Master in Shining Armor (Masters Unleashed 4)

Juliet clutched Will’s sleeve, terrified for Dex’s well-being. “Is she really going to do all of them tonight?” she asked in his ear.

He shrugged. “The girl has a pretty serious wild streak. She just might.”

Grant came up and Juliet thought he would join them, but instead he gave a cursory nod to the three men, ignored Dex, and pulled Will aside with an apologetic glance at Juliet, whose leash got accidentally tugged. They conferred for a moment as she tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to listen to them, considering she was almost underfoot.

“Wait a sec.” Will led Juliet back to Dex and the others and handed the end of Juliet’s leash to Dex. Confused and a bit humiliated, Juliet grimaced at Dex, who rolled her eyes.

“Someone wants to sign a contract for a private room, but I have to interview him first because he’s not a member yet,” Will explained. “You might as well stay here and have fun. Dex will kick ass if anyone tries to scoop you.”

“Oh . . . okay.”

He smiled apologetically and almost walked away, then yanked her close for a tender, lingering kiss. It was possessive, and anyone watching must have seen their feelings in that kiss. It was at the point where when he kissed her she could almost imagine that he loved her.

She watched him walk away, feeling bereft.

“Girl, you’ve got it bad.” Dex was watching her watch Will. Maybe Juliet should have been embarrassed, but there was no lying to herself anymore. This wasn’t a casual thing. She was in love with him. Desperately.

The few days she’d spent apart from him and Beau from time to time had shown her something else, too—she was hopelessly attached to his bright, funny sweetheart of a baby.

Screw Paris.

Now the only question would be whether he’d want Juliet long-term, and whether she could be the kind of mother Beau deserved.

“What woman wouldn’t have it bad? He’s everything I had no idea I was looking for in a man.” Juliet gave a small laugh. “Before I met him, I was dating guys who were nice to me and meant well, but they were as boring as I was. Now that I have him in my life, it’s hard to imagine going back.”

“If it’s any consolation, I think he’s crazy about you too.” Dex squeezed Juliet’s arm. “I know that’s not enough to build a life on, but I think you’re a good match. As long as you’re a one-man girl, and you love Beau, I can’t see anything standing in your way.”

Dex led her to watch a couple doing wax play, and the moody music added to the dark, sexual buzz in the room.

“Has he introduced you to wax yet?” Dex asked. “I’d offer to give you a demo, but I don’t think Will would like that very much. With my luck he’ll get all stabby and jealous.”

“Obviously, he’s not very jealous if he handed me over to you so easily.”

“Don’t take it personally, beautiful. The three of us trust each other implicitly. He knows I’d never try to steal you or encroach on your relationship, no matter how hot you are.” She winked at Juliet, and Juliet felt her blush burning a path up her neck. Again. Would she ever get to the point where she stopped blushing like a virgin at this damned club?

“You’re a Dominant? I didn’t know that.”

“I’m a switch, I’m bisexual, I’m open-minded, and I’m single. Trust me, if Will didn’t know me better, he never would have handed your leash to me.” Dexter grinned wickedly.

“So . . .” Juliet began, wondering how to phrase the question that had been on her mind on and off since they’d met.

“The answer is no, Will and I have never been an item. We’ve never slept together, never played together, never had googly eyes for each other. I think of him as a brother. Him and Grant both.”

Had her expression subtly changed when she made that statement about Grant? Maybe it was Juliet’s imagination. They claimed to be friends, and yet seemed to hate each other. The only conclusion Juliet could settle on was that there was some underlying sexual tension that neither of them wanted to admit to. If anyone knew about that it was her, considering how she’d felt about Will at first. She hadn’t wanted to be attracted to him. Then again, if they were into each other, why would Grant and Dexter even hesitate? Dex didn’t seem like the kind of woman who played hard to get. Not when she really wanted something.

Dex scraped her blue-and-purple hair back from her face and turned her attention back to the wax play scene.

“Hey, Dex, did you get a new toy? Very pretty.” The man who stopped to talk to Dex was tall and dark, with a hot body and piercing dark eyes. He had a directness to his gaze that Juliet had learned to associate with Dominants. Juliet had never seen him around before.

“Hey, Tarka—they let you leave?”

He smiled. “My grandmother tried to get me to stay in Brisbane, but I had to get back here for work. I also didn’t want to miss tonight.” Although he was answering Dex, he was studying Juliet. “I can’t believe how fucking amazing this place turned out.”

“Eyes in your head, Tak. This is Juliet. She’s not my new plaything, she’s Will’s slave, so you probably don’t want to look at her too hard.”

Tarka’s brows shot up. “Very nice,” he said, as though she was Will’s new Mercedes.

Before she’d met Will, she doubted a guy like this would even give her a second look.