Finn pushed through the door to Christa’s Café with a heavy heart. He hadn’t slept the night before, and he felt the lack in every weary muscle. He’d stared at the ceiling of his crappy motel room and wondered where the hell Dani was spending the night. A hundred scenarios had played through his brain, most of them ending in something terrible. It was all his fucking fault since he’d been the idiot who let her go. He should have seen that she was terrified. He probably had, but he’d been terrified, too. He’d been thinking about himself. He’d been thinking about the fact that he was going to lose her. He hadn’t thought about what Dani was going through at all.

He looked around the café. It was half-empty this early on a Sunday morning. He forced himself to walk up to the counter. He wasn’t leaving this town until he found her. He’d made the decision last night that he was hiring a private investigator the first chance he got.

He’d gotten a good look at the car she’d jumped into. There couldn’t possibly be too many Audi R8s in the state of Texas. It was a two-hundred-thousand-dollar car. Whoever owned it was probably from a big city. Given Willow Fork’s placement in Northeast Texas, he would bet the man was from Dallas. He had the first two letters of a license plate. He would figure it out in the end. He had a ton of resources. Though he was a corporate lawyer, he’d done a bit of time in the prosecutor’s office. He still had connections there, and those lawyers knew cops. When he knew who she’d run away with, he would track the asshole down and find his girl.

If Audi guy had taken advantage of her, then he would figure out a way to ruin him.

“What can I get you?” The woman behind the counter had dark hair and a professional smile. He’d seen that smile every single time he came home. Christa Wade had always been kind to him, so he always gave her his business.

“Coffee, please. I don’t need sugar or cream.” He couldn’t stand the thought of eating at this point. His stomach churned at the smell of food. He could barely stand the thought of coffee, but if he didn’t have a cup, he’d be a zombie by noon.

He needed to be able to focus if he was going to find Dani.

“That all?” She looked up from her notepad for the first time. A wide smile covered her face. “Hey, Finn. How are you doing? You okay?” Her voice took on a distinctly sympathetic tone. She reached out and covered his hand with hers.

This was why he’d really come in here. He knew he’d find a friendly ear to bend. “I’m fine, Christa, but I’m worried about Dani. I can’t quite believe she did something so impulsive. It’s not like her.”

Christa’s eyes lit up. “Well, I was thrilled. Let me tell you, when I saw her take off, there was a part of me that wanted to tackle Jimbo to make sure he didn’t catch her. Of course, turned out I didn’t need to. What a jerk. He was hitting on high school girls at the reception. Dani was right to get the hell out of there. Even if Jimbo wasn’t a cheating SOB, Dani should have run because his momma is one crazy bit…well, you know what I mean. She would have made Dani miserable.”

He sat back against the barstool. Yes, this was what he needed. He needed someone who understood. “I know. She was making a huge mistake, but I can’t see how running off with some stranger is going to help it.”

She should have told him. He would have carried her out, put her in his car, and been on the way to Dallas before anyone knew what was happening. He would have given her everything. He would have made sure she was safe and had a home.

Christa patted his hand. “I know it seems crazy, but it’s for the best. Don’t worry. She’s in excellent hands. Abby will make sure she’s fine.”

He stilled, his whole being suddenly focused on what Christa had said. “What do you mean? Abby Barnes knows where Dani is?”

Christa nodded. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry a bit. I talked to Abby early this morning. Dani spent the night at the ranch. Jack will handle everything. He kind of lives to handle stuff like this. Abby said she was upset, but she’d calmed down by dinnertime and was going to spend a couple of days out there. It’ll do her good. She can play with the kids, and Jack will scare the shit out of Jimbo and any of his relatives if they go after her.”

Finn only heard part of what Christa said. “She’s at Jack Barnes’s ranch? How did she get out there?”

Christa put two hands on the counter. She leaned in and looked around. It was obvious to Finn that gossip was on her mind. This was another reason to come to the café. Christa was the worst gossip in town. Information flowed through the café as freely as the coffee. “That guy whose car she jumped into was one of Jack’s oldest friends. He’s from Dallas, some real rich guy. Name’s Julian Lodge. He took her out to the ranch. He was on his way out there for a visit, it seems.”

He breathed a deep sigh of relief. Dani was out at the Barnes-Fleetwood ranch. At least he knew she was alive. “That’s good news. She left me a voice mail that told me nothing.”

