Shelley gasped. “Did you pull Mouse into that kinky sex stuff?”
“It’s more than just sex, love. Now hush. He’s safe and fine.” Leo dropped his arms and strode forward. He stopped in front of Trev. “You took a sub? Formally?”
He could feel himself flush. To the outside world, what had happened the night before was nothing more than a common hookup. Inside the world that Trev had grown to love, it meant something serious. He’d taken a sub. He hadn’t really begun her training, but he’d made his declaration. He’d taken her virginity. He wasn’t going to pretend it hadn’t happened. “There’s not a lot of formality here in Deer Run, but I claimed her. She understands what it means. Sort of.”
He’d claimed her in the sweetest way possible. He’d been her first man. He’d been the first man to be smart enough to see past that wall she built to protect herself. He’d been the first to see just how sensual and hot she was. He was utterly amazed that he was the first to see how beautiful Bethany Hobbes could be.
“What does ‘sort of’ mean?” Leo asked suspiciously.
“Did you tie her up? Do I need to let her out?” Shelley asked.
Leo stared back at her. Shelley rolled her eyes. God, she would be the brattiest sub if she ever walked into a club. “No one asked your opinion, love.”
“I wasn’t offering an opinion, Leo. I was concerned with Mou…Beth’s circulation. Trev sucked at Boy Scouts. I was always better with knots.”
Leo looked horrified. “You will never be allowed around a rope. And your brother has gotten better at Shibari. I’ve made sure of it. And yes, Shibari is kinky sex stuff.” Leo turned back to Trev. “Sort of?”
“She only knows about it from books.”
Leo groaned. “Not Lexi’s books? Where the Dom always surrenders in the end? I’ve begged Aidan to spank her ass until she writes one of us who isn’t a pussy.”
“I like Lexi’s books,” Shelley admitted.
“They are not a true representation of D/s,” Leo argued.
“They’re a representation of love,” his sister shot back.
“I suppose so.” Leo stared at Shelley for a moment before turning back to Trev. Leo’s face split into a smile. He held his hand out. “I am so glad to hear that you’ve taken a submissive. How did you hide this? No one knew you were seeing anyone.”
Trev swallowed before he answered. “Um, I didn’t meet her at The Club.”
“He met her yesterday.” Shelley still sounded slightly outraged. “And she’s the most innocent woman I’ve ever met.”
Leo’s brows climbed up his forehead. “Really? That explains a lot.”
Trev fumbled for words. “I’ve met her before. It’s just that she was a kid back then. We went to the same high school. We didn’t run with the same crowd.”
“Mou…Beth doesn’t have a crowd. She has Bo,” Shelley explained.
Not anymore she didn’t. Trev wouldn’t tell her she couldn’t see him anymore. He wouldn’t come between Beth and her friend. Not exactly. He did intend to keep her so busy that she wouldn’t really have time for anyone but him.
“Bo? As in O’Malley?” Leo put a hand to his forehead as though trying to ward off one of the killer migraines he got from time to time. “Fuck. Please tell me you didn’t screw Aidan’s brother’s girlfriend.”
Shelley waved him off. “Mouse…Beth, god that’s hard, isn’t Bo’s girlfriend. She’s just his friend. Don’t get me wrong, she’s one of the nicest people around, but she’s very naïve when it comes to men.”
Leo calmed a bit. “And she doesn’t belong to Bo? Because the last thing you need is to give Aidan a reason to fire you. He’s looking for one already.”
That was news to Trev. “Why? I know what I’m doing. I thought he wanted me.”
Leo’s jaw tightened the way it did when he delivered bad news. “Aidan wasn’t exactly thrilled when Julian asked him to take you on. He thinks you’re dicey, and he knows you’re only going to be here for a year. He would rather find a permanent foreman. He’s doing this as a favor to Julian.”
