by Tara Rose
When Van and Dalton strolled toward him, Wes turned his attention away from Maverick and Summer to walk over and shake Van’s hand.
* * * *
Dalton watched the easy way Wes and Van slipped into talking about computers and websites, and he was surprised at the stab of jealousy that shot through him. Van was looking for someone to keep up his company’s website and didn't want to hire an outsider, as he called them, so Wes was a perfect choice. He was local, he and Van had been friends most of their lives, and Wes knew his stuff. Computers and games were something they had in common and could talk about for hours.
Dalton’s attention wavered from Van and Wes’s conversation as he glanced around the crowd. There were close to thirty people in the room now, eating and talking mostly, but some were dancing to the hip-hop and classic rock tunes that Maverick was playing. His cousin was actually having fun with this, occasionally throwing in his comments about the song or artists. That surprised Dalton, as Maverick was usually a stiff, especially in a room full of people.
He spotted Summer, standing close to where Maverick was spinning tunes. She was still with Rowena, Winona and Felicity, and the four were very animated and laughing a lot. She really should be at his and Wes’s sides, but Dalton wasn’t in the mood to go all Dom on her right now. He enjoyed seeing her have such a good time, and it was important that she not feel isolated from her friends.
He’d seen too many Doms do that to subs, and it always backfired on them. He didn’t want Summer to think that if she went through with this, she’d lose her friends in the process. She’d had enough heartache in her life. It was time for him and Wes to help her feel stable and secure for a change. It didn’t sound like she’d ever experienced that, despite the fact that her gran had obviously done her best to raise Summer, given the shitty circumstances beyond either woman’s control.
He thought back to when he’d been introduced to her gran, and how Ruth Andrews’s green eyes, so like Summer’s, had gone cold and hard at the mention of his grandfather’s name. Of course the two had known each other, but Dalton had never known how deep Ruth’s hatred of her former lover went until yesterday. When his father had told him that story, he’d apparently left out a few important details. He sincerely hoped that Summer had put the brief incident out of her mind, because if she asked him about his reaction again, Dalton wasn’t sure he could evade her question a second time.
He’d tried to rein in his reaction when Ruth had asked him if he was any relation to Bryce Metcalf, but Summer had noticed it before he could pull back the emotion. He’d have to be more careful in the future because it was likely he’d be talking to Ruth again. At least, Dalton sincerely hoped he would be. And he hoped Summer wouldn’t dump his sorry ass if she found out the truth. In light of what she’d told him and Wes last night, Dalton was afraid she’d want nothing further to do with him once she realized that his grandfather had tossed aside her grandmother, simply because her grandmother hadn’t come from “good breeding stock” as his father had once put it.
How the hell could he tell her that? She’d be humiliated. Anyone would be. And how would she ever believe that Dalton didn’t give a shit about where someone had been born, or who their parents were? She’d assume he felt the same way. And Dalton had nothing concrete to offer, other than his word, to change her mind. But would she believe him? Would he believe it, if he were in her shoes?
She already had a terrible image of herself. Finding out that one of the men she was fucking and who wanted her to be one of her Doms had a family member who had rejected her beloved gran, simply because she’d been born to parents without money, might send her to a dark place. It would do so to him.
And really, what right had he to stand on his family’s name or reputation? His own father might very well be involved in what was going on with Trace Coleman and Jason Monroe, and that made his dear old dad nothing but a common thief. So much for family name and old money. Old stolen money, was more like it. Summer would throw that in his face, and she’d have every right to because it was true.
Wes had hit the nail on the head earlier where his feelings for Summer were concerned, and Dalton hadn’t known what to say, so instead he’d told Wes to fuck off. If Wes could see the truth that Dalton was in very real danger of losing his heart to Summer, could she see it, too? And if she could, was there even a small sliver of hope that she would ever feel the same way toward him?
