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The place wasn’t crowded on a Tuesday night. In the corner, a jukebox played a happy country-western ditty that scraped her raw. A few people at nearby tables laughed and chugged back beer. They looked happy.
The hollow feeling in her stomach and the ache deep in her chest served as painful reminders that her life had fallen apart.
Beck seated her in a corner, then grabbed the chair across from her and dragged it around the table until he sat right beside her. He took her shaking hand and pulled her closer. Without a qualm, she laid her head on his beefy shoulder and let out more tears. He smoothed a palm over her crown and murmured soft assurances.
God, she was so tired of crying. Of being upset and disappointed, confused and…torn between two lovers.
She lifted her head and looked at Beck. A month ago, he was the last person she would have called her friend. Tonight, she thanked goodness he was in her life.
“I don’t know what to do,” she confessed.
“Start by talking to me. They’ve taught you how to communicate and be honest. Those lessons aren’t less meaningful because of what happened tonight.”
Raine dragged in a breath as she sorted through her thoughts. Finally, she nodded. “You’re right.”
“Break it down. Tell me exactly what about their argument upset you most.”
“They weren’t supposed to fight. That was my only condition for agreeing to their proposition. It makes me wonder how much squabbling they’ve been doing behind my back.”
With a shrug, Beck considered her words. “Princess, you’re talking about two strong-willed alpha Doms. And they’re human beings. They’re going to fight. It’s unrealistic to think that just because you coerced a promise out of them to get along, they could do it twenty-four seven.”
She sat back to consider his words. A waitress in a short denim skirt and an eye for Beck came over to take their drink orders. He asked for coffee. Fuck that.
“Bring me tequila shots. Let’s start with five of those and—”
“She’ll have a glass of white wine,” Beck cut in.
Raine glared at him. “What the hell?”
“You have to go back and face them. Don’t you want to do it sober?” He glowered, trying to guilt her into sobriety.
“No, I don’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “They broke their promise.”
Beck ignored her and addressed the waitress. “Coffee and white wine.”
“Chardonnay or Moscato?”
Grimacing, she peered at the waitress. “No Pinot Grigio or…”
“Honey.” The waitress worked hard not to roll her eyes. “It’s a beer bar. We get vacationers who want to get drunk for cheap and locals who don’t care how highbrow their buzz is. That’s all we got.”
Point taken. Raine sighed. “Chardonnay, please.”
The woman shot Beck a look of both sympathy and interest before she turned away. He dismissed the waitress immediately and shifted in his chair. “They’re gonna fight. Liam and Hammer are damn good, but they’re not perfect. You’re expecting them to be.”
She pressed her lips together, seeing his point even when she didn’t want to. The sight of them tearing into one another, the ugly things they’d said…
“Focus here.” He pointed between his eyes. “You’re talking to me, remember? You’re not in a world all by yourself.”
“Okay,” she conceded. “So they’re people who aren’t going to get along all the time. Why can’t they argue about football or the best car or who takes out the trash? That’s normal guy stuff. They could rib each other, then toss back a few and laugh. But they always fight about me.” She thumped her hands against her chest. “I’m always squarely in the middle. I feel like I need to referee more than submit.”
“They fight about what’s important to them.” Beck chuckled. “But feel free to blow a whistle on them and call time out. See what happens.”
She’d get her ass spanked for sure.
Raine shot him a quelling glance. “You’re supposed to be helping me.”
“You’ve got the answers. If they’d fought tonight about football or cars or whatever, if they’d gotten every bit as riled up about that as they did about you, what would you have told them?”
“To calm down. To take a step back.” She bobbed her head as she sifted through the possibilities. “To be reasonable. To communicate and compromise.”
“Exactly. This isn’t any different. They lost their tempers. I’m sure they’ve simmered down and are drowning in a whole pile of ‘oh, shit’ right now.”
“I’ve damaged their friendship.”
“They’ve damaged it,” Beck corrected. “You’re too busy worrying about how they feel to think about what you need. I’ve listened to them debrief after the last two sessions. You’ve made amazing progress. That isn’t because Liam was there. It isn’t because Hammer topped you, either. It’s because they did it together. You love them. And they love you. You can’t really have expected this to just—” he snapped his fingers “—work overnight.”
