He groaned a bit as she rubbed the top of his head. “Right there, love. Yeah. That’s it. I can’t tell you how good that feels. Yes, that’s what the Navy does. I was no longer useful. In addition to my head injuries, they had to put a titanium rod in my leg. I can’t make it through a metal detector. That makes me useless in undercover work. I wasn’t cut out for a desk job, so I went home and then came here.”
And then a bratty sub had given him more hell. God, would she ever stop screwing up? “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d really like to start this meeting over again, Sir.”
He would probably toss her out, but at least she would have tried. “I don’t know that that’s such a good idea, sweetheart. I might me a dumb grunt, but I can put two and two together. Leo mentioned he’d been friends with you. It was more, wasn’t it?”
“Sort of,” she said, a little confused. Why did he care about the fact that she’d been involved with Leo? “We didn’t have an affair or anything. I was married. He helped my brother, Trev. My brother spent a couple of years here in this club after he lost his career.”
“Julian,” Wolf called out, never once opening his eyes. “Did you bother to tell her anything? You knew I spent the last couple of weeks working with Trev. You didn’t mention that to her? You really are a manipulative bastard.”
He knew her brother? Wolf had mentioned he was in Colorado, but not that he’d been in Bliss.
The intercom came on, and Julian’s voice came over. “Or perhaps I am simply smarter than everyone else. Make your decision, Wolf. If you won’t do it, I’ll have to find someone else for her.”
His eyes came open, and his hands came up to cover hers. “It’s up to her, but she should know.”
“Know what?”
“Well, at least you should know my last name. I don’t suppose Julian told you that.”
“What’s your last name?” But she had a sneaking suspicion.
“Meyer. Leo is my brother. I know yours. He bought into the ranch I was working at before I came here. He’s a good man.”
Yes. He was a good man. A much better man for having known Leo Meyer. Wolf turned his chair around and took her hands in both of his, warmth enveloping her. Now she could really see it. Wolf was different than his brother, but the similarities were unmistakable. It was there in the long, cut line of his jaw, the cheekbones any male model would kill for, the beauty of his eyes.
But this man seemed more…vulnerable than Leo. Much more open. He obviously needed something, someone, where Leo was a citadel. Leo Meyer was a castle with fortified battlements. Wolf had let down his drawbridge.
“And Leo knows?” She was certain of that. If Leo had wanted to block this, he would have.
Wolf nodded.
Leo Meyer had brought her brother back to life. He’d shown her a world outside the narrow confines of her small town and a bad marriage. She’d burned him. She hadn’t meant to, but she had and it couldn’t work between them now. She owed him so much.
What if she could help his brother? If Leo didn’t care, why should she turn Wolf down?
Especially when she was so deeply intrigued.
“Okay. What do we do now, Sir? If you’ll forgive me for my tantrum from before.”
A slow, ridiculously sexy smile crossed his face. “With hands like yours, sweetheart, I think I can forgive a lot. Now sit down and let’s go over a few things.”
Her heart actually fluttered in her chest. It occurred to her for the briefest of moments that this was still a horrible idea. He was too gorgeous. He was Leo’s brother.
But Leo had basically thrown her his way. Wolf himself had told her that Leo was perfectly okay with it. If he didn’t have a problem, why should she? Perhaps this was actually what Leo wanted for her. Leo could be just as manipulative as Julian.
But in the end, it all came down to one thing and one thing only. Was she ready to move on?
Shelley took a seat across from Wolf. “I’m ready, Sir.”
Fuck it all, she was gorgeous. He had no idea what his brother was thinking allowing this woman to get away, but Wolf wasn’t going to make the same mistake. No one had bothered to tell him that the woman his brother had been involved with was the same woman he would be topping. No. No one had thought that was at all important until Leo had made his announcement. Julian had allowed him to fall half in love with a woman who had been involved with Leo.
Julian Lodge was definitely a manipulative bastard, but he wasn’t willing to walk away from her. Leo had said it hadn’t worked out, that they had only been friends. Wolf wasn’t sure he bought that, but it got him thinking. Maybe he could be just as manipulative as Julian Lodge.
“Do you understand the basic contract?” Wolf asked as his brain replayed the last few minutes. He started to go over it, but all he could think about was the fact that she was still here.
He’d been sure she was going to leave. And he would have let her. He wasn’t going to force himself on someone, but he wanted her. Hell, he’d wanted her from the first time Julian had described her.
Lovely. Sweet. Submissive. Smart and sassy. The other three didn’t work for him without the smart and sassy. He didn’t want a slave. He wanted a partner, a lover, he admitted.
And according to Julian Lodge, Shelley McNamara needed a lover, too.
“What does this mean?” Shelley asked, pointing to a paragraph that described high protocol.
He wasn’t about to make her speak only when spoken to. He drew a line through that. “It’s not something we need to worry about right now. We’ll come up with our own protocol. I want you to be able to ask questions and tell me how you’re feeling. I only ask that when we’re in public, you treat me with every politeness. You are to call me Sir and attempt to obey me.”
She frowned. “In public. So, I have to call you Sir if we’re in a restaurant?”
He hid his smile. He liked the fact that she was already thinking of him outside the club setting. He was damn straight thinking of her. Dating, however, wasn’t covered in the contract and never would be. “This contract only covers The Club, sweetheart. It’s a training contract. If we decide to see each other outside The Club, I wouldn’t expect you to call me Sir. I’m not a twenty-four-seven Dom. I enjoy the lifestyle, and I would deeply love it if you felt comfortable enough to allow me to help you with any problems you might have, but outside of this club, I won’t hold you to any rules we don’t agree on. The only rule that’s not up for discussion is the rule where you call me when you’re in actual trouble. You read that clause?”
She nodded. “So the rest of this is just for…for sex stuff.”
She couldn’t possibly know how that soft Texas twang made his groin tighten. “Not necessarily, though it should open you up. It’s about pushing your boundaries and discovering discipline.”
Her nose wrinkled up. “I don’t know how much I like that word.”
Yeah, most people didn’t, but then they didn’t understand what he meant by it. “Then I’ll have to change your mind. You see, you hear the word ‘discipline’ and you think punishment, but I hear it and I have a different definition. Discipline is the art of getting what you want. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I didn’t enjoy Hell Week. It was the most miserable I’ve ever been in my life. But it was necessary. We don’t get the things we want by allowing life to happen to us. We have to take an active role.”
She nodded, and he would have sworn he could see a sheen of tears in her eyes. “Yes, I can see that. I allowed things to happen for years. It just seems odd to hear a Dom saying that. I don’t know. I guess I would think you want me to be submissive.”
Another misconception he was happy to clear up. “You are submissive, Shelley. I can see it. Julian can certainly see it. I suspect you’ve allowed a man who was more dominant than you to walk all over you before. That isn’t what a Dom should do. A Dom should be your partner in helping you reach your potential, even if you never have a moment’s sexual contact.”