“Tommy, don’t be mad at her,” Zeke urges me. “I asked her to get you to come over here. We’re all worried about you. You quit talking to Dylan completely, you barely talk to me, and Holly said you’re having nightmares.”
My shoulders tense. I want to turn and run, but I can’t. “You fucking told him that?” I can’t remember a time that I’ve been this pissed off at Holly. Even when she was just a complete screw-up that I was trying to help as a favor to Tasha, I was never this upset with her. This time, I’m not only angry, I feel hurt and betrayed. It’s a soul cutting feeling that I have avoided much of my life by keeping people at a certain distance.
“Yes, I did,” she replies firmly. “And I would do it again because I thought I was losing you. No, I know I was losing you. Can’t you see that every person in this room cares about you?”
Her heart may be in the right place, but she couldn’t be further from the truth. I barely know Mary and Jeff, and Dylan made his position abundantly clear the night he allowed Liam to walk back into my life without warning. That means that half the room cares and half don’t even know me. And every single fucking one of them schemed to make this little meeting of the minds happen whether I wanted it or not.
“I’m out,” I say, letting go of Holly’s hand and turning back to the elevator. “You guys have a great night!”
“Tommy, wait!” Dylan’s voice booms from the living room. I don’t turn around but I can hear his heavy footsteps crossing the hardwood floors.
“Leave it be, Dylan,” I warn him. “I don’t have anything left to say to you.”
I push the down button repeatedly, willing the elevator to come faster. There are so many things that I would love to say, but I’m not willing to in front of the women. My dad would skin my hide if I did.
A thick hand squeezes my shoulder, spinning my body back toward the apartment door. I look up to see the same determination in Dylan’s eyes that I’ve seen many times in the past. He’s a stubborn bastard, that’s part of why we get along so well.
“We’re settling this shit tonight! You’re fucking up everything good in your life and I’m not going to sit by while you do.” We’re standing toe to toe in the hallway, and the rest of the group’s looking on. The pain that I see in my cousin’s eyes causes me to relent.
“Fine, but the girls take off. Shit’s going to get real and I’m not doing it with them here.” There are going to be things said tonight that Tasha doesn’t need to hear about her boyfriend and his brother and I’m sure things Holly doesn’t need or want to hear about me. Mary, well I just don’t know her well enough to be comfortable talking about my personal shit in her presence.
“We’ll take my car over to the diner,” Mary says, stepping into the hall. “You guys can meet us there later if you manage to not beat the shit out of one another. And if you do, please clean up after yourselves.” I watch as she stands on her tiptoes to give Jeff a kiss before turning to Zeke. “Stay calm,” I hear her whisper in his ear before calling the girls to follow her.
Holly walks past me, not able to look up at me. She knows I’m upset, and I am, but I also know her heart is in the right place. I can’t let her leave this way, not with everything we’ve been through.
I reach for her arm as the elevator doors open. “Baby, it’s going to be okay.” I kiss her forehead and she melts into me.
“Don’t worry, I’ve known all those boys long enough to know this is how they deal with shit,” Mary assures me as we step onto the sidewalk. “Tommy’s pissed as hell right now, but he’ll get over it. Heck, by the time they meet up with us, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all back in man love with one another.”
We all laugh as we turn to walk up the hill to the parking ramp. This is probably the only bad thing about the building where Zeke and Dylan both live. There’s no parking for guests within two blocks.
“I hope you’re right, Mary,” Tasha says cautiously. “I haven’t seen Dylan as upset as he was tonight. I’m not sure I like it at all.”
“Honey, I promise you, that man is all bark. Dylan’s upset because those guys used to be like the three musketeers. They did everything together. Now, not only are they all growing up and settling down, but now other complications are also threatening their friendship. Of course, they’ll deny that to the grave, but they’re really just worried they’re going to lose each other.”
I haven’t had much of a chance to get to know Mary outside the official capacity of her being my attorney, but I’m starting to see that we’re not really all that much different. As we walk up the street, an easy friendship is developing between the three of us. No one walking past would know that Mary hasn’t been in my and Tasha’s lives for decades.
Panic fills my body when I look across to the other side of the street. “What’s he doing down here?” I ask, seeing Liam step off the opposite curb at the same time we begin crossing the street.
“He’s staying at our place,” Tasha informs me. “He’s probably just heading home from work.”
For a split second, I was worried that Zeke had lost his mind and asked Liam to come over too. While he and Tommy do need to sit down and have a long conversation, I don’t think either of them is ready for that just yet.
