Letting her fingers glide down her abdomen she shifted back under the spray and began to imagine that Dax was still with her. He’d asked her a question, of his own accord, whether he liked it or not their intimacy was growing deeper.

Doing Mauri’s bidding gave Dax a chance to clear his head and be reminded of what he did best. Going through the motions, and expelling some of his tension in the process, was overdue.

This was his life, running errands for Mauri, doing for the old man what he couldn’t do for himself. Being relied upon made Dax feel important and he’d always believed himself valuable to the Stark organisation.

But while Trystan sunned himself and fucked his way through Europe, Brad was handing out orders, taking care of business for management, and preparing to take over the reins for Mauri. Dax was beating up lowlifes and threatening them with physical harm so that they’d pay their debts, which they always did after he came around.

The truth was cold. Although he was held in esteem by Mauri, the Stark sons had no real regard for Dax, they made no secret of it, and that meant that his future was uncertain. The perplexing thing was that he’d never cared about the future before and he couldn’t figure out why he suddenly did now.

Bruno would be expecting him back at the beach house and he didn’t want to leave the pervert alone with the Minx for longer than he had to, so Dax sped up the car. The shipment of sex toys that Bruno ordered online had arrived, and Bruno had stowed them in Dax’s closet, but Dax had refused to look through the package. He used his indifference as a shield over the fury that built when he thought about any man penetrating his property, either with his own anatomy or with a foreign object.

The Minx drove him barmy, the way she strutted around in those too high heels and pushed out that tight butt as though presenting it to him – even when it was red raw, still glowing from his hand print – she teased him with it as though daring him to spank her again. She fought with him and questioned him, but never stepped out of line in public. He didn’t get it.

As far as Bruno knew he was doing his job because the Minx was always obedient when it counted. But if he was being truthful with himself he would have to admit that he hadn’t been fulfilling the role expected of him.

She didn’t fear him, she respected him. She didn’t submit to his sexual will, she enhanced it with her own craving for his domination. As unconventional as it was, they’d forged a sort of private relationship and by her actions she’d proved to him he could trust her. But he could never confide in her and he couldn’t tell her the truth.

One day soon he’d have to hand her over to Trystan. Either she would fight the youngest Stark and get herself killed, or she would comply with his depraved requests and marry him in order to be spared.

Dax didn’t like either of those options but he had no claim on the girl. Even if she did stand beside him, not that he was sure she would, it would mean nothing. If Trystan found out that Dax had even considered keeping the girl for himself it would only increase Trystan’s want for her. He was a man who wouldn’t be beaten and their fates would be sealed.

The trap that had been set up to snare her was the type he’d usually be in charge of. This time he couldn’t be part of it because she knew his face, but he couldn’t blame her for falling for it. No doubt the Stark’s had paid off a friend or acquaintance of the Minx’s to recommend the post. After losing her job at GoldSpring she’d be in the need of money, he knew what living that kind of breadline existence was like.

Yet, she was a woman of class who carried herself with grace – even when she was being demeaned by Bruno. Class that went as far as the bedroom threshold at least.

This morning he had already been late to meet his contact when she’d pulled him back into bed, but he’d been tempted to screw her anyway, hard and fast, then punish her with a thorough spanking for delaying him. Refusing her was getting harder, resisting her was a chore. And when he’d heard her moaning in the shower, that breathy desperate sound usually followed by a curse, he’d been tempted to join in or to wrap his fist around himself.

Being with her had taught him things about himself that he didn’t know. The most dangerous of which was that he liked mouthy brunettes who weren’t shy about their bodies.

Switching off the car engine after he stopped in the driveway, Dax slammed out of the car to alert those inside the beach house to his arrival. Except when he got through the front door, the living room was empty. Knowing that Bruno would never be downstairs in the gym, and that he couldn't fulfil his wants with the Minx upstairs in the bedroom, Dax thought the kitchen or back deck were the most likely location for the pair he expected to be here.

Pushing into the kitchen, which led to the deck and pool, Dax found who he was looking for. Bruno was at the kitchen table with a thick smoothie and a nine millimetre flat on the table top under his palm. Their captive was at the centre isle brushing spices onto skewers of chicken, onions, and peppers. When she saw him she fell to her knees as Bruno expected her to do, Dax had to admit that he liked the instant submission, but she never acted that way when they were alone.

‘Up,’ he said to her. ‘Carry on.’ She went back to what she’d been doing and he looked again to the gun.

‘We're having company tonight,’ Bruno said before Dax had the chance to question the gun.

‘Company?’ he asked, crossing to stand behind his female who carried on with her job.

‘The guys are coming over, we're gonna throw on the grill and have ourselves a party.’

‘Brad coming?’

‘No, he's got business. I talked to him about today. You did good.’

‘I got the job done. Brad should have sent me in two weeks ago.’

‘You were busy. We'll celebrate today's success tonight.’

‘I don't need praise for doing my job.’

His fingers crawled onto her hips, managing to creep under to top of her shorts, the cut offs he'd instructed her to wear. After telling her not to wear the bikinis Dax had spoken to Bruno about it, making up some cock and bull tale about how dressing her every morning took away more of her free will. The truth was, he just wanted something on her that didn’t give Bruno such easy access to flesh. Bruno didn’t argue, thank god, because Dax couldn’t be bothered wasting the energy with the man.

Not like when the Minx contradicted him; fighting with her got his blood turning to lava. Then she would throw him for a loop and comply with the simplest of mundane requests and the pyro clastic fumes of torture intoxicated him. This broad was as stubborn as him, but she had a smart head on her shoulders which she used to her advantage as much as she did that explosive body.

Possessing one another was impossible, he knew that their fates were not intertwined. Their paths would continue to cross; he was destined to see her become entrenched in the Stark family, in the position of Trystan's wife. Eventually the time they shared here would be no more than a memory and no one would know what had happened in their bedroom, except them.

If there was a woman in the world for him, one he could trust, then she was as close as he would get. But he couldn't open himself, or that possibility, to her because he would have to give her up. He couldn't bring himself to explain that to her because he knew that she would object and he couldn't deal with the aggravation she would visit on him when there was nothing he could do to alter any of the facts.

‘Did this one behave?’ he asked, bumping his chin on his female’s head, actually wanting to know if Bruno had felt provoked into punishing her, which might provoke Dax into doing some punishing of his own, but not of her.