by Lexi Blake
Len proved he caved easily when given the slightest chance. “You’re free to go.”
Bo got a nasty feeling in his gut. Trev didn’t look like a man who was doing a woman a simple favor. He was staring at Mouse like he was going to pounce any second. Trev looked predatory and possessive. What had he meant when he’d said he’d picked her up last night?
“I’m going to take Shelley home. She’s been up all night, and I suspect her husband will wonder where she’s been. I’ll drop her off and meet you out at Aidan’s.” Leo put a hand on Shelley’s back. She had flushed at the mention of her husband.
Bo doubted Bryce Hughes would even notice his wife was gone. He’d fucked almost every single woman in the county. The man seemed to prefer the trailer-trash girls of the world, and they loved him back. He’d noticed that Bryce always had people coming in and out of that real estate office of his, and at all hours of the night. Bryce liked to work late, it seemed. He felt bad for Shelley. She was a nice lady.
Leo turned to Wanda, pulling a card from his pocket. “You would make an excellent Domme, ma’am. If you ever decide to investigate the lifestyle, give me a call. I can get you into training.”
Wanda stared down at the card, phone still in her hand. “A Dom? I don’t know what that is. Patty, do you know why some man with a ponytail would call me Dom?”
“Does Aidan’s brother not know about Beth and the quarterback?” O’Donnell asked.
Leo pointed toward the door. “We’ll wait outside. Come on O’Donnell.”
Leo, Liam, and Shelley walked out toward the parking lot, but Bo stared as Mouse walked straight up to fucking Trevor McNamara and put her arms around his waist. She leaned in to Trev’s body like she belonged plastered against him. Trev sure as hell wasn’t pushing her away.
“What’s going on here, Mouse?” He suddenly had a terrible feeling that he knew.
Mouse gave him a shy smile. “Trev picked me up last night. I guess you could say we’ve decided to start dating. I hope you’re happy for me. You’ve told me for years that I needed to find a keeper.”
That was a joke. He’d said it a hundred times because trouble always seemed to find Mouse. He’d told her to find a boyfriend, too. He’d said it because he’d known damn sure she wouldn’t find one. Certainly not an ex-football star with addiction problems.
“Yeah, I hope you’re happy for us, Bo.” The way Trev’s hands curled possessively around Mouse’s shoulders set his teeth on edge. That bastard thought he could swoop in and steal his girl, did he? “I want to get along with Beth’s friends. I hope we can do that for her sake.”
“Yes, Patty, Trev is being very polite. But I think Bo figured out what we’ve known all along.” Wanda didn’t bother to keep her voice down.
Bo flushed. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He’d just gotten over what people would say about him marrying Mouse. Now he realized that losing Mouse was going to be even more humiliating.
“Are you ready to go? Do we need to take you to your truck?” Mouse asked. Her hand went to Trev’s chest.
His truck was still out at The Rusty Spur. He hoped. Unless someone had towed it. Hell, the way the last twenty-four hours had gone, his truck might have been blown up by aliens or some shit. It would be fitting. “No. I want to go home.”
The Rusty Spur was on the other side of the county. There was no way he was going to ride with them for twenty damn minutes watching Trev hang all over his Mouse.
Fuck. She wasn’t his anymore. How had things gone so fucking wrong in the course of a single evening? How was he going to win her back before she slept with that asshole? Trev wouldn’t wait long. Trev was used to all kinds of freaky shit, and probably a whole lot of it. He hadn’t been picky. The asshole could easily give Mouse any number of diseases. No, there was no way he was going to let that happen.
The good news was Mouse liked to take things slow. She was the kind of girl who slowly pulled off a bandage, hoping and praying that it wouldn’t hurt too much. She took six months to buy a refrigerator, looking at hundreds and researching to get the best price. He had a little time, surely.
He would still talk to her. Ten years couldn’t be erased because one ex-football player gave her a ride home and then offered to drive her out here. He would wait until they were out at the ranch, and he would talk to her away from the glaring eyes of Trev. It could still work out.
