Jardin’s Gamble

by Roberts, Laylah

  “I’m only a year older than you. Watch yourself.”

  Carrick’s eyes flared in challenge.

  Shit. He didn’t have time for this.

  “We likely have to take things slower with Thea. The idea of being with two men is probably foreign to her. And, well, when one of those men is—”

  “Domineering? Demanding? Sometimes a complete prick?”

  “Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that,” Jardin warned, holding back a grin.

  Carrick rolled his eyes. Then a hint of vulnerability entered his face. “You really think Thea could want both of us?”

  Fuck. He hated that he doubted his self-worth. Jardin knew it was his fault that he felt insecure.

  “I think Thea has shown she’s attracted to us both. She wants you. I want you. We just might need to convince her that two are better than one.”

  “Hmm, I can think of a few ways to do that.” Carrick’s face grew serious. “What about what’s happening to her?”

  “That’s another problem we need to figure out.”

  “But if we push too hard, she might run like she did with me.”

  “This would be much easier if she were already ours. She’d either tell us or I’d take her over my knee and redden her ass. Something she desperately needs.”

  “What if she’s not a sub?”

  He shrugged. “She doesn’t have to be a sub for me to discipline her. In Haven, all women are protected. And disciplined if they disobey the rules set by their guardian.”

  “But we’re not in Haven.”

  “Maybe that’s the problem,” he mused. “I might have to visit Haven. Maddox is riding my ass about it. Think you could take some time off from the garage?”

  “The previous owner would likely come in and cover for me. You’re finally going to take me to Haven?”

  “You and our girl. And if I get the urge to tie someone up and whip their ass, there’s always you.” Jardin grinned at Carrick’s shocked look. Was that a hint of heat? He thought maybe it was.

  Jardin pulled him in for another kiss. “I’m so fucking glad you’re back in my life. I love you, Carrick. And I missed you like crazy.”

  Carrick stared down at him then closed his eyes and swallowed heavily. When he opened them again, tears swam in them.

  “I love you too.”

  Shit. He was glad his meeting was a twenty-minute drive away. He was going to need that time to calm his raging hard-on.

  16

  This was hopeless.

  She couldn’t work. Couldn’t eat. Couldn’t think.

  What was she going to do? There was only one way she could think of getting out of this, but she didn’t know how she was going to pull it off.

  She had this constant feeling of being watched. Could be paranoia, but she also wouldn’t put it past Silvers to have a goon on her. They’d found her car in the parking lot. They’d left a rose where she worked.

  He was telling her loud and clear there was no where she could run to. Except it was run or become his. And she knew she wouldn’t live long if the latter happened. And what about the boys?

  Thea’s head spun with all the thoughts, and she leaned her elbow on the desk, propping her head up with her hand.

  “Hello there, darlin’,” a low voice drawled.

  She let out a screech, jumping up out of her seat, heart racing.

  Maddox. It’s Maddox. Not Silvers or his thugs. It’s only Maddox.

  “Hmm, not the normal reaction I get from females,” he said, studying her closely. “Something the matter, darlin’?”

  She forced herself to smile as she tried to get her racing heart under control. “No, nothing’s wrong. Sorry, my mind was a million miles away and you gave me a fright.”

  He gave her a look that screamed disbelief. “That so? Must have been thinking about something mighty hard.”

  Yeah. He could say that.

  “Boss in?”

  She frowned. “Aren’t you staying with him?”

  “Yep. In that giant mausoleum my cousins refer to as home. Do you know how hard it is to find someone in that place? It’s like a hotel. There’s even an intercom so if I need Jeeves, I can call him up in the middle of the night for a burger.”

  “Jeeves?”

  “Their butler.”

  “They have a butler? And he’s called Jeeves?”

  “Course he’s not, darlin’. That would be strange, wouldn’t it? His name is Gerald.”

  Okay, she was completely losing track of the conversation.

  “I just call him Jeeves because it pisses him off.” Maddox grinned at her and she found herself smiling back.

  “And you enjoy pissing him off.” she guessed.

  “He’s extremely stuck-up and fussy. Apparently, I traipsed mud across his precious marble floors and now he keeps getting the chef to make shit for dinner like foie gras and pork terrine.”

  “And that burger you ordered?”

  He sighed sadly. “Haven’t gotten one yet. Can’t wait to get back to Haven and Mia’s cooking. That woman knows how to prepare a good steak.”

  “Are you headed back soon?”

  “Still trying to convince my cousin to come back with me. He’s not here?”

  No. Thank God. She wasn’t really prepared to face him yet. Then again, what happened yesterday was really the least of her worries. It wasn’t like she had any long-term prospects at this job.

  “He’s at a meeting. He’ll be back in about an hour or so.”

  “Guess I’ll just have to wait, you don’t mind, do you, darlin’?”

  She didn’t think it would matter much to him if she did mind. But she shook her head anyway. He’d be a good distraction.

  Laughter hit him as soon as he walked into her office. Perhaps whatever was bothering her wasn’t as big of an issue as he’d first thought. He scowled as he looked from her smiling face over to his cousin.

