Cari’s eyes narrowed, homing in on Master Leland as he swept in from outside. “I don’t know. Maybe Master Leland knows why Julia, a member for nearly three years, would want to end her membership.”
Bristling already, he snapped, “I make my boundaries clear up front. It’s not my fault if subs don’t listen.” His jaw tightened. “And after watching the hell the six of you have gone through, do you blame me?”
Then he stalked off toward the dark hallway deeper inside the house.
“I should go check on her,” Emily said, moving toward the side door.
Alec intercepted his bride. “Where do you think Leland was going?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea in his mood,” she said, obviously worried, but like everyone else, she knew Leland was trustworthy, and she joined Alec on one of the plush couches.
Cari exhaled. “We have another dom with a mystery.”
“I had no secrets,” Dev said mildly, settling into a wing chair and pulling her into his lap. “That was all you, sprite.”
“I didn’t either,” Alec added dryly. “It was my bride.”
All eyes turned to Rhys and Gaby.
They raised their hands in unison.
“Guilty,” Rhys said.
“We admit it,” Gaby added. “Can we move on now?”
Cari tilted her head to look down at her husband. “You’ve known him forever. What’s Leland’s story?”
Dev shrugged. “He’s been a confirmed bachelor as long as I’ve known him. Some people prefer it that way.”
“You’ve never asked him?” Cari pressed.
Dev smiled faintly. “No. He’ll figure it out. Or he won’t. But it’s none of our business.”
“Or ours,” Alec said gently, squeezing Emily’s hand.
Rhys tipped Gaby’s face down to his. “Are you a matchmaker too, love?”
She laughed. “Hardly. I had a hard enough time making my own match.”
He kissed her temple. “But look how well it turned out.”
Cari and Emily exchanged a look. The kind that said they weren’t convinced, and definitely not finished. They’d nudged more than one stubborn dom toward happiness before. If they had any say in it, Leland might be next.
Gaby, however, had not recovered from her last ordeal, and she had to work with Leland, not to mention live with Rhys. So she settled deeper into his lap, leaving her friends to their scheming without saying a word.
Epilogue
The river moved slowly beneath them, reflecting the last gold-and-rose streaks in the sky. The air was warm, the breeze gentle, carrying the low murmur of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter drifting across the deck.
Cari hadn’t wanted anything elaborate for her birthday—just good friends, good food, and a view worth lingering over from the deck of her husband’s boat at sunset. Dev stood near the stern, working the compact grill with the same calm precision he brought to everything he touched, turning shrimp, peppers, and onions with easy competence. The smell of citrus, garlic, and spice drifted through the air as he warmed tortillas and assembled trays of fajitas.
Mateo leaned nearby, watching with exaggerated seriousness. “You know,” he said, “most people would just order catering.”
Dev didn’t look up. “Most people would do it wrong.”
Cari emerged from below deck with plates, plastic utensils, and an unnecessary number of napkins. Emily followed with her famous three-tier lemon-raspberry cake, carefully balanced in a carrier. The layers were impossibly tender, the raspberries bright and tart, each rosette piped with a confidence she’d earned from repetition. The frosting was the kind that melted on the tongue and made you close your eyes for a second.
Cari certainly did. Her first bite was as sweet as the frosting itself, her ecstatic hum drawing knowing chuckles from the group.
