by P Nelson
Ignoring the comment about her brothers’ large noses, the one they inherited from their grandfather, Thea stared at Dillon. “You’ve been to the Taverna?” she demanded.
“I like Greek.” He tried to shrug away her scrutiny. “And maybe I was doing some stalking. Their chicken souvlaki is to die for and the way they put the whole slab of feta on top of the salad.” Dillon closed his eyes like he was in bliss right at that moment. The car rocked to a stop.
“How can you eat cheese and keep your eight pack?” she demanded.
“All the sex.” Dillon’s expression turned hot, and he flicked his gaze down to her breasts. She was wearing a conservative scooped neck cashmere sweater. The action made her nipples tighten and her pussy grow wet. A glance from Dillon, and her body was responding as if she were a teenager again. She’d better make sure her IUD was firmly in place.
“Have a good night, you two.” Joe remarked from the front seat. “Text when you’re ready to make your escape.” Dillon made eye contact with Joe in the rear-view mirror. “And good luck with your family.” Thea didn’t have any time to respond. Joe got out and came around to her side of the vehicle. During the past few weeks with her more frequent trips out of the apartment, Thea had become much more accustomed to the routine of having Joe and the other men from Linkin’s team protecting her. She still felt irritated at the constant eyes on her movements, but at least the whole experience had become routine.
Thea knocked on the door. Dillon held a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of expensive wine. She told him this was normally a pretty informal affair, her brother’s wives and her mom swapping whose house would host the Sunday dinner. Thea had never hosted dinner, and this was the first time she ever wondered why no one asked her. The doorbell had scarcely stopped ringing when Thea heard multiple feet crashing through the hallway.
“Auntie Thea!” Excited shouts and small hands started to pull her inside the house. “We saw your boobies on TV!” One excited voice exclaimed, and Thea winced. This was her punishment for trying to defy Esposito. Her young nieces and nephews had obviously viewed the footage of her outside of The Feather Flogger.
“Have a good evening.” Thea could hear the laughter in Joe’s tone as the door behind them closed.
“Maceo!” Alec’s wife Seraphina shouted as she came down the hall. “Boys! Girls! Off your auntie right now,” she ordered. The children stopped grabbing at Thea’s clothes, and she raised her gaze to Seraphina. “I’m sorry. We did our best to keep the images away from them at home.” She shrugged as she came in and gave Thea a big hug. “But at school, it’s another matter entirely.”
“You’re Auntie Thea’s boyfriend. The porn star.” Maceo locked onto Dillon who appeared to be enjoying the speculative looks from the children.
“Do you know what a porn star is?” he asked seriously.
“It’s when grownups take their clothes off like mommies and daddies.” Tabitha, Fabrizio’s youngest daughter informed everyone in the hallway with the authority only an eight-year-old possessed.
“Go and tell your father what you just said.” Seraphina’s tone held no room for refusal. “The rest of you back to your board game.” She stared all the children back down the hall. Only Maceo glanced back before disappearing up the stairs at the end of the hall.
“I’m sorry,” Seraphina turned to Dillon.
“It’s the older kids at school.” Dillon appeared unruffled by the children or by Seraphina’s examination. Thea’s heart melted further. “I’ve brought flowers and wine. Thank you for inviting me into your home.” Seraphina took one look at the beautiful bouquet and the wine label.
“You can come every Sunday if you bear gifts.” She took the flowers and the wine bottle. “Everyone is in the living room, Thea. Good luck.” Seraphina turned to head back down the hall. She stopped midway and twisted around. “It’s good to see you.”
Thea’s chest tightened. She hadn’t visited any of them often in the months since she had started the investigation into the girls’ abductions and murders. The case and her duties at The Cage took up all her time.
