Chapter 1
Reaching for the door handle, Connor Dunbar winced at the twinge of pain radiating from front to back in his shoulder. The surgery he had undergone to repair the damaged muscles from a bullet wound left him aching; the weakness frustrated him. Entering The Barn, a private BDSM club he owned with his brother, Caden and Sheriff Grayson Monroe, he admitted the fault for the injury he’d sustained over six weeks ago lay solely on his shoulders. He hadn’t needed the stupidity of chasing after a truck of cattle rustlers alone drilled into him by his brother, as well as others. He’d come to that conclusion all by himself as he’d driven back to his house, injured, in the middle of the night.
From the number of shoes filling the cubbies along one wall of the foyer leading into the renovated barn, it looked like another well-attended Friday night of kinky play was in progress. The coat closet held a few jackets, but as usual, March in Central Montana had roared in like a lion, dumping several feet of snow only to follow a scant week later with temperatures in the low fifties that had encouraged people to come out without their heavy winter gear. Using his good arm, he opened the door leading into the playroom, the snap of leather striking bare skin a welcome sound after his absence the past few weeks.
Pausing, Connor took a moment to breathe in the enticing scent of hay bales stacked along one wall, providing a perch or ledge to position a sub and the subtle odor of sex mingling with leather. Scanning the crowd, he found Caden behind the bar in the center of the room, his fiancée, Sydney seated on a stool next to Avery, Grayson’s new girl. Since the sheriff wasn’t glued to her side, Connor guessed he was monitoring the loft activity where they’d positioned most of the bondage equipment. Looking up, he spotted Sue Ellen bound at a chain station, her sweat-slick body swaying as her husband, Master Brett wielded a crop on her delectable ass. Her shrill cry reverberated down and drew his smile. Damn, but he’d missed this place.
His head had been up his ass for weeks before he’d made the blunder of chasing criminals without even informing anyone of his solo stakeout. The pain and weakness resulting from that idiocy had forced him to get his act together. The problem was, he honestly didn’t know why he’d been out of sorts. His attitude tumble had started last fall, but the reason for it still eluded him. His friends thought it was due to his break-up with Annie, whom he’d been enjoying a six-month, monogamous relationship with until he’d discovered her infidelity. But the truth was, he’d been distracted and irritable before he’d walked in on her and her vanilla lover.
With a sigh, Connor shoved aside unanswered questions and vowed to enjoy himself tonight. Winding his way through the seating area between the doors and bar, he stopped at a table to say hello to Dan Shylock, a long-time friend and popular Dom among the subs. Curled on the lawyer’s lap, the disheveled, red-faced brunette sporting clamped nipples and a G-string appeared glassy-eyed and well-used.
“A little early to have someone already enjoying subspace, isn’t it?” Connor winked at the girl whose name eluded him.
Dan smiled. “Never too early. Good to see you back. How’s the shoulder?” The concern clouding his dark eyes both irritated and warmed Connor.
Shaking his head, he nudged his Stetson back with a thumb, drawling, “Don’t you and Caden ever get tired of playing mother hen? I had to suffer through two weeks of that from my own mother after surgery. Give me a break, will you?”
“Yeah, okay, you’re right. But I can’t speak for your brother.” Dan inclined his blond head toward the bar where Connor saw Caden watching him with a careful eye.
Stifling the urge to roll his eyes, Connor glanced back down at Dan’s play partner and suddenly recalled her name. “Stacy, right?” At her slow nod and gleam of interest in her blue eyes, he smiled. “When you’ve recovered and are ready to move on from this brute, come look me up, sweetie. I’m much nicer than he is.”
Dan’s rude snort followed him as he strode to the bar and slid onto a stool next to Sydney. Tugging on her long red hair, he winked at the girl who had snagged his brother in just a few short weeks of hiring on at their ranch as the new cook. “I’m here. Happy now?” Out of all his well-meaning friends, her nagging concern had touched him the most. The assistance he’d given her in getting Caden to open his eyes to a relationship with an employee had forged a special bond between the two of them.
A beaming smile lit up her green eyes. “Yes, and you look good. Better than you have in weeks.”
“Gee, thanks,” he returned dryly, quirking one brow.
“And now that you do, she can return to giving me her undivided attention,” Caden said, setting a draft in front of Connor. “Do you want to spell Grayson upstairs for an hour now or do you have plans?”
It was just like his brother to hide his relief and pleasure at Connor’s presence after the weeks of convalescing by getting right down to business. “I’m good with now.” Leaning around Sydney, he smiled at Avery. “I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting, sweetie. Not after you set up the new laptop you recommended for me. I would have gone bonkers if I hadn’t been able to play my games while I was being good obeying doctor’s orders.”
This time, the rude, disbelieving snorts came from all three of them before Avery giggled. “You’re so full of it, Master Connor.”
Rising, he took a long pull on the beer before saying, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Best remember that, girl, or I’ll ask Master Grayson’s permission to put you over my knee.”
Heading for the stairs, Connor heard Caden say, “Damn, it’s good to see him smiling again.”
Shit, was I that bad? Climbing the stairs to the second-floor loft, he regretted worrying his only sibling and hoped his poor attitude continued to improve even though he still couldn’t pinpoint the initial reason for it. He paused halfway up to enjoy the creative dance moves of two bare-breasted subs gyrating to the sultry voice of Rhianna as Greg and Devin stepped in with stern looks. Yanking them away from each other, the two Doms who were new members but long-time friends each delivered a resounding swat to their girl’s ass before pre
ssing them close to finish the dance. Damn, I’ve really missed this place, Connor mused, giving them a thumbs-up in approval as he continued upstairs.
They kept the lighting dimmer in the lofts, but he had no trouble making out each apparatus and the people enjoying them. Voices were more hushed but sharp cries of both pain and pleasure echoed from one end of the second level to the other. He spotted Grayson leaning against the back wall, hat tipped low, gaze intent on a sub bound facing their new A-frame and the man wielding a long, single leather strap standing behind her. Making his way toward the sheriff, Connor noticed a few new faces and knew he would have to catch up on the membership list soon.
“It appears to be a good addition.” Connor nodded toward the frame, positioning himself next to Grayson.
“It’s popular. Good to see you back. How’s the shoulder?” Grayson’s gray-green eyes swiveled his way with concern.