by Lexi Blake
Leo looked back at the open door, gesturing outward. “Don’t you fucking think for one minute that you can share her with your friends because you think she needs it.”
Ah, there was that jealousy he’d been waiting for. Leo could lie to himself, but Wolf saw right through him. “She only wants you, man. I wouldn’t have done that with anyone else. If you walk away from her, then we’ll be exclusive. I threatened to use someone else because I wanted you to get off your ass.”
There was a long pause as Leo considered him. “I don’t like being manipulated.”
“And I don’t like being ignored. I guess we can’t always get what we want.” He sat up, looking for his clothes. It was time to retreat or he was going to get pissed off, and that wouldn’t help his cause. They needed to concentrate on Shelley, not have a family therapy session.
The room was quiet for a moment. Wolf grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. He really did need a shower. He’d had sex a bunch of times and killed two dudes. Some serious grooming was required.
“I didn’t intend to ignore you,” Leo said, his shoulders deflating. He sat down on the bed, his eyes straying to where Shelley had lain. “I guess time got away from me. You’re seeing something that isn’t there.”
He doubted it. His brother had been out of touch for a long time. But if Leo didn’t want to go into it, he was fine. “No problem. What am I supposed to wear to this thing?”
Leo’s fists clenched. “Don’t change the subject. Wolf, you’re my brother. I love you. I know I don’t always show it, but I do. I just…I know what you want, and I don’t think I can do it.”
“Because of me?” If his brother had that big a problem with him, then this couldn’t work, and he would need to rethink his whole plan to live here.
Leo shook his head. “No. It’s a lot of things, but mostly it’s because of her. I don’t think I would be good for her in the long run. I can’t do what you’re doing. I can’t open up and offer her everything on a silver platter.”
Wolf knew that. He wasn’t an idiot. “Then join us for the fun stuff until Shelley doesn’t need it anymore. But you need to understand that I am serious about her. She’s not going anywhere.”
“See, you met her yesterday. How can you possibly say that?” Leo threw his hands up as he asked the question.
Logan had asked him the same question on the long drive from Bliss. “I’ve been talking to her for over a month, but I won’t lie. I knew it was serious about two conversations in. I can’t help it. I follow my instincts. My instincts tell me she’s the one.”
Leo’s fists clenched. “I envy you that. I’ve known her for years, wanted her for years, but I couldn’t act on it and now I won’t. I can’t have the relationship you want. Hell, I’m not even sure I could have a relationship with her. I think Janine is right. I prefer to deal with patients. I don’t want the responsibility of a relationship. I tried it with her, and I was terrible. I guess I have more of our dad in us than I would like to think.”
“Is that what this is about? You think you’re going to bug out like our dad? That’s ridiculous, Leo. You never walked out on one thing in your life.” Leo had stepped up at a young age.
“I walked out on you.”
Wolf felt his eyes roll. He had no idea his brother had been carrying around this much guilt. “You didn’t walk out. You were eighteen. You joined the Navy.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed. “You honestly think I didn’t want out of that cabin? You think it was all self-sacrifice so I could help out with money? I could have gotten a job and stayed in Del Norte. But no, I had to get as far from Colorado as I could. I wasn’t being selfless.”
“I’m not stupid. Damn, man, I wanted out, too. It was hard. We were dirt poor, and Ma was overworked. You sent every bit of cash you could back. Me and Ma were fine. It’s normal that you would want out. You basically had to raise me. You were a kid and you had to raise me. It’s normal that you would want some freedom, but you’ve had years now, and it’s time to think about the future. Are you telling me you don’t want a family?”
Leo’s face closed off, and his eyes seemed to focus on something far away. “What if I don’t? What if I’m living exactly the life I want to live?”
Wolf didn’t believe him for a second, but now wasn’t the time to fight. He was starting to understand what Leo’s real problem was, and he wasn’t going to push him now. “Then you won’t mind helping me with Shelley. I’m offering you the best of both worlds. I’ll take responsibility for her. You can have fun.”
