“That’s rough, but you might want to rethink that whole ‘she’s not mine’ thing because seriously, you almost lost your shit, and I was only talking about hypotheticals,” Shane pointed out. “You’re attracted to her.”

Like he’d never been attracted to a woman before. Hell, he’d been married and he hadn’t wanted his wife the way he wanted Lisa Daley. At first he’d told himself it was because he liked Laurel, and her family seemed warm despite their incredibly elite status. Now he wasn’t sure where the hell his head was at. “I don’t want to be.”

“Why?”

For so many reasons. “She’s not my type. Physically she’s my type, but I’m not into high-maintenance women.”

Shane chuckled. “All women are high maintenance. Relationships are high maintenance. If they aren’t, then they’re probably shallow.”

He nodded. Finally someone understood. “Yes, that’s what I want.”

Shane stared at him, the inherent “dumbass” right there in his expression. “Well, then you’re doing great, buddy. You’ve fucked just about every good-time girl in North Texas. You do know most of those good-time girls wanted a relationship with you, right? Women are funny that way.”

“I am very clear about what I will and won’t give to a woman.” He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

“Yeah, well, a lot of women get it in their heads that they can change a man,” Shane replied. “They figure it out in the end, or they don’t and keep right on running through guys like you until guys like you no longer look at them or want them.”

“I’m not the bad guy here and I’m especially not the bad guy when it comes to Lisa Daley.” But he was going to be. He was being paid to be. This morning it had seemed all right. Seeing her again… Well, the thought of hurting her made his stomach twist.

Of course he could potentially hurt those delicate snowflake feelings of hers or she could get shot, and that made his stomach twist even tighter.

“I heard you mention she’s a Sanctum girl,” Shane said. “Sub?”

Shane didn’t play, but that didn’t mean he was ignorant of his surroundings. “Yes, she’s definitely submissive when it comes to sex. I don’t know what that bullshit out in the hallway was. Wade said he hadn’t seen a trainee so eager to try everything. And it wasn’t like she came in a couple of times and then disappeared. She was a fixture every Thursday night, and Sundays she worked the nursery. And this was for over a year. Nah, I don’t buy the whole ‘I got bored’ thing. This is about me.”

“You?”

“She came on to me a few months ago and I didn’t handle it well.” That was putting it kindly.