“It means you’re letting yourself actually want somethingfor once.I think it’s a good thing.I mean it would be if she wasn’t hidingfrom us.I’m not sure what she’s thinking.”
But Keane did.“She’s pushing limits.She’s allowing herselfto be reckless for one of two reasons.Because she wants to let us know whatshe thinks of us without saying it.”
“I don’t believe that,” Garrett interrupted.“What’s theother reason?”
“Because she can.”
Garrett frowned.“Well, I don’t like that explanationeither.She’s doing it because she doesn’t have to be careful with us.Sheknows damn well we’re not going to leave her or yell at her.”
“Well, I was planning on spanking her ass,” Keane admitted.
“Like that’s not exactly what she wants.Think about it.Shefeels out of control.Negotiating with her doesn’t fix that.It forces her tomake choices, and she’s worried she’ll make the wrong one.She needs a nicelong session to clear her head, and she can’t ask for one.So here we are,”Garrett said.
Keane nodded.“I can accept that explanation.So basicallywe find her, smack her ass, take her home and fuck her.Not necessarily in thatorder.Except for the finding her part.That does have to come first.”
“Well, hello.”A petite blonde walked up to them, a friendat her side.“You two must be new here.”
Oh, he knew trouble when he saw it.It was wrapped up intight jeans and bedazzled boots and a pink cowboy hat, but it was trouble, andnot the good kind.
Her friend was a brunette.If either of them was north oftwenty-five, he would eat his shoe.She was a young shark looking for a feast,and normally he would consider being her dinner, but he’d lost all desire foranyone but a cranky redhead who couldn’t decide what she wanted.The brunettewinked up at him from the brim of her hat.
“Hey, I’m Lola,” she said.“You’re pretty hot.Let me buyyou a drink.”
The blonde was all over Garrett, who frowned and tried tostep back.“And I’m Amy.I think we should go and dance.”
“Sorry, I’m looking for my girlfriend.”Garrett knew what todo in this situation.Hide behind Olivia.Even if Olivia wasn’t here.
“Me, too.”He wasn’t going to mention that the girlfriendwas the same for both of them.But he definitely wanted to get out of here.
He glanced around.No Olivia.
“Ooo, playing hard to get,” Lola said.
Keane stepped back.“I’m not playing, and I’m not hard toget.I’m impossible.I’m here for another woman, and I have no intentions ofplaying around with anyone except her.”
Garrett held a hand out when Amy tried to take his arm.“What he said.”
She wasn’t in here.He didn’t see her or Gigi or Miranda.They should move on.
He thought about breaking up, but now he knew the wolveswere out and they had to huddle together for protection or Garrett might findhimself pulled into a dark corner and assaulted.
Because he had trouble being impolite.
Keane did not, so he simply broke free of the hold on hisarm and started to lead Garrett away.“Let’s go see if they’re in the dancehall.”
They walked past the dining room, and one glance around thebig open space told him there was no glorious woman with a mass of red hairhaving dinner.
He would spank her and then feed her and then fuck her, andhe would do it in that order.Garrett didn’t understand how important it was togo in with a plan and a schedule.Oh, he would adjust both if he had to, but healways wanted to know what he was doing.
They got to the edge of the big space that served as thedance hall.Keane would give it to them.This was the barn equivalent ofglamping.All the barn, none of the drawbacks.There was even carefully craftedhay placed around the room.There was another bar at the back, and he could seea stairwell that led to a catwalk.Now if he could get up there, he might beable to spot her.
He pointed to the catwalk that started as stairs at theother end of the hall and seemed to wrap around this part of the building.“Weneed to get up there.”
An arm slid through his, and a cajoling voice made him damnnear roll his eyes.“You don’t want to go up there all alone, do you?”
Lola and Amy had followed them.Keane took his arm back.
“I told you no, and that is a complete sentence,” he said,his voice flat.A slow song had come on, and he could hear better as couplesbegan to sway all around them.