Trev felt his stomach turn. That was all he needed. Now he had to deal with the guilt and shame of being a fucking charity case. “Tell him it’s fine. I’ll go back to The Club. I can spend my last year of probation there. As long as Julian will give me a place to stay, I’ll work for free. When I get my contract money, I’ll buy my spread and no one will have to worry about me.”
He still had a shred of pride. At least he was trying to have it.
“Trev, you can’t leave. You just got here.” Shelley’s dark eyes practically pleaded with him.
And then there was Beth. He didn’t want to leave. He’d spent one night with her, and the thought of not seeing her again had him in knots. He’d promised her he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Slow down, Trev. I know this situation isn’t perfect, but you can make it work. You didn’t want to be stuck in The Club. That’s why you decided on this path. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Leo said.
He also hadn’t known it was going to be so damn hard. A single vision of Beth’s face as she’d rolled into his arms, her skin flushed from orgasm, her mouth smiling and eyes wide with wonder, flashed across his brain. “I’ll stay. I’ll keep my head down and get my work done. And I’ll tell Aidan that he can keep searching for a permanent foreman. If he finds one, I’ll just work as a hand.”
He couldn’t leave her. Not after taking her virginity. He’d failed too many people over the years. He took his promises seriously. If he had to swallow a little pride, it was worth it.
Leo sighed. “Well, we can work it out with Aidan. I didn’t call him. I hoped to find you in the proverbial ditch somewhere.”
Trev laughed. “Yeah, that would have better than having to haul my ass out of a bar or jail.”
“No, it wouldn’t.” Shelley looked between Trev and Leo, a frown on her face.
“Trev? Are you down there? I took your rules seriously.”
Trev turned at the sound of Beth’s soft voice. She reached the top of the staircase. She had taken him seriously. She wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothes. Her gorgeous, curvy body was on full display. The only thing she was lacking was a collar. He would have to fix that.
“Well, hello.” Leo’s eyes warmed as he took in Beth.
Shelley slapped at Leo’s arm, earning her a stare from the Dom.
“Oh, my god!” Beth screeched the words, and her hands flew over her breasts and down to her pussy as though she couldn’t decide which to protect. She stumbled as she tried to fly back up the stairs. Her nicely shaped backside came into view.
He needed some toys to go along with the collar. A whole training set of anal plugs would be required because he was definitely going to get his cock up that perfect ass.
“Trev?” she called out from what Trev assumed was her bedroom.
“Yes, darlin’?” He couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice.
“Did they see anything?”
Trev had to put a hand over his mouth to stop the laugh. “Nothing that wasn’t lovely.”
“It was a wonderful way to begin the day, Beth. It’s very nice to meet you,” Leo called out.
“Oh, my god!” The door slammed.
“Don’t worry about it. She says that a lot.” In the day they’d been together, she’d called out the deity’s name several times.
Plaster drifted down from the ceiling, and the door slammed open again. Leo barely touched the railing to the stairs, and it came off in his hand.
Leo looked down. “Uh, this place is a bit of a fixer-upper, huh?”
Yeah, Trev had that in common with this old house. And he just might have found the woman who could renovate him.
* * * *
Mouse slammed the door, her heart racing. She grabbed the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around her naked body. Trev had guests, and they had just been treated to a vision of her au naturel. It was mortifying. What had she been thinking?
> She hadn’t been thinking. She’d woken up, and Trev hadn’t been in bed with her. She’d decided to go looking for him. She hadn’t even stopped to look for her robe. She’d just obeyed him. He wanted her naked, and Mouse had just waltzed through the house in the altogether.
Maybe she was the mess everyone said she was.
There was a light knock on the door before it opened, and Trev walked in. He carried her dress from the previous night and two cell phones with him. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. The jeans rode low on his hips, showing off the notches on his abs. He was a Greek god. What the hell was he doing here with her?
“Has anyone ever told you just how pretty you are when you blush?” He asked the question with the sweetest smile on his face. He placed the dress and the phones on the bed.
“Who was that?”
