by Lexi Blake
Damn. One night with Julian Lodge and she was a lustful pervert.
But what was perverted about it? What she and Julian had done hadn’t hurt anybody. Why should it matter that she had fantasies that were slightly outside the mainstream? She’d spent her entire life being a good girl and what had it gotten her? She was forgotten in the community until someone needed something. Finn had found other girls to sleep with. Her sister treated her like crap. The one crazy thing she’d ever done in her whole life had netted her a night in bed with a veritable sex god.
Maybe being good was for the birds.
“I don’t like the look on your face.”
“Too bad.”
She was about to let loose, to tell her lying best friend that she didn’t give a damn, and he could go to hell. The smoke rising from her house made her stop. She felt her mouth drop open as he turned, and she could see a plume of gray smoke rising from her front yard. “What the hell?”
“Is that your house on fire?” He hit the gas, charging forward.
Up ahead, she could see that the house was fine. The yard was not. The yard was littered with piles of trash, and it was, or had been, on fire. The small Willow Fork volunteer fire truck was out front, and they had put out the fire. They were rolling up the hose as Finn stopped the car.
Val stood in the front yard talking to a man in uniform. His name was Andy McKenna, deputy and resident all-around asshole. She squinted. A piece of bright pink fabric stuck out among the char. Dani’s heart sank. She knew what that was, or rather had been. It was a big pink elephant Finn had won for her at the county fair when they were sixteen. She’d moved it to Jimbo’s along with everything else she owned in the world. Now it was gone.
“What the hell happened?” Finn’s question came out as a shocked gasp.
She slammed out of Finn’s SUV and made a beeline for Val, who had a judgmental frown on her lovely face as she listened to Andy. Dani heard Finn’s door slam and felt him behind her. Despite her anger with him, she was damn glad she wasn’t alone.
“Well, look who decided to crawl home.” Val’s frown got deeper, putting creases on her face.
Andy turned toward Dani, a glare in his cold, dark eyes and a smirk on his face. “Looks like you pissed someone off, Miss Bay.” He emphasized the Miss. “Take a look around and tell me if you recognize any of this stuff. Your sister was sleeping, and when she woke up, all this crap was in her yard, and it was on fire. She seems to think it has something to do with you.”
“Shit,” Finn hissed as he surveyed the damage. He kicked at a pile of books. A half-burned copy of Keats’ poems disintegrated before her eyes. She saw his face go red, but this time it was all about anger. He turned to Andy McKenna. “Are you going to call that fucking redneck in for questioning?”
McKenna stared through Finn, not bothering to take off his mirrored sunglasses. “I have no idea who you’re talking about, son. And I would appreciate you watching your fucking language around an officer of the law.”
She had the most insane urge to clock the son of a bitch. He was a year Finn’s junior. The “son” was pure insult. Anger rushed through her system. She wouldn’t get a lick of justice out of this man, but she felt compelled to push anyway. “He’s talking about my ex-fiancé. He obviously dumped my belongings here and then torched them. There has to be something illegal about that. If nothing else, isn’t there a burn ban?”
McKenna’s lips quirked up. “Now, Miss, if I were going to write a ticket for ignoring the burn ban, I would have to write it to the homeowner. That would be you, correct?”
“Obviously she didn’t destroy everything she owns.” Finn’s jaw was clenched in impotent anger. His fists pumped at his sides.
Tears burned in the backs of her eyes. She looked over at her sister, the woman she’d put her life on hold to raise, to put through school. She was shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
“After yesterday, who knows what Danielle would do?” Val proclaimed. She stood there in the jeans and flouncy top Dani had bought for her birthday and shook her head, looking at her sister like she was a pest to be dealt with.
Everything she owned. The truth raced through Dani’s system like a wildfire. All her clothes, her books, the chair her mother used to rock her in, all gone. Even her car was at Jimbo’s shop. She had nothing but her purse and the clothes she’d gone to the church in yesterday. Finn had picked those things up. It was the only reason she had a damn thing in the world. Her hands started to shake. Finn’s arms came around her.
