room, Tamsyn was clinging to him just as fiercely as she’d done with Violet.
“I’m sorry, Merrick.”
“Can’t be helped. Life doesn’t stand still around us, does it? The people in our lives move on, they die, they change. Nothing remains constant forever.” Merrick’s mouth twisted into an impression of a smile. “It’s the first major shift in her reality since she came here. She loves you, so it strikes where she guards most closely.”
“Lay on the guilt,” she muttered.
“You can’t take that on. Circumstances have changed for you, Vi. The path that brought you here is leading you away again; we just have to be grateful it guided you here in the first place. Maybe one day, it’ll bring you back.” His gaze winged across the room, locking on Reaux. “Then again, maybe it won’t. Are you ready to be BDSM royalty?”
“Just because he calls me his queen doesn’t mean I am one.”
“Amatory is a big deal in Southern circles, Vi. I did some digging; when he said he was building you an empire, he wasn’t joking.”
She rolled her eyes. “One thing Boudreaux doesn’t do is lie, even in a humorous fashion. It’s one of his core values, just like he won’t promise something if he doesn’t believe he can follow through.”
“A crown would suit you,” he said thoughtfully. “Hesuits you.”
“How fortunate, considering it appears I’m stuck with him now.”
Merrick laughed. “Such a hardship.”
“Bite me.”
They sat for a few minutes watching Reaux walk the floor with Tamsyn.
Having been in that position only a few days ago, Violet knew how it felt to be safely contained in those arms, to soak in the quiet strength and calm control. It might not be exactly the same for Tamsyn—they were not the arms she knew best, and the shape, scent, power of the man holding her were significantly different to Merrick’s—but she would gain some benefit from them.
Idly answering questions from around the table as the conversation ebbed and flowed, Violet sensed the group energy shift. The usual vibrant hum that permeated the room whenever everyone was together had already dimmed, replaced with a dull, uncertain whine.
Would she ever find this again?
Reaux’s circle would welcome her back—those who remembered her, anyway. He kept it tight, small, but much like Evander and Elias, he was a man whose presence sucked people in. Perhaps she would be able to cultivate some new friendships, but one thing she’d already learned as being the sub of a clubowner was adversarial enough; being the wife, the significant other? That might cause problems of a higher caliber.
When a man looked like Reaux, possessing not only phenomenal good looks but strong genetics, physical stamina and renowned dominant skills, he became an idol for a lot of subs, ones who would do anything to have their shot at him. Add in the bank account, the clubs, his personality, and every other damn thing going for him, jealousy and betrayal quickly got thrown into the mix.
Backstabbing, lies, rumors… anything to throw distrust into the relationship.
She’d witnessed it before with other established couples in the lifestyle; like a train wreck or car accident, it was impossible to look away as tragedy struck. When someone wanted what someone else had… it was astounding what lengths they would go to in order to claim it for themselves.
Some of those couples survived the disaster, a little bloodied, a lot bruised, but they’d healed and carried on with determination.
Some continued, adamant the damage was minimal, but over time the weaknesses caused by lies and sneaky whispers in the wrong ears proved to be their downfall.
The rest simply shattered at the first hint of mistrust.
How would she fare, Violet wondered, when the club bunnies came for her? She was going to be an easy target—two years away from home gave them ample time to fabricate whatever they believed they needed to drive a wedge between her and Reaux.
Hell, she already had proof it was easy enough to do—they’d managed to drive one between themselves, hadn’t they?
“Well I’ll be damned,” Merrick murmured.
Blinking herself out of those intrusive thoughts, Violet watched Reaux set Tamsyn on her feet. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a handkerchief of all things, andproceeded to clean her face with the fatherly tenderness of a man tending to an upset toddler.