“Why?” Leo seemed to have a need to harp on that one question.
He wasn’t sure how many times he would have to answer it. “Because I think she needs this. She talked about a man she cared about. She never mentioned his name, but I think it was you. I know it wasn’t her husband. One of two things is going to happen. You’ll either come around or she’ll screw you out of her system and we can move on.”
That was as plainly as he could put it.
Leo shook his head. “It won’t work.”
It had to work. He was betting everything on the fact that this was going to work. “Then you will have lost nothing. Now, tell me what I should wear to this thing.”
Leo sighed. “It’s casual. Well, Julian will show up in a suit, but I swear he would wear one to hike through a swamp. The rest of the Doms usually wear jeans and T-shirts. It’s freaking Saturday after all.”
Good. He could do jeans.
Leo started out the door and then turned back. “But, brother, we’re going to have to find you some clothes if all you brought is that one bag. You can have Shelley take you to the mall or I will.”
He kind of wanted to barf at the whole idea of shopping. There had been plenty of shitty things about the Navy, but one of the good things had been the fact that he didn’t have to shop. His clothes had been provided for him. Uniforms. He liked uniforms.
Leo had a shit-eating grin on his face. “A good black T-shirt with jeans or slacks. Consider that your uniform.”
Yeah, his brother knew him. “I’ll let Shelley buy some stuff. She seems to like clothes.”
He would wear whatever she picked out for him.
Leo’s smile became a sad thing. “She does.” He sighed and looked at his watch. “You now have ten minutes. Please take a shower. I think Jack Barnes is in town. He’s not terribly fond of me. I would prefer his first impression of my only brother be a good one, not that you have hygiene problems.”
“What did you do? Hit on his wife?”
A devilish light hit Leo’s eyes. “As often as possible. His sub is a lovely woman. Trust me, if you didn’t have Shelley, you would hit on her, too. Make a good impression, brother. It might keep the man from killing me.”
Leo turned and walked out of the room.
It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. Time. That was what Leo needed. He needed time and patience. Their father had done a number on everyone in their little family. His mother had finally moved on. Of course, she’d moved on with one of the craziest people Wolf had ever met, but she was in love and happy. Wolf knew what he wanted.
Leo was floundering.
For all his brilliance and perfection, Leo was struggling in a way Wolf wasn’t.
Leo had spent half his life taking care of him. It was Wolf’s turn to look out for his big brother. Whether Leo wanted it or not.
Wolf grabbed his bag on the way out of the bedroom. Shelley might not know it, but her training didn’t end because they left the dungeon.
Logan looked up from the kitchen table. “Dude, your girl’s hot.”
“I can still kill you, Logan,” Leo shouted from the back of the condo.
Wolf gave Logan a thumbs-up. Logan really seemed happier since they had left Bliss, but Wolf wasn’t buying the act entirely. He’d let Logan be for the time being. It was another problem for another day. Shelley was his concern now. It was time to see how his hot girl liked having a plug worked up her ass.
&nb
sp; Wolf had a grin on his face as he walked toward the guest bathroom. He would sneak into Shelley’s shower and show his sub a good time.
Because the good times never had to end when a man loved his family.
* * * *
Leo took a deep breath before opening the door. The events of the night before weighed on him.
He’d watched Shelley come in his brother’s arms. He’d nearly lost her to a goddamn assassin’s bullet. He’d finally gotten inside her, and now he felt closer to her and his brother than he could have imagined.
The night before had been the best fucking night of his life. Why was he pulling away now?
“Leo,” Julian said with a broad smile. He pushed back his chair and stood. A long, dark wooden table dominated the elegant dining room. It was covered in a crisp, white tablecloth and some lovely china. Leo would have preferred paper plates because he was always worried he would break that damn dainty stuff, but he’d learned to deal with it. He’d become somewhat comfortable in Julian’s super-wealthy world.
