Sophie Oak: Siren Enslaved

Julian wasn’t sure that was what he wanted. He simply wanted to want something.

He breathed in the night air. Yes, he thought, some time alone would do him good.

Finn Taylor needed to be alone. He needed to get some fucking air in his lungs, and he couldn’t do it surrounded by all these yokels. He pushed out of the Willow Fork Community Center’s double doors and into the chilly night.

Dani was getting married. She was really going to marry that idiot redneck and have his redneck babies. Damn it. How was he supposed to handle that?

He nodded at a group walking into the party. He didn’t recognize the family, but that was probably a good thing. Willow Fork, Texas, hadn’t been a great place for him to grow up. It was hard being gay anywhere, but small town Texas was pretty much hell on the adolescent homosexual. He’d been beaten up, cussed out, told he was going to hell by just about everyone, and who could forget the time the football team thought it would be hilarious to tie him to the flagpole with the word queer written in lipstick on his forehead? Yeah, he fucking loved to come home.

Only one thing could have coaxed him from his gorgeous condo in Dallas. Danielle Bay’s thirtieth birthday. When he’d gotten the invitation a month ago, he’d thought long and hard about the fact that it was way past time to confess to Dani. Her sister was out of college. She’d done her duty. It was time to come out of the closet and tell Dani that he was really bisexual. It was time to admit that he was in love with her and wanted her to move to Dallas to be with him.

All of those plans had been crushed when freaking Jimbo Smartthere was a misnomerhad announced, beer in hand, that he and Danielle would be married this summer. His Dani was going to marry a man who Finn was pretty damn sure was the product of his mother’s union with a goat. It was the only thing that explained Jimbo’s facial hair. Finn took in a deep breath of chilled air. Motherfucking son of a bitch.

“Do you need help, son?”

That voice. Finn had to take another deep breath. Jack Barnes got to him. Something about the man’s voice went straight to his cock. He turned to look at the richest man in Willow Fork. He was married to Dani’s boss, Abigail Barnes. Of course, if what Dani said was true, Abby Barnes was also married to Jack’s business partner, Sam Fleetwood. Finn would really like tickets to that show.

“I was just getting some air, sir.” The sir came naturally. The man in the snowy white dress shirt and slacks commanded respect.

Jack Barnes’s lips curled in a secretive smile. God, he was hot. “Me, too. My wife loves this shit, but I am one antisocial son of a bitch. How do you know Dani?”

The dark-haired man sounded so sure. “How do you know I’m not a friend of Jimbo’s?”

A sharp laugh cut through the cool night air. “You don’t look like a man Jimbo Smart would befriend. Sorry, but you’re far too educated and urbane for the Smart clan.” Dark green eyes assessed Finn, and he found himself curiously awaiting Jack Barnes’s judgment. “You’re white collar. Maybe an accountantno, a lawyer. You’re a lawyer. My brother is a lawyer, so I know the type.”

He was good at guessing professions. Not so good at remembering faces. Finn wasn’t surprised. Sometimes he faded into the background. “Yeah, I’m a lawyer. I know your brother. We work together. I actually met you at a party the partners threw a couple of months back.”

Jack snapped his fingers and grinned. “That’s where I remember you from. I knew you looked familiar. You’re Lucas’s friend. You’re also friends with Dani, and you’re not at all happy that she’s getting married.”

Finn felt himself flush. Barnes had pegged him perfectly. He’d also summed up Finn’s problem neatly. Finn was about to make junior partner in his law firm, a veritable wunderkind to make partner at his age. None of his professional success mattered since he’d done it all, accomplished it all, in order to build a life for him and Dani. Now he was fucked. “He doesn’t deserve her.”

“But you think you do.”

Finn forced himself to laugh. Now that he knew what was going to happen, he damn sure wasn’t going to announce to the world that he’d played the fool again. “Of course not. I don’t guess you’ve gotten the lowdown on me. I’m Finn Taylor, Willow Fork’s most famous queer.”

“Well, I am horribly offended by your lifestyle, Finn.” Jack Barnes’s slow drawl dripped with sarcasm.

“What’s got you offended, Jack?”

Finn turned to find Sam Fleetwood walking up. He was wearing jeans and a western shirt that did nothing to hide his magnificent body. Sam Fleetwood was a Greek god.

“It seems Finn here is of a homosexual bent, and he’s a bit miffed by it.” Barnes grinned at his partner.

“Nah.” Sam shook his blond head. “He’s at least bi. He was staring at Melissa Paul’s chest.” Sam turned to him. “You should stay away from that. Seriously, man, she’s trouble.”

He’d only taken a little glance. He knew a hot mess when he saw one. “I don’t care about Melissa Paul.”

“You should keep it that way. Now, I need to borrow Jack. We have a small situation.” Sam’s voice was perfectly even, but Barnes went shock white. There was no mistaking it, even in the moonlight.

“Abby? I knew we shouldn’t have come out. Damn it, Sam. You two need to mind me. I swear I’ll have the both of you over my knee.”

If Sam Fleetwood was worried, it didn’t show. “Yeah, that should be an interesting night. Look, discipline is going to have to wait a couple of weeks. Abby’s water broke.”

Jack Barnes had no answer for that. He simply took off running. One minute he was there, and the next his boots were stirring up dust as he sprinted for the doors. Sam’s chest moved with the force of his laughter. “Sorry, man. You have to forgive him. He is the coolest customer in the world until me or Abby gets sick. It’s just a baby, but he’s got to freak out. It’s why we didn’t mention it until now. She’s been having contractions all day. Well, he makes up for it by being a beast in the sack.” Sam slapped his back jovially. “You should get your girl, man. Don’t wait or it’ll be too late.”

“Sam, we’re leaving now!” Jack Barnes’s voice boomed across the parking lot.

“Gotta go have a baby. This one’s number two. Got my fingers crossed for a boy. Otherwise, we’ll be hopelessly outnumbered.” Sam practically glowed as he turned and ran for the big truck, whose engine was gunning furiously. Gravel flew when the black truck sped out of the parking lot.

That truck was speeding toward a future. Finn was stuck hopelessly in the past. His stomach twisted. What was he supposed to do? His first instinct was to march his ass back into that party room and beg Dani to reconsider. He could kiss her and tell her he’d always wanted her. He could explain to her that he’d lied all these years. Yeah, that would go gangbusters.

“There you are!”

Heart skipping a beat, Finn turned, and Danielle Bay walked toward him, a light sparkling in her blue eyes. Her honey blonde hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and the dress she wore showed off her round, glorious breasts. How many times had she complained about those tits when all he wanted to do was get them in his mouth?

“Well, my engagement party is off to a spectacular start. My boss just went into labor. My future mother-in-law is mopping up what she calls the wages of sin. Apparently she doesn’t truck with the ménage lifestyle. She won’t say that to Jack Barnes’s face, though. That man scares the crap out of everyone. I love it.” She wound her arm around his waist, cuddling temptingly close to him.