“It’s all right, baby. I’ll take care of you.” His breath was warm against her neck.
She suddenly wanted to call Julian. She wanted to call him because he would come and take care of the problem. He would step in and shield her, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything. If Finn tried to deal with this, he would get in trouble. He might get hurt. No one would hurt Julian.
He hadn’t given her his number.
She stepped out of Finn’s arms and turned to face Deputy McKenna. There was no one she could rely on but herself. Finn was standing by her because he felt bad. They were friends and nothing more. She couldn’t put him in the line of fire. “I would like to file a report.”
“You don’t have any witnesses.” The deputy frowned at her and crossed his arms, showing his obvious disinterest in the process. “Val here was asleep, and there are no close neighbors. I already called Jimbo, and his mother is willing to say that he dropped these belongings of yours off late last night since you made it real clear you weren’t moving into the house he bought for you. I doubt this crap burned all night. This shit is so cheap it probably went up in no time at all. What did you do? Set it on fire and then drive around the block?”
No help was forthcoming from the Willow Fork Sheriff’s Department. It didn’t surprise her. Andy was Jimbo’s drinking buddy. There was no way he took her side over his. The thought that Andy would do his job with no bias was completely laughable. “So you aren’t going to do anything at all?”
He shrugged as the volunteer fire department finished packing their equipment. “Unless you have an alibi, I would back off, Dani. Everyone knows you aren’t acting much like yourself lately. A lot of folks around this town are thinking you’re out to get as much attention as possible.”
Val stepped forward, getting between Dani and the deputy. “Back off, Dani. You can’t prove you didn’t do this. You don’t want to get into more trouble than you already are. Everyone is looking at us like we’re the trashiest family in Willow Fork, and that’s saying something.”
“What is wrong with you people? There’s no way she did this herself. That’s ridiculous. She was out at Jack Barnes’s ranch,” Finn countered.
Andy laughed, a sharp, short bark. “Yeah, I wonder what she was doing out there.”
“A man who’s way better looking than you.” Dani ignored her sister’s gasp of shock and turned on her heels to walk into the house. No one would help her. She might be able to force them to make a report, but unless she had irrefutable evidence, these good old boys would protect their own. Jimbo would get away with his revenge.
She walked up the rickety steps and started to slam the door, but Val was there following her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Val’s claw clamped down on her elbow, whirling Dani around to look at her.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed for a while.” Her old bed was still here. Val hadn’t gotten rid of it yet. She would curl up and try to forget that any of this ever happened. Maybe she would wake up and find out it was all a dream and Finn was still gay and her world was still crappy, but familiar.
“This is my house.” Val got between Dani and the hall that led to the bedrooms. She looked model perfect for a woman who’d recently gotten up. Dani had to wonder if she’d taken a flat iron to her hair before she called the fire department.
“It’s still half mine. Where do you expect me to go?”
“I don’t know. Anywhere
but here. Look, I’m not trying to be a bitch, but there’s nothing left for you here. You should go somewhere else. No one is going to accept you in Willow Fork. Go to Dallas with Finn and let me buy your half of the house. You’re gonna need the money. It’s what we agreed on in the first place.” Val’s flip-flop tapped on the linoleum.
A heavy weariness permeated Dani’s body. She hadn’t slept much the night before, and the emotional roller coaster of this morning was taking its toll. She was sore, tired, and wanted nothing more than to cry herself to sleep after a nice long shower. “We decided that when I was moving. I can’t move now.”
“Of course you can. It’ll be easy. You don’t even have stuff to pack. You can move to Dallas with Finn. You talked about how much you wanted to do that before Mom died.”
Finn stood in the doorway. Her heart skipped a beat. He was so gorgeous. His shoulders were broad and his body fit, but his face was what always caught her. She’d had so many fantasies about that face cuddling close to hers, those sensual lips saying “I love you” as he worked over her.
