She was still dressed in the clothes Ria had helped her get into last night and her hair was a wild mess around her face.
“What are you all doing here?” Sophie’s blue gaze lasered in on her. “Ria? Did you bring them here? Why would you do that?”
Guilt lashed her. God, had she made a terrible mistake?
Connor stepped into the run-down motel room. Ajax looked around him, grumbling under his breath and Connor understood why he was so upset. He wouldn’t like to find his sub in this rat hole either.
Of course, Sophie wasn’t Ajax’s sub. If she were, she wouldn’t be stealing from Club Indulgence. Ajax would have her tightly under his watchful eye. But anyone with half a brain could see they felt something for one another. And Connor had more than half a brain. If he wanted to toot his own horn, he was fucking smart.
All those brains hadn’t always worked in his favor, though. He’d been a scrawny geek as a kid. Tall, but no muscle. He’d had to build those up later on. And he’d had all the answers, which hadn’t endeared him to kids his own age. Then he’d been recruited into the FBI as a teenager. Not exactly his best move in hindsight. He’d spent all his time behind a computer instead of interacting with other people. He’d had zero social skills. Hadn’t even kept in touch with his family.
It had been all work, work, work.
Until Greta. The bitch. He guessed he should be grateful to her for something. She’d shown him he was missing out on life. She’d also been the one to introduce him to BDSM. And it was then he’d realized he had another passion besides his work.
His sex drive had been okay up until then. But it wasn’t like he’d had much opportunity for sex. It wasn’t until he’d had Greta tied down, his hand landing on her ass that he’d truly felt a connection, felt a need that was deep and consuming.
Even though Greta had been using him, he still owed her for showing him that side of himself. If she hadn’t, he had no doubts he’d still be stuck behind a computer somewhere. Hunched over and pale without a friend or lover in sight.
He’d probably never have realized he was a Dom and that he had a deep-seated need to be in control. It wasn’t just about the sex, although that was fucking a thousand times better since he’d discovered what he really needed. It was about being in control. It was about taking care of someone else, putting their needs first. Before, he hadn’t realized how to put someone else’s needs before his own without letting them walk all over him. Now he did.
He’d had to learn how to read body language. That hadn’t been easy. But he was an observant guy. And he had an innate need for knowledge. He’d taken fucking classes, he’d practiced, and he’d figured that shit out.
He knew he wasn’t perfect. He still made mistakes. He’d been told his Dom vibes were low-key, but he figured that was a good thing. Wasn’t something he necessarily wanted beamed out to the world. Made going undercover easier, for one thing.
Also meant he didn’t have to explain to his sisters and mother what he was. They still looked at him and saw the quiet kid who’d had his head stuck behind a computer screen through his teenage years.
“I’m sorry, Soph,” Ria told her, looking like she’d been smacked in the face.
Her defenses were down and he could see her vulnerability.
“You were supposed to cover for me. Why would you lead them here?” Sophie stared at her friend.
“They wanted to talk to you and when they found out I was covering for you, they wanted to know what had happened.”
“So, you just told them?”
“No, she didn’t just tell us,” Ajax told her. “Connor spotted the bruises on Ria’s arms and wanted to know where she’d gotten them. And still she didn’t want to come clean. Sophie, why didn’t you call me?”
“Call you?” Sophie looked dumbfounded.
“Yes. Call me. Pick up the phone and call me and tell me you were in trouble. Didn’t you think I’d help you?”
Sophie gave him a confused look. “You’re my boss. Why would I think you would help me?”
Ajax sighed.
“Because Ajax is a Dom,” Connor explained. “And a Dom’s number one job, the thing that drives him, is protecting those that belong to him.”
“But we don’t belong to him. And that sort of thinking went out a hundred years ago,” Ria snapped. “We’re under no obligation to tell you what’s going on in our lives.”
“You are if it interferes with doing your job,” Ajax snapped back.
Sophie nodded. “You’re right.”
“I came in to cover for her,” Ria said. “Which I would be doing right now, if you hadn’t forced me to spill the beans then dragged us all over here. Now Chrissy is going to be in a pissy mood because she’s been stuck working on her own.”
“Trevor will help her,” Ajax shot back.