Oak, Sophie - Siren Beloved [Texas Sirens 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Online Free PDF Page A

incredibly important to her?”
    He pinned her with what she was coming to think of as his shrink gaze. It was slightly different from his Dom gaze. The shrink gaze just made her feel dumb. The Dom gaze made her feel like a dummy who was about to get her ass whipped. “Is it? Is The Club important to you? Or is it just Lucas?”
    Wasn’t that a question she’d asked herself a lot in the beginning? She’d been curious but unsure of what she wanted. Aidan walking out on her had made her question a lot of things. “When I started coming here, I came because Lucas loved it.”
    “Was that the only reason?”
    Honesty. It was all he would accept, and she’d known Leo for too long to expect to be able to lie to him. He was known as a human lie detector. Nothing got past those blue eyes. “No. I was curious, but I wasn’t in love with the idea. Lucas and I met at my stepfather’s ranch. We quickly became friends, best friends. I relied on Lucas like I’ve never relied on anyone else. After we became closer, I wanted to be in every part of his life. He loved this place, so I decided I should give it a try. I came because I needed him, and I was worried if I didn’t come with him, he would meet someone.”
    Leo nodded as though pleased with her answer. “I can see where that would worry you. Do you feel more secure in the way Lucas feels about you now?”
    She felt a little smile cross her face. Lucas was her anchor. “I feel secure with Lucas.”
    Those eyes of his widened expectantly. “But?”
    There was always that nasty “but.” “But I wonder if I’m what Lucas needs.”
    “In what way?”
    Oh, so many ways. How did she even start to count them? Lucas was a professional. He was an up-and-coming lawyer. Lexi worked in a gallery because she couldn’t make herself do what she really wanted to do. She settled on the obvious. “Lucas is a switch. I can’t top him. I don’t even want to, Leo.”
    “Of course you don’t. You’re a sub, sweetheart. At least when it comes to sex.” He leaned forward. “Would it help at all to know that I fully believe Lucas would bury those needs in order to be with you?”
    Lucas had already given up too much for her. “No. I don’t want Lucas to compromise himself for me.”
    Leo laughed, a warm little sound. “I sometimes forget how young you are, but then you say something like that. So much of life is about compromise, but that word is anathema to the young folks.”
    “I’m not exactly a baby, Leo. I’m twenty-six and, quite frankly, I’ve been through enough stinking trauma in my life that I’m practically a walking tabloid. First, I get my poor mom kicked out of town by simply being conceived. I had to watch her scrimp and fight for everything she gave me. Then my stepdad gets cancer, and I have to watch her lose him. Then she finds a crazy threesome, and my new stepdad gets shot by my grandma, who has a heart attack and dies on the spot. My fiancé leaves me, but only after telling me I’m a freak and then I lose—well, I lose my damn mind.” God, she’d almost said it. She couldn’t say it. Her heart pounded as she shoved the memory aside. “It didn’t help that last year some asswipe kidnapped me to get to Lucas. Just once I would love to be nearly kidnapped and killed on my own merits. I can be a bitch, you know. I get fired all the time.”
    He laughed out loud. “I know the feeling, sweetheart. You’ve been through a lot. I get that. What I want to know is how playing with Lucas helps you deal with that.”
    This whole conversation was starting to irritate her. She’d thought this would be the easy portion of her penance. Taking a few licks from the mysterious Master A was starting to look like a breeze compared to dealing with Leo. “Shouldn’t you be the one telling me that? Isn’t this like your specialty?”
    “I would rather hear it from you.”
    “Fine.” She groped for words. How did she say this without sounding like a lunatic?