Page 35 of Lesson In Honesty

The guy wore money like a second skin, but Liam wasn’t interested in the dollar amount or how his actual skin was naturally tanned. His focus was on body language, facial expressions, the look in those eyes… and he wasn’t disappointed in what he saw.

The scene, though it hadn’t been what Liam planned, hadn’t been an act. Not for the Dom who kept checking Sierra’s face like a mother worrying over a newborn child.

Fordham released the last rope, bending to gather his equipment. Giving Liam a nod, he stepped away to give them privacy.

Liam took his place, grasping one of Sierra’s floppy arms gently to massage the joints after their prolonged binding. He’d deliberately asked Fordham to leave the ropes loose so they didn’t compromise her circulation; this Dom was the only person who’d come up to Sierra and checked the condition of her hands.

That, to Liam, spoke volumes.

“Now you’ve had your hands all over my girl,” Liam said casually, “it might be time to introduce yourself.”

“Maverick Morehead,” came the answer. “Most people just call me Mack. I’d, ah, shake your hand but—” he wiggled his fingers against Sierra’s skin, “—both of mine are a bit preoccupied.”

Seeing as they were keeping his minx from tumbling to the floor like a cooked noodle, Liam wasn’t too bothered about formalities, although a handshake was a good measure of a man. “Morehead, seriously?”

“Trust me, I took my fair share of jokes through high school and college.” Eyes sparking with humor, Mack shrugged broad shoulders. “It’s a name, that’s all.”

Satisfied with one arm, Liam grasped the other, running his thumb over the shallow indentation in Sierra’s skin where the ropes had sat. “So where are you from?”

“Fresno, born and raised.”

Liam grunted. That explained the hair and the tan. “Haven’t seen you around before. Turnover’s been high since we opened but I’d recognize you if I’d seen you before now. You just get in?”

“Arrived a couple days ago. Decided to do the vacation thing and catch up on sleep, some movies, before venturing out to explore.” He gave her an adoring look that almost triggered Liam’s jealous streak. “Seemed I picked a good night to crawl out of my cabin.”

“Hmm.”

“Is she… yours?”

In answer, Liam plucked his minx from Mack’s gentle hold and swept her into his arms. He thought of the ring he’d tucked away in Serenity’s office safe, the one he was just waiting for the right time to offer her, and nodded once. “Come with me, boy. We have more to talk about.”

Spine straightening, shoulders widening, Mack glowered at him with eyes like slate. Dominance radiated from him. “There’ll be noboywhen you talk to me. Respect works both ways.”

Yes, it did. Relieved Mack was all Dom and not a weird hybrid of Dom and submissive like Wyatt had been, Liam gave the point to Mack. Wyatt hadn’t been a Switch, not truly. He’d wanted to be Dominant, hadn’t quite managed it, what with the submissive streak in the way.

Maybe that was where some of his resentment toward Sierra had originated; she knew what she was, and dominance wasn’t in a single cell of her bones.

“I agree.” Tilting his head toward the bar, Liam said, “I’ll take a beer. Sierra likes a soda after her water. Get what you want, put it on my tab, and meet us in the back corner. That is if you’re interested in… talking.”

Warily, Mack waggled his fingers, stretching them. “Actual talking, or am I going to get my ass kicked?”

“The owners frown upon brutalizing guests without their consent,” Liam said dryly, nuzzling Sierra’s cheek when she whimpered softly. “I want to know more about the man who treated my sub more like a woman than the majority of people in her life have ever done. Does that reassure you?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Beer, water, soda. I’ll be there.”

Smart choice, Liam thought as he carried Sierra off the stage, meeting Fordham in the shadows to bundle her up in a blanket made of fluffy, soft material. She made a contented sound and snuggled in happily, barely awake.

The question was, was he making the right choice in taking this further? Sure, he wasn’t setting Sierra on a silver platter and giving Mack free rein to feast—tonight came close enough to that scenario—but he was opening both her and himself to the possibility of being hurt yet again.

He’d loved Wyatt, even if part of him was ashamed he could love the man who’d damaged Sierra so badly through words and actions. Still, what he’d felt for Wyatt didn’t come close to how he felt about the minx.

Very quickly, she’d become his reason for living.

Washis reason for getting out of bed in the morning.

She was the be all and end all of his existence.

Sierra missed the company of a third; Liam knew that, felt that himself. They loved each other, loved being with each other, and if that never changed, they’d both be content. But they’d gotten used to a third, missed that connection of sharing and amplifying the love between three people.

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