Dalton continued to watch her, and when she glanced over and caught him doing so, the smile she gave him took his breath away. The look in her eyes gave him hope, but it also left him terrified that once she figured out what the Metcalf fortune was really built on, she’d choose Wes, and that would be that. Dalton had never felt this way about any woman, and it sure as hell wasn’t likely he ever would again. There couldn’t possibly be two women who could captivate him at first glance, hold him there, and then reveal such depth to her personality that he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never, ever find another human being on the planet quite like her.
And even if there was another woman like that, he only wanted Summer. He wanted all of her—mind, body and soul. He wanted her heart, even if he had to share part of it with Wes. There was no turning back for Dalton, and he knew it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Summer floated through Tuesday at work with her mind on Wes and Dalton, and not much else. She didn’t think she was smiling more than usual, but by that afternoon she guessed she must be, because no less than a dozen employees and her boss remarked on what a fabulous holiday weekend she must have had.
She wanted to shout her joy on the building’s intercom system. Dalton and Wes had both told her last night that it was fine with them if she let everyone know she was their sub, but had also cautioned her to remember that Dom/sub relationships weren’t exactly mainstream talk in this town. Consequently, she had been very careful who she told.
Still, that knowledge couldn’t dampen her spirits, and because the impromptu party had gone so well yesterday at Wes’s house, she felt certain that all of this would work out for the three of them. Rowena had asked her dozens of questions, as had Felicity and Winona, and Summer had been grateful when Carma had shown up to help answer them.
Talking to Carma had proven more useful than anything last evening. Carma was fairly new to this lifestyle, but had already embraced it and was so obviously in love with both her Doms. Summer, Rowena, Felicity, and Winona had admired Carma’s collar, and Summer wondered if Wes and Dalton would ever give her one.
When she’d finally had occasion to take Carma aside, she’d asked if she should mention wanting a collar to Wes and Dalton. Carma had told her not to worry about it. She’d encouraged Summer to just take things one day at a time, and to let the relationship take its natural course without believing it had to follow a preconceived pattern, or whether it would take the same path as someone else’s had.
Both guys texted her all day long, telling her jokes, sending her funny pictures, and letting her know how much they missed her. Wes took her to lunch, and this time instead of the polite conversation and the tentative looks they’d given each other weeks ago, it was all Summer could do not to climb into his lap and kiss him until neither of them could breathe.
They were having dinner tonight with Dalton at his house, and Summer was nervous because she wondered what his family would think of her. Dalton had been reassuring her all day long via text messages that because he lived in one of the smaller homes on the estate by himself, the likelihood she’d even see anyone besides him and Wes was remote.
Each time Summer received a text from Dalton, she remembered his fearful reaction when Gran had asked him if he was related to Bryce, and she wondered if she should try asking him about it again. Finally, she decided that she would first ask Gran to elaborate on what she’d said about Bryce. If Gran made no big deal out of it, then she’d drop it and Dalton would never have to know what a worrywart she’d been over the subject.
After work, Wes drove her to Shady Pines so that she could have a quick visit with Gran before going to Dalton’s house for dinner. Gran looked less tired today than she had on Sunday, and Summer was glad of that. She seemed to really like Wes, and asked him all sorts of questions about what Pacos Farms was like now, who was still around that she might remember, and how much time Wes had to devote to it now that he was working for Notus.
Summer watched him with Gran and was struck by how comfortable he seemed. She’d always thought of Wes as very intelligent, but she’d never before noticed his people skills. He was known throughout both their building and the rest of Notus as very knowledgeable with the technical stuff, but no one had ever described him as an outgoing, social person. Apparently he didn’t show that side of himself too often, but it was evident now. He talked to Gran like she was a person, not just some old lady in a wheelchair. Summer had seen the way even some of the staff treated the elderly residents. They shouted at them or spoke to them as though they were children. Wes was doing neither, and she loved him for it.
