The Dom Who Came in from the Cold, page 6
part #57 of Masters and Mercenaries Series
“And then when you’re not looking he devours you with his eyes. He’s one of those guys. I’m sure he’s got a big bad past that makes him far too dangerous to ever come close to a beautiful, innocent woman.”
“Oh, are we talking about Kyle?” Hutch had a plate from the dessert buffet in his hand. “Because that dude is like walking crack for women. They look at him and think they can fix him. My ex came up to throw my old laptop at me, and Katy took one look at him from afar and asked why I couldn’t have been more like that guy. I asked her what part? The crazy eyes? Or the part that looks like it’s going to commit murder at any moment?”
There was a reason Hutch and his girlfriend hadn’t worked out, and she would do well to remember that. Katy also wasn’t interested in board games or fantasy and science fiction. They hadn’t had much in common beyond they’d both thought they were ready for a longer-term relationship. MaeBe had been Hutch’s friend for over a year, and she’d only met Katy a handful of times. They’d been a mismatch.
Like she and Kyle Hawthorne were a mismatch.
Why did that make her sad? “She was a crazy person who did not deserve you, Hutch. I think you should let Charlotte set you up.”
There was nothing more certain to get them off her love life than talking about Hutch’s.
“There’s a whole new crop of subs coming in,” Kori teased. “I think you might like a couple of them. In a few short weeks they’ll be released into the wilds of Sanctum where all the Doms will lick their chops.”
Hutch frowned. “I don’t have chops, and I do not need a girlfriend. I will murder the first person who suggests to Charlotte that I do. The last one broke all my dishes. I bought a house and I don’t have any dishes to go in it. Or lots of other stuff. It turns out most of the stuff I had was actually hers.”
Hutch was making the leap from apartment renter to actual homeowner. He’d bought Beck’s three bedroom and called it an investment.
MaeBe had forks. Eight of them, and they matched the spoons and knives. She’d bought them as a set at Target, and she was weirdly proud of them. “I’ll take you shopping. And I won’t even mention it to Charlotte. I think it’s time I headed out. I’ve got a yoga class in the morning.”
“Hang on a minute and I’ll walk with you,” Hutch said as Deke walked up and a brow rose over his eyes.
The two men started talking, likely about something work related, and Kori had been pulled into another conversation.
The parking garage was well lit, and it wasn’t too late. She didn’t have to drag someone out of the party to walk her across the street.
She set down her glass and started for the door, glancing back and watching Beck and Kim dancing. Beck was a little stiff, but it didn’t matter. They were obviously so in love.
Was she ever going to find something like that for herself? Or was she one of those people who moved through relationships, never finding anything permanent?
The night was cool against her skin as the door closed behind her, and she stepped away from the lights surrounding Top.
“Hey, MaeBe.”
A shadow peeled away from the big tree right outside the parking garage.
Her bad-date lawyer was back, and she should have waited for Hutch.
* * * *
Kyle sat back as MaeBe walked by.
The impulse was right there. To join her. To walk beside her. To do something stupid like ask her to dance. He didn’t dance. Not anymore. The dumbass college kid who hadn’t cared what he looked like was long gone, and he didn’t have anything to offer her so he’d stayed away.
But the impulse remained.
I have a game night if you want to come. It’s pretty fun. We play all kinds of games and I usually make something tasty for dinner. It’s every Thursday at my place. Since I now have a place.
He knew about her place. He’d checked it out, and the security was solid or he would have had a talk with his uncle about gently steering her away from it.
He still didn’t have a place because something was wrong with his credit reports. And his bank accounts. Someone—likely Drake—had dumped a shit ton of cash into Kyle’s personal accounts, and he couldn’t spend a dime of it because he rather thought the money had once been Julia’s. Julia’s blood money.
Someone might come looking for it. Yet another reason to stay in his seat and not follow MaeBe out.
“That girl is going to get in trouble.” Kori walked over to his table, shaking her head. “Did you see which way MaeBe went?”
“She just walked out the door. Why? Did she forget something?” He stood, all prior thoughts consigned to hell. If MaeBe had forgotten something then he would definitely be faster than Kori.
“Yes, she forgot that she’s picked up a bit of a stalker and shouldn’t be walking around alone,” Kori said with a frown. “She had a date go bad a couple of weeks ago. A lawyer from your building a friend of hers set her up with. Mae was not impressed but the lawyer was, and he’s been calling her and routinely is in the same elevator as her when she leaves work. It’s gotten annoying enough that Hutch has been walking her down and making sure she’s safely in her car.”
That did not go far enough. “Hutch is walking her down? Does he know there’s an actual trained bodyguard unit he could call on? I’ll have a schedule for her tomorrow, and I’ll catch her and let her know how this is going to work.”
Kori stared at him like he’d grown an extra head. “Uhm, I think she’s cool with Hutch handling things. They’re friends. I don’t know if she’s going to want the bodyguard unit involved.”
He shrugged. “Then she shouldn’t have walked out without Hutch.”
