Adams, Eve - Trio [Gideon's Ring 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

“He’s a good man.”

“He put you in the fucking hospital, Gail.”

Her pale gray eyes cooled as she looked at him. Goddamn, that look hurt. Anger replaced his pain as she thrust out her chin and arched her brow. Nothing good ever came out of that look.

“I’d rather take my chance with someone normal than buy in
to your sick games.”

Jesus and Christ. He swallowed until the bile burning his throat raw settled back down into his churning gut. “Is that what this is about?”

“I’m not into the whole Dom/sub thing, Barrett. I never have been. What you do here at the ranch, the retreats, it’s just wrong.”

What the hell was so wrong with it? “How so?”

“You have men sharing women. Women sharing men. It’s unnatural. I could never do that.”

He didn’t even bother to argue with her. If she hated his lifestyle, she could have spoken up before now. “So was that your big news?”

Tom went to her side and took her hand. The vise around Barrett’s heart tightened as he focused on how her hand fit in his. This couldn’t be happening. Gail swore she’d never go back to Tom. She’d made a promise, both to Barrett and to herself.

“I’m pregnant.”

Oh shit.
“Is it…”

“It’s Tom’s,” Gail answered quickly. “I’ve always been very careful with you.”

Yes, she had. She’d made it a point to never be without a condom when they had sex.

Past tense.

He didn’t even want to look at her now. Her words sank into his very being and hurt like hell, like she literally took his heart and dug her nails into it the way she used to dig into his back.

“That’s why I haven’t been by to see you. We’ve been…well…”

“We’re back together,” Tom finished.

Barrett glanced back down at their hands. “No shit.”

“Please,” Gail pleaded. “You don’t have to be so bitter. It isn’t like you didn’t see this coming.”

Actually, he hadn’t a clue she’d come here tonight to rip out his heart and feed it back to him with the help of the man who did the same to her. “I guess the joke is on me. Did you have this planned all along? Did you come running to me just to get him back?”

Gail’s expression hardened, and Barrett
saw
a side of her he’d been ignoring for too long
, and the side Chris had seen all along
. Vicious. Callous. Calculated.
Barrett
also saw a spark of alarm in her uncaring eyes when he’d nailed it.

“You think you know me, but you don’t. I hate what you do here, Barrett. The fact that you asked me to be a part of it tells me that you never really knew me.”

Obviously.

“We’re moving to Wisconsin. I have a job waiting for me there,” Tom explained, like Barrett gave a shit why they were moving, only that Gail was about to slip through his fingers—this time permanently. “It’s good money. She’ll be taken care of.”

Another blow, like a sledgehammer, slammed into his chest. Holy shit, what else could either one of them say to beat him down? Barrett wanted to snap Tom’s little pencil neck. How dare he think he had the right to sweep Gail away.

Barrett had to turn away from the happy couple. “Good for you.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Tom said
,
“
w
e didn’t plan for this to happen.”

“It doesn’t.”

Gail spoke up, her tone cutting. “Barrett, I’m sorry it had to happen like this, but the heart wants what it wants. We can’t help who we fall in love with.”

Another blow, this one below the belt. Barrett closed his eyes and fought against the way her words sliced into his chest like poisoned daggers. Dear Jesus, she was brutal.

“Was there anything else?”

“I hope we can still be friends.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he stiffened. He never wanted to feel her touch again. She’d betrayed him, not once but twice. He was done longing for her to do anything to him.

“Good-bye, Gail. Enjoy Wisconsin.”
Alone, because I won’t be there when he puts you in the hospital again.

“We can visit when we come to see my parents once the baby is born.”

He tried to bite his tongue, but the words fell out. Cold words meant to hurt her as much as she hurt him. “What the hell makes you think I’ll want to ever see you again?”

Gail gasped. “You don’t mean that.”

He sure as hell did. Feeling another presence in the room, he stiffened and glanced over his shoulder to see his cousin standing there in the doorway.
He didn’t even hear the door open over the thumping of his pulse in his ears.

“It’s time for you to leave, Gail.”