Wolf, on the other hand, looked terrified at the ritzy spread in front of him.
Yeah, he was happy about that. His brother seemed to take almost everything with an annoying aplomb.
“Julian,” Leo acknowledged. “Nice spread.”
“Always,” Julian nodded, gesturing around the room. There were several men standing around the room talking as they drank coffee or orange juice. Well-dressed servers filtered through the room, offering drinks. “You know everyone. Jack, you remember Leo.”
Jack Barnes turned, his big body encased in a snowy white dress shirt and slacks that Leo was damn sure his lovely wife had picked out. Jack used to wear jeans and Western shirts to everything. Jack was another of Julian’s projects. Julian had an instinct about talented, intelligent people who could make something of themselves.
Jack reminded him of his brother. He had chosen well when it came to wives, and he was crap at dressing himself. Jack worked hard and had a positive attitude despite the crap life had thrown at him. Leo kind of admired both men.
“Oh, I can hardly forget Leo,” Jack said in his long, slow drawl. “And who’s the new guy?”
Julian looked thrilled to be able to answer. “That’s Wolfgang Meyer.”
Jack’s eyes went wide. “Wolfgang? Seriously?”
Wolf sighed beside him. “Our mom liked artists. She liked painters and composers. I was named after Mozart. Leonardo there was named after da Vinci. If she’d gotten knocked up again, we would have had a Giuseppe because she loved Verdi. I am grateful she didn’t. We would have been defending that kid every day on the playground. Ma didn’t get that names are important when it comes to avoiding an ass kicking. Though I would probably be less tough if she’d named me Nick or Jake.”
Jack Barnes laughed out loud. “I like it. So this is Leo’s brother? The one who’s now screwing Leo’s girl? I like him. I don’t know him, but I seriously like him.”
Yeah, Jack Barnes wasn’t his biggest fan. “She isn’t my girl.”
Jack’s face went chilly. “No, of course she isn’t. She’s your brother’s.” He turned to Wolf, a broad smile on his face. “It’s nice to meet you. You’ve been working with Jamie Glen out on the G. Nice ranch. I like having another cowboy around here. I heard you took care of some problems last night. I heard you did a real fine job. Big Tag was impressed and that means I am, too. I like a man who can take care of business. Tell me how Jamie and Trev are doing.”
Leo watched as Wolf stepped up and started talking to the rancher. In mere seconds, Wolf had Jack Barnes laughing out loud and talking about everything having to do with cows.
Leo took a step back. Jack had never responded to him like that.
“It looks like your brother is fitting in,” Julian said, slapping him on the back. “And your charge is doing well, too.”
Leo followed Julian’s line of sight. Logan stood in front of the big windows that overlooked the city skyline. He had a grin on his face as he talked to Dane Hawthorne. Dane was a Dom who worked at the same law firm as Finn and Lucas O’Malley. He was a big, all-American looking guy who had a real light touch with the neediest of subs. Logan was laughing as he talked to the Dom.
“Yes, I think my charge might have been less traumatized than advertised.” Leo stopped. Crap. Was he actually upset that this guy wasn’t as fucked up as he’d been told? He really did hide behind his patients.
A vision of Shelley’s lovely face assaulted him. She’d been perfect. She’d opened herself body and soul to him and Wolf, not holding a single thing back.
He’d almost lost her. His heart still seized at the thought. He could still hear Wolf’s monotone as he’d called and said flatly, “Trouble. Grab Taggart and come now.”
That was all. A couple of sentences and he’d come running. Wolf hadn’t thought to explain. He’d called and known that his big brother would move heaven and earth to help him.
Maybe he wasn’t as far from his brother as he thought.
One of the servers offered Leo a cup of coffee. He took it as Julian talked about something that was going on with Finn. He nodded, but his brain was on his earlier talk with Wolf.