As soon as that thought took shape, Summer excused herself to the bathroom. She didn’t need to use it, but she did need to walk away for a moment and collect her thoughts. Falling in love wasn't something she’d given much thought to over the years. She’d been too busy. Late at night, when she couldn’t sleep and the loneliness overtook her, she’d often fantasize about a man who would come along and sweep her off her feet, but those dreams were rare. Summer had never been the kind of girl who believed in happily-ever-after and fairy tales.
Summer believed in cold, hard reality. The kind that slapped you in the face and got your attention. Wes was like the princes in Disney movies. All that was missing was the white horse. But did he feel the same way about her? And where and how did Dalton fit in all this? Was it even possible to have a meaningful, long-term relationship with two men?
Carma was doing it. Summer had watched her last evening with Mateo and Blaine. They were happy together. It showed in every look she gave them and that they each gave her. It showed in the way they moved when they were near her, and in the way they were both attentive to her in small ways. But did that mean it would work for Summer as well? Wes and Dalton weren’t Blaine and Mateo.
Blaine and Mateo had been friends for almost twenty years, and from what Carma had said, they were willing to share her right from the start. It wasn’t the same thing with Wes and Dalton. Summer still wasn’t entirely convinced that they liked each other all that much yet. What if they never did? What if they both decided that there was no way they could do this, and they forced her to choose? Summer already knew there was no way she could do so. She’d better stop this fairy-tale shit and prepare herself for the very real possibility that she might have to say good-bye to both men one day.
When she returned to the common room, Wes stood. “We need to get going, Summer, but I wish we could stay.”
“I wish you could, too,” said Gran. “Where are you two off to in such a hurry? I hope it’s a hot date.”
Summer laughed. “Gran, we’re just having dinner.”
“Well, that can turn into a hot date. Where are you going to eat?”
“At Dalton Metcalf’s house,” said Wes.
Gran’s face took on the same angry, pinched look it had Sunday when she’d asked Dalton if he was any relation to Bryce Metcalf. Summer hadn’t imagined it then, and she wasn’t imagining it now. Her pulse raced. What the hell was going on here?
“Why are you eating with him?”
“Because we’re friends with him, Ruth.” Wes glanced at Summer, clearly confused.
Summer was torn. Was it right to ask Gran about this in front of Wes? She might not have a chance to visit Gran without either man around for a while. “Gran, why do you dislike Dalton so much?”
“I don’t dislike him. He seems very nice, considering his family.”
She’d practically spat out the last word. Summer took her seat again. Dalton would just have to wait a few minutes longer. “What do you mean, Gran? I didn’t realize you knew them that well.”
“I don’t know this present generation of them at all, but I knew his grandfather, Bryce, quite well.”
Summer’s stomach suddenly felt queasy. Something in Gran’s tone told her that “quite well” meant exactly what Summer had just assumed it did. She glanced at Wes, and one look in his eyes told her that his thoughts had gone there, too. “Go on,” said Summer.
Gran looked at her a long time. “Are you sure you want to hear this in front of your young man?”
“It’s all right, Ruth,” said Wes. “Summer and I don’t have any secrets between us.”
Ruth patted his hand. “Always did like your family, Wes.” She sighed. “Bryce and I were lovers. Now back in my day, that wasn’t as common as it is now. It was a very big deal, and nice girls didn’t just go around having sex with anyone like they do now.” She smiled sheepishly at Summer. “I don’t mean you, Summer.”
“Gran, what happened between you and Dalton’s grandfather?” Summer would never be comfortable discussing her sex life with Gran, and right now she didn’t like where her thoughts were going. She glanced again at Wes, who looked just as clueless and concerned as she felt. Thank God he didn’t know about this. But what about Dalton? And, if he had known, why had he kept it from her?
“Well, honey, he threw me over. That’s how we said it back then. Not ‘break up’ like you do now.”
“Why did he do that, Gran?”
