Siren in Bloom [Texas Sirens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (25 page)

Yeah, Jack Barnes wasn’t his biggest fan. “She isn’t my girl.”

Jack’s face went a little cold. “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, son. 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 with them.”

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 a little less traumatized than he was 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. Come now.”

That was all. Three words and he’d come running. Wolf hadn’t thought to explain. He’d simply said three words and known that Leo 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. Leo 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.”

Leo shook his head. “What?”

Julian frowned, his face a mask of disapproval. “Well, it was brutally 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.”

Leo shook his head. “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 little lift of joy that Julian spit his coffee out, sputtering as Leo’s words hit him.

With an elegant twist of his hand, he put the coffee down and wiped off his suit. “So I am to assume that the adrenaline of the night before led to some physical interaction?”

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 just 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 very 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, Leo. 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 Shelley?”

“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 thugs 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 had tried to kill her. Two someones. It hadn’t been a mugging. They had been after her.

Leo walked to the balcony and slipped outside. The early-morning air had the slightest chill, but Leo welcomed it.

No way was he going to let Wolf move even to another floor. He couldn’t stand the thought of not knowing where Shelley was. And more than that, he didn’t particularly want to lose track of his brother.

He could still remember how angry he’d been when Wolf had given him the news that he was joining up. Wolf hadn’t exactly discussed the situation with him or their mother. He’d been on his way to Great Lakes when Leo got the news.

And then years of not knowing where he was. Years where his brother’s location on the planet earth had been a state secret. Leo knew he’d put Wolf and his mother through the same thing, but damn it, he’d had a plan. He’d been doing it for them.

“I hear you’ve come to the dark side.”

Leo closed his eyes briefly. Jack Barnes. Well, he did flirt outrageously with the man’s wife. “Dark side?”

“I heard you finally got into Shelley McNamara’s bed.”

God, Julian had become a gossipy old man. “It’s really not your business, man.”

“I don’t know about that. I like the hell out of her brother. Trev spent some time with Barnes-Fleetwood a couple of years back. I enjoyed working with him. I wonder what he would think about you playing around with his sister. Julian might think this is funny, but that girl is going to get hurt.”

“Don’t be a hypocrite, Jack. You share your wife.”

“Yes, I share my wife with my partner,” Jack replied. “We’re all committed to our lives together and the family we’re raising. You’re just playing around.”

Leo felt his eyes narrow. “You don’t know anything about this situation, Jack.”

“I know the way she’s looked at you for years and the fact that since she walked into this club, you haven’t spoken to her. She was lost and broken and you didn’t reach out. You reach out to every goddamn person in this club, but she gets nothing. If she meant a thing to you, I can’t tell.”

Anger rolled in his gut. “I asked her to marry me, Jack. She turned me down. So now who’s the asshole in this situation?”

Jack raised a single brow, and Leo had the sudden fear he’d been manipulated to the exact position Jack wanted him in. “I would say it’s you since she doesn’t have a ring on her finger or your protection.”

Leo took a deep breath to keep from shouting. His words came out quietly, but with pointed sarcasm. “Do you not understand the words ‘she turned me down’? I offered to save her from that hellacious marriage, and she told me to leave.”

“Yeah, I get what she told you to do. I just don’t understand why the hell you did it.”

Leo frowned, staring at the cowboy. “She didn’t want me.”

But those words were starting to sound like an excuse.

“Bullshit.” Jack leaned against the elegant railing. “I don’t claim to know exactly why she did it, but I would make a bet that she got it into her head that she was protecting you. Women do that with men they love. Don’t think for a minute that because they’re soft and submissive in bed that they don’t know how to protect what they love. I’ve never seen anything more ferocious than my Abigail when she thinks me or Sam or one of the kids could get hurt.”

How many times was he going to have to hear this argument? “That’s ridiculous, Jack. I’ve gone over this with her. I’m a freaking former SEAL. I can handle myself.”

“But she doesn’t want you to have to handle yourself. God, Leo, you spend all your time psychoanalyzing people but you’re playing blind when it comes to her.”

His head was starting to pound. None of this shit mattered. Barnes was pushing him. “No matter her reason for doing it, she was right. I was a crappy husband the first time around. I’m just glad Janine and I didn’t have kids or they would have to grow up the same way we did. Without a dad.”

Jack stopped and stared for a moment, and Leo wished he hadn’t opened his damn mouth. “I didn’t have a dad, either. It’s hard. I watched how hard it was on my momma. She struggled. And then she died and I didn’t have anyone. Tell me, Leo, do you think that affected the way I view marriage?”

Leo snorted. “Of course. Jack, I know where you’re going.”

“No, son, I don’t think you do. I don’t know that I would have married Abigail if Sam hadn’t been around. I wouldn’t have touched her because I would always have worried about what would become of her if something happened to me. I spent years having sex that didn’t mean anything, but Sam freed me. Sam would kill or die for our wife and our kids. If I left this earth tomorrow, Sam would be there. I don’t have to worry about Abby because we have Sam.”

“I don’t know if that can work for me. Jack, Abigail never tried to push you away.”

Jack leaned over and laughed. “Think you know everything, do you? Abigail kicked me out of her life before we got married. Abigail, sweet, loving Abigail, told me she didn’t love me. She told me I was only good for sex.”

Abby had done that? Leo couldn’t imagine it. Abby worshipped her husband. She looked at Jack like he was the sun in the sky. “Why would she say that?”

Jack’s eyes moved away, his mind obviously lost in memory. “She thought a little old lady was going to ruin my life and that I wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

Leo had to laugh a little. Jack Barnes was a ruthless son of a bitch. He’d built his ranch on hard work and by taking what he was owed. The thought of one small redhead trying to protect him seemed a little silly.

And yet hadn’t the fierce love Shelley had shown for her mother and brother been one of the very things he’d been attracted to?

An idea played at the back of Leo’s mind. A question he’d always wondered about.

Why had Shelley—beautiful, vivacious, smart Shelley—why had she married someone like Bryce Hughes?

He’d never asked, a bit afraid of finding out she’d been madly in love. What if she’d had different reasons?

Emotion, regret, and no small amount of fear threatened to well up inside. “What did you do, Jack? What did you do when Abby told you to leave?”

Leo was pretty damn sure Jack Barnes hadn’t turned away.

“I didn’t even think about it. I knew that woman. That woman has held a piece of my soul since the day she was born. I told her if she left that I would follow her. I told her that if she didn’t love me, then that was okay because I would love her until the day I died. I would love her enough for both of us. You’re a smart man, Leo. You’re probably the smartest man I know, but you haven’t figured this out. It isn’t about how much she loves you. It’s not about how much she can give or withhold from you. It’s about what you feel. If you had really loved her, you wouldn’t have been able to walk away not knowing her circumstances. You would have stood by her. You would have protected her even when she didn’t want your help. You would have done it because you couldn’t do anything else.” Jack sighed and patted Leo on the shoulder. “So don’t worry about it. It wasn’t love. Hopefully it’s going to be different for your brother.”