Trev crossed the room in two long strides. “That was Leo Meyer. He’s sort of my mentor. Drop the sheet.”
She pulled it closer. “I am not going to drop the sheet. I might never be naked again. I might shower with my clothes on from now on.”
His eyes narrowed, and a low growl came out of his mouth. “We’re alone.”
“No, we’re not. There are people in my house.”
“They’re downstairs. We’re alone, and I want to see you.”
That tone of voice really did something for her. How did the man manage to get her so hot with just a sentence? “Why is that man here?”
Trev stood in front of her. He didn’t move a muscle, but she could feel his displeasure. He seemed to come to a decision. “He’s here because my sister called him. She was afraid I had fallen off the wagon. Leo has spent the last two years making damn sure I didn’t slip up, so he was worried about me.”
Her heart softened a bit. “That’s real nice of him. I still wish he hadn’t seen my bottom.”
“Oh, he saw more than that, but don’t worry. Leo’s used to being around pretty, naked little subs. He usually knows when to keep his hands off. Usually.”
She was pretty sure Leo Meyer wasn’t off somewhere thinking about how to get his hands on her. “Well, in the future, I would appreciate it if you would let me know when we have guests.” She winced a little. She was assuming a lot. “I mean, I, when I have guests.”
“You had it right the first time, darlin’. Now drop the sheet, or we’ll spend the morning on discipline.”
He seemed to be very big on discipline. And on having her naked. She dropped the sheet and was rewarded by the heat that crept into Trev’s eyes. Those gorgeous orbs locked on her breasts.
“See, that’s better.” He leaned in and kissed her, pulling her body up against his, plastering her breasts to his chest. “Good morning, Beth.”
Her heart thumped in her chest. It felt so right to be close to him. This was how she’d always imagined it would be with Bo. A little sliver of guilt knifed through her, but she cast it aside. Bo hadn’t wanted her. Trev did, and she was crazy about him. In the course of a single night, he’d saved her twice, taken her virginity with kindness and patience, and sat up holding her and listening to her. Bo was good at listening to her, but she craved the intimacy Trev offered. It had been amazing to press their bodies together and rest her head on his chest. She hadn’t felt as close to a person before as she felt to Trev, as though the mere act of making love had bonded her to him.
And that was the way it was supposed to be. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, no longer concerned with her state of undress. “Good morning, Sir.”
He groaned. “Damn, I like that.”
He did. She could feel the press of his cock against her belly. Trev was utterly turned on by the whole submission thing, and that was fine with Beth. She’d read about the lifestyle in Lexi’s books and watched how it worked with Lexi’s husbands/Masters, and it seemed like a nice way to live. Mouse had been responsible for herself and her parents for so long that giving up a little responsibility seemed like a good thing.
Trev’s hand gently tugged on her hair, a silent request for her to bring her head up. She was already catching on to his habits.
“Yes?” Mouse asked.
“What are your plans for the day? I have to go out to Aidan O’Malley’s. I’ll probably be tied up for most of the day, but I want to see you tonight.”
Oh, she wanted to see him, too. There was a part of her that didn’t believe he’d meant what he’d said the night before. She halfway expected him to be gone this morning. “I want that, too. And I have to go out to the ranch. This morning I’m working on some stuff for Lexi, but this afternoon I have to go into town to the bank. I’m getting a home improvement loan.”
He frowned. “Are you sure about that? It might be better to just hire out a bulldozer.”
She wasn’t going to let his attitude get her down. Nor would she allow it to change her mind. She simply sighed and cuddled again. “Nope. I’m making this house beautiful again.”
His hand curved around her head, stroking her hair. “Explain it to me. I don’t understand. This place is falling down around you.”
No one understood, but Trev was the first one to ask her why. “You see a house that’s falling down, but that’s not what I see. Did you know this house was built in 1892?”
“I can believe it. And it hasn’t been updated since then.”
