“Doesn’t concern me?” Anger lit up her face. Damn, he wouldn’t mind harnessing all that energy into other areas.
“Anything regarding Sophie concerns me.”
“Not anymore,” Ajax told her.
Ria flinched back, looking shocked. “What?”
Connor waited, still. He knew where Ajax was going, but he had to tread carefully. Ria and Sophie were close, and shutting Ria out entirely would hurt both of them. And he wasn’t about to stand by and see Ria hurt.
Ajax’s face softened as he looked over at Ria. “I appreciate the way you’ve taken care of Sophie up until now. But you can’t do it all on your own. And she needs more help and protection, as well as someone to lay down a few rules. That’s gonna be me.”
“Why you?”
“Because she trusts me to keep her safe.”
“I-I don’t understand what’s happening,” Sophie said, looking back and forth between them.
“Ajax thinks he’s taking responsibility for you,” Ria told her.
“I don’t need anyone to take responsibility for me,” Sophie protested.
They all gave her a look.
“The fact that you found yourself in this situation says that you do,” Ajax said darkly.
“We don’t need any help,” Ria insisted.
“You do if you want to keep Sophie out of trouble,” Ajax told her. “Roarke’s going to demand some sort of restitution. He’s going to want to know this won’t happen again. I think, under the circumstances, he won’t involve the cops if someone takes responsibility for her.”
“I’ll take responsibility for her,” Ria told him.
Connor snorted. “You’re not a Dom, sweetheart.”
“What has that got to do with it?”
“She needs a Dom to take control,” Connor told her.
“Sophie isn’t a sub.”
“Really? Got your blinders on there?”
Ria scowled at him. “Who do you think you are? You’re here five minutes and you think you know what’s best for everyone around you?”
He pretended to think that over. “Yeah, pretty much.”
She growled, her hands clenching into fists. “You’re an ass.”
He leaned in; his face close to hers. Damn, it was tempting to kiss her. “And you’re trouble. You need to settle down and think. You’re letting your own feelings get in the way of what’s best for Sophie.”
“You did not just tell me to settle down.”
“I did. You’ve got thirty seconds to take it down a notch and start thinking rationally.”
“Or?”
He smiled. “Or I’ll be happy to help you.”
She muttered under her breath as she walked across the room. Back and forth.