Page 3 of Wrangled

“Well, seeing as I’m no longer your sub…” He raised his chin and squared his shoulders. “I think it’s gonna be awkward as fuck, but there isn’t a lot I can do about that, is there?”

I flinched. “Don’t be bitter. You knew my rule going in.”

“I did,” he admitted. “I just didn’t expect to fall in love with you.”

I wanted to tell him it wasn’t love, but infatuation. He was so freaking young, barely legal when we’d first gotten together, but so keen…I’d been cautious about taking on someone so inexperienced, but he’d persisted, and persisted, and little by little he wore me down.

I should’ve gone with my first instincts. I should’ve told him to find himself another Dom.

Only, I hadn’t. I’d said yes, and God, it had been so freakinggood.

I wanted to hug him, to tell him there would be other Doms, maybe even a Dom who would love him the way he needed to be loved.

I couldn’t move.

“I guess I’ll be going.” Tyler slung the bag over his shoulder and walked—no,trudged—toward the front door.

I followed him. “One day, you’ll come to me, and you’ll have a glow about you no one can miss. And you’ll tell me you’re happy, that you’re in love. And on that day, I will be overjoyed for you.” I studied him. “But looking at you now, I don’t see a glow. And do you know why? Because I don’t think you’re really in love with me.”

He locked gazes with me. “For the record? You don’t see a glow because you just put the fire out.” And with that, he walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Goddammit.

My chest felt tight, my limbs heavy.

It had been going so well.

I had to get out of there. And the mood I was in, there was only one place to go.

I went into my bedroom and opened the closet where I stored my leather.

I needed a scene to take me out of myself.

To take away the taste Tyler had left in my mouth.

To assuage the guilt that shouldn’t be torturing me, becauseit wasn’t my fault, okay?

I walked through the door of the club, and several pairs of eyes focused on me.

Oh shit, news sure travels fast.

I headed for the bar, the comments bouncing off me as I ran the gauntlet.

“Aw crap. I really thought you two would make it.”

“We even thought there’d be wedding bells.”

Really?

“I was hoping you’d collar him.”

Yeah, I was sure Tyler had hoped the same thing.

“Can I have Tyler’s number?”

I fought the urge to smack Will in the mouth for that. Insensitive jerk.

But it was Sean’s comment that cut me to the quick. He gazed at me with narrowed eyes as I sat on the bar stool next to his. “You’re a bastard, you know that?”