“Hey Liam, we’ll be home later tonight. Dylan’s down talking to Zeke right now and then we’re all heading to the diner.” It’s hilarious to watch how Tasha doesn’t miss a beat, turning to walk backwards as Liam passes us in the crosswalk.
“Sounds good,” he responds. I glance back as we wait for the signal to turn so we can cross to the other side of the intersection, and wish that things were different because I would love to get to know Liam better. I have the distinct feeling he and I have a lot in common. For lack of a better way of describing it, I’ve felt a strong brotherly connection to him since the moment he found me cowering in the women’s room at Last Chance.
There are moments in your life when everything changes. I’ve only had a few of them, but each time, it’s as if the Universe is giving me a warning a moment too late for me to do anything about it. The first was when I lost control of my car on a dark country road. Because I was an inexperienced driver, I overcorrected, which then forced my tires onto the fresh gravel on the shoulder, sending my car into the air until it came to an abrupt stop against an oak tree.
The next was when my business partner and I were walking down the street in San Diego and a gang banger opened fire on us. Apparently, he didn’t like the fact that we were getting close to hauling his miserable ass in for bail jumping.
A split second before I hear squealing tires, the hair on the back on my neck stands on end. It’s that uncomfortable tingling that causes me to spin around just in time to see a black SUV flying through the red light. I don’t have time to scream out my warning before it makes contact with the pedestrians crossing the street.
I look around, seeing others who were in the area running to the scene at the same time I am. They all have their cell phones in hand, so I know emergency services have been called. Instead of adding one more call to their busy lines, I hit my speed dial.
“Dylan, it’s me,” I pant. When this is all said and done, I really need to get my ass to the gym. “You need to get up here. There’s been an accident at Doty and King.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dylan asks.
“I just saw Tasha with Holly and Zeke’s girl,” I say, trying to stay calm as I dart across the street. “They got hit while they were crossing the street. I can’t tell yet how bad it is, but you guys need to get over here now!”
From this angle, I can see two women lying in the road. All I can think is that I somehow have the kiss of death, and this time, it’s going to cost both of the men I have considered brothers at some point in my life the women they love.
A Note From Sloan…
When I started writing the first book in the Isthmus Alliance series, I had one goal in mind: bring a different side of BDSM to print. It�
��s not that it’s never been done before, but I’m fascinated with the sensual, emotional side of D/s relationships. Yes, the kinky sex can be amazing, but the feeling of being free to submit to someone, body and soul, is even more amazing. This is why some have dubbed the books BDSM-lite. If a character isn’t in a place where they can get into hardcore kinky sex, it won’t appear in the book.
Likewise, the characters have evolved into their own community over time. Call me crazy, but I have a real, emotional connection to every character. That has dictated how the books are written because as I’m told it’s time for information, it comes to life. When a character walks into the room, I’m often surprised. When someone pulls away, I let them go and can’t wait to see them again. People come and people go. Lives are intertwined the way they are in real life. There isn’t always a way to tie up a love story in one book because these people don’t live in a bubble.
There will be more of Holly and Tommy in coming books, and only then will any of us know how their story ends!
As always, I feel the need to start by saying I will forget someone. I don’t mean to, it’s simply that my brain flies from thought to thought and things get missed. If you helped me and don’t see your name here, please know that has no bearing on whether or not I value your assistance!
Kristen and Debi, you were my sanity through writing this book. You laughed and cried with me, you teased me when you saw certain things, and most importantly, you encouraged me to continue when I felt as if I didn’t have it in me to continue. I love you both and can’t wait to have more late nights with both of you!
Ena, Denise, Mari, Megaen and all of the other bloggers out there, you completely rock my world! It still amazes me when I ask you to help and you spread the word like wildfire in the middle of a drought. Without you, no one would know about the books.
Katie, thank you for taking my sometimes haphazard mess and turning it into something polished!
To all of my Domly ones, thank you for helping this submissive girl understand how your minds work. Over the course of writing this book, you’ve helped me in ways you may never fully comprehend. There are pieces of every one of you between the covers.
To my family, I couldn’t do this without your help and understanding.
And lastly, to all of my kinky friends at the diner. Thank you for understanding when I have weird questions and never hesitating to answer them.
Sloan is a Midwestern mom who began writing nearly seven years ago as a way to make money while staying home with her daughter. Now, with two kids in tow and having written more articles on how to assemble various pieces of furniture than she can count, she is reaching to make her dreams come true.
Keep in touch with Sloan…
http://authorsloanjohnson.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/authorsloanjohnson
http://twitter.com/authorsloanj
[email protected]
Table of Contents
Copyrights
Dedications
Prologue
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
A Note From Sloan…
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Unexpected Protector (Isthmus Alliance) Page 22
