Sophie Oak: Pure Bliss

“Everyone is waiting for you, Noah.” Everyone in Bliss had been thrilled when Noah had returned to do his internship with Doc Harris a year earlier than anyone had expected, but then that was Noah. He was a type A overachiever to his core.

Noah’s face fell. “That’s not my problem. Damn it, I can’t stay here. I love her.”

How was this happening? “She is using you. She wants your money.”

“You don’t understand. She’s an actress. She needs to be in New York.”

She was an actress all right. She had played them both to perfection. “And who’s paying for this trip?”

He shook his head. “It’s not a trip. I believe in her. We’re going to live in New York while she builds her career. I can work anywhere.”

“You’re just going to leave your family over her?”

“I love her. And I don’t have much of a family anymore. Not since Mom and Dad died.”

“You still have a father.” How the hell was he going to tell his father that Noah was leaving? Hadn’t their father lost enough?

Noah turned away. He looked out the window. Even from where James stood, he could see what Noah was looking at. This room had a glorious view of the ranch and the mountains. They would sit for hours as kids just looking out over the country. “I love your dad. He’s my dad, too, but you know as well as I do that Ally isn’t cut out for ranch life. You aren’t going to talk me out of this. You can make up all the crap you want about her, but I know the truth. She loves me, and we’re getting married. We’re stopping in Vegas.”

“Don’t do this. Don’t leave. I need you here, Noah. I don’t think Dad is going to last more than a year, and the ranch is in trouble. Please stay.” He was just about ready to get down on his hands and knees if it meant keeping his brother away from Ally.

“I’m sorry.” Noah brushed past him. “I love you, brother, but I have to do this.”

He was left standing in the hall of the house where they’d grown up.

“Guess he’s not going to listen to you.” A voice came from down the hall. It was soft and sweet and completely poisonous.

James turned. Ally had been listening in. Most likely, she’d been laughing the whole time. “You’re a bitch, Ally. I swear to god, I will protect him from you if it’s the last thing I do.”

Her lips curved up in a secret little smile. Ally was gorgeous, but there was a coldness to her that no man would ever thaw. James could see that now. Ally stood there in her designer jeans and a tight sweater that showed off a perfectly altered pair of breasts. James should have been able to see this coming. This was his fault. He was supposed to look after his little brother, but he was the one who had brought him here.

Ally leaned casually against the wall, as though she owned the place. Ally always looked comfortable, as though she belonged everywhere and could take you along for the ride. “He doesn’t want your protection, Jamie. He loves me. He’ll do anything for me. Part of that is because of you. He wants something you can’t have. That was the key to Noah. Once I realized you would never leave this ranch, I decided that Noah would suit me just fine. And he was a breeze. Baby brother wants something of his own. So desperately. He wants to be the big man for once. He wants to be the winner. And don’t bother telling him any of this. He won’t believe you.”

Unfortunately, she was right about that. “His trust fund won’t last forever.”

She shrugged, staying just out of James’s reach. “Then you can have him back in a couple of years. Bye, Jamie. It really was good while it lasted. You know, a girl could get used to the whole ménage thing.”

A few minutes later, he heard the truck pull away. He was alone.

He walked out and saddled up. The ranch didn’t care that his heart hurt. The ranch didn’t care that his rage threatened to explode out of his chest. The ranch just kept going.

And the ranch was the only thing that mattered now.

“God, man, I can’t believe you’re leaving.” James held a hand out to Logan Green.

Logan shook his hand briefly before letting it go. In the past, James would have pulled the younger man in for a big bear hug, but the last year had changed something fundamental in Logan. He looked far older than his years since that day when he’d been tortured and left for dead by a member of the Russian mob.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Logan admitted. He turned back slightly to where Wolf Meyer stood by his enormous black truck. James had already said good-bye to Wolf. Wolf was anxious to get to Dallas. He’d been talking to a woman online and over the phone for weeks. Wolf Meyer was going to Dallas in the hopes that things might work out between him and the woman he’d been set up with. Another friend leaving. “I have to do something, man. I can’t keep on like this.” Logan smiled slightly, a hint of the sarcastic friend James knew so well. “If I don’t get my ass fixed, I’m going to end up in jail or dead.”

Despite the fact that he really didn’t want to lose another friend, James knew Logan was right. Logan had been on the edge of something dark and nasty for months and months. Still, it seemed like everyone in the whole goddamn world was moving on, and he was standing utterly still, watching it all go by. “So you think Wolf’s brother can fix you?”

Logan shrugged. “Wolf seems really sure. I don’t know. He seems to either cuss his brother out or talk about him like he’s some kind of saint. It’s weird.”

“No, it’s not. That’s just what happens with brothers.” It had certainly been the way it was with him and Noah before they weren’t anything at all. How long had it been since he’d even talked to Noah? Noah had shown up for James’s father’s funeral, but he’d been a different man. Bitter and sarcastic and distant. He’d stayed a single night and then he’d gotten back on a plane for New York.

God, he missed his brother.

Logan frowned, his brow furrowing. “I hope it’s normal because I’m supposed to live with them for a while. I don’t think it’s a good idea if I’m the sanest person in the place. Did you know they’re taking me to a BDSM club?”

James laughed. He shouldn’t be surprised. After all, his new partner was one of Leo Meyer’s “fixes.” Leo Meyer was a psychologist who specialized in men with impulse-control issues. The term “impulse-control issues” pretty much summed up Logan to a tee. “Uhm, so they think putting a collar on you is going to fix your problems?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m the Dom, dummy. Apparently this Leo guy thinks training in a club will help me find some measure of control. You wouldn’t believe the schedule this dude has me on. There’s apparently a lot more to therapy than I thought.”

James could imagine. Group therapy from nine to ten. Whips and Chains 101 from ten to noon. Break for lunch, and then on to Advanced Butt Plugging. Actually, it sounded kind of fun. How long had it been since he’d had anything but vanilla sex?

“I think this Leo guy is pretty good. According to my new partner, the man practically walks on water.”

Logan’s arms crossed over his chest. “McNamara? I kind of hoped to meet him. Damn, that guy was some kind of quarterback.”

James felt a weird surge of emotion at the thought of his new partner. Trev McNamara was absolutely the calmest presence he’d ever been around. He’d only been on the ranch for a short time, but he was already someone James could count on. “He’s some kind of man, Logan. He’s been to hell and back, and apparently Leo Meyer was the guide on the ‘back to reality’ portion of his life. Seriously, Trev is someone I admire. I think you’re going to be in good hands.”