Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
“I am perfect,” she replied with a smile. “But I will definitely require some aftercare.”
* * * *
Tristan stood in the lounge, looking out over the dungeon floor, feeling better than he had in…years. It had been years since his soul felt so settled. Since he wasn’t thinking about who he was hurting and who was looking to hurt him.
He’d spent hours taking care of Carys with Aidan. Hours where they’d ensured her skin was okay, that she was relaxed and happy. Hours healing his relationship with the man who held a part of his soul. Topping Carys together and then caring for her had worked miracles when it came to Aidan.
He’d answered every question they’d had. Told them about why he’d done the things he’d done. What it had felt like to realize he had all this responsibility on him and no one to talk to. It had been a hard conversation made so much easier because they were all naked and in bed together.
Now they were napping in a privacy room, but he was too wound up.
The club, however, was starting to wind down. The main stage was dark, and there were only two of the smaller scene spaces being used. He’d been told Gabriel Lodge had given the baby Doms a long lecture before sending them to the locker room for the night. Daisy and Kenz had apparently spent time talking to the subs, discussing the scenes they’d watched.
Tris took a long swig of the beer he’d snagged from the bar and looked out over the dungeon floor with a sense of deep satisfaction. The club wasn’t perfect. It was definitely a downgrade from The Court, the DC club he visited from time to time, but it felt like he belonged here.
He wished he’d been one of the people to work on the space. It didn’t matter. He’d been gone and now he was back, and he would do the work it took to be a real member again.
Damn, but he felt good. He felt right. Like something had magically fallen into place. Like he was back where he belonged, and he was never leaving again.
“What is that thing on your face, brother?”
He turned and Zach moved in beside him, a beer in his hand. They were the only two in the lounge, the sub who worked the bar having long since gone home. The Hideout was big enough to have a bar but small enough it wasn’t always manned. It was cool. Most of them knew how to grab their own beers.
“Thing on my face?” Tris asked. The lights were still set at play level, giving the whole place a club atmosphere, and he was reminded there was still some fun going on downstairs since he could hear the snap of a whip and then a masculine groan. “Are Kala and Coop still at it?”
Zach snorted and leaned against the railing, looking out over the dungeon. “They are hardcore, and so fucked up it hurts to watch them. Is the problem with them that they’re both tops? Also, I was talking about the smile on your face. I don’t think I’ve seen you smile before. It looks weird on you, man.”
He playfully gave his friend the finger. “Fuck you, but also, I am happy tonight. And the problem with Coop and Kala started a long time ago. They never discuss it but one day they were doing this sort of dating thing, going on doubles with me and Carys and A, and the next she didn’t talk to him for a year. They got back to being something like friends before the end of high school, and then rarely saw each other until Drake and Taylor brought the twins in and they built the team.”
Zach nodded as though he’d had something confirmed for him. “Kala says her dad forced her to take Coop on the team. I’ve never believed that.”
“Because it’s a lie she tells herself.” He didn’t want to think about Kala and Cooper tonight. He wasn’t sure they were salvageable, and he didn’t blame Kala for all of their problems. She’d been so in love with him as a kid she would have forgiven him almost anything. So whatever had happened, it had been bad. He studied Zach. “You know you have a weird expression on your face, too. Almost like you had a nice night. Did I see you with Devi?”
He could have sworn when he’d looked out in the audience, he’d seen Devi standing in front of Zach, one of his hands almost possessively resting on her shoulder.
Zach’s lips kicked up. “Well, you know I’m not a man to kiss and tell, but I did get the chance to spend some time with her. After she got brave enough to come looking for me. Turns out she’s kind of got a crush on me.”