“Take a seat.”
Sandy sat down, loving the thrill of victory.
“Take that smile off your face. I’m not going to tell you everything, just enough to give you an idea of what you’re dealing with.”
Smoothing out her skirt, she crossed her legs and waited. She wouldn’t have dreamed of telling the Haney brothers about his crush. The threat was simply a means to an end.
“How serious are you about Neal?” he asked.
“Why do you think I’m here? I’m deadly serious, Rory.”
He nodded his head. Being a part owner in a beauty salon had been the only other thing she’d been sure of in her life as she got older.
“How much do you know about Neal?” he asked.
“He likes to keep his personal life private.”
“For fuck sake. You know fuck all about the man you’re trying to get into your bed. I’m warning you now, Neal isn’t a man to mess with lightly.”
“I understand. Tell me something.”
Rory let out a sigh.
“You’re not going to let this go are you?”
“No.”
“Sandy, Neal is a Dom.” The words echoed off the wall, stilling in the silence of the room.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not stupid, Sandy. Figure it out.”
She scrambled, trying to figure everything out. Neal being a Dom wasn’t a massive surprise but she guessed there was more to it than him telling a woman what to do.
“You’re trying to tell me, Neal is into spanking, bondage and all that leather crap?” She couldn’t visualize Neal in leather. The man loved his jeans too much to wear anything else.#p#分页标题#e#
“You can be a Dom without all the leather and chains. Neal has to be in control. If you’re willing to take this thing with him to the next level, past your flirting, you’ve got to be prepared to give over your will. To be able to trust him completely.” Running his fingers through his hair with a sigh, he reached into his drawer and pulled out a fork.
He opened the cake box and dived in taking a huge forkful.
“I haven’t finished,” she said.
“You’re not getting any more out of me. If you want answers, go to Neal. He’s my friend. Feel lucky I gave you that.” He took another forkful of cake. “This tastes good.”
“I know. I made it.”
Sandy got up from her seat. When she’d entered his office she hadn’t expected to leave with more questions than answers. She got to the door and turned back. “I wouldn’t have told any of the Haney brothers.”
“I know. I wouldn’t have told you anything about Neal.”
“Then why did you?”
“I’m tired of you two circling each other. I personally want to see the fireworks when you two get together.”
She chuckled as she left his office. Giving a wave to Marty, she left the station going to the salon. She had plenty to think about.
* * * *
Neal glanced down at his mobile phone and cursed modern day technology. Unlike his younger brothers, he hadn’t been able to adapt to the devices. Being a big man, the too damn small and flimsy gadgets tended to get crushed easily. He’d broken three already.
They’d become a feature on the ranch so the family could keep in touch in case of storms or problems. Falling off a horse three miles away from anyone else and no way to send for help meant the phones were necessary.
“Hello,” he said after he pulled the device out of his pocket. No one answered but the damn thing kept ringing. Growling in frustration, then embarrassment, he realized he hadn’t pressed for the call to be accepted. He clicked the button and said hello.
“Anyone else and I’d have thought you were busy,” his friend, Rory said.
“And you don’t consider running a ranch, busy?”
“What can I say? While I’m stopping crime and keeping offenders off the streets, you’re just sitting on the back of a horse galloping around.”
Neal laughed. Many times they’d had the same discussion on who worked the hardest. Rubbing his brow as the sweat gathered, he looked around him. The horses were all grazing in the fields and their cattle were spread amongst them.
The Haney family needed more hands. They couldn’t keep up with an ever expanding business if they didn’t.
“As much as this is a pleasure hearing from you, I’m kind of busy.”
“I just had a very interesting visit.”
“From who? The ghost of your future.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny. One little Sandy Breeden. She brought me cake,” Rory said.
Neal cursed. Visiting her house the other day had been a bad move on his part. He couldn’t get her taste or the feel of her body underneath his out of his mind.