Allister, J. Rose - Displaced Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by J. Rose Allister Page A

attempt at showing remorse isn’t exactly inspiring.”
    That brought him to his feet, and the piercing need in his eyes shot through her. She stifled a gasp and pressed herself tighter against the wall. “But I am sorry, Terra. More than sorry. Please don’t misunderstand that. That man you saw last night, well, that ain’t who I am. I’m sick inside, knowin’ what I tried to do. And I know you must be, too. I’m beyond thankful Connor stopped me. I can’t apologize enough to change things.”
    She avoided his eyes. “That doesn’t mean you don’t owe me the attempt.”
    “You’re right. And I intend to start makin’ amends right now by givin’ you an important piece of advice.”
    She stiffened her spine. “What kind of advice?”
    “Get away from here. Now.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Connor’s gonna ask you to stay. Despite what we are, despite the fact we can’t offer you a thing—not even safety, between my issues and what’s after us. You need to be strong enough to resist the tug in your gut that draws you to him. I ain’t sayin’ it’ll be easy, but you have to get out of this before it turns ugly.”
    “Like it hasn’t already?” Her arms untangled. “Actually, I was planning on going right after you got finished saying whatever it was you have to say.”
    He gave a visible shudder of relief. “Good. I’m glad.”
    Irritation jabbed at her. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t about to join a Nash-the-werewolf fan club, but the fact that he couldn’t get her out of there fast enough was a little annoying. Was he that reluctant to have her around Connor? Maybe he wanted to keep his new alpha all to himself. It was beyond strange to think that a guy could be jealous of her that way, but the two men had already become much more intimate than she and Connor were. Now that she thought of it like that, a keen sense of being shoved away to become part of the sideline audience gripped her around the throat like a jagged claw.
    “I suppose I should be glad you’re in such a hurry to get rid of me,” she said, a bit surprised at the venom in her tone. “It’s not like we’re exactly getting along.”
    “It ain’t like that. Sendin’ you away ain’t what I want. But it’s for your own good.”
    She forced herself to meet his eyes. “Oh? And I suppose you’re going to tell me you don’t want me out of the way so you can have Connor?”
    Her eyes widened at the remark. That wasn’t something she meant to let tumble out.
    His eyes sparked with something she couldn’t quite read while he folded his arms across his broad chest. “I already have Connor.”
    Her nostrils flared. Now he was really starting to piss her off. Again. Still. Continuously.
    “Don’t give me that dagger-eyed look,” he went on. “I’m not tryin’ to make this a contest. I don’t have Connor the same way you do. But I do have a bond with him now, a complicated one. And it ain’t goin’ away.”
    She fought the urge to hurl her balled-up laundry at him. “I don’t think it’s complicated at all. You’re both gay, but you might have had confused feelings about that until you got together last night. And it’s obvious the two of you share things I don’t have any clue about. Such as the way you get off on pain and hurting people.”
    Now it was his turn for a sharp scowl. “What? I don’t get off on that.”
    “No? Your dick sure was sure hard when you were getting choked and whipped last night. And when you were trying to force yourself on me.”
    He shook his head vehemently. “I told you, I’m sorry for that. It slices me up to think of how that all happened. I ain’t gonna make excuses for it, but I will say I have never, not ever once in my life, treated a woman that way.”
    “Save it.”
    “No. I won’t save it, cuz it needs to be said even if it don’t change a thing. I’ve never forced anythin’ on a woman. Never had to, darlin’. I ain’t never even chased one. They come to me.”
    She