Bait & Switch (Alphas Undone #1)(31)

As I sank down into the dirt, I tried to remember that there was a method to my madness.

But once I’d actually met Nolan and stared up into his handsome blue eyes, it wasn’t hard to feel something stir inside me. He was a protector, through and through. It didn’t hurt how attractive he was with that strong, angular jawline, full lips, rugged muscles, and a filthy mouth too. I’d fallen hard and fast.

Even on that first night we talked, I knew this wasn’t going to be cut and dried. I’d worn a polite smile and nodded along to his stories about leaving the Navy, moving back home to Texas to be near his mom, and working at a private security firm.

But when the conversation had turned to his fallen friend, the look in his eyes had darkened, and a knot of unease had settled in my stomach. What had started as a game or a silly dare had become very real.

In my mind, Nolan Maxwell had been a one-dimensional ex-Navy SEAL badass who could offer me the protection I needed. The reality was that he was a real human being with battle wounds, hidden depths, and a soft side for women. He had invited me into his life, a life he already shared with another. And now I wanted more.

He’d been nothing but forthcoming, all while I dodged questions about my past and hid the truth from him.

So here I was, sitting in the dirt, fearful of what was to come. Once he knew my secret, that would be the end of it. He’d go back to his quiet, happy life with Daniella. But didn’t he deserve more? And didn’t I?

Thinking about the times we’d spent together, gazing into his handsome face, his eyes as deep and blue as the ocean . . . God, it was all burned into my brain. Every erotic moment replayed like an old movie I’d memorized from watching too many times.

It seemed that massaging Nolan’s tight, weary muscles had made all my feelings rush to the surface. He’d seemed in awe of me, as if he’d never had a woman care for him that way. And the tender way we’d touched and caressed each other’s flesh until we came together . . . it was indescribable. The most sensual thing I’d ever done by far. I had no regrets about that.

I wanted to care for this man, including all his broken bits. Nurse his wounded heart back to life. It had lain dormant for so long.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I had the inkling that Daniella’s presence in his life was a Band-Aid, a sorry excuse for the real thing. She didn’t love him. Not if she was okay sharing him. If Daniella truly cared for him the way he deserved, she’d never be okay with my presence in his life, another woman’s perfume on his skin or name on his lips.

I sure as hell wasn’t—and I’d known him mere weeks, not years like her.

“Lacey?” Horace poked his head out the door to peer down on me. “You okay?”

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Stupid tears.

“Just a sec,” I called. It wasn’t fair to hide out here.

Horace nodded once. A moment later, the big door thudded shut.

I pushed my hands into my hair and hung my head between my knees. Fuck. What was I thinking?

I knew exactly what I’d been thinking. That I was in trouble back home, and Nolan was the man who could keep me safe.

If I’d known then just how dangerous this whole thing would become, I might have gotten into my car and driven straight back to Oklahoma. Instead, I picked myself up from the ground, dusted off my jeans, and headed back inside to finish my shift with the nosy but well-meaning Horace.





Chapter Thirteen


Nolan

Things were beginning to feel more strained than ever between Daniella and me, and I was no closer to figuring out what was going on with Lacey and me. Getting shit-faced with Grey hadn’t helped, either. I just wasn’t ready to think about changing my future. Every scenario twisted my stomach with unease.

And then I’d spent that incredible evening with Lacey. Watching her attempt to waltz, feeling her warm mouth on me . . .

If I turned my life upside-down for her, what then? End up just like the others I’d watched crash and burn as they sought their happily-ever-after? Fuck that.

Still, the harder I tried to hold on to the way things had always been, the more uneasy I felt. I couldn’t deny any longer that Daniella and I were drifting apart. While I’d fulfilled my obligation by taking her to the Nurses’ Ball, we hadn’t hung out in a long time, and I hadn’t played with her in even longer.

Our once-tranquil relationship was starting to fray at the edges. She needed release, and even though she was trying to give me space, she probably felt snubbed. Ignored—and ultimately replaced with a younger woman. Just like her last Dom had done.

Even if her body didn’t excite me anymore, I still had a sense of loyalty toward her. And Daniella had always given me what I needed; I couldn’t desert her just because someone new had come into my life. It wasn’t like I was ready to commit to Lacey and be monogamous. Was I? But if this tension kept up, I might lose my mind.

“Have you seen my Navy sweatshirt?” I asked Daniella as she passed by my door. I’d just spent fifteen minutes tearing my room apart looking for the damn thing.

“Yeah, in my closet, I think,” she said, heading toward the living room with a book in hand.

I should have known. The sweatshirt was a good ten years old, soft and thin from so many washings. It was my—and Daniella’s—favorite thing to wear in the fall.