Gran gave her a droll look. “Why do you think, Summer? The Metcalfs are one of the wealthiest families in this town. Always have been. And back then they were in deep with those Mafia crooks from Chicago, and everyone knew it. But people were afraid to say anything, and no one crossed Bryce Metcalf. No one.”
“Then why did you become involved with him, Gran?”
Gran waved her hand. “Oh, you know how it is. A handsome guy winks at you and shows you some attention, and next thing you know, you’re caught up in all of it. Clubs, fancy parties, champagne. The whole kit and kaboodle. But then you find out he’s really just playing with your affections, and he’d never actually marry you. You’re not from good breeding stock, after all.”
Summer had to hang onto the arm of the chair because the room started to spin. Either she was much hungrier than she’d initially thought, or she was about to pass out from a combination of anger and humiliation. Everything she’d said to Dalton last night about her upbringing came rushing back at her. She wanted to crawl away, find a dark hole, and just stay there. She’d poured out her heart and soul to him, and the entire time he’d known this about his grandfather and her Gran. “Gran, did he actually say that? That you weren’t from good breeding stock?”
“Oh yes. That and more, honey. He called me low-life trash, and said that I’d be lucky to marry a saloon keeper. This was after I refused to have sex with him again until he put a ring on my finger. He never wanted to marry me. He only wanted to fuck me.”
Dalton had sat in this very room and played cards with Gran, had talked to her, and had pretended to be so fucking interested in her and her welfare. Then he’d offered help to Summer so that she could keep taking care of Gran. He’d offered her money, as if that solved all of life’s problems.
She could only imagine what he’d been thinking the entire time she’d told him and Wes her story. Poor Summer. The girl who’d had to work two jobs in high school and bought her clothes at thrift shops and Walmart. He’d teased her into letting them spank her because she’d only thanked Wes once for the pretty new clothes he’d bought her. He’d thrown that right in her face and then turned it into foreplay.
But had he told her what a fucking asshole his grandfather had been to her Gran? No. He hadn’t. And there was no way now that Summer could be convinced Dalton hadn’t known. She remembered the look of fear in his eyes. He had known. And he’d changed the subject so that Summer or Wes wouldn’t keep questioning Gran and learn
the truth.
“Did you have a reason to think he’d marry you, Gran? Had it become that serious?”
“Why yes I did, Summer. We talked about it all the time. He gave me excuse after excuse why we had to wait, and why I couldn’t tell anyone yet, and I fell for his bullshit, hook, line and sinker. When I finally got my head out of my ass and realized I was being played, I issued him an ultimatum. That’s when he called me all those horrible names, laughed in my face, and threw me over. That was a big deal back then, you know. Not like today where people toss away relationships as if they’re throwing out the trash.”
“Ruth, I’m so sorry.” Wes’s voice was tight and cold, and he looked as unsteady right now as Summer felt. “You must have been humiliated.”
“Oh, I was. I was embarrassed and heartbroken. It was a cruel thing to do. Not long after that he married Grace Chambers. She was from Denver, and her family was richer than the Metcalfs. I later found out that he’d been seeing her for some time, and he’d given her an engagement ring long before he threw me over.”
“He was seeing her right here in Passion Peak?” asked Wes.
“Oh no. He and his family would ride to Denver all the time to see the Chamberses. They had a country club there. I never went with them, of course, and he gave me all kinds of excuses why I couldn’t each time they went. Now of course I know the real reason. He had a fiancée in Denver. Then when he married Grace and brought her here to live with him, I was humiliated all over again. Even some of my friends snickered behind my back.”
Gran sighed and glanced around as if she was wasn’t quite sure where she was. “Oh heavens, listen to me. That was such a long time ago and Dalton isn’t his grandfather. And none of that matters anymore, regardless.” Gran patted Summer’s hand. “I met your grandfather a year later, and we were married, and I gave him your beautiful mother. And now I have you. So off you go now, you two. Go and have a nice dinner with Dalton, okay?”