The voice mail had asked him for forgiveness, and she’d promised to call him later. Apparently later hadn’t meant last night, but he felt enormously better knowing that she’d spent the night sitting up with her boss. They’d likely had a glass of wine and Abby would have talked to her about how to handle the next few days. She would have probably cried herself to sleep, but at least she was safe.

Christa waved a hand. “Don’t worry. She’s fine. Abby says she’s well on her way to recovery, if you know what I mean.”

He didn’t, and he didn’t like the saucy wink Christa gave him. Exactly what kind of recovery were they talking about? “Who’s this Julian person?”

Christa turned and poured him a cup of coffee. She slid the mug in front of him. “Abby said he’s intimidating. He has a ton of money and owns a club or something. I don’t know. There are certain things me and the BFF don’t get into. I love Abby and support her every decision, but she’s closemouthed when it comes to her sex life. Trust me when I say it’s frustrating. When you have two amazingly hot guys, you should share. Right? Wait. I didn’t mean it exactly like that. I’m happily married, but I would totally listen to crazy stories.”

“She’s met this Julian?” Finn couldn’t care less how much Abby Barnes shared with her best friend. He wanted to know about the guy who had spirited his girl away.

“She said she’s known him for a couple of years, but Jack has known him for more than two decades. He used to work for him or something.” Christa’s eyebrows rose. “Apparently he and Dani are getting along really well.”

His spine straightened. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Someone from a booth near the window waved his hand. Christa nodded toward her customer. “I’ll have to get back to you, Finn, but don’t worry about Dani. She’s in good hands. There’s no way Jack or Abby or Sam lets anything bad happen to her.” She winked his way. “Be back in a bit. Think about breakfast, okay?”

She walked off to take the other customer’s order, and Finn pulled out his cell. If this Julian person was a friend of Jack Barnes’s, then maybe one of his coworkers knew who he was. Finn worked for one of the most prestigious law firms in Dallas. They knew all the power players. He dialed the person most likely to know this Julian guy. As luck would have it, Finn knew the lawyer who handled the Barnes-Fleetwood account. He was more than Jack Barnes’s lawyer. He was Jack’s brother.

“Hello?” Lucas Cameron sounded like he was half awake. He was a couple of years younger than Finn, but they had bonded almost immediately. They had a lot in common. Lucas had spent some time in Willow Fork, and they were both bisexual. Lucas was a gorgeous man, but Finn had known from the minute he met Lucas that they were destined to be friends and nothing more.

Besides, both he and Lucas had fucked-up love lives. Both of them seemed to want women they couldn’t have.

“Hey, Lucas, it’s Finn.”

“Good for you, Finn,” Lucas growled into the phone. Finn could hear a soft voice in the background. “Go back to sleep, Lexi. It’s nothing to worry about. What do you want, Finn? I thought you were on vacation. This better be an emergency.”

He got straight to the point. This was an emergency for him. “I need to know everything you can find out about a man named Julian Lodge.”

“Julian?” Lucas suddenly sounded wide awake. “What’s going on with Julian? That’s my account. He hasn’t called me. What’s happening?”

“Nothing in his business. I need to know for personal reasons. He’s seeing someone I know.”

There was a snort from the other end of the line. “Seeing? Julian doesn’t see people. Julian screws people six ways to Sunday, but only after a careful vetting process. You should see some of the shit he has me dig up on his potential subs. Wait. I thought you were going back to Willow Fork. The only person you like in Willow Fork is Dani.” There was a brief pause. “Are you telling me that Julian is fucking Danielle Bay?”

“You put him on speakerphone now, Lucas.”

Damn it. He should have remembered that Lexi had spent time here. Lexi Moore was Abby’s daughter and involved with Lucas in some weird way no one could quite figure out. Lucas was madly in love with her, and she often spent the night with him, but Lucas insisted they were casual. Lexi had a friendly relationship with Dani. Damn, now he had to deal with Lexi. Lexi was sometimes a pain in the ass. She ran an art gallery and could be a bit bossy.

“Finn, what’s going on with Dani and Julian?” Lexi sounded fully awake and in charge now.

He sighed. “I don’t know. I only know that the wedding was a bust. Dani walked into the church in her wedding gown, turned, and ran away.”

“Yes.”

He could practically see the fist pump Lexi was undoubtedly giving. Lexi had declined to come to the wedding, giving some excuse about a big gallery show, but he knew the truth. After Lexi’s own wedding had been canceled at the last minute, she couldn’t handle talking about anything vaguely marriage related.

He continued, not willing to listen to Lexi’s inevitable lecture on how futile love was. “She ran down the street and hopped into some guy’s convertible.”