Maybe he should take his brother up on his offer. If Wolf and Shelley were cool with it, why should he hesitate? Why shouldn’t he take everything they were offering? He could have Shelley and not have to worry about it ending because she would be fine. She would have Wolf. Wolf wouldn’t leave her. Wolf would make her the center of his whole fucking world. He would build a life around her.
And Leo would show up for some nice long fucks.
Wasn’t that what he wanted?
“And then I gave away everything to charity. This is our last day in The Club. It’s being taken over by the Society for Smarter Butterflies.”
He shook his head. “What?”
Julian frowned, his face a mask of disapproval. “Well, it was obvious you weren’t listening to me.”
“Sorry, boss.” He had to get it together. He didn’t have to make any decisions today. He needed to think. He never acted on his instincts the way Wolf did.
Except that once when he’d tried to get Shelley to run away with him. And he’d seen where that got him.
“Do I need to get Wolf his own condo?” Julian asked, his eyes looking to Wolf. “There’s an open spot on the tenth floor.”
Two days ago he would have jumped at the offer. “No. That unit is a one bedroom. Mine is a three. We’re fine.”
He was surprised at how fast the denial came out of his mouth. He didn’t want Wolf to move. He didn’t want Shelley to leave. There had been an oddly comfortable domesticity to the morning. It had been nice to not be alone. He’d woken up with Shelley’s head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her.
Of course, he’d also woken up clinging to the edge of the bed because his brother was so oversized he took up most of the queen-size mattress. Leo and Shelley had barely been left with enough room for one person, much less two. He hadn’t minded snuggling, but he’d almost ended up on his ass.
They needed to move into his room. He had a king.
“So you’re comfortable with your brother and his sub staying with you?” Julian’s eyes pinned him as though he couldn’t quite believe that was possible. “It’s necessary that they stay close, but they don’t have to stay with you. I don’t believe Shelley should be on her own right now, but I understand it could be difficult for you. Should I move Logan out? You only have the three bedrooms. I seriously doubt Wolf was comfortable on your couch.”
“He was comfortable enough, Julian. He didn’t sleep on the couch.”
Julian nodded. “Well, that was inevitable. He seems to work fast.”
Julian didn’t know the half of it. Leo stared out over the Dallas skyline. “And he talks in his sleep. And he hogs the damn covers.”
Julian Lodge was a man of perfect manners. It gave Leo a lift of joy that Julian spit his coffee out, sputtering as the words hit him.
Leo felt a grin cross his face. He hadn’t fucked with his boss in over a year. How much of himself had he cut off after Shelley had denied him? He’d gone into his shell, and he was only now coming out of it. Screwing with Julian had been his favorite pastime. “If you’re talking some serious playtime, then yes. My brother is open-minded.”
And generous. And might know him better than Leo thought.
The door to the dining hall came open, and Ben and Chase walked through, their gaits in perfect time. He and Wolf might not be in such perfect synchronicity, but they had been able to please their sub anyway.
Leo winced inwardly. There it was. Possessive words. Shelley wasn’t his.
Julian watched the twins walk in. “I’m going to talk to Ben and Chase for a moment. We’ll start breakfast in ten minutes. We need to discuss the scenes for tonight and tomorrow night. We have some VIP politicians coming in, and they need some unique setups.”
Leo stifled his groan. He hated politicians, and they tended to be tourists. But still, he had a job to do. “All right. I can accommodate them. When are we going to talk about the situation with Shelley?”
“Ian and I talked to the police chief last night. I’m sure Ben and Chase found something as well. When we’re done here, we can all go up to the penthouse and discuss it. Be right back.”
Leo watched Julian walk away with a growing impatience. It had been easy to forget about the assassins after Shelley when he’d had his face in her pussy. Now, in the light of day, the enormity of the situation hit him squarely in the chest.
Someone tried to kill her. They’d messed with her twice already. The incident on the train hadn’t been a mugging. They’d been after her.
Leo walked to the balcony and slipped outside. The early-morning air had the slightest chill, but he welcomed it.
