Page 29 of Rogue Royal
Mav mirrored his position but faced him, resting a hand on his arm. “Despite who I work for, you can tell me anything. It won’t go any further.”
“Most of the photos showing me leaving a guy’s house early in the morning are welfare checks.”
Mav frowned. “Welfare checks? What do you mean?”
Douglas twisted to face Mav, taking his hands. “No one knows I do this.” He took a breath. “I check on subs to make sure they are happy with their roles, that they aren’t being forced into anything they don’t want to do. There’s only so much we can do at the club, but for some reason, as soon as members step off club property, the club no longer cares, except to ensure they keep up the non-disclosure agreement. I hate it. So much of a sub’s life is outside of the club’s walls. We only get to see a small part of it.”
Mav slid his hand along Douglas’s jaw. “You’re a hero, and nobody fucking knows it.” He surprised Douglas by leaning forward and pressing their lips together. “Thank you for telling me.”
Douglas held up a finger. “Hold on. The latest photo? The guy on his knees? He was a sub from the club. I’d seen him in the bar I was in, and he was going from one guy to another with his so-called friend who was offering the guy’s services. He seemed worse for wear. I was trying to take him home when he dropped to his knees in the alley and yanked at my jeans. They took the pictures as he caught me off guard and before I could pull them back up.” He shrugged. “You might not believe me, but that’s how it was.”
“Why are you letting everyone think…? You can’t tell anyone.”
Douglas nodded at Mav’s realisation. “I can’t let the club know I’m doing it because it’s not part of the membership, but I can’t sit by and do nothing if someone is unhappy or hurting. I also don’t want the Dominants to find out in case it causes problems for the subs.”
Mav stared at him, forehead creased. “I’m so sorry.”
Douglas frowned. “Why?”
Mav rubbed his hands over his face. “I thought the same thing as everyone else. You were sleeping around and causing mayhem wherever you went. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. You saw what I wanted people to see. There’s nothing wrong with it. It just gets tiring after a while.”
Douglas tipped Mav’s head up and stole his breath in a kiss that made his head spin. No longer could he be soft and gentle. He needed Mav, but if all he could have was this kiss for now, then he’d make it last.
When they were both gasping for air, he rested their foreheads together. “Thank you for listening.”
“I’m always here. Now, when my brain is functioning as it should, we can go through those charities.”
Mav rested his head back on the sofa and panted, eyes closed, and Douglas wanted to cover him and do it all over again.
He pressed against his hard cock, willing it to go down. He’d have Mav when the other man was ready, but in the meantime, he thought of everything he could show him.
It didn’t help his cock go down.
****
Chapter 11
Maverick
“What the hell did you do?”
The words pierced the silence of Maverick’s apartment, and he winced. “Hello to you, too, Zara.”
“Don’t hello me. Talk.”
Mav shook his head. “I have done nothing. What are you on about?”
“Either the cat got the canary, or Bert got his comeuppance.”
“If it was the latter, I’d be dancing around the room, not sitting here.” Mav rolled his eyes and sighed.
Zara jiggled her shoulders on the video call. “Ooh, that means the cat got the canary! Tell all!”
“Why am I friends with you again?”
“Because I’m the best!” She turned away from the camera, smiling at someone offscreen. “Tex says hi.”
