Unconditional (Masters and Mercenaries #5.5)(9)

“Now you’re in for it.” A broad man in leathers shook his closely cropped head as he leaned against the bar. They’d been introduced by Taggart in the locker room. He was some sort of cop. Derek Brighton. Seemed nice enough.

“How so?” Maybe some small-talk would take his mind off the fact that he was about to spend the evening with a woman who shouldn’t give him the time of day.

But she’d signed the contract. She knew what she was getting into, and she’d agreed to keep everything at the club.

He didn’t have to feel guilty. It was just a game. Just play.

“Because I think that’s your girl, right? She’s with the mama bear of the subs. Name’s Karina Mills, and she can castrate a man at fifty paces.” Brighton chuckled a little, but there was a bitterness underneath it. “She’s beautiful but deadly, man. You might want to watch your step if she’s taking Ashley under her wing.”

Keith turned and caught sight of a tall woman with black hair and a nice body. She didn’t really look like a man-eater, but then he knew enough about women that he couldn’t judge that book by its lovely cover.

Oh, but he could judge Ashley. His gut did a weird turn that probably came from the fact that every ounce of blood in his body had pounded straight into his dick at the sight of her.

She was wearing a white corset and a denim miniskirt that showed off her spectacular curves. Fat? God, he knew Taggart had been baiting him, but he would kill the next man who said the word around her. She was glorious, so f*ckable it hurt. Nice breasts, a curvy waist, hips he could grip while he f*cked into what was likely a petal-soft *.

“Dude, are you trying to give her the upper hand?” Brighton pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Fuck.” He turned quickly because she would probably run away if she saw how massive his dick had just gotten.

“Hey, it’s okay. Unless she doesn’t like big cocks. Then you’re in trouble. Sorry, it’s kind of hard to miss. You might want to get that under control.” Brighton turned with him, a smirk on his face. “I don’t know many women who run at the sight of a big cock these days. Hell, women these days can be just as aggressive as a man. I got hit on during a murder investigation a couple of months back. Seriously. I was glad I turned her down.”

“She was the murderer?”

“Oh, yeah. Killed her boyfriend with a pickaxe. Pretty girl. Crazy as shit. Sometimes I love my job. It’s fun.” He took a drag off his beer. “Joe?”

The bartender stepped up. “Sir?”

“Who’s she playing with tonight?” Derek’s mouth tightened, letting Keith know he was really interested in the answer to that question.

“Really, Lieutenant? You ask that every single night. Why don’t you play with her yourself?” Joe rolled his eyes.

“Do you need some discipline? I didn’t ask for advice. Come on, man.”

Joe sighed. “Weston. You have got to stop this thing with her. It’s sad. You two watch each other with pathetic puppy eyes but you never talk.”

“The last time we talked she damn near took off my head and I threatened to get her run out of the state, so no, we don’t play together. And I don’t have puppy eyes. I have full grown dog eyes, thank you. Like pit bull eyes. Yeah.” Derek put his beer down. “Well, I can pay the Brit back. I’m scheduled to work on Charlotte’s sister. Now the Brit’s got puppy dog eyes for that one.”

Sanctum seemed to be a little soap opera, but then he’d never been to a club that wasn’t. It paid to know who was sleeping with whom, who wanted to sleep with whom, and which Doms were most likely to throw down. In his job, Keith dealt in information. Despite the fact that this wasn’t work, he’d never been able to shut down that part of himself that liked to know everything.

Like the fact that Ashley was living with her sister in a guesthouse. She was trying to juggle school and work and a baby.

She was vulnerable and had zero idea of how to protect herself from a man like him.

She’d signed the contract and if he walked away because his conscience was bugging him, she would find another Dom. Yes. He could play it that way. He should handle her or someone else would.

Ashley walked into the bar with the woman Derek had called Karina. She wore sky-high heels and towered over Ashley, who was barefoot.

“Hello, Sir.” She didn’t quite meet his eyes.

Keith reached out to touch her chin, tilting her face up so she was forced to look at him. Such clear eyes. She wouldn’t know how to lie to him. “Hello, Ashley. We’re going to be casual tonight. In the future, I will expect a much more formal greeting.”

“The knees thing?” Ashley asked, biting her bottom lip in a way that made his dick twitch.

She was so innocent. She’d had a baby, but there was still an innocence to her. He’d married Lena when she was younger than Ashley, but he doubted either one of them had been quite as na?ve as she seemed. Or maybe he was just fooling himself because they’d both been idiot kids who hadn’t been able to handle the truth.

He went a little shaky at the thought. He never let Lena in anymore. And absolutely never let…

“Why don’t you show her?” Derek said, stepping up. He put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, an obvious show of support.

God, had he gone green or something? Whatever, he was grateful to the detective for giving him a minute to get his composure back.