Secret Weapon

“Of course. No problem,” Derek said. “You go ahead and pack up your stuff. We’ll handle everything else.”

An hour later, they piled the last of the suitcases into the two cars. Sloan must have hitched a ride to the nearby town, since they’d driven up in Liam’s and Derek’s cars and both were still there.

“You want to ride with me?” Liam asked.

Janine nodded. Derek and Jonas each gave her a warm hug and a kiss.

She gazed at Jonas. “Sorry I’m cutting our weekend short.”

He stroked her cheek and smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s always next time.”

She nodded, and Liam opened the passenger door of his car for her and she climbed in. She waved at the other two men as Liam pulled away.

Not really wanting to talk, she reclined her seat and closed her eyes. It was only an hour and a half back to town, and Liam respected her obvious desire to ride home in silence. As they reached the city limits, however, she tilted her seat up again and glanced around. She really didn’t want to go home to her empty apartment, where she’d think about Sloan all night long.

She glanced at Liam’s profile. Liam was a really special guy, but she wasn’t in love with him. It was better that way. She didn’t understand love at all. The only thing it ever seemed to do was mess things up and break her heart.

Liam turned onto her street, then into her apartment building entrance. He stopped in front of the main door.

“I’ll help you carry your stuff up,” he said.

“Actually…” She turned and gazed at him. “Do you want to spend the night?”

He smiled warmly. “I’d love to spend the night.”

* * *

Sloan closed his front door and kicked off his shoes, then tossed his keys in the bowl by the front door. Usually, he’d toss his cell phone there, too, but he’d left it behind when he’d rushed out. Hopefully, Liam would notice it and bring it back.

He slung his jacket across the back of his big leather armchair on his way to the bedroom. Exhaustion ached through him, more from emotional turmoil than from physical exertion, though it had been about a five-mile walk from the dungeon cottage to the nearest town, where he’d caught the bus back.

Damn, he’d really blown it. He tugged off his clothes and uncharacteristically tossed them in a heap on the floor, then climbed into bed. Everything had been going so well. He’d coped well with—in fact, enjoyed—most of the evening. Watching Janine with Derrick and Jonas had set his hormones aflame. His cock twitched at the memory. But when he’d seen the look in Liam’s eyes as he’d made love to Janine …

God damn, but how was he to cope with another man emotionally connecting with his woman?

But Janine wasn’t his woman. In fact, if she were here, she’d tell him in no uncertain terms that she’d never agree to be anyone’s woman.

He turned off the bedside lamp. Moonlight glowed in the window, casting his room in a cool, blue light. The room felt desolate and lonely. He stared at the ceiling.

&nb

sp; Could it be that he had overreacted tonight?

Maybe Janine wasn’t really in love with Liam. She hadn’t actually answered Sloan when he’d asked her. He’d simply jumped to that conclusion because of her hesitation. Because of his insecurity, he’d read that as a guilty admission, but maybe she’d simply been taken aback by his suggestion.

Hope rose in him as he realized that maybe the suggestion had simply taken her by surprise.

Damn it. Jealousy had gotten the better of him and now she’d be totally convinced he could never handle her lifestyle.

And for good reason.

He’d begun to wonder if he could ever get to the point where he could handle it. It was one thing for her to have a little fun, and he found it amazingly hot to watch her with the other men, but he had never actually thought about the fact that she might form a real connection with one of them. If that weren’t a possibility, maybe he could get to the point where he and Janine could be a couple, with other men joining them in the bedroom. They could even get married. It was somewhat unconventional, but he could learn to live with that. Could he, however, learn to accept that she might form an emotional attachment to one of those men?

* * *

Liam drove past the door to visitors’ parking. Moments later, he and Janine got off the elevator and walked down the hall to her apartment door.

Once inside, Liam carried her bags into the bedroom, then returned to the living room.