Jardin's Gamble (Haven, Texas 9)

Pathetic.

Oh, like you haven’t thought about what it might be like to be his?

Scary. Intriguing. Safe.

She’d bet anyone he cared about was kept under close watch. Jardin was an intense guy. Having all his focus on her might be almost too much. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to take it. Not without someone else to even him out.

What? Like Carrick?

Okay, ever since he’d mentioned the fact they’d been in a relationship before with someone else, she hadn’t been able to think of anything else.

What would it be like to be theirs?

“What exactly are you sorry for?” he asked in that low drawl of his.

She wished she could get up and leave. Escape. But she owed this to him. An explanation. Of sorts. Because she couldn’t exactly tell him everything.

“I’m sorry I didn’t help you after promising to. And for ignoring your calls and text messages.”

He nodded. “You’re forgiven on one condition.”

“What’s that?

“You tell me why.”

Fuck a duck. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She licked her dry lips. “I have a lot going on in my life. This job and my brothers take up all my time. I didn’t think it was fair to you to continue things when I couldn’t give you much.”

There. That sounded plausible.

“I understand.”

She nearly heaved out a sigh of relief.

“Too bad I don’t believe a word of it.”

Fuck. Shit.

She gaped at him. “What do you mean? It’s the truth.”

“Oh, I’m sure your job and brothers take a lot of your time. Can’t be easy to be a sole parent to two young boys because your father is a useless prick. However, if that were the reason you ghosted me, you would have just told me. Likely you wouldn’t have come on that date with me in the first place. Or offered to help me with my mess of an office. Now, I thought maybe I’d done something to scare you off. But, again, you would have given me a reason. No, I think something else entirely happened to you. What aren’t you telling me, Thea?”

“There’s nothing else. You’re imagining things. I simply don’t want a relationship with you. I’m not interested.”

He snorted out a laugh. “Now you are getting desperate for excuses. I know it’s definitely not that by the way you reacted to me.” He leaned forward. “And just so you know, once we’re in a relationship together, you’re getting your butt spanked for all the lying. If you’re lucky, I’ll do it. If you’re unlucky, he will.”

Carrick nodded over to Jardin’s office.

Her pulse raced. She should have been outraged at his words. Definitely should have gotten up and told him the conversation was over. Instead she sat there, stunned, her clit throbbing at the thought of being spanked by them both.

You’ve got problems, Thea.

This is all Maddox’s fault. He started her thinking about ménages and spanking and . . . shit. She’d gone too long without saying something and the look on Carrick’s face could only be described as smug.

“You can’t threaten to spank me!”

“Not the first time I have.”

“No . . . but . . .” Back then she’d thought there was a chance for them.