“Audi?” Lucas asked.

“Yeah. The next thing I know, she’s gone, and I heard Christa say that she’s at Lexi’s mom’s house recovering nicely. What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I think it means that my mom is taking care of her. Dani is a sweetheart. She thought about it and rightly panicked. Stop worrying. Mom and Sam will get her laughing, and Jack will make sure that asshole she was going to marry doesn’t hurt her.” Lexi yawned. Finn could hear her covering her mouth. “And Julian will be perfectly polite. He always is.”

Lucas spoke up. “Sweetheart, did you think about the fact that Dani is incredibly submissive?”

Lexi got quiet.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on? And who the hell is Julian Lodge?” He was moving past frustrated.

“Julian Lodge is my biggest client,” Lucas replied.

“I thought that was the Masters’ account.” Lucas was already a legend at the firm. He’d walked in the door with a billionaire as a client. The Masters’ account covered the Masters’ Fund, a superrich group of investors.

“Julian Lodge runs the Masters’ Fund.”

Finn nearly dropped his coffee mug. Dani had jumped into a car with a billionaire? What were the chances of that? Deep breath. Maybe that wasn’t so bad. What would a billionaire want with his Dani? Dani was sweet and beautiful. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world, but she didn’t have a Hollywood glamour. She was a small-town girl. Now that he thought about it, she’d been lucky. She’d managed to find someone who could take her to the one place where she would be perfectly safe. Yeah, this was a good thing.

He relaxed. Everything was going to be okay.

He’d sit in the café and have breakfast. When the stores opened, he’d find the nicest bouquet he could and then go out to the Barnes-Fleetwood ranch and talk to Dani. By this evening, he’d have her on the road to Dallas. He’d have to remember to send Julian Lodge a nice thank you card. Though he would absolutely have a long talk with Dani about how dangerous that stunt had been.

“Finn, are you okay?”

He laughed at Lucas’s nervous question. “Of course. I just wanted to know she was safe. It sounds like she’s in good hands.”

Lexi’s husky laugh poured into his ear. “Damn, I’ll say she’s in good hands. I kind of wish I was in her place.”

“Alexis!”

He held the phone away from his head as Lucas had a few choice words for his…well, whatever Lexi was to him.

“Sorry, babe.” If Lexi was at all intimidated by Lucas’s stern words, it didn’t show in her tone. “I know it’s a little perverse, but that man is sexy as hell. Oh, he scares the crap out of me, but I don’t know a sub alive who wouldn’t do almost anything to kneel at his feet. If he’s decided to train Dani, then all I can say is good for Dani.”

A cold chill went through Finn’s system. Train? Kneel at his feet? That could only mean one thing.

“Are you talking about that BDSM crap you’re always going on about?” Why Lucas wanted to spank Lexi, Finn had no idea. But the thought of Dani—sweet, eager–to-please Dani—in the clutches of a leather-clad sadist had him reaching for his keys.

Lucas sighed. “It isn’t crap, Finn. If you would come with us, you would see. The club Lexi and I go to is Julian’s. He’s an expert. There’s nothing to worry about.”

But he wasn’t listening. He threw down some cash to pay for his coffee and ran to his car. Like it or not, the Barnes-Fleetwood family would be waking up early this morning.

 

* * * *

 

Dani woke to the sound of something thumping. The pounding was rhythmic and pulled her from the sweetest dream. She sat straight up in the enormous bed and looked around for Julian. He wasn’t in the room with her. The door to the bedroom was open. She stretched and felt the most delicious soreness permeating her every muscle.

Wow. The night before came rushing back, and all she could think was “wow.”

Julian Lodge was absolutely the most insatiable, perverse, decadent man she’d ever had the enormous pleasure of meeting. Now she understood why women chased after a man. If other men had half the skill and wild imagination that Julian had, she might have to chase down a few.

Except that she couldn’t imagine doing anything like that with another man.

An image of Finn with her and Julian flitted across her brain.

It worked for Abigail Barnes. Why couldn’t it work for her?

She let the thought go. She wouldn’t be able to keep Julian for long, much less convince Finn to give a girl a whirl. It was a fantasy, and that was exactly where it would stay. She’d made the decision last night somewhere between orgasms eight and nine that she would hang out at the ranch while Julian was on vacation. It would do them both good. He said he’d been celibate for a while. She couldn’t imagine why, but he seemed really happy to end it. If it was okay with Julian, she would enjoy this week with him. After that, she would have to decide what to do, but whatever the future was, it wouldn’t involve Julian. He would go back to Dallas and whatever job he had there. She would pick up the pieces and figure out what to do with the next fifty years of her life.