“
Chris.
”
She nodded once in
a cool, aloof
greeting.
“
Always good to see you.
”

“
Can’t say the same. You heard me. Go.
”

Gail stiffened her spine.
“
I see that famous Gideon charm runs through the blood of all of you. Are you all as perverted?
”

Her words meant to strike at him, but Chris simply nodded and even tipped his hat.
“
Yes, ma’am.
”

“Come on, sweetheart.” Tom pulled her away. Her hand fell from Barrett’s shoulder, and the void ripped his world apart.

When Gail let out a sob, he cringed. Her tears had already started.

“
You okay?
”
Chris put his hand on Barrett’s shoulder.

He sucked in a long breath to keep his control in check. The old wood floor groaned and settled as the love of his life walked out on him with the devil on her arm, and still he didn’t release the breath. Not until he heard the large front door open and close did he finally let it out.

He swallowed several times to push his emotions back down. As the oldest living Gideon in this family, he couldn’t let his little brothers see him like this. He had to remain strong, not broken like the way he really felt.

“
I’m not going to say it.
”

Barrett swallowed thickly.
“
You couldn’t have predicted this.
”

“
Is that so?
”

He turned and looked into the hazel eyes of his closest relative, aside from his brothers.
“
Chris, I really don’t need your
‘
I told you so
’
right now.
”

“
Do something for me.
”

Barrett frowned.
“
What?
”

“
I’m here to pin a sub. I’ll find her, but you pin her first.
”

“
I’m really not up for it,
”
Barrett said and shook his head.

He dropped his shoulders as the weight of the world pulled him down.

Chris flashed a crooked grin and patted Barrett’s shoulder.
“
You are up for it more than you know, my friend. Trust me, this is exactly what you need.
”

He gritted his teeth as every muscle in his body tightened with tension. Should he hide out in his room and wallow in self-pity? Was that the Gideon way?

Hell no.

With his chin up
,
and despite that he no longer felt anything but the harsh realization of the bitter truth, he answered, “I’m in.”

“It started to snow, so the twins are moving the meet and greet to the bar so the guests can go out to the covered patio. Matt already has the heaters going.”

“Fine. Give me an hour.”

Chris nodded.
“
Now that’s the Barrett Gideon I know. Turn this into a good thing. Gail doesn’t know what she’s given up. However, some young filly is about to find out.
”

Barrett couldn’t agree more. He couldn’t let Gail’s betrayal affect him. Deep down he knew this day would come, as much as he’d done everything to ignore it. She may have let him have her body, but he never really had her heart. No, that belonged to Tom and always would.

Maybe he should be more like Chris. He never kept the same woman around long enough to get attached and seemed happy enough. Without that emotional tie, Barrett could be free to really enjoy himself here at GR&L. No more guilt for participating in a weekend ménage.

Gail knew what went on at the ranch and never said anything until now. Had he known how she felt would he have stopped participating? He shouldn’t be a third party in a ménage when he belonged to her. He laughed at the thought. Belonged? Hardly. He may have thought that, but Gail never reciprocated.

Now he knew why. She just didn’t give enough of a shit about him to really care.

With his head down, he hurried back up the stairs to his room, avoiding the watchful gazes of his kin and whatever guests had already arrived. He changed into the black head-to-toe attire each of the Gideons wore during the meet and greet. As one of the rules of the meet and greet, anyone dressed in all black had no ties and had come in search of nothing more than participating in a no-strings-attached ménage.

This weekend Barrett planned to take a very active role in the woman Chris chose for them.. He’d make it a weekend none of them would ever forget. Placing the black cowboy hat on his head, he spun on his booted heel and went in search of the lucky filly.

What a mistake.

What the hell was she thinking coming to a ménage ranch alone? Here Sarah Emerson sat milking her glass of wine, dressed in all black as per the rules, waiting for a couple to approach her. Just like her disaster of a love life, she’d struck out.

Her brother had been sadly mistaken. This wouldn’t be the release she’d needed to get over her breakup. Norris bragged about both the Gideon Ranch & Lodge, as well as The Roadhouse. Since The Roadhouse closed down every night, sending the patrons home before dawn, that left the GR&L for her to experience her first ménage. She knew if she didn’t actually have to stay, she’d more than likely chicken out and leave before ever finding this so-called release.

The spaghetti-strapped LBD her best friend talked her into buying for this hugged her curved frame and made her feel all that more uncomfortable. Little black dresses belonged on models and those attending the opera, not on women who preferred jeans to skirts, especially those built like Sarah.