Page 4 of Her Devious Daddies

Eloise sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Moving home wasn’t a walk in the park.”

Kendall blew raspberries at her and then looked at me. “Tell your bestie she needs to relax more. She’s working too much. Maybe someone should tell Dane.”

“See? It’s almost like Kendall is saying the same sort of things that I’ve been saying. Dane would tell Tanner, and you know how it would go from there. It’s almost as if we all want to help you.” I patted Eli’s hand.

“Oh, cut it out. My brother and Tanner have already been lecturing me endlessly about work-life balance. Tanner doesn’t accept excuses either, but I’m way too busy.” Eloise dropped her arms and then moved up to the bar and grabbed a few drink orders. She was the general manager here at The Kicking Donkey, but she’d been a bartender for years, and old habits died hard.

Though Eli’s parents were actual millionaires, she’d been determined to make her own way in her world, rather than relying on her parents’ money, which came with stipulations and expectations. So had her brother, Legend, who went by Dane. After the whole family had moved overseas when Eli and Dane were teenagers, the two of them had moved back to the states and Eli had ended up in New York, which was where we met, but, then she’d decided to uproot her entire life and move back to the tiny town of Falcon Creek, Wyoming, where she’d grown up. It was a brave, bold move, and I often envied her determination and independence. She’d found happiness and success in Falcon Creek as an adult, enough so that when she showed up on my doorstep and told me to pack up my life and follow her across the country, I didn't question it. I had long been searching for more excitement, more meaning, more something. Her bravery fueled me forward and I kissed the east coast goodbye for good. I’d never expected to find such a welcoming group of people out in our small-ass town of Falcon Creek, but I had. Eli’s friends accepted me and welcomed me with open arms.

Kendall nursed her drink as we let the comfortable silence span between us.

“Hey, I forgot to ask you. Did you drive out to Cheyenne yesterday?” Eloise wiped down the bar and set the rag over her shoulder.

“Did you not get my text messages? Or maybe I forgot, I was a little occupied. You neglected to tell me the owner of Wicked Kisses is drop-dead gorgeous.”

Kendall and Eli shared a look. “So, you met Logan Wilde?” Eli asked with a smile.

“He lives up to his name,” Kendall added.

Heat flushed my face. The mention of Logan stirred something low in my belly. No, lower, at the spot in between my legs. The one that had gotten a lot of attention with one of my new toys. “Jerks. Both of you. He’s hot. Ridiculously hot. You sent me to an adult toy store where the handsomest man I’ve ever seen handled my… purchases.”

“Mmmhm. I can’t believe you haven’t run into him before. He’s not in here all the time, but this town is small.” Eloise grinned.

“He’s single,” Kendall added.

“And apparently into…” I trailed off and finished my beverage.

“Into?” Eloise waggled her eyebrows.

I motioned for the two of them to get closer to me. “He gave me a card. For another place. A lounge, if you will.”

Kendall snorted and pulled back, finishing her iced tea in one swig. “Uh-huh. If you have ever been interested in exploring, the ‘lounge’ is a great place to start, and Logan is an excellent choice of teachers.”

Eli nodded. “I haven’t gone to ‘the lounge’ a lot, because I’ve been working all the time, but we can go one night. I’ll bring you.”

“I volunteer as a medic sometimes and Dalton spends a lot of his free time there,” Kendall mentioned. “It’s a great place. The atmosphere is amazing. I think you’d like it. Plus, you never know who you’ll bump into.”

Nerves prickled through my body. I hadn’t told Eloise about all of the terrible demons in my past surrounding my ex-boyfriend. She just knew that when she showed up at my door a year ago, I’d started packing without asking questions. I hadn’t been in a relationship since Greg, though I had dated casually. It wasn’t that I had trouble trusting people, or taking them at their word, but my ex-boyfriend had messed me up in so many ways. Namely his manipulative ways that had me thinking he was a Dom instead of just an asshole on a power trip.

“So, Logan is usually at the ‘lounge’?” I finally asked.

Before either of them could answer me, a crowd of about twenty suddenly filled the bar. The quiet atmosphere we’d been enjoying turned into a noisy, overstimulating environment. I patted Eli’s hand again, squeezed Kendall’s shoulder, and told them we’d catch up later.

It was a convenient excuse not to talk about Logan anymore, as if he hadn’t been on my mind since our meeting at his store. But he had. His smile, the dimple in his chin. Those delicious looking forearms. His growly tone when he’d offered to take the paddle off the wall. I should have taken him up on it. However, I had been flustered thinking about him spanking me. Another small crowd entered the bar. Did someone post a special? Oh well. It was better to get out of the conversation with my dignity intact. Neither Eli or Kendall would judge me, I knew that much for certain, but I’d give away my crush on Logan.

Knowing my friends, one of them would talk, not on purpose, but we did live in a very tiny town. I did not need Logan to be made aware of my fantasies. Though if he owned the club, there was a high chance we’d run into him on any given night. Nerves prickled through my body. Where was the harm in going one night? I had been longing to get out and experience more of my new town instead of wallowing in front of the same four television shows every night. Maybe Logan Wilde would become my boyfriend. Glee filled me at the thought. That was new. Now I had to take the step forward and start living again.

CHAPTER 3

LOGAN

The club wasn’t as busy as usual, but it had a pretty good turnout. I surveyed the main floor and strolled through the other public spaces. Pride of ownership stirred inside of me when I made the rounds. Myself, my brother Lane, and our friend Sam Nash had taken an idea and transformed it into reality, creating a welcoming space to give into your wildest desires. Sam was more of a partner on paper since he was so busy working as an officer of the Falcon Creek Police Department. He’d promised when the new rookies were up and on their own that he would spend more time here.

“Wicked?”

I stopped and leaned against the wall, turning to see Kendall. She had a flirty smile playing on her lips. Her boyfriend Dalton was usually with her, and I wondered where he was tonight. “What’s up, sweetheart?”

“Eli and I brought our friend Karsyn here. It’s just the three of us.”

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