Not going there. She shoved the covers back, walked to the closet, and hoped that she could find a robe or something. It appeared Julian’s clothes had been neatly hung. There were elegant dress shirts and slacks. Not a single pair of jeans. That was a real shame, because his ass would look good in a pair of Levi’s.

“Where is she, you perverted motherfucker?”

She turned to look out the open bedroom door. Was that Finn? She quickly pulled a dress shirt off the hanger and shrugged into it like a robe. The clothes she’d worn last night were downstairs, strewn across the living room. The shirt would have to do. The good news was Julian was a big man and the shirt came down almost to her knees.

She rushed out of the bedroom. Someone was talking─Julian, probably─but he was speaking quietly. Finn was not.

“You better show me where you put Dani right now, or I swear I’ll make you wish you had.”

“I wouldn’t threaten me, whoever you are, although I suspect you’re Danielle’s ex-fiancé. Might I speak for her? She has no intention of marrying you. She made herself plain yesterday.” Julian’s voice was low and had almost no emotion to it.

She ran through the playroom toward the stairs. Though she hadn’t known Julian for long, she’d already figured out that he was at his most dangerous when he was perfectly, completely calm.

“I’m here.” She had no idea why her best friend had decided to go commando on Julian’s ass, but he would lose that battle. Julian was one amazing specimen. While Finn was incredibly fit, she figured Julian would fight dirty. It was best to stop the fight altogether, especially since there wasn’t a thing to fight over. She raced down the steps.

Finn wasn’t alone. It looked like the entire clan was invading her and Julian’s love nest. Jack Barnes was dressed in denims and a T-shirt. Sam Fleetwood hadn’t bothered with a shirt. Abby had wrapped a robe around herself and had a hand on Jack’s arm.

“Thank god.” Finn let out a deep breath and started toward her.

Dani tripped on the last step and started flying. One minute she was going to break her neck, and the next she was wrapped in Julian’s arms. He was wearing a pair of slacks and nothing else. His chest was male model perfect.

“Slow down, little one.” His gray eyes seemed warmer this morning. His hands tightened around her briefly, and then a wall slammed between them. “Your fiancé is here.”

“I’m not her fiancé. Now let her go.” Finn started to reach for Julian, but Sam stopped him.

“I wouldn’t do that. Look, man, I know you’re pissed, but you don’t want to fuck with him.” Sam pulled Finn back.

Julian set her on her feet and immediately let go. She felt the loss of the intimacy. This was not the way she’d seen the morning going. She’d expected that she and Julian would spend some time in bed and then plan out their day. He didn’t look like a man desperate to spend time with her now. All of her self-doubts came creeping back like the fog that came off the lake, pretty at first, and then she couldn’t see anything but mist. She turned from Julian to look at Finn.

“What are you doing here?” She’d left a message on his voice mail telling him she was okay. How had he even found out where she was?

He pulled away from Sam and walked straight to her, catching her hands in his. “I came for you, of course. Dani, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. You have no idea who that man is.”

A bitter smile passed across Julian’s face. “And I suppose you do, whoever you are.”

“His name is Finn Taylor. He works with my brother, and he grew up here.” Jack didn’t look impressed. He watched Finn like he was waiting for an excuse to do something really nasty. What the hell had Finn done to put that black look on Jack Barnes’s face?

“Ah, so he works at a law firm in Dallas. The law firm where you and I are the biggest clients. That is interesting.” There was a silky threat in Julian’s voice.

Finn didn’t seem to care. “Fine, get me fired. I’m still not leaving Dani here. I’m not going to let you beat the hell out of her and call yourself her Master. You’re a sick fuck. Jack’s own brother is the one who told me.”

“Somehow, I think Lucas would have used different words,” Jack said slowly. He smiled and moved forward. Abby had dropped her hand, a sure sign that Jack had been let off the leash and things were going to get bad fast.

She needed to get the situation under control and quickly. “Will you calm down, Finn? I don’t know what Lucas told you, but Julian has been nothing but nice to me. He got me away from the wedding and helped me find a place to stay. I’m grateful to him.”

“Yeah, I bet I can guess exactly how he wants you to show your gratitude.” Finn turned back to Julian. “You better be glad you slept on the couch.”

Dani swung her head around to the couch. Sure enough, there was a pillow and blankets. He had left her sometime after she’d fallen asleep. He’d come down here instead of staying in bed with her. “You didn’t want to sleep with me?”