“Come on they can’t be that bad.” Dillon tried to cheer her up after he removed his shoes and hung his jacket on one of the pegs by the door. She wanted to warn him to keep his jacket just in case they needed to make a speedy getaway. Thea reached out and grabbed his hand. She let the expression of surprise go and squeezed his hand. He squeezed hers back. They had fucked, made love, battled for control, and submitted (after a fashion, in his case) to one another. But they had never been affectionate in public like this.
Dillon kissed the back of her hand, and strength infused her limbs. She could do this. During her abduction, Thea had been miserably anguished, believing she would never see her family again. She hoped there was an afterlife as her Greek Orthodox mother always said, so she could watch and protect them. Now, she had a chance to join them. Even better.
Pulling Dillon down the hall behind her, Thea turned to the left and entered the generous living area of the big old house. Her brothers along with her father sat on sofas and in comfortable seats. The women were probably all in the kitchen, preparing the food. This is how it had always been for her growing up. She glanced around to take in their expressions, noting the chief wasn’t among them as he and his wife May normally would be. The room was silent.
“I told you if you arrived late everyone would be gossiping about you.” Alec stood up from his seat and walked forward with open arms. She let go of Dillon’s hand and allowed her older brother to wrap her up in his arms. Thea tried to remember the last time she hugged any of her brothers and couldn’t remember a single instance. There had never been a single time in her whole life where Thea had sought comfort or support like this from her family.
“Thank you,” her brother murmured as he stepped back, releasing her from the hug. Thea wanted to ask why he was thanking her when she found herself caught up in another hug, this time Fabrizio’s arms came around her. When he let go, there were tears in his eyes.
“You can’t be a stubborn bitch all the time.” He glanced at Dillon; Thea noticed he was speaking with Alec. “So, does she make your wear a satsuma in your mouth, walk on all fours with a dildo in your ass?”
“Come on; papa’s in the room!” Taavi grabbed Thea round the waist and held onto her.
“Only on Monday nights,” Dillon quipped back. Fabrizio started to chuckle and by the time it was Lajos’s turn for a hug, all the men except her father were laughing together.
“For the record, I never thought you were a lesbian,” Lajos told her when he released her from the hug. “It was those morons, but all the leather does explain quite a few things.”
“Hilarious,” Thea responded. Her father hadn’t gotten up. She left him in peace and sat down next to Dillon on one of the empty sofas.
“Beer, wine?” Alec asked as he headed for the door.
“Beer.” She and Dillon said at the same time. The room was oddly quiet for a minute before Taavi spoke up.
“I recognised you from the restaurant when I saw your face at the hospital,” he said.
“Sure, it’s all the porn you and Maria watch,” Lajos interjected.
“Boys,” their father warned, but it had been a long time since he had any control over his boys. Alec came in with the beers, and Lajos immediately struck up a conversation with Dillon.
“If you’re wondering why Chief Barnes and his wife aren’t here,” Alec said quietly to her as he handed her the other beer. “Dad and he had a terrible row after you were fired from the VPD.” Thea glanced over at her father who was staring at her. She couldn’t believe the father who had berated her at the hospital might have stood up for her. He had never wanted her to join the VPD, had never supported her until now.
“Assholes,” he exclaimed. Everyone stopped midsentence to stare at him. “Fucking bastards. You served dutifully with conscience for your whole working life and this is how they betray you?” he slammed a fist
in the sofa arm. “Most of them are alcoholics suffering from PTSD, cheating on their wives, and carrying on. To judge you.”
Thea saw that he made to spit on the ground, but Alec groaned. “It’s a fucking travesty.”
“Papa, you know the chief didn’t have a choice,” Thea tried to explain.
“For years, that man told me how to raise my daughter, stole her from me when you entered the force, and now he has the gall to dump you.” Papa held up his chin. “You don’t dump family.” Lajos and Taavi lifted their beers in salute.
“I’m sorry if you’re all embarrassed.” The words caught in her throat. She was a proud member of the BDSM community, but she owed her family. Dillon’s hand on her back was soothing as he lent her his support and his acceptance.