He jogged away before she could say another word because he wasn’t about to argue with Kori about something like this. She might have a lot of sway at Sanctum and with Kai, but she was not the boss of MaeBe.
And it was becoming crystal clear that MaeBe needed a damn boss.
He was sure she would argue with him that she was a grown woman and didn’t need a man treating her like a child. He wasn’t. Most of the children he knew obeyed way better than MaeBe.
Not that he would tell her that. Normally he was a deeply forward-thinking guy. Mae brought out the caveman neanderthal in him.
He would never have thought twice about Julia walking to a parking garage by herself. It wouldn’t have even occurred to him she might be in danger. Because she’d been the predator, and she knew damn well how to protect herself. She never did a single thing that didn’t serve her own best interest.
Damn.
He took the route that brought him to the kitchens and raced through to the back door, ignoring the cooks and waitstaff who waved his way.
Had he picked Julia because she was so self-focused? Because she wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do, anything that didn’t serve her purposes, so if she died on an op, he could know it wasn’t his fault?
Was he still in that car watching his friend curse him as he died?
He pushed his way through the door and started for the sidewalk. The street was well lit but it was still dark, and there were definitely places a stalker could stand and watch his prey from.
He was about to round the building and make for the parking garage across the street when he heard it.
“I saw you post about being here tonight, and it sounded like fun,” a deep voice was saying.
“I asked you not to follow me anymore.” MaeBe sounded annoyed.
“I don’t know what games you’re playing, but I’m getting tired of them,” the asshole replied. “You’ve played hard to get. Now it’s time to stop. You play the whore for everyone else. You can do it for me, too.”
Kyle barely registered any word beyond whore. He rounded the corner, his vision going practically red.
And then an arm wound around his waist and he was stopped, his fists impotent.
“Calm down, son,” a familiar voice said. “I know how much you want to take him apart, but calm down. There’s a better way to do this.”
Sean. His stepdad was behind him, holding him back as Jamal approached MaeBe. Jamal was six foot seven inches of pure muscle.
The bad-date asshole had gone pale and was practically hiding behind MaeBe.
“Sir, I don’t think you should put your hands on her,” Sean said. “I can barely hold my stepson back as it is. The only reason he hasn’t broken free and eviscerated you is that I’m family. MaeBe, you might want to come over here and calm Kyle down.”
Sean’s hold eased as MaeBe rushed over, and he found the arms he’d intended to use to kill the other man full of shaking gamer girl.
Damn, but it felt good to wrap them around her, to let his instincts lead him for once. She shuddered and put her head against his chest, nestling against him like she belonged there.
“Mr. Fellows,” Jamal was saying. “I think we should sit down and have a chat. I know. You’re looking between me and him and thinking maybe you could take him. He’s roughly your height and weight, and you probably do some boxing workouts that make you think you can handle yourself. You can’t handle him. He’s a highly trained former Navy SEAL, and he’s got a little crazy thrown in for good measure. You’re threatening the woman he can’t admit he wants right now because that kid needs therapy. Which do you think he would rather do? Sit down and talk this out or take your head off?”
“I’ll stay away. I didn’t understand that she was serious. She gives off some vibes, if you know what I mean,” the lawyer began.
Kyle started to stiffen up again.
MaeBe’s arms tightened around him and her head tilted up, those big gorgeous eyes kicking him right in the gut. “Please let Jamal handle him, Ma…Kyle.” She seemed to realize something and started to step back. “I’m sorry. I’m flustered. I shouldn’t…”
He pulled her close again. She was right. She needed him, and Jamal would scare the shit out of the lawyer in a way that didn’t get anyone sued. But there were going to be rules.
And he knew what she’d almost called him.
Master.
She knew. He knew. They fit together, and the roles they could play were so easy and true. He hadn’t gone through the training class yet, but he’d studied. After he’d found out David had gotten Master rights at The Club, he’d read some books, talked to some people, realized that he could use some control.
MaeBe would be a sweet sub, someone he cared about, her affection salve to the wounds he’d taken, the ones that hadn’t healed yet.
All he had to do was stay with her.
All he had to do was give up fighting.
“I’ll take you home. Come on.” He shifted but kept his arm around her.
Leading her away as his stepdad and Jamal started to take care of the situation was the best thing he’d done in forever.
Then he saw her car. “I could pick this up. Maybe with one hand.”
Her lips curled up. “You could not.” She had her keys in hand and they jangled together, proving how nervous she was.
He was all about instinct tonight. He reached out and covered her shaking hand with both of his. He clasped that hand, hoping he could help her find her balance. “Hey, it’s okay. I promise Jamal and Sean will put the fear of God in that man. And Ian will likely go to his boss in the morning. He works in the building, right?”
She nodded, her eyes shining with tears. “Yes. He’s at the law firm that moved in last year.”
Over the years they’d had several law firms rent floors in the building. His uncle often ran them off. “Yeah, I bet he won’t have a job soon.”
“It was one date, Kyle. One. I don’t get it. We didn’t get along. At least I thought we didn’t. We have nothing in common. He said he liked games, but he was talking about sports. I listened to him talk about the Cowboys for four hours then he was surprised when I didn’t invite him back to my place and he started blowing up my phone with texts.”