  “Maddox, what are you doing here?”

  “You didn’t come home last night. I need to speak to you again before I leave for home.”

  Jardin sighed. “I don’t have time right now.”

  Maddox straightened. “Well, when will you have time?” A stubborn look crossed his cousin’s face.

  “We can talk tonight at dinner.”

  Maddox grimaced. “Can we eat out? Cause the food they serve at the mausoleum I wouldn’t even feed to the pigs back home.”

  “Fine. Yes. But Carrick will be coming too.”

  Maddox stiffened. “Carrick?”

  “Yes.” He braced himself for his cousin’s teasing. He flicked a glance over at Thea to find her standing still as a statue.

  “Carrick? Your ex-best friend Carrick?”

  “I don’t know any other Carricks.”

  “So, you and he are talking again?” Maddox asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Was that where you were last night?” Maddox asked slyly.

  “It was.”

  “You old dog. Kept that quiet, didn’t you? You and Carrick planning on adding a third?”

  “Not immediately, perhaps we could talk about this tonight?” Or not at all. He could see how uncomfortable Thea was growing.

  Over the idea of him and Carrick being together? Because she liked them? He wished he knew.

  “Thea, I’d like to see you in my office please,” Jardin demanded.

  Walking into his office, he sat behind his desk. She walked in slowly, tablet in hand. She took a seat across from him. She looked paler than yesterday with dark circles under her eyes.

  “How was the meeting?”

  “Fine. Did you sleep at all last night?” he snapped out. Then he winced. That hadn’t been what he’d intended to ask her. But, fuck it, she looked like death warmed over.

  “I’m fine.”

  That wasn’t a yes.

  “I know there’s something wrong, Thea.”

  She straightened, her face shutting down. “I apologize if I let my personal life affect
my work yesterday, it won’t happen again.”

  He tapped his fingers against his desk. To push her or not? He didn’t want her running from him, shutting him out completely like she had Carrick.

  “Thea, you know you can come to me if something’s wrong.” He made his voice warmer, cajoling.

  Shock filled her face. As though she’d never heard him speak that way. Fuck, she was never going to open up to him. She saw him as a cold, emotionless bastard. That wasn’t really him at all. It was just a façade to keep people at bay. To stop himself from getting hurt.

  “Thank you. I really am fine.”

  “If you’re more comfortable speaking to Carrick about it—”

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  He narrowed his gaze. She was still his employee; threatening her with a spanking was going to land him in the middle of a lawsuit. But Carrick certainly could.

  “About what happened yesterday—”

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she told him. “I could tell you knew each other.”

  “That’s twice you’ve interrupted me, Miss Garrison.”

  She bit her lip. “Sorry.”

  Hmm, it was getting harder to remember she was his employee and not his sub. Maybe he should fire her again. Would make his life easier in some ways because he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until he gave in and put her over his knee. But harder in others because having her close by settled the protective beast inside him.

  Sort of.

  “Carrick and I were once best friends. We also shared a lover.”

  He waited for her reaction then saw the way her mouth popped open. He was taking a gamble here, guessing she’d be more intrigued than horrified. That she wouldn’t spread his business around the water cooler. But from what he’d seen, Thea had more integrity in her little toe than most of the other people in this building. He was betting even if she were uncomfortable, she’d never say anything.

  But mostly what he saw in her face was longing and arousal.

  “Does it shock you? That we lived in a permanent ménage?” he asked silkily.

  He knew talking about this while they were in his office was pushing the boundaries. But those boundaries had been pushed yesterday while they’d been out to lunch. And when else was he going to get the chance to speak to her?

  Right now, she was a captive audience. One he intended to take advantage of.

  She licked her lips. “Um, it might have before I had a chat with Maddox. He told me about Haven. About how polyamorous relationships were normal there.”

  Okay, that shocked him enough to have him sitting forward in his chair and resting his arms on the desk. Why had his cousin been talking to her about relationships?

  “You know Maddox is a player, right? He’s never been serious about a girl. He won’t settle down.”

  She blinked. Opened her mouth. Closed it again. “Are you warning me off your cousin?”

  “Has he made a move on you?”

  He was going to kill the asshole.

  “No.” She frowned. “I mean, he flirts a lot but I’m thinking that’s just his personality.”

  “It is. He won’t ever give you anything more than a good roll in the sheets.”

  “Because there’s no way a man couldn’t want anything more than that with me?” she spat out.

  Christ.

  Warning signals rang in his head. He should have left this to Carrick. He was smoother with these things. Jardin was feeling a bit possessive of Thea, and it was coming out in ways he didn’t intend.

  A bit possessive? Right.

  He cleared his throat. “That’s not what I meant.”

  She stood.

  “Sit back down,” he barked. Then winced. Fuck. Yes, he should have left this up to Carrick.

  “Unless this is about work, then I don’t think I need to be in here.”

  He deserved that. “I’m sorry I spoke like that. I just don’t want my cousin to hurt you.”

  “Well, he hasn’t. I’ve met him twice. He’s only been friendly. He’s not interested in me like that. Let’s face it, he’s way out of my league anyway. And I can’t just believe I said that to my boss,” she muttered.

