SimplyIrresistible (14 page)

“Crazy folks don’t need reasons.” The reassurance fell flat
even to him. Most people had reasons for committing violent acts. Their
rationalizations might be twisted, but the causes and effects made an evil kind
of sense once you understood them.

Her face cleared. “I forgot the Jeep.”

“The guy who rammed you?” The tailgater who’d crashed her
truck Wednesday couldn’t have been his enemy. The first time Liam met her was
after the incident. However, if the same sick fucker was behind everything that
had happened, then he might be a jealous, wannabe boyfriend.

“No, the one that nearly clipped me on the way back from
town.”

Liam was already pulling out his cell and thumbed up Grant.
“Did you get a plate on the Jeep?”

The bodyguard assigned to watch Tiana said, “I did. The
vehicle is registered to Ashley Gregg. After she damn near clipped my bumper,
she passed Tiana’s rig way too close. An open-and-shut case of reckless
driving. Unfortunately, the police chief had driven by Tiana seconds before.”

“Thanks.” Liam edged his thumb to end the call.

“Do you have a second more?”

“Sure.”

“I took advantage of you being with Tiana to check out the
shooter’s hide. I hope that was okay?” Grant’s inflection rose, making it a
question.

“Absolutely, did you learn anything?”

“Possibly. The chief took the shell casings and cigar butts
with him. I got a pretty good look before he bagged the evidence. The shells
were 22s and the cigars
Flor de las Antillas Toros
.”

“Fancy label with flowers and topless women?”

“Yeah. I called Jacques. He said the cigar bands matched the
one you found behind Tiana’s apartment.”

“He was sure?” Liam sharpened his tone.

“One hundred percent. Said one of his buddies is a real
aficionado. He passed them around at a bachelor party, said they were cigar of
the year in 2012.”

Liam unclenched his jaw long enough to end the call.
“Thanks, pal.”

“Does Ashley smoke cigars?” Tiana wrinkled her nose.

“I doubt it.” Her brother sure as hell did, but he always
favored skinny, black cheroots. It was possible he’d broadened his horizons,
but unlikely. Tiana’s ex had smoked cigars. Too bad the sick fuck was already
dead.

“It was a silly question, there wasn’t time for her to have
shot at you and passed me to chase after the police chief.”

“Lots of off-road access possibilities out in the country.”
Too damn easy for Travis to borrow her rig.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Tiana’s voice sank.

“No reason you would.”

The rest of the drive to his place raced by in spite of the
tension in the cab. He wished he could promise her forever, but since he wasn’t
a long-term kind of guy, at least he could do a better job of protecting her
and take her mind off her troubles.

As they pulled up to the house and a security net he could
count on, some of his tension eased. “How about we take a ride before dinner?”

“Let me put away the groceries and let Lynda know she
doesn’t need to cook first.”

“Lynda doesn’t work weekends. Jed will take care of unloading.”

“Then give me a minute to freshen up and I’d love to go
riding.” Tiana gifted him with a brave smile.

“Perfect, I need to make a couple of calls.” He needed to
let Jacques know what had happened and make damn sure they’d closed all
security holes.

* * * * *

Tiana made minute, automatic adjustments to keep Sassy on
the trail and relaxed into the rightness of being on horseback. The filly
deserved the credit for the easy ride. She was super responsive with high
spirits and a smooth gait. Gratitude toward Liam for the loan of the horse and
for the gift of silence melted away more of her tension.

He didn’t scare her—most of the time. He was pure alpha male
and terminally high-handed, but in view of the shooting she wasn’t going to
complain about him assigning security people to keep watch. He made her feel
safe—most of the time—and he always made her heart race.

She couldn’t get the shot someone had aimed at Liam out of
her mind. Had Ashley somehow doubled back to pass Tiana after firing at him?
Jeeps were designed to go off-road. Needing more information, she angled her
head to catch his eye. “Tell me more about your relationship with Ashley.”

“Exactly what do you want to know?” His tone sharpened.

“When exactly did you stop seeing her?”Had Ashley
been upset enough to want to kill him?

“I quit topping her in May, June, sometime around there.”
His words weren’t blatantly evasive, but his tone fairly crackled with
defensiveness.

