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“After he caught her cheating, he seemed so damn angry all the time. Controlled, of course. Maybe too much. But under that, he just seethed.”
The puzzle pieces started falling into place. Liam had been so furious with Beck for spanking Raine with a rubber paddle the night he’d collared her because he’d once inflicted that sort of pain himself on subs far more willing. His fury when Hammer’s inner beast had come out also made sense. Takes one to know one.
“Why? He didn’t love Gwyneth,” Hammer pointed out.
“No, but she sure as fuck wounded his pride.”
Yes, and scarred his ability to trust. Damn it, why hadn’t Liam even hinted that he’d had a problem in New York? “I can’t imagine him having a sadistic side. I haven’t seen it, not here. What made him stop?”
“If I had to guess? You.”
Of all the things Seth could have said, that shocked him the most. “Me?”
“Yeah, once he got here, he realized you were in love with Raine and wouldn’t let yourself touch her. He—”
“Focused on my problems, not his own.” Hammer pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Bingo.”
Hammer knew Liam well. That was the kind of thing his friend would do, sacrifice himself to help a brother. “Shit.”
“So you see why I’m a little concerned about two ‘blind’ men showing Raine the way.”
“Point taken.”
“Good.” Seth nodded. “Liam is better since he came here. I think Raine makes him want to be better in a way Gwyneth never did. In a way Juliet never could.”
Hammer closed his eyes. God, almost everything had changed since he and Liam had shared Juliet a decade ago—except Macen’s craving for a relationship that looked a lot like their past few days at the lodge. Together, they had drilled to the heart of Raine’s issues and rewarded her progress with pleasure. Liam had been the right partner all those years ago, but Juliet could never have been their right woman. Not only had she lacked Raine’s warmth and soft heart, she hadn’t taken control of her life. She’d never communicated that they made her feel like a “fuck doll” until she’d learned she was pregnant and spoken out with a bottle of pills. By contrast, if he and Liam did something that made Raine feel less than loved, she would squeeze their balls until they changed course. She chose to surrender her power; she didn’t give it over because fighting was too much effort.
Hammer knew he was still dealing with the aftermath of Juliet’s suicide, but he’d had no idea Liam was still so impacted by Gwyneth’s betrayal. Now that he did, he had to get smart about Liam’s hot buttons.
“Thanks for sticking your neck out for him. You’ve given me a lot of information I need.”
Seth shrugged. “He and I are tight, but you two have a bond that’s…beyond. I couldn’t help him anymore. I think you can. I know Raine can—if you manage to keep it all together.”
Hammer felt himself getting a bit choked. “We will. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Outside in the bright sunlight, Macen shoved on his sunglasses as he helped Raine into the passenger seat of his Audi. After jogging around the vehicle, he slid behind the wheel and eased through the parking lot. He glanced in the rearview mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of Liam escorting the ice queen and the kid away. No such luck. Hammer wouldn’t breathe easy until Liam’s ex was out of his club—and out of their lives.
The idea of his friend fathering a child on that bitch made Macen more than a little ill. Liam didn’t lack the capacity to love the kid or provide for him. Hell, he’d be a model father. The idea that he’d have to deal with his ex-wife for the next eighteen years ate at Hammer. If the baby did prove to be Liam’s, the strain of that was bound to spill over to Raine. Hammer could only wonder what would happen then.
Blending two lives happily was difficult enough, let alone three. Adding Gwyneth into the mix? A nightmare. He’d do whatever necessary to help Liam and Raine deal, though, if he could spend the rest of his life in the bliss he’d felt last night.
Raine turned on the radio and nibbled on a nail as she listened to a mournful ballad. Yeah, she knew something was wrong. It was all over her face.
“I know you said Liam has a business issue. If that’s the case, when we were in the car, why wasn’t he on the phone trying to fix it?” she asked. “That seems unlike him. I’m worried.”
Sometimes, the girl was too clever. Though he’d expected her to ask more questions, he’d also promised not to lie. “Liam is having a meeting now to find out the scope of the issue. He should know more after that.”
