Assumed Master by Lila Munro Read Free Book Online Page B

met head on with a wall so high a professional
climber would have had issues getting over it. He’d not exactly proven himself
a worthy keeper as far as Dante was concerned. If he found truth in his
assumptions, it would only further cement Dante's conclusions about the man
he’d held as his best friend for so many years.
    "May I have some paper and a pen?"
she asked Gavril, clearly trying to redirect the boy’s attention. "Do you
still like pasta as much as your dad does?"
    That seemed to get Gavril’s attention and
within the course of a few minutes, Julie had a list
of requests and ingredients a mile long. Dante glanced at his watch and
realized they needed to get going or he’d be late for work.
    "Boys, I’ve got to get going," he
said, standing.
    Clearly ignoring him and Blake, the boys
flanked Julie and walked her to the car. While Blake climbed in the back seat,
Dante slid behind the wheel, allowing the boys to fawn over their newly
acquired cook.
    "I love you, Aunt Julie," Lucien
said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
    "I love you, too," Gavril said,
kissing her forehead. "I’m glad you’re going to live with us because of
what Luc said, but I still think it’s a crock of shit no one asked what you
wanted."
    Before Blake could get a word out about his
language, Gavril tucked tail and turned toward the house, Lucien aiding Julie
in the front seat and helping her with her buckle. Any doubt Dante had ever had
that they weren’t raising respectable boys was erased at the sight of the
tender care they rendered her.
    ****
    At half-past ten Dante walked through the
door, completely wrung out. Until he looked up and found a naked Blake on his
knees beside the recliner awaiting his Master. Maybe, just maybe, things were
going to slowly return to some semblance of normal, or what would pass for the
new normal anyway. A heavenly smell wafted through the house, nudging Dante’s
awareness that the new normal included a beautiful, heartbroken woman.
    He placed his leather messenger bag on the
entry way bench then went to the chair where Blake waited and sank into it.
    "I missed you, Master," Blake said,
immediately going to work on Dante’s shoes, removing them and setting them to
the side. He then placed Dante’s left foot in his lap and massaged his instep. "She’s
been cooking all evening. It seems to be an obsession, Master. I’m not sure
what we’ll do with it all aside from calling in a regiment from the base to eat
it."
    "How does she seem otherwise?" Dante
asked, rubbing his forehead at this latest development and eyeing the liquor
cabinet. No, it wouldn’t do to be slamming shots. He’d promised Blake play time
and drunk was definitely not the right way to do that.
    "She seems content, Master."
    "Well, that’s a step forward I suppose,"
Dante answered. "I need a beer."
    "Yes, Master." Blake placed Dante’s
foot on the floor and left to retrieve a Breckenridge Vanilla. When he
returned, Dante took the beer he offered and drew a long pull off it as Blake
resumed his position and picked up Dante’s right foot. "I don’t think
she’s sure of what to do, Master."
    "About what?" he asked, leaning his
head back against the supple leather headrest and closing his eyes. Normal or
not, it was becoming more and more apparent that normal might include little
sleep or even less peace of mind with two subs to worry about every second of
the day.
    "I think she thinks this is our routine
and she doesn’t have any business being involved in it. She refused to come out
of the kitchen, Master. She said this was our time when I told her you were
home and just kept stirring her Bolognese."
    Dante mentally kicked himself yet one more
time when he realized they’d been so busy   that not much got resolved in the way
of rules and negotiating and duties around the house. The only thing she really
knew was it was okay not to be naked, which Dante thought might be bothering
her by now since she was used to being naked, but she