“Our relationship isn’t about sleep, dear.” Julian enunciated the word sleep.

It had the intended effect on Finn. His face twisted and got really red. “You don’t have a relationship with her. You don’t even know her.”

Julian’s lips rode up in an arrogant version of a smile. “I obviously know her better than you. Only in a biblical sense, of course.”

“Stop.” She got in the middle of them, putting a hand on both chests. “I have no idea what’s happening here, but I want it to stop.”

Julian’s dark head came forward in a courtly gesture. “Of course. I am so sorry to have caused you distress. Please feel free to leave with your friend.”

The whole place went perfectly quiet and she could feel every eye on her. It was like the night before hadn’t happened. He was being brutally polite. If he wanted her to leave, he should say it. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Abby stepped forward, sympathy on her face. “Why don’t we head back inside, Jack, Sam?”

Sam glanced from Julian and Dani back to Abby. “Why would we do that? The show’s out here, baby. If it weren’t so early in the morning, I would say let’s make some popcorn.”

“Don’t think about snacks until after Julian decides if he’s going to kill Finn.” Jack took a step back, obviously more comfortable now.

Finn ignored their audience. “Dani, baby, I don’t care what happened with him. Let me take you away from here, and we can talk. Please, you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Lucas told me about him. He’s into all kinds of things.”

“And that’s important to you, why? Finn, you’re my best friend. I am asking you to walk away. I’m fine. I’m more than fine. I know what I’m doing. Please go back to Dallas, and I’ll talk to you on Monday.” She needed to figure out what the hell was wrong with Julian. He’d completely shut down.

“He won’t go back to Dallas, Danielle.” Julian’s eyes slid between her and her best friend, finally stopping on Finn, who paled slightly under his stare. “He won’t go anywhere without you.”

She sighed, frustration in her every breath. Did she need to do this in front of her boss? “Finn, I’m an adult. I made the decision to spend the night with Julian. I know exactly what he’s into.”

“Did you know he sleeps with men?” Finn made it sound like an accusation.

“Well, let the lightning strike, buddy. So do you. He’s bisexual. Why on earth do you care?” Dani stared at Finn, waiting to see when the horns would grow out of his head. For the life of her, she didn’t understand what this drama was about. Before she’d gone to sleep, she’d thought about inviting Finn out for lunch and to meet Julian. She’d envisioned them fighting over who got to sleep with him. In her wildest dreams she’d never thought it would go like this.

“He’s upset because he wants you.”

She softened slightly at Julian’s tone. She got why Julian was mistaken. Finn was doing an awfully good impression of a jealous male. “No, you don’t understand. We’re just friends. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

The silence that fell over the room made Dani’s stomach turn. She watched Finn and saw the blood slowly drain from his face.

Sam leaned over to his wife. “Does Dani not know that Finn’s bi, too?”

“No, he’s not.” She said the words, hoping she could make them true. If they weren’t true, then that part of her world that had always been the best piece was utterly false. She’d always known that she and Finn were meant for each other. It had been one twist of fate that kept them apart. But if Finn wasn’t gay, then he’d chosen not to be with her.

“Dani, I can explain.” Finn’s words fell flat and heavy between them.

She turned to Julian, hoping for something, anything from him. He looked slightly amused, but nothing more. There were no open arms for her to run to, no encouraging look. He was remote, untouchable. Despite the intimacy shared between them the night before, there was nothing between them now. Like there was nothing between her and Finn.

She was making a fool of herself. Again. Like she’d done all these years with Finn.

“I can explain.” Finn tried again, and this time he took a step toward her.

She moved back. “Don’t. I don’t want an explanation. I want a yes or no answer. Have you ever slept with a woman?”

Finn swallowed, the movement visible. He started to say something, but finally nodded, turning his eyes from her.

“How many?” Now that the wound was opened, she couldn’t seem to stop picking at it to find out how deep it went.

“Damn, Dani, I don’t know. They didn’t mean anything.”

But they meant something to her. They meant the world to her. Tears blurred her vision as she turned, picked up her clothes, and started to walk into the small bathroom. She passed the couch. Julian wouldn’t have been terribly comfortable on it. He was too tall to stretch out. His knees would have been bent. Still, he’d chosen discomfort over sleeping beside her. She paused briefly at the bathroom door, but no one tried to stop her. She walked in, locked the door, and got dressed.

When she was done, she sat down on the toilet seat and put her head in hands. Her time with Julian was done long before she thought it would be. And her time with Finn…that was over, too.