“We’re not embarrassed, Thea.” Her father stood up. “We’re scared for you.” He walked forward and enveloped Thea in his arms. “At first, I was angry; then, I was sad; now, I’m just happy to have you back in our lives.” Tears muffled the words. Thea’s eyes watered. They had never been the perfect family, but now maybe they had a chance to at least understand one another. Thea let go of her dad and let him take his seat again.
Thea sat back down next to Dillon and snuggled into his side, allowing him to comfort her again.
“So, now that you’re not on the police force, I see you have turned to porn to make money,” Fabrizio commented from a chair near the empty fireplace.
&
Dillon allowed himself to relax once the powerfully emotional scene between Thea and her father played out. He didn’t know how their relationship had progressed when Thea was younger, but while she was at the hospital, Dillon could see him trying to understand his daughter and failing.
“You make my daughter happy,” Mr Demopoulos remarked after supper was over. It had been a raucous affair with plenty of banter between the Demopoulos siblings. Their wives even managing to get a word in edgewise, while the children ate and laughed along with everyone else. Dillon had absorbed the atmosphere. He had been the only child of a single parent. His mom was amazing, but family dinners were hardly the exuberant affair the Demopoulos family enjoyed.
“I try.” Dillon responded as he helped to load the dishwasher. Alec handed him another beer as he stood up to get more dishes.
“Don’t work too fast. I like to drink at least two beers while we’re cleaning up.” He put extra emphasis on the last two words. As the ladies stood up to go into the living room, they told Dillon the men cleaned up the table. Now that Thea had a boyfriend, the family would expect her to cook a dish some Sunday very soon.
“No problem.” Dillon took a long drink from his beer.
“I thought I’d like him.” Taavi remarked as he sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen bar.
“You make her smile,” Mr Demopoulos continued. “I can’t remember the last time she smiled. That’s why I didn’t want her to be a cop. Because I recognised the job would pull her down.” Dillon considered the older man’s words carefully before he spoke.
“Thea likes to make a difference. Help people.” He had all the men’s attention now, and he was self-conscious as he ploughed forward. “As a cop, she protected victims and saw some bad dudes get put away. As a member of our community,” he put extra emphasis on the last two words, “she is a well-respected person who a lot of men and women look up to. She’s a mentor and someone who does her best to protect those not as strong as her.”
“And are you protecting her?” Alec sounded serious, hard. “That asshole is still out there somewhere. The cops told mom and dad he might be coming for Thea again, but they can’t help to protect her.”
“Bullshit.” Lajos swore. “They’re fucking cowards.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Dillon wiped the condensation from the bottom of his beer bottle on his designer jeans before continuing. “The same men and women who respect Thea in our world are protecting her right now. And we won’t stop until Esposito is no longer breathing, or he’s in jail permanently. You have my word.” Dillon didn’t even flinch as he made the promise. The Dom inside of him understanding that he would spend the rest of his days bringing the man who had tortured Thea to justice, and he realised his fellow Doms would be right behind him.
“So, when are you going to teach us how to spank our wives when they’re naughty?” Alec interjected into the silence.
“You’d better not let Seraphina hear you getting instructions on how to spank her.” Taavi cast a worried look towards the door before pulling his almost empty beer towards himself. “My wife might hear and want to spank me.”
Dillon laughed as he turned his attention to the rest of the dishes. The four brothers continued to laugh and joke around, while their father attempted to rein in their more ribald comments. He soaked in the atmosphere and was disappointed when Fabrizio’s wife came into the kitchen to collect him. A long round of goodbyes followed. Dillon promised to be at the next family dinner. Lajos and Taavi’s wives were next. Dillon had to promise to bring Thea to the restaurant for dinner this week. There would be no discount on the bill.
“Are you ready to go home? I’ve texted Joe.” Thea stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Guess I don’t have much choice.” Not that Dillon was complaining. It had been a lovely evening, but he wanted to get Thea home and naked, preferably tied up in some vulnerable position where he could fuck her ass. Yup. She really needed an ass fucking for keeping this great family all to herself.