  He frowned. So, she would be interested if Maddox showed some interest?

  And what did she mean he was out of her league?

  “Can we just get back to talking about work?” she asked.

  Perhaps that was best. Before he found himself without a personal assistant. After they’d discussed a few things and she’d left, he pulled out his phone and called Carrick.

  “Hey,” his deep voice answered the phone.

  Jardin’s entire body relaxed at that sound. How long since he’d felt such ease? So happy?

  Since Carrick was last in your life? But then, Sally had been around. Ruining things.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “Miss me?” Carrick teased.

  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” he said fiercely, not meaning just these past few hours they’d been apart.

  There was silence on the other end then Carrick cleared his throat. “Me too.”

  “But that’s not why I’m calling. We’re having dinner with Maddox tonight.”

  “Oh. And do you want him to know about our relationship?”

  Jardin scowled at that. “You think we should keep it a secret?”

  “I don’t . . . but I thought you might want to.”

  “Like fuck. I don’t care who knows. Well, I’d rather no one at work knew but that’s because they’re gossipy assholes. But otherwise, I don’t give a shit. You’re mine. I’ve claimed you. There’s no way I’m hiding you like a dirty secret.”

  “Say what you really mean, I’m finding it hard to read between the lines,” Carrick teased but there was a hitch in his voice that betrayed his real feelings.

  “Ass,” Jardin growled at him.

  “I guess I can do dinner with your cousin. It’s been a long time since I saw him. How’s Thea?”

  “Jumpy. Secretive. Come close several times to putting her over my knee.”

  “Jardin,” Carrick warned.

  “I know. I know. I thought Maddox might have been coming on to her. She’s under the mistaken impression that he’s way out of her league.”

  “She made a few comments to me about her weight,” Carrick admitted. “Think she’s got a skewed view of herself.

  “We’ll add that to the list of things to teach her. Anyway, I fucked up a bit when I was trying to tell her about our relationship. I got to the bit about how we used to be in a ménage relationship and the conversation unraveled.”

  “You want me to come in before dinner to speak to her, don’t you?”

  Even after two years apart, Carrick could still read his mind.

  “She leaves here at five.”

  “I’ll be in by four-thirty. Not sure she’ll talk to me, though.”

  “You’ve got more of a chance than I have. And if she won’t talk, you actually can spank her ass.”

  “And land myself with an assault charge?” Carrick asked.

  “I know a good lawyer.”

  “Right, and all it will cost me is a few BJs huh?”

  “More than a few. He’s very expensive. And particular. Although you give very good head.”

  “Asshole. Now I’ve got a hard-on.”

  “Be a good boy and I’ll take care of that later on for you,” Jardin purred.

  “Fuck. Later.”

  The call ended and Jardin grinned. Finally, things were coming together. He had Carrick back. They’d work on bringing Thea into their relationship.

  Yep, things would work out perfectly.

  17

  “Hello, Thea.”

  She squealed, turning away from the storage cupboard to find Carrick standing in front of her desk, watching her from too-knowing eyes.

  “Shit. You gave me a fright.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re very pale, rocket. Why don’t you sit dow
n?”

  He was concerned, for her? Shouldn’t he hate her? Yesterday, he’d been so angry at her. And he’d had every right to be. She’d completely messed up. Treated him badly.

  With a hand that shook, she reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

  “Thea?”

  “What? Sorry. Did you say something?”

  “Thea, sit down,” he said more firmly. “Before you fall down.”

  Not bad advice, really. She grabbed the chair and sort of slumped into it. She managed to give him a small smile. “Sorry.”

  “What’s going on? Aren’t you feeling well?” His gaze roamed over her. She guessed she looked like shit. Why shouldn’t her outside reflect her inside?

  “Are you here to see Jardin?” she deflected. “He’s on a call but he’ll be free soon.”

  “I’m meeting him but I’m early,” he said, not pointing out that she’d avoided answering him.

  “Please take a seat. Can I get you tea? Coffee?”

  There. She sounded almost normal. Then she noticed how his gaze was on her hands. Her shaking hands. She tucked them down under the desk.

  “When’s the last time you ate, rocket?”

  Please stop calling me that. Please stop being nice to me. She didn’t deserve it.

  “I’m so sorry, Carrick.”

  He sat in the chair across from her. Today he was dressed in another black shirt and black jeans. God, he was gorgeous.

  She wished the circumstances were different. That she didn’t have that threat hanging over her.

  Right. Because things would have worked out for you both. He’s with Jardin now.

  She wasn’t quite sure how their relationship worked. Were they together-together? Did that mean they were both bi? Because she knew Jardin had dated plenty of women; she’d seen them in the society pages. The Malone’s were wealthy and respected. Powerful. And people lapped up information about them. That’s why there was so much gossip around the office about Jardin.

  More than one of the other PA’s had tried to throw herself at him.

  Pathetic.

  Oh, like you haven’t thought about what it might be like to be his?

  Scary. Intriguing. Safe.