Page 103 of Sunrise

If only that were true.

“Liking what you like doesn’t make you bad, Alex. I can’t even believe I’m the one giving thislecture considering you’re the one who works at the Monarch as a Dom.”

He’s right. But sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge the kinks we have, and this is the first time I have been able to indulge in that particular one. I can’t imagine ever doing something like that to a woman, though. Especially Sophie. That’s a hard limit for me, which I’ll have to explain before we even come close to doing this again.

“I’m sorry for degrading you about being so subservient earlier.”

“Meh, it’s fine.” He pulls back and taps his temple. “I like not having to think. My two brain cells are always fighting for their lives up here. They need a break, bro.”

I laugh again, and it feels good. When was the last time I feltgood?

“We need to put salve on your back.” I should probably get antibiotic ointment for that cut on his lip, too. And an ice pack. “Go sit on the bed and I’ll grab what we need to fix you.”

His hand steadies on my shoulder and he turns me around to face him. “I don’t need fixing, Vault.”

“You’re hurt and—”

“I’mfine.” His big smile splits his lip even more. “I can take a hit, Alex. I’m not made of glass.”

All those years he took the brutality of his father’s anger and confusion. All that pain and fear. All the unpredictability…

“I was built for this,” he whispers. “I was built foryou.” He holds my face to stop me from looking away. “I won’t let you hurt me.”

“Take another hard look in the mirror, Knox. I already have.”

“This isn’t pain.” He licks the fresh blood from his cut. “This is healing.”

He needs a therapist if he’s saying shit like that.

“Healing isn’t going to be pretty, Alex. It’s messy and painful and hard.” He shifts on his feet and presses against me. “It’s fucking beautiful, isn’t it?”

I fall under his spell. His eyes are so pretty, his dark lashes, the slope of his nose, the fullness of his mouth, his chin and cheeks and hair and—

“Yeah, it is. More…” I clear my clogged throat. “More stunning than a sunrise.”

We close in on each other and kiss. I don’t know how it’s always possible for this man to ensnare me so easily. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept my distance over the years. Because once you fall with Knox, you don’t stop.

There is no catching me at the bottom, because my love for him has no goddamn bottom.

Chapter 33

Sophie

Dmitri warned me that Knox would turn sex into a blood sport if he thought it would make me or Vault happy. He might have been right, but he also unlocked a part of Vault that I think has been kept a secret for a very long time.

Watching that man finally snap and go off was monumental.

Knox made the right call. He forced Alex to face a side of himself he likely never would have acknowledged otherwise. But I’m scared it’s too soon for this level of breakthrough. I’m failing them as their Domme, left and right. There are rules. Boundaries. Protocol. We’re acting like novices in this lifestyle instead of professionals, which speaks volumes for our individual headspaces. We need to be more careful and mindful before someone gets really hurt.

My gaze lifts to the camera in the corner and I pull on my earlobe.

The secondary light blinks.

Dmitri’s watching us.

Of course he is.

The earlobe trick was one Vault put in place for me shortly after I started working at the Monarch as a Domme, and he told Ryker and D about it. It’s mysignal that I’m doing good. Regardless of what things may look like, I’m okay.

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