He hated seeing her so scared, hated the fact that he hadn’t been there.
He thought about this woman far too much for his own good. He wouldn’t be here in six months or so. He would be back to work at his real job, and she would be…
Likely with someone else. She was a sweet sub looking for a Dom to top her, and he couldn’t do that.
“And it wasn’t like I didn’t vet him,” MaeBe continued.
He let her hand go but took the keys from her. “I’ll take you home.”
“But then how will you…”
Kyle sighed. “I won’t. I’ll sleep on your couch tonight. Someone is going to be walking you up to the office for a while. I don’t like the idea of you going through the parking garage by yourself if he’s still around. Now get in and tell me how thoroughly you vetted him.”
She stopped, chin turning up so she looked him right in the eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Well, that tells me you probably weren’t thorough at all, and that’s a whole other lecture.”
Her head shook slightly. “I mean you coming home with me.”
“Because you don’t trust me? Mae, I would never hurt you.”
“You would never mean to,” she corrected.
He was confused. “I’m trying to look out for you. I believe this guy will go away once he realizes you’re protected, but he could also make some bad life decisions because some guys are assholes like that. Some people can’t handle rejection.”
Don’t think this is over, Kyle. You’re mine, and that won’t ever change. Not even if you try to kill me.
His stomach rolled.
“I wasn’t worried about the lawyer,” she admitted. “I was never invested in him. Like I said it was one date, and I go on a lot of first dates. And I’m not worried that you would try to sneak into my bed if you stayed the night with me. I am worried that I might try to sneak into yours.”
Fuck. His cock had gone hard. Like from nothing to ready to fuck in two point five seconds.
Oddly, it made him want to step back, to take all the words he’d said and find a way to unsay them because this was too deep for him.
She was the one who moved away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t offend me.” He wasn’t ready for her. He might never be ready for her. Up until this moment he’d thought she was a way to pass time. Not with her, of course. He was toxic and didn’t have anything more than a night to give her. But what if she wanted that night? What if she wanted him enough that she would take the risk if she fully understood what the risk was? “MaeBe, I’m never going to be able to love you the way you should be loved. I’m not that guy. I’m not going to stay in this job for more than another couple of months. I hope you won’t tell my uncle I said that, but you should know the truth. The military…not the military…things that happened to me while I was in the military fucked me up, and I’m not good for you. But I might be good for you in bed if that’s all you want.”
She chuckled, but the sound wasn’t even close to amused. One hand wiped across her eyes. “Are you offering to be my booty call, Kyle?”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “No. I was offering to spend time with you, but you would have to understand that it would only be sex. You said you wanted to climb into bed with me. Well, I want that with you, too. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you.”
Not even the one he’d killed.
She sighed, a weary sound. “I want you, too. But I like myself, and I don’t know that I would if I ignored all the red flags and threw myself into a storm I’m not ready for. Thank you for the warning. I truly do appreciate it. I think I’ll take it and we can stay friendly.”
That was not what he’d expected. “But we want each other.”
Her head shook, the purple tresses gently caressing her face. “No. I don’t think we do. Not really. I think you want a me that doesn’t exist since you don’t know me at all. Or you want someone who won’t give you a hard time. If I had to bet, I would say one of the bad things that happened to you was a woman, probably one who was the exact opposite of me, and that’s why you think it would be nice to spend time with me. She was likely a confident, take-charge kind of lady, and now you want a sub. A real sub. You might not have Master rights at Sanctum, but I’m sure you’re aware of the lifestyle. Do you think you’re the first top who decided I would be easier than his cast-iron ex? She probably wasn’t, by the way. She was probably just a normal woman who knew how to ask for the things she wanted.”
“You have no idea who she was.” The words came out harsher than he’d intended.
She pointed his way. “I knew it.”
He’d fumbled this. He’d seen a way in, a way he could have her and not feel like a shitbag when he left. “My ex isn’t a part of this, but you should understand that she wasn’t some sweet but assertive woman who meant well and I couldn’t handle her being smarter than me. That wasn’t the way it was.”
“I’m a placeholder for her, Kyle. She hurt you and you want to hurt her back so you’re going after someone who’s her exact opposite.”
“I can’t hurt her. She’s already dead, baby.” Yes, there was the shitbag who lived inside him now, the toxic one who likely would have ripped the woman in front of him apart even though he wanted to protect her.
Her eyes went soft. “Then I’m sorry, but it doesn’t change things. I would still be a placeholder for the woman you could love. I know there are women who would try to heal you, but I happen to know that never works. You have to heal yourself. Thanks for offering me a ride, but I’ll be okay.”
He’d utterly mishandled this, but then he wasn’t sure what this was anymore. She’d said she wanted to go to bed with him. He’d offered and given her his parameters. “Do you require an offer of marriage from the men you sleep with?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, but I don’t sleep with men I don’t have any possibility of a future with. Ask the lawyer.”
“I am not like him.” He huffed out of pure frustration. “I am not stalking you. I offered you what I have to give.”