The “quit” rang in her ears. Tiana absorbed the mule-kick
reminder an off-and-on-again pattern didn’t mean their relationship wasn’t
serious, at least on one side. Ashley had good reason to believe this
separation was temporary.

I’m clearly poking one of his sore spots. Too bad.
She needed to be certain he would be emotionally available or there was no
point in going forward. She’d made tragic mistakes, but doing so didn’t make
her
a mistake. She wanted real. She wanted exclusive. She deserved both and more.
She stretched her neck to gain the advantage of an extra half-inch of height.
“Was that her Jeep that nearly clipped me today?”

“Yes.”

“Could she have shot at you?”

Liam shrugged. “Not likely.”

Which didn’t mean impossible, did it? Tiana took a deep
breath and forced herself to continue. “You’ve broken up with her and made up
before. Why is this time different?”

“Who told you about the breakups? Marcia?”

Tiana wasn’t tossing her new friend in front of an angry
Master. “She didn’t need to tell me anything. I saw Ashley come on to you. She
definitely doesn’t think the relationship is over.”

“There’s no such thing as a secret in a small town.” He
sighed with masculine irritation. “I’ve made it transparently clear to her I’m
not interested. I’m not getting back together with Ashley again. She doesn’t
want me, not in truth. I sure as hell don’t want her. Have I covered
everything?”

“How can you be so certain?”
You are so wrong about
Ashley. I saw how she looks at you. She wants you
and she’s furious you
aren’t running back to her. There’s nothing more vicious than a scorned slave,
Master.

His rugged jaw tightened. “Aside from my feelings, which are
absolute, Harvey is a friend. There’s no way I’d disrespect him.”

“What if he and Ashley weren’t together?”

“Why are we talking about Ashley? She’s not here. You are.”
Although he was at least three feet away, his deep drawl vibrated through her
like an intimate caress.

“Smooth deflection, but you didn’t actually answer my
question.”

“I’m done with her. We’re over, finished, never happening
again. Clear enough?”

“But you topped her for years, right?”

He shrugged. “Topping doesn’t bind a slave who doesn’t want
to be bound. It sure as hell doesn’t restrain a Master. She’s no longer mine
and she never will be again. ”

Tiana persisted, “Because she’s with your friend?”

“No. I’m absolutely through with her because I met someone
special.” He flashed his dimple.

Despite her intention to stay cool and detached, his
panty-melting grin worked all too well. “Good answer.”

“Then why are we wasting time talking about a woman I spent
time with months before I knew you? Have I ever intentionally hurt you?”

“No.”

“Do you trust me not to hurt you?”

“Most of the time.” Honesty was better than pretense. She
held her breath, waiting for his response.

“Dominant doesn’t mean sadist.” His tone was firm with a
surety she envied.

“Sometimes it does,” she whispered.

“You’re right. And sometimes submissives are masochists. I
don’t judge the pain Masters, or their playmates, as long as the play stays
consensual.”

“Richard never asked for my consent.”

”I’m not Richard. You and I discuss everything, especially
when something makes you uncomfortable, and you have safewords to use.”

“Nymph and dragonfly,” she murmured.

“Absolutely.”

“Did Ashley ask you to hurt her?”

His sensual lips tightened into a hard line.

Tiana’s voice softened even more. “You don’t have to answer.
I know she did.”

His eyes lit with approval that did funny things to her
insides.

“You wouldn’t hurt her the way she wanted. That’s the real
reason you broke up, isn’t it?”

His hands curled into fists and he seemed to choose his
words carefully. “I screwed up with Ashley. I own those errors in judgment.
I’ve learned from them. I’m not with her and I’m not repeating the same
mistakes. She’s always going to be part of my past, but she’s not you and she’s
not relevant to our future.”

“Another awesome answer,” she teased, trying to lighten the
mood.

He loosened a fist and wove his rough fingers with hers.
“There’s a whole world of kinky flavors beyond vanilla, pet. Finding someone
who loves providing exactly what you crave, that’s fucking magic.”

Liam smoldered at her.

She averted her gaze. “I reserve the right to ask you more
questions.”

“Go for it.”