She didn’t realize that Bo wanted her. That was the trouble. Once she realized he was finally ready, she would leave all this talk of dating Trev McNamara behind.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Bo said, eager to leave the sheriff’s office far behind him. He turned back to Wanda. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
She smiled brightly. “Lucas? I hope so. That man is delicious. You tell him to bring the paperwork himself. Yes, Patty. I know he likes boys, too. It’s a little naughty. Have you seen him without his shirt on?”
There was no intimidating Wanda. Bo gave up and followed Mouse.
He hated the way her hand slipped down into Trev’s, like it belonged there. Trev’s fingers curled around hers, linking them together. Trev pushed out of the double doors and into the heat. Leo and Shelley were still standing outside. Leo’s head shook as he looked at Trev’s vehicle. Trev’s old pickup was sitting in the parking lot, and it looked like someone was making his opinion known.
“Trev,” Shelley started, her face sympathetic.
Trev stared at his truck for a moment as though the sight didn’t quite register.
“What the hell? How did that happen? We were only in there for a couple of minutes. No more than ten.” Trev dropped Mouse’s hand as he walked around the truck. There, in big, black, spray-painted letters, was a message for Trevor McNamara, former hero of Deer Run.
Go Away
The Irish guy was taking pictures of the damage and telling Leo this better not take long.
There were squiggles and dots all over the truck, but the message was what Bo found important. Someone didn’t want Trev in town. Someone was willing to trash his car in the sheriff’s department parking lot, where anyone could walk out and see him.
Bo pretty much knew exactly how that person must feel. He wanted Trev out of his fucking town, too.
* * * *
Trev sat down in the cool sanctuary of Aidan O’Malley’s office and waited. He could hear Aidan talking to his brother. Bo’s voice was low, but he got the gist of the conversation. Bo was unhappy that Aidan was bringing Trev in as the foreman.
One more person who didn’t want him around.
Something ugly was gnawing at his stomach. All he could think about was beer. He only needed one. That other part of him was whining. Just one beer and I’ll shut up. Don’t you want me to shut up for a while?
“I thought you might like some coffee.” Beth stood in the doorway, a mug in her hand. She had on a well-worn pair of jeans and a button-down shirt that looked to be a size too big. It hung off her, but he knew the curves that were there.
Just like that, the voice fled. There wasn’t a place for that whiny idiot when Beth was standing there looking like sunshine. And he did need the caffeine.
“Thank you, darlin’.” He held out his hand, and she crossed the room. Her eagerness was like a balm on his wounded ego.
“It’s the good stuff,” a sassy voice claimed. Lexi O’Malley stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. Lexi was a lovely woman with a sharp mind and, oftentimes, an even sharper tongue. “Lucas bought one of those single-cup makers. It’s like heaven in a mug.”
Trev took a whiff. It smelled dark and rich.
“It always tastes like motor oil to me. I prefer tea.” Beth looked down at the mug as though trying to understand.
“It’s all right, darlin’. You stick to your tea.” He took a long drink. It was rich and bitter, and entirely wonderful. He had to be addicted to something, and all he had left was coffee.
“Mouse doesn’t understand the call of caffeine, I�
�m afraid,” Lexi explained.
“Her name is Beth.” Despite his affection for Lexi, no one was going to call Beth by that name around him again.
Lexi stopped, and her eyes went back and forth between Trev and Beth, assessing and judging the situation. “You and Beth?”
She hadn’t asked Beth. The question had been directed at him, and he couldn’t misread the momma bear protectiveness behind it. “Me and Beth. And yes, I know what I’m doing.”
She stared for a minute more. “Do you know what you’re doing, Beth?”
Beth shook her head. “Not really, but I know I like doing it.” Her face flushed as though she’d figured out what she’d said could be taken in a risqué fashion. “That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Yes, it was.” Lexi’s face broke into a huge grin. “Well, I have to say I’m happy for both of you. I’ve been trying to convince Aidan to bring Beth with us to The Club for the last year since she’s…well…you know.”