He’d never wanted her. He was one more in a long line of men who didn’t want her for who she was. She needed time to figure out how to move forward.
“I can’t move to Dallas. I might cramp Finn’s sex life.” She saw Finn pale but turned away. He wasn’t hers to comfort anymore. She turned and walked down the short hall. After she slammed the door, she sank to the bed. Though exhausted, it took her the longest time to fall asleep.
Chapter Eight
The bartender opened a small cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Scotch. Julian sighed at the thought of something civilized. He might be at a place called The Barn, but it looked like the Scotch, at least, was a connection to his privileged world.
The bartender set two glasses in front of them and poured out a finger apiece. Julian frowned and slightly shook his head. The fellow was obviously well trained as the line of pure amber liquor went up in his glass.
Beside him, Jackson chuckled lightly. “You should probably leave the bottle, Kevin. My friend had his first full day of ranch work. Never been on a horse before.”
Kevin smiled and nodded in a deferential fashion that made Julian believe he was a man who was usually tipped well. “Absolutely, Mr. Barnes. Cigars, sir?”
Jackson shook his head shortly and turned, his eyes flashing around the bar. Samuel slid onto the stool beside him, a smirk on his ridiculously perfect face.
“Abby’s in the bathroom with Christa. Your cigar habit is still a secret.” Samuel slapped his Dom on the back affectionately and nodded as he was passed a beer.
Julian stared at the two. There was so much about the way their relationship worked that he didn’t understand. For years he simply let it slide, but now he found he wanted to know why Jackson did the things he did. “And you keep this a secret why?”
Jackson took a quick swallow of his Scotch. “I keep it a secret because I married a nurse. She takes particular exception to smoking. It’s why I rarely do it.”
“Then simply tell her to accept it.” That was the way it worked. Jackson was the Dom and Abigail the submissive. That’s what a sub did. She submitted to the will of her dominant partner.
Jackson and Samuel both broke into fits of laughter, further confusing Julian. His muscles ached. He probably had bruises in places where he didn’t want bruises. He now understood why they called it punching cows since he’d given serious consideration to doing exactly that. Cattle, it turned out, were not very smart creatures. They did not mind and couldn’t care less where they defecated which, at least twice that day, had been on him. He was sick of cows, sick of horses. He was sick to death of feeling like he was the only one who didn’t get the joke. To top off his perfectly horrible day, he’d gotten word from Candice that several threatening letters had made their way into his personal box, and the reporter had called again.
He’d spent an hour on the phone with Ian Taggart, and that had done nothing to change his state of mind.
And he missed Danielle. He’d spent the whole day wondering if Finn was taking care of her. This was his vacation. No wonder he’d never taken one.
“Sorry, Julian,” Jackson said, coughing a little. “There are some things on which our wife is utterly unmovable. My healthy lungs are one of them.”
“Yes, I’d forgotten how vanilla you’ve gotten,” he replied, well aware that there was a nasty tinge to his voice. “Abigail took your balls as surely as Samuel paid someone to take his.”
“Hey! My balls still work perfectly,” Samuel stated. “The boys still jingle. They just don’t jangle anymore, if you know what I mean.”
He didn’t. He was pretty sure he didn’t understand anything. Scotch. He understood Scotch. He took a sip. The smoky flavor was a pleasant sensation as it burned slightly down his throat. “I would have dismissed you had you done that as my slave.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Samuel leaned forward and grabbed the bottle. He refilled Jackson’s glass and did the same for Julian. “You would have done exactly what Jack did. You would have tanned my ass red.”
A smile curled Jackson’s lips up, making him softer, younger looking. “Well, I spanked you until you actually used your safe word.”
“Damn straight I did,” Samuel replied. “Only time I’ve ever used my safe word. He was pissed at me.”
Jackson turned to his partner, his voice deepening. “I wasn’t pissed that you had done it. I was pissed that you hadn’t told me. I hadn’t approved of the doctor. I hadn’t checked out the procedure. If you ever do anything like it again, you won’t come for a month. You’ll take care of me, but there will be nothing for you.”
