by Sophie Oak
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. It just couldn’t. 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 just 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
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 just 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 Trev got the gist of the conversation. Bo was very 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 just 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 it when Beth was standing there looking like sunshine. And he really 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 just 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 just 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 years since she’s…well…you know.”
Trev 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.”
Trev liked Lucas O’Malley. “Hello, Lucas. How’s it going?”
Trev reached for Beth’s hand, the impulse so overwhelming, he just 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. I think now we know what he found.”
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 little swat from Lucas. “Don’t you start that, brat. You know he’s struggling with this.” The doorbell rang. “That’s probably Leo. You behave.”
Aidan opened the door to the office just as Lucas was leaving. 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. 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 Trev. 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 slump
ed 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 really couldn’t promise much past tomorrow? “I care about her.”
“So does my brother.”
Bo cared. Trev had seen it in Bo’s eyes. Bo simply wasn’t man enough to really 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.”
Trev 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 about 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 Trev had not to get up and walk out.
“I can only try my damndest to change your mind. Leo told me Julian called in a favor to get me hired on here. If you’ll just let me work as a hand, you can continue your search for a foreman. I just ask for 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?”
Trev 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. Just 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 just a bump in the road for Beth. He’s sure she’ll come around to his way of thinking if I just 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 just 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 just 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 back some small shred of dignity. “Sure. I’ll pee in a cup.”
He was sure 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 had never chosen a drink or a line 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 in 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.”
At least someone did. Which begged the question. “But you don’t.”
Aidan’s mouth twisted slightly. “Jack doesn’t have our history with you. Or rather, your history with my brother. I don’t know what happened between the two of you. Bo is tight-lipped about a lot of things. I know you were a real good friend to him after I left for college. Our father was a bastard. You know that, right?”
Trev nodded. Conner O’Malley had been a mean drunk, and he’d liked setting his kids at each other’s throats to see who would win. “Bo mentioned it.”
“You were there for him all during your senior year. Why did you have to dump him?”
That was the pot calling the kettle black. “I went to college. The same one you went to.”
The slight stain on Aidan’s cheeks told Trev that Aidan wasn’t unaware of his own guilt. “Yeah, maybe that’s why I have trouble with you. You remind me of all the things I did wrong with Bo. How close were you? I remember him talking incessantly about you every time I managed to come home, and then one day, he just stopped. He wouldn’t even say your name. He said Mouse was the only true friend he had.”
“Beth.”
“His words, not mine.”
Trev had to shake his head. “I don’t know. I know that sounds horrible, but I don’t know what happened. I got involved in football, and I ignored him. He called, and when I was at home and sober, which wasn’t that often, I would talk to him. I liked Bo. I never had a little brother. I really liked him. And by my sophomore year, I was sober during the season, but the minute I wasn’t playing, I spent the time drunk or high. I didn’t talk to him much after that. I opted into the draft after my junior year. It was the last really great season I had. It was the last season I stayed sober. The rest is history. I signed one huge deal and threw it all away.”
Aidan sighed. “I’m worried about Bo. I don’t know what losing Beth is going to do to him. He might not admit it, but she’s been his anchor for years now. He’s really upset that you’re dating her. I think he’s going to be even more upset when he discovers you’ve begun a D/s relationship with her. I would assume you’ve done that. Or, are you aiming for vanilla?”
Aidan said the word “vanilla” with just a hint of disdain. Trev could reassure him on that point. “We haven’t formalized anything, and she’s going to require training, but she’s amenable to the lifestyle, thanks to your wife’s books.”
Aidan’s face suddenly turned youthful as he grinned. “Leo hates them. He thinks they make us all look like wimps. I like them. I like that all of Lexi’s stories have happy endings.” His face turned a little sad. “I know Bo made his own bed with that girl.”
“It wouldn’t have worked.” Trev knew it deep down, but it didn’t stop the guilt that formed a knot in his stomach. “Bo isn’t a Dom. If I had to guess, I would say he’s actually more submissive than anything else. He needs a strong woman in his life. He needs someone who will make decisions and allow him to be who he is.”
Aidan’s eyes became hooded. “A woman, or a man.”
Trev felt his brows rise. “You think he’s bisexual? I never got that off him. I always felt like he was looking for a big brother or a father figure, not a lover.”
“I didn’t say he was like me. I said that he could use a Dom. You know it doesn’t have to involve sex. I believe Bo really does care for Beth, and Beth cares for Bo. You wouldn’t be the first Dom to find himself in a ménage because his sub needs it.”
The words hit him like a lightning rod. Share Beth? Why the hell would he do that? Bo didn’t want him here. He sure as fuck wouldn’t want to share a woman with him. And he wasn’t staying. He wasn’t good for anyone.
“Just think about it,” Aidan said.
Trev didn’t want to think about it. He was already wondering if he wasn’t going to get Beth in trouble. Bo would be more trouble than Trev could handle. And it brought up a couple of questions. “You don’t even like me. Why the hell would you want me in a ménage with your brother?”
“It’s not that I don’t like you.” Aidan ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know you. I’m bringing you into my home, and that makes me nervous. But Julian assures me you’re a good Dom. I would do just about anything to help my brother. I hurt him in the past. I didn’t mean to, but I was just one more male authority figure who walked away and left him alone. He needs more than I can give him. I believe he would be happiest in a ménage with a strong Dom and another sub. Don’t worry about it, Trev. He won’t listen to me. He’s determined to have a white-picket-fence lifestyle. I think he’s still rebelling. Or he doesn’t want to go through what I’ve gone through. It’s hard to live the way we do, especially in a small town.” He slapped at the desk and got up. He held out a hand, and Trev took it. “Just do your job. We’ll get on just fine.”
