Those men were going to make her crazy.
Miranda put a margarita in front of her.Cold and frosty,with a perfect ring of salt around the rim and a little umbrella.The umbrellawasn’t traditional.It just marked it as hers.She was bougie about hermargaritas.She sat down at the table they had to guard or they would lose.“You survived a whole afternoon with your ex.You deserve a drink.”
Olivia took it.She did deserve it.“He kept trying to bringup our past.The problem is the subscription boxes could work.I want to tellhim to fuck off, but the idea is solid and handles some of our distributionissues.I’m pretty sure he didn’t come up with it.”
“He wasn’t an idea man,” Miranda agreed.“How did Garretthandle it?”
“He let me deal with it.”Mostly.Though he sat next to herand kissed her during breaks and talked to her about the future.
Which made her wistful.Garrett talked about takingvacations together.Her and him and Keane.Finding some beach and relaxing andbeing together.It was all so Scott would hear and back off.Garrett talkedabout their next club night.Not that they had one, but he was good at thisgame.
She was starting to wonder if it had to be a game.
“It’s good that he trusts you,” Miranda said.
He did, although he had a point about the Gladen account.She should have handled it with a bit more finesse, and she was going to haveto explain that to her father when he got back.Garrett pointed out all thelegal implications of the potential defamation suit.He was smart.He wasputting an investigator in the small town to see if anyone would talk.Gladenwas a popular figure in his town, but there was always someone with an ax togrind.
She looked over where Gabe was sitting with Garrett andKeane.All three men had beers in front of them and seemed to be talking aboutsomething serious.
That felt like danger.
Gabe could be protective over the people he consideredfamily, and they’d been like brother and sister growing up.He could be givingthem “the talk.”The one where he threatened grievous bodily, emotional, andfinancial harm to anyone who dared to break her heart.
The relationship was fragile.They could totally get scaredoff.
Could they?
Miranda seemed to understand the thoughts going throughOlivia’s brain.“It’s not a bad thing.He’s not doing that alpha male,don’t-hurt-the-women-in-my-family thing.He likes them.I happen to know Gabethinks Keane is an excellent Dom.He was talking to someone about how happy hewas you finally found a real top who can handle you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that.Handle her?Except Keanereally did handle her beautifully.He seemed to know when she needed controland when she wanted him to take it.He was the kind of man who sat back untilhe was needed but then nothing would stop him.
He was the kind of man she could trust.
“Let Gabe get close to them.He could use the friends.Youknow he’s been standoffish since Pax left.”
Olivia sighed.Paxton Cruz.He and Gabe had been bestfriends in high school.They went to college together.While they’d beenprivate, there was no question that they were intimate.Pax had been Gabe’ssub.He was a switch who topped whatever woman they were sharing but bottomedwhen it came to Gabe.Everyone expected them to select a woman and settle down.
Instead, Pax had disappeared, leaving Gabe a note tellinghim not to contact him ever again.
It was around that time Gabe declared he wouldn’t be joininghis father’s company and disappeared for a while.When he came back, he had apassion for carpentry.Building The Hideout, the club the younger peopleestablished, had done him a world of good.
Gabe never talked about Pax anymore.He’d had a couple ofsubs over the years, always with a male switch.Those changed regularly, too.While the relationships were physically intense, Olivia knew his heart wasnever engaged.
Though his eyes often shifted to Gigi.Gigi, who had beenclose to Pax, too.Gigi, who Gabe never asked to play but deeply vetted everyman she came in contact with.
Gabe, who kind of looked like he was going to murder the guyGigi was currently dancing with.
He was a dog with… She was going to say two bones, but shewasn’t sure Gabe had a bone at all.He was obviously crazy about Gigi, but hewouldn’t approach her for anything but friendship.Then he got all possessive.
The last thing she needed was another bar fight.She’dgotten a bunch of texts from Lola’s friends calling her a whore and slut andall the names women use when they want to tear each other down.She ignoredthem all, but she didn’t want more drama.Not that type.
Now she could use a hot scene where her men were invadingher poor fishing village and she only had one thing to barter with forprotection.Her virginal body.
“You like them.”Miranda took a sip of her own drink.Itwasn’t a question.
Still, Olivia felt like she should answer.“I do, but thisis exactly what I was trying to avoid.I don’t want ties.”
“Yeah, you do,” Miranda countered.“You’re afraid of thembecause the couple of times you’ve tried before it went wrong.But that’s kindof the thing.You try until you get it right, and you can’t possibly know ifit’s right until you spend lots of time together.Livie, they’re wonderful.Keane knows what he’s doing when it comes to running a ranch.You should thinkabout this.Josh wants to come and help with the business side.Your dad isgoing to need a foreman.”