“Oh, are we talking about Sam’s balls again?” Abigail frowned as she slid onto the stool next to Samuel. “Are we ever going to stop talking about this?”
“You, too. You won’t come either. Never again.”
Abigail looked around both of her husbands and gave Julian a saucy wink. “He spanked the hell out Sam, but ten minutes later he was holding a bag of frozen peas to Sam’s swollen balls. Did you know they can swell up after surgery?”
Both of her husbands shuddered, but he couldn’t miss the way Jackson’s hand slid over Samuel’s neck, or how Abigail’s hand found Jackson’s, connecting the three of them. For a moment, Julian was sure in their minds they were the only three people in the universe. Their easy intimacy staggered him. The look in their eyes made him avert his own.
Perhaps this had been a terrible mistake. He wasn’t cut out for intimacy. He sipped his Scotch as they talked, nodding when it seemed appropriate, but his mind was far away. Sitting with Jackson, Samuel, and Abigail made him feel like he was twelve again, watching families eat together, fathers playing with sons, mothers clucking over their babies’ welfare. He remembered vividly watching from the back of his limo as parents walked their children into school. Even on the first day, every year he’d been alone. Until Candice had come, even his nannies simply told the driver where to take him and where to pick him up. Poor little rich boy.
Yes, perhaps it was time to go home.
“Come on, baby, let’s dance.” Samuel took her hand and led her away, leaving Julian alone with Jackson.
“I know what you’re about to say.”
“Ah, so you’re a mind reader now, Jackson.”
“Nope, I just know you. You’re about to tell me that this was all a mistake and thanks for the invite, but you should get back to Dallas in the morning.”
He clutched the crystal glass in his hand like it was a lifeline. That had been precisely what he’d planned to say. He’d trained Jackson far too well. “I don’t believe I’m cut out to be a cowboy. I make a much better billionaire playboy.”
Jackson snorted and pushed back the brim of his hat, giving Julian a better look at the surprise on his face. “You haven’t been a playboy a day in your life. You’re the opposite. You demand commitment from your lovers before you’ll even bother to touch them.” His eyes na
rrowed. “Is that what’s bothering you? You’re upset because you slept with Dani without a contract?”
It did bother him. It went against his own rules. “That contract is there to protect both of us. You know that.”
“I know that you think the contract can protect you, but it also builds a wall around you. I’m encouraging you to stay for the week. If you don’t want to work the herd, I can handle that, but give Dani a call. Hang out with us. Spend time with Dani. You don’t have to promise her anything. She’s a big girl who has a better head on her shoulders than even she knows. See where it goes. No contract. No promises. No end date.”
It sounded strange and oddly intriguing. “You’re asking me to play Dani’s boyfriend.”
“No, I’m asking you to be Dani’s friend who she might happen to sleep with. You did sleep with her, right?” Jackson asked.
“There was very little sleeping involved.”
“Did she not enjoy submitting?”
Julian felt his dick go hard at the thought. “She submitted beautifully. I could have tied her down, and she wouldn’t have questioned it.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed inquisitively. “I’m surprised you didn’t. Did you use the playroom at all?”
He hadn’t even thought about it. Once he’d gotten Danielle on the bed, he’d been too busy fucking her. He’d fucked that pussy over and over again. He’d fucked her from behind, slamming his cock inside as his hands molded the gorgeous, voluptuous curves of her hips and her ass. He’d propped her ankles on his shoulders and enjoyed the super tight entry he got that way. At one point he’d picked her up and put her in the shower. He’d soaped her hair and suckled her breasts. She’d been perfect.
“We didn’t need the playroom.” He took a much longer sip of the Scotch and tried to shake off the images of Danielle waiting for his command. “Besides, she made her decision today.”
“And you know damn well she would have stayed if you’d given her any indication that you wanted it.”
“Perhaps she and this Finn person are meant to be.”