Page 140 of Wrangled

“But I didn’t get you in here to talk about Tyler.” His eyes widened. “Unless he’s the reason you’re all bent out of shape. That’s not the problem, is it? You’re not pissed because he’s found someone who fits him better than you did?”

I barked out a laugh. “For God’s sake, why would I be pissed? I fuckingtoldhim he’d find a Dom who’d love him the way I couldn’t.”

“Then what the fuck is wrong? I haven’t seen you since Memorial Day. You’ve been back from Montana for what, two weeks?” I nodded. “And in that time, all we’ve done is talk on the phone—once. You haven’t been to the club. Hell, you were missing in action for the Fourth of July party. Epic night.”

“What did I miss? Did someone tie Deke up in a Star-Spangled Banner?”

He frowned. “Okay, something’snotright. What the fuck happened in Montana?”

I blinked. “Who said anything did?”

Sean got up from his chair, went over to the filing cabinet, opened it, and removed a bottle and two glasses. He peered at me. “You want one?”

“Sure.”

He poured about a finger’s width into both glasses, then handed me one. He retook his chair, his elbows on the arms, his glass in both hands. “Okay, so Tyler’s not the problem. Let’s cut to the chase.” He stared at me, his eyes flinty. “You’re not happy here. Any moron can see that. Before you went off to be a cowboy for two weeks, I saw you occasionally. Okay, so you don’thaveto be here—but at least you showed your face—or your ass, sometimes, especially when you wore those chaps.” His eyes widened again. “Did you get to wear chaps down on the ranch?”

I glared at him. “Christ, you’re like that dog in that movie,Up. I expect to hear you yell ‘squirrel’ any second now. Where is this going?”

That flinty stare was back. “I thought we were friends.”

I arched my eyebrows. “Have we broken up or something? Did I miss a memo?”

He sighed. “Look, I know you put up these walls to avoid close intimate relationships, but you know what? Peopledohave them. And they arenota bad thing.”

I went cold, becausefuck, he’d nailed my existence so far on this fucking planet—well, at least until a cowboy with a gray beard and a mat of salt-and-pepper chest hair rode into my life. Because what we’d shared wasdefinitelyclose and intimate.

“I’ve always wondered, you know,” Sean murmured.

“Wondered what?”

“Why you are the way you are. You know, no attachments… There must be a reason for it.”

I arched my eyebrows. “Why does there need to be a reason? How many gay men do you know who sleep around, with no desire for any attachments? And it’s the same in the BDSM community… Not everyone wants a full-on relationship. Not everyone meets that special someone.”

“So are you going to tell me what happened in Montana or not?”

God, the irony.

I coughed. “I seem to have met that special someone.”

Sean’s jaw dropped. “Whoa. Okay,thatI did not expect. And?”

“And nothing.” I didn’t want to discuss it.

He took a sip from his glass. “This ranch you went to—what was it called again?”

“Salvation.” I narrowed my gaze. “What’s this ‘again’ crap? I never told you its name.”

“And this guy you met… he works at the ranch?”

“He’s the boss.” I paused. “And he’s submissive.” I told him about Robert, his past…

“I never thought I’d see this day.” I gave him an inquiring glance, and he grinned. “Those walls… They came tumbling down, didn’t they?”

I shivered. “With a vengeance.”

“What happened?” His voice softened.

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