She laughed a little. “It was built by a man named Milo Bellows. He brought his family from New York, and he was one of the first people to move into Deer Run. He ran a general store. He built this place with his own two hands. I can see him. I can see that man laboring over this house, praying to get it just right because this house was his wife’s dream. He built it from the ground up, and his children grew up here. I can see them playing in the yard and running through the halls. How many people have walked through this place? How many sat on the porch and watched the sunset? How many sat in that big old dining room on Sunday enjoying supper after church? Those people mattered. They were loved, and they had lives, and this house saw it all. It shouldn’t be torn down because it isn’t perfect anymore. It’s got a history, and if I make it beautiful again, then a whole other family can live their lives here and it will go on. The beautiful things in life should go on even when they have flaws.”
He pulled her head up so their eyes met again. This time there was a grave look in his. He stared at her for a moment. “I’ll help you, then. You just tell me what to do.”
A rush of pleasure crashed over her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. But I have a few rules.”
He always had rules. He seemed to need them. That didn’t mean she had to follow them, but she would listen politely. “Yes?”
“Don’t do anything dangerous. This house really is falling apart. I don’t want you on the roof. I don’t want you lifting anything too heavy. And don’t go into the downstairs office.”
“Why?”
He grimaced. “I’m pretty sure the damn thing could be made into a wildlife preserve. We need to call animal control before you clean out that room. There was a reason you got it so cheap.”
His rules seemed perfectly reasonable to her. She’d been afraid he was going to throw down a dictate that required her to be naked while painting and refinishing. “All right.”
He kissed her again. “Can you make some coffee while I’m in the shower? I couldn’t find any downstairs.”
“Oh, that’s because I don’t have any.”
He groaned. “Baby, coffee is all I have left. We have to get you a coffeemaker.”
“I’ll pick one up when I go into town.” She would have to remember to put the basket on her bike. It looked like she was going to the store. She glanced down and saw the phone. “Oh, you had a call last night. I forgot.”
He grimaced. “Was it from a man named Marty?”
She nodded. “Yes. I would tell you what he said, but it was mostly a bunch of letters.”
“Yeah, Marty’s big on acronyms. Don’t worry about it. He’s not
important. I won’t be seeing him. And you got a call, too. It came in after you went to bed. Your phone didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t mention it. It was after midnight. Probably a wrong number. I’ll go heat up the shower. You do have hot water?”
“I hope so.” She wasn’t exactly sure.
Trev growled again. He seemed to believe it was a perfectly acceptable form of communication. Mouse heard the water creak to life and picked up her cell. She didn’t recognize the number, either, but there was a voice mail message. She sat on the bed, surprisingly comfortable with being naked, and listened.
Bo. His voice came over the line. There was no way to mistake the anxiety in his tone.
“It’s me. I’m in a little trouble. I’m in jail and I really need for you to come down here and pick me up. I know you don’t like to drive, but I’m begging you, baby. Please come get me. I want to talk to you. I have a lot to say. And I went to jail, not Clarissa’s. Jail. No sex in jail. At least I hope not. Don’t leave me too long. I’ll be waiting.”
Bo was in jail. He was in jail. And he’d been there all night. She quickly dialed the sheriff’s department. A feminine voice answered.
“County Sheriff’s Department. If this is an emergency, please call 9-1-1 because I don’t deal well with stress. And if you’re calling about a ticket, there’s nothing I can do. Take it up with the judge. I don’t get paid enough to listen to you complain.”
As receptionists went, Wanda wasn’t known for her friendly demeanor on the phone with strangers, but she’d been with the county forever.
“Wanda, it’s me, Mouse Hobbes.”
There was a surprised gasp, and then Wanda’s voice went down a notch or two. “Good for you, Mouse. That boy needed a night in jail, if you know what I mean. It’ll teach him to go to bars. We can hold his ass for another twenty-four hours or so if you’d like.”
“No, no. I don’t want him to sit in jail. I didn’t know he was there.”