He nodded. Beth was a natural submissive. He hadn’t met many. Even the subs in The Club tended to be more of the “submit in the bedroom”–style subs. “I know.”
“I don’t know. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Beth’s big eyes looked between them as though trying to decide what was going on.
There was a loud shout from the next room, and Lexi winced.
A tall man with raven-black hair strode into the room, his eyes laser focused on Lexi. He walked in and immediately crowded the small woman. His arms went around her, and Trev could hear his sigh as they connected.
“Hi, baby.”
“Hi, Lucas.” Lexi kissed him, her mouth finding his. Her arms wound around him.
Lucas O’Malley had, at one time, been known as Lucas Cameron. He was the scion of a political family, but he’d left them long before to live with his two loves, Lexi and Aidan.
Lucas nodded his way. “Hello, Trev. Beth.”
He liked Lucas O’Malley. “Hello, Lucas. How’s it going?”
He reached for Beth’s hand, the impulse so overwhelming, he gave in.
Lucas didn’t fail to note the exchange. “Well, that didn’t take long.”
Lexi smiled up at him. “You know I always said Trev had the Dom thing down. It’s like a moth to a flame. Speaking of moths to flames, Leo’s in town. Shelley Hughes called him last night when she couldn’t find Trev and worried that he had found a bottle again. He’s the reason we have Big Tag’s crazy Irishman asleep on our couch. Leo brought him in to track down Trev. I think now we know what he found instead of a bottle.”
Lucas smiled. “Seriously, dude, eight hours in this town and you find the sub.”
Beth’s eyes lit up. “Oh, now I get it. I’m the sub. I can handle that. I don’t know why everyone is praising Trev, though. Maybe I’m the one who found him.”
Lexi nodded. “Don’t listen to the men, Mou…Beth. They need to have their egos stroked. It’s why they became Doms.”
There was another loud crash from the adjoining room.
Lexi winced again. “Except for that one. Aidan became a Dom because he likes the violence.”
That earned her a playful swat from Lucas. “Don’t you start that, brat. You know he’s struggling with this.”
Aidan opened the door to the office. His face was grim, but he smiled as he caught Lucas. “You’re back early.”
Lucas put a hand on his Dom’s waist. Aidan was the Dom, Lucas the switch, and Lexi the sweetly bratty sub. “I finished up as fast as I could. I wanted to come home.”
Aidan leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lucas’s. “I’m glad, O’Malley. Now take our wife out of here or she’ll run this damn interview.”
Lucas winked at his partner and took Lexi’s hand. He led her out of the room.
Trev looked up at Beth. “Go on, darlin’. I have to talk to Aidan.”
Beth smiled down at him and followed Lucas and Lexi.
Just like that, the light left the room for him. He was back to darkness as Aidan frowned at him.
“You playing around with Mouse?”
“Her name is Bethany. Don’t call her Mouse. She isn’t some animal.” Trev tried to keep his anger tamped down.
Aidan walked around the desk and slumped down into his chair. “Thank god someone finally calls her by her name. You serious about her? She’s a damn fine woman.”
That was the question. He could be perfectly serious. He just didn’t know for how long. One day at a time didn’t leave much promise for the long-term. What could he offer her if he couldn’t promise much past tomorrow? “I care about her.”
“So does my brother.”
Bo cared. He’d seen it in Bo’s eyes. Bo simply wasn’t man enough to follow up on the emotion. “She’s been alone for years. Don’t make this sound like I walked in and stole her. You know what she is. Bo isn’t a Dom. It would be a disaster if he got together with her. She would be his doormat. She would be miserable.”
“I don’t know if I would say she’d be a doormat, but I do get your point. My brother isn’t a Dom.”
“Not even close.”
Aidan seemed to consider the problem. “But I don’t know that I trust you, either.”
He hated this. He hated being at someone else’s whim. He’d spent so long being the freaking center of the universe that it rankled to have sunk so low. His hands curled around the arms of the chair he sat in. The need that was always there in the back of his head had taken up residence in his gut. It took everything he had not to get up and walk out.