“If there’s going to be something between us—”

“You got that right—there absolutely is a whole lot between us
and more to come.”

Heated by the certainty in his voice, she licked newly
parched lips. “Because D/s sexual relationships are complicated?”

“Nothing complicated about it for me. I tell you what I want
and you obey. You need to tell me what’s going on with you, especially when
something scares you or worries you.”

“All right then. I’m not interested in sharing. I want us to
be exclusive.”

“Fair enough.” His velvet drawl was back, better than ever.

“You’re agreeable all of sudden.”

“I’m real easy on the right subjects, pet.”

She sniffed. “You do have a certain rough charm and I hear
you’re richer than a derby winner.”

“So you’re a fortune hunter. Who sold me out? Marcia?” he
teased her back.

She didn’t bother trying to defend her new friend this time.
“Your bank account isn’t a big deal to me. I just don’t want to be leech bait.”

Perhaps one bloodsucker doesn’t quite qualify as making
me prey, but I’m not interested in repeating the experience
.

The clear-blue lake glistened through the trees. Enchanted
by the smooth water, she didn’t press him with more questions about Ashley. For
now she let her subconscious deal with the subject and simply enjoyed the
peaceful ride.

By a mutual tacit understanding, when they reached the lake
they slowed and dismounted. Liam tethered the horses on a grassy knoll, held
out a hand and angled his head toward a bench under an old willow.

Water lilies bobbed gracefully beneath braches leaning over
the lake. Dragonflies buzzed past on mosquito patrol. Farther away, the calm
surface reflected the woods and distant mountains. The majestic scene stole her
breath. She sank onto the bench. Liam joined her, not crowding her, but close
enough that she absorbed his heat. She gestured toward the spectacular
reflecting pool. “This is amazing.”

“This was my mom’s favorite spot. Dad enlarged the natural
pond and helped her plant it. When the first dragonflies showed up she was
thrilled. Dad brought the bench out here so they could watch the sunset
together.”

“You must miss them very much.”

He nodded. “At first I was angry about losing both of them,
especially at the same time. Now I’m glad they went together. Neither one of
them would have been whole without the other.”

Tiana snuggled closer, wanting to ease the sadness
underneath his deep voice. For a long moment, they were quiet, soothed by the
gentle lapping of the water.

“I’d like you to tell me about your last relationship.”

She stiffened and bit back a groan. She couldn’t even object
because she’d opened herself up to anything he wanted to ask by prodding him
about Ashley. She tried for a light, casual tone, but her voice caught and
quavered. “Anything in particular you want to know?”

“Start with what he meant to you.”

The elephant of her fears stampeded into the conversation.
No warm-up for Liam, he jumped right into crash-and-burn territory. She gripped
the edge of the bench so hard her knuckles blanched while she swallowed a knot
of nervousness threatening to steal her voice. The man was dead and buried. She
had nothing more to fear from him. This was just conversation, nothing but a
bunch of words. They had no power to hurt her unless she let them. If Liam
hated her, or worse, pitied her, it was better to learn how he felt before she
was even more involved.

Her stomach roiled at the thought of his disgust. She
finally answered simply, “He was my Master.”

“How did you meet?”

Grateful for an easy question, she said, “At a local fetish
club.”

“Around here?”

“No, back east.”

“You were attracted to him?”

The question caught her off guard.
Was I attracted?
She
spoke slowly. “I was lonely and very flattered. He was older, popular and a
strong Dom. Or so I thought.”

“A sexual predator.” His voice deepened to a disapproving
rumble.

“No, I don’t think so, at least not in the beginning. He
trained me to serve him.” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard. “I truly
tried to be what he wanted. But I never found the sub-space euphoria he wanted.
His discipline just hurt.”

“He was a sick bastard with a weak ego and heavy hand.” Liam
angled her so her back was toward him and began skillfully massaging the
tension from her shoulders.

She froze for a couple of heartbeats, startled by his
conclusion. Under his firm touch coiled muscles and tight tendons unwound.
Since she wasn’t facing him, the painful memories were easier to examine.
Richard seemed to care about her in the beginning. She wanted to believe he
had, but Liam was correct. He had used her without any regard for her needs or
even basic safety.