Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries #11)(2)

So why was it Case’s low-key masculine beauty that called to her?

“You are so in trouble,” Kori whispered her way. “You know what he’s been through, right? I’m a little worried that he’s not in a good place.”

His brother. Case Taggart had recently lost his twin brother. She feared for a world that had two of him in it. And she had seen his pain the minute she’d met him.

She knew what it meant to lose family. It created an aching hole that would never be filled.

Case looked up at that moment and a brilliant smile crossed his face.

“Never mind. I take back everything I just said,” Kori whispered. “You make him smile like that and I say you can break every rule this club has. Now I understand why Big Tag was so eager to let you in.”

“You made his brother smile again.” Sarah sighed as if it was all too romantic.

Her heart was doing that thudding thing again, and suddenly the room felt electric. Case Taggart was walking her way. Walking? The man kind of swaggered in an “I saved the world and didn’t break a sweat doing it” kind of way. He’d been a Navy SEAL, one of the youngest. He’d been decorated during battle, recruited by the CIA, and then he’d dropped it all to work with the brothers he hadn’t known he had according to the work-up Riley had done on him.

Riley, her brother. Riley and Drew and Bran. Case sort of reminded her of them. It was there in his strength, his devotion to family.

Would he be so devoted to a woman? Would he take care of her, adore her? Would he let her adore him?

“Hi, Mia, welcome to Sanctum.” He grimaced. “That sounded stupid. You’ve been here.”

She was not about to let that man get awkward on her. “Not at all. It’s so different at night. I’ve been on the tour, but most of our classes are on the main stage and I’ve certainly never seen the place lit up like this. It’s amazing. I mean what I’ve seen is amazing so far.”

He was definitely amazing. So heartbreakingly beautiful.

He held a hand out. “Then please let me show you around. Kori, I talked to Javi earlier. He asked me to look after her for tonight.”

Kori frowned, but there was a twinkle in her eyes as though she knew she was playing the gatekeeper and was definitely going to have fun with the role. “She’s not allowed to play.”

“I’ll follow the rules. We’ll talk and watch some scenes and I’ll have her back to you before closing,” he promised.

She moved next to him. If she went with him, he would require her to stay close all night. Sanctum, she’d discovered, could be a little traditional in its roles. Until the submissive had completed the training course, there were rules about how the Doms would treat them. Even after, there would be politeness and courtesy, but until she proved she could handle the BDSM aspects she was only allowed to play with her vetted training Dom and only under certain circumstances.

She was a little like a debutante submissive.

She wanted to break those rules with this man. Mia let her hand slip into his. So big and strong. He tucked her arm beneath his as Kori and Sarah gave her a wave.

“Shall we?”

She nodded up, feeling like Cinderella and the prince had asked her to dance.

And like Cinderella, she was here under false pretenses, wearing a mask to hide her reality.

Let it go for one night. For one night just be Mia and he can be Case and we can see where it goes. He’ll forgive you. He’s that kind of man.

He had to be.




Two hours later, Mia let him lead her through a door at the top level of the club. To her right was the hall that led to the privacy rooms. When he’d first suggested they go upstairs, she’d worried a little that he was trying to hook up.

Her body was all kinds of ready to go, but she didn’t want him to be the kind of guy who hooked up with a girl before he’d even taken her on a proper date. And yet here she was, following him god only knew where. Was this his personal privacy room? She was confident she could handle him. She was well trained in self-defense, but beyond that, she was pretty sure this was a man who would take no for an answer.

She expected to be led into a bedroom, but a cool breeze hit her skin.

“This is a part of the club they won’t show you,” Case explained as he led her on to the rooftop. “I’m afraid the founding members keep this for themselves. I’m not a founding member, obviously, but they let all the McKay-Taggart guys up on the roof. Wait here for a sec while I get the lights on.”

She was left standing on the roof, the night soft around her. She’d ditched her shoes about an hour in while she and Case watched a couple of scenes and then had a drink in the bar. The scenes had been lovely, filled with a combination of heat and deep affection, and then they’d sat and talked. He’d told her about how he’d come to McKay-Taggart, complete with the craziest story of how he’d raided his own brother’s building on a helicopter and gotten his ass kicked.

She’d told him very little and that hurt. Only a few more weeks and she would tell him everything. She would tell him about her brothers and the company they’d founded. He would see how alike they were.

She walked out onto the roof. Someone had used outdoor-style carpet to cover the floor. It was a little scratchy on her bare feet, but she liked it. The lights of downtown Dallas were soft around her. Most of the buildings in this area of town were businesses and dark, but a few had decorative lighting and the blues and greens and whites made the world seem a little hazy and surreal.