“I can only try my damnedest to change your mind. Leo told me Julian called in a favor to get me hired on here. If you’ll let me work as a hand, you can continue your search for a foreman. All I’m asking for is a year’s worth of honest work.”
Aidan’s brow rose. He leaned forward. “I thought one of the things you required was a safe place to stay. The way Julian explained it, you need a babysitter.”
Trev huffed. Julian had made it sound bad. “I think I have a place to stay. It’s run-down, but I can handle it. I don’t want Beth staying there alone.”
“Out at the old Bellows place?”
He nodded.
“That place should be condemned.”
Not if he had anything to say about it. Beth loved it. “It will be fine once she fixes it up. Look, I get you don’t want me here. All you have to do is tell me no, and I’ll go. I won’t cause trouble between you and Julian. We can tell him I changed my mind.”
“And then what happens to Beth?”
That was the million-dollar question. “I’ll take care of her.”
He wasn’t sure how, but he would do it.
Aidan leaned forward, his eyes never leaving Trev’s face. “My brother is under the impression that you’re nothing more than a bump in the road for Beth. He’s sure she’ll come around to his way of thinking if I tell you to leave.”
“Like I said, do what you need to do. I’ll take care of Beth. She gave herself to me. I can’t ignore that gift. I won’t walk away because Bo O’Malley has decided to finally step up to the plate after ten years. He didn’t want her until I set eyes on her.”
Aidan sat in quiet judgment, the silence of the room oppressive. It gave Trev too much time to think.
He’d lied to himself. He’d been ready to break the night before. He’d put the coffee mug down. He’d made his decision. He’d shut the door to the truck, and he’d started the long walk inside. It was like he’d been pulled along by some invisible rope. He’d stopped fighting it. There had been a certain peace to laying down and accepting the inevitable.
And then he’d seen Beth and known he couldn’t afford to give in.
She claimed he’d saved her. It was utterly the other way around.
“Will you submit to weekly drug tests?”
Aidan’s words sent him into another spiral. And what fucking choice did he have? He had a year until he got his money and he could work his own spread. Maybe then he could afford to buy bac
k some small shred of dignity. “Sure. I’ll pee in a cup.”
He was certain his whole face was on fire, but he kept his words measured and even. He drank his coffee. He thought about Beth as Aidan started going over all the rules.
He wished he was still in bed with her. Everything had been all right this morning. The world had been soft and warm. It had been a place where he hadn’t ruined everything. It had been a place where he’d never chosen a drink or a line of cocaine over his family—one where he’d made his parents proud, where he’d shown up at his momma’s deathbed and helped his sister get through it. When he’d held Beth, that real world—the one where he’d screwed everything up—had fallen away, and he was someone else. He’d been Beth’s loving Master. He’d been someone she could count on. He’d been good for something.
“Did you get all that?” Aidan stared at him.
Yeah. The rules. He knew them by heart. Julian had drilled the rules into him every day of the last two years. They all came down to one edict—don’t fuck up. “Yes. I know what to do.”
“I think we can try putting you in charge for a while.” Aidan sat back, his voice softening a bit. “You know how to work a ranch, right? You haven’t forgotten?”
It wasn’t the kind of thing he could forget. It had been his whole childhood. If he’d followed down his father’s path, he might never have gotten into trouble. He would have been there when his mother had gotten sick. He would have made sure Shelley stayed the hell away from Bryce Hughes. He would have lived a quiet life.
Vanilla. Yes, it would have been vanilla. He would never have been trained to see the inherent beauty and value in someone like Bethany Hobbes. He would have ignored her like the rest of the town.
“I recently worked for your partner, Jack Barnes. I think he’ll vouch for my skill.”
Aidan snorted. “Partner? Don’t let Jack hear that. Let me tell you something, I might be a Dom, but my father-in-law scares the crap out of me. Julian softened up after marriage. Marriage and a family simply refined Jack Barnes’s talents for revenge. And he likes the hell out of you.”