“Thank you for having me in your home,” he spoke to Alec, hoping the man recognised his words were sincere.
“Anytime. Unless you break my little sister’s heart. Then I’ll hunt you down.” Alec pointed a finger at him.
“Thanks, caveman, but I can fight my own battles,” Thea told her older brother.
“I was hoping you might have learned you don’t have to.” Alec was serious. The doorbell rang.
“That’ll be Joe. I’ll get it to make sure.” Dillon strode towards the front door speaking to Mr Demopoulos. “Thank you for tonight. I guess I’ll be seeing you next Sunday.”
“Talk care of our girl,” he called back. Thea grumbled under her breath, and Dillon smiled. He checked to make sure it was Joe at the front door before leaning down to put his shoes on. This is how it was supposed to be. A feeling of contentment flowed through him as he escorted Thea from her brother’s house down to the waiting Mercedes. They were a couple. Maybe they didn’t fit into any BDSM label that he’d ever heard of, but what the fuck did it matter? Dillon understood in the deepest marrow of his bones he couldn’t live without her, so he had better find a way to live fully with her.
Chapter Twenty Six
Thea felt domesticated the next morning. Monday morning. She showered and dressed alone in her room, aching for Dillon’s presence. They had come home from her brother’s house last night in good spirits and watched a movie together on the couch. Not some sappy chick flick either. An old action movie she’d watched a dozen times, and Dillon said he’d never come across. She still didn’t quite believe him.
Finishing her coffee, Thea placed the mug in the dishwasher and turned off the percolator. Dillon would train with Joe this morning before starting conference calls with his agent and the producers of the movie he wanted to direct. He was still furious over the publicity stunt they had pulled including her as one of the film’s stars. Any other time and she would have shrugged it off. Last night, her brothers along with her parents had helped her. Maybe they didn’t understand her, but they still accepted her.
Thea entered the living room and picked up her jacket and purse. The elevator doors opened, and Nick, one of Linkin’s security guys came through with a smile on his face. She liked Joe, but it had taken a while for Thea to get to know him. Nick was different story altogether.
“You’re stuck with me this morning,” Nick grinned.
“Hold the elevator, junior high.” Thea hustled to the elevator doors before they could close. She had gi
ven him the nickname because he looked like a damn baby even though she knew he had done his time in the military.
“Sure thing, cougar.” He made swiping actions with one hand. Thea rolled her eyes at him as she entered the elevator.
“I would be a cougar to you,” Thea laughed. The doors closed, and she pressed the button for the lobby. “Did you enjoy your days off?” She listened distractedly to Nick’s stories of hiking and adventure sports. The upcoming therapy session took her attention. During the past few weeks, Thea had embraced her time with Calla. It wasn’t only about the new contract and Dillon’s strict rules; she needed to speak to the other woman.
The doors opened, and Nick stepped out first, any hint of humour evaporated from his face. Scanning the lobby, he nodded for her to come out. Thea was always tense as they efficiently made their way through the glass lobby and out to the familiar Mercedes. A new driver was behind the wheel. The uniformed policeman pointedly ignored their passage. She had tried to make overtures with the cop stationed in the lobby to protect her, but he met every one of her enquiries with blank stares.
“I heard the VPD is shutting down the official investigation into Esposito.” Nick slid into the front passenger seat of the car. He signalled to the driver and the car started off into early morning Vancouver traffic. It wasn’t a long distance to Calla’s office located in the leafy area of the city just before Stanley Park.
“News to me.” Thea’s stomach dropped. She stared out the window to help her gain some of her composure.
“We’re going to get him.” Nick’s normally friendly tone had turned to ice. Thea glanced up to the front seat to see he had twisted around to face her. Gone was the junior high kid and in his place sat a man who had seen combat. A shiver ran up Thea’s spine. “That motherfucker doesn’t stand a chance against Linkin.”
