“Will you keep your voice down?” Val shoved him into a corner.
“No, I won’t. You want to explain to me why Dani thinks I torched her shit? I was damn careful with all that crap. I even made sure that stupid-ass elephant she loved couldn’t possibly hit the ground and get wet. So how did it all manage to burn? I’m betting it was you, Val. What the hell have you got against Dani?”
Everything. Everywhere Val went, she was always Danielle Bay’s little sister. Even when she ruled the school, all any teacher could talk about was how smart Dani was, how kind. No matter how gorgeous and thin Val managed to make herself, there was someone who thought Dani was better than her.
“You can’t prove anything.” Val would be damned if this redneck hick would get the best of her. She loved what he did for her in bed, but she would be damned if he pushed her around. “Besides, what the hell do you care? She left you at the altar, or has half a dozen beers made you conveniently forget that fact?”
“She just came to her senses is all.” His calm infuriated Val. “Dani was always too good for me, and we both know it. She’s a nice lady.”
Nice? She’d left her fiancé and gone to bed with a practical stranger. “She’s fucking that guy, you know.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that feeling when he stared a damn hole through me. If I’m right, she might finally get around to getting into Finn’s pants, too.”
“Finn’s gay, dummy.”
“Nah, Finn’s just real flexible, if you know what I mean. My sister went to the same college as Finn. He got around with a lot of people. Girls, boys, maybe the occasional goat, but I always knew he had a thing for Dani.”
Why wouldn’t this asshole get mad? “That guy she went upstairs with is loaded. She left you for money.”
“I doubt that. Dani’s not like that at all. But hell, if that guy’s loaded, then good for Dani…and Finn. I get the feeling that dude is open-minded like Jack Barnes. I gotta wonder why all the crazy threesomes around here are dude fests. I need to start a new trend. Two girls and one guy, namely me. That’s more sensible.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Probably. I was sure as hell a dumbass for sleeping with you. Here’s the deal, Val. I won’t open my mouth about this because I think it would hurt Dani, but you back off. Maybe she’ll leave for Dallas with the rich dude and Finn, and then you can have that pitiful excuse for a house all to yourself.” He pushed past her and walked back to his friends.
Val felt tears threaten. How had her sister won again? After all the times she’d slept with that asshole, he still defended Dani.
“You look like you could use a drink.”
Val turned. She’d forgotten about the guy at the table. He had a trucker hat pulled low over his face, but he seemed young to Val, maybe mid-twenties. He was clean shaven and thin, almost to the point of being gaunt. Still, he had a certain prettiness about him.
“I don’t think I’m good company tonight.” She wasn’t in the mood for a hookup, not when her sister was busy screwing more money than Val could ever imagine.
“Oh, but you might find out we have a lot in common.”
Val rolled her eyes. As pickup lines went, it was pretty pathetic. She was just about to put the imbecile in his place when he spoke again.
“Like you want to hurt your sister, and I am intensely interested in hurting Julian Lodge.”
Much better pickup line. Val took a seat at the table. “I’m listening.”
“I thought you might.” He pushed his hat back, showing off big, dark eyes. “By the way, my name is Jeremy.”
Jeremy started to talk. Val leaned in, not wanting to miss a single word.
Chapter Ten
Dani looked around the small room and wondered exactly what Jack Barnes used it for. It was a little bedroom with a bed, closet, and one small dresser. She felt Finn beside her, his hand trying to tangle with hers. Their fingers brushed, but after her initial shock, she’d been unwilling to allow him the intimacy. She’d dropped his hand as they headed up the stairs, and his disappointment had been tangible. He stood beside her watching Julian as he opened drawers.
“Ah, yes. I knew Jackson wouldn’t let me down.” Julian pulled out a small wooden paddle. He turned to Dani. “You can dispense with the skirt, Danielle. The rest of your clothes, as well. Bend over with your elbows on the bed and your ass in the air.”
Dani took a step back.
“Hey, you’re not going to use that on her.” Finn’s words came out somewhere between a statement and a wary question.
“I am going to use it on both of you. Danielle, I am punishing you for your attempts at making me jealous. I won’t be manipulated in that fashion.”
“I didn’t…” she sputtered, her eyes still on that paddle in Julian’s hand. “How could I know you would be here?”
“Can you tell me in all honesty that you didn’t think about me when you chose to dress in this fashion? Why did you dress so very out of character? Or do you intend to tell me this is your regular dress?”
“I just thought it looked nice.” She didn’t. It looked trashy, but she’d talked to Lexi and found out that Julian’s women tended to wear no clothes at all.
“All right. We began with five swats. We’re up to ten now. Would you like to lie to me again?”
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She knew what she wanted. She wanted Julian. Hell, she was alone in a very intimate room with the only two men she’d ever really felt anything for. And she was so scared she couldn’t see straight. She couldn’t stand the thought of being just another in a long line of submissive females for Julian.
Of course, Lexi also said he never slept with a sub without a contract in place. It seemed a foreign idea to Dani, but it was the way Julian worked. Except with her…
“Danielle, you have a safe word,” Julian prompted.
And so did he, Dani realized suddenly. That contract was his safety net. That contract was a safe way for Julian to keep his lovers at arm’s length. Lexi had been more than willing to spill everything she knew about this man. He had rules, so many rules. He never took a sub without a contract. He never had sex that didn’t involve some form of BDSM. He generally kept both a male and a female, yet the subs were not involved with each other, only him.
Why was Finn here?
The night before, Julian had made love to her. Sure it had been rough, but it had also been very…vanilla. That was the term Lexi had used. He broke his rules for her. Now he brought Finn in here. Julian had to know how she felt about Finn.
“Dani, let’s go. We don’t have to do this.” Finn’s hands tangled with hers, and this time she allowed it.
“Hush, Finn, or you’ll get in trouble with Sir. He likes to be called Sir.” Dani gave Finn a reassuring smile.
The warmth that came over Julian’s normally chilly gray eyes gave Dani the boost she needed. She squeezed Finn’s hand and started to work the skirt over her hips. It wasn’t easy.
“Finn, I believe Danielle needs assistance. Is it glued to your body, little one?” The paddle tapped against the palm of his hand.
“Kind of feels like it right now.” What had she been thinking?
Finn’s hands were suddenly at her waist, warm and strong. They skimmed under the band of her skirt and made contact with skin. Dani’s every nerve came to life like a live wire sparking.
“Hold still.” His voice was right in her ear.
He was behind her, and Dani could feel…oh, boy, she could feel that. “You have an erection.”