“But I can’t—”
He laid his free hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Evan. This isn’t a sexual invitation. If it were, you would know. I have a guest room. It’s nothing fancy, but you can stay there this weekend.”
Her muscles loosened beneath his reassurance. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“You won’t be. Now come on, let’s get you to bed.” He put his arm fully around her shoulders, and she couldn’t help but sag against his side, her body’s internal battery fully depleted.
Under normal circumstances, she may have put up more of a fight. May have been more wary of sleeping at some stranger’s house. But right now, all she wanted was a bed and the oblivion of sleep. Right or wrong, she trusted Grant. On some primal level she sensed his goodness, his honest nature.
Grant led her to a golf cart parked outside the main building and helped her get seated before securing her suitcase in the back. The ride to his corner of the property was blessedly quiet. She’d expected more questions from the ever watchful owner, but apparently he wasn’t going to pry. For now. She had a feeling all bets were off in the morning.
The house they parked in front of was a modest version of the cedar-planked cabins that dotted the grounds of The Ranch. Wraparound porch. Views of the vineyards from two sides. Beautifully simple. Much smaller than she would’ve expected for a man with Grant’s kind of money.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said, climbing out and grabbing the suitcase. “Sun’s starting to rise, and I have horses to feed.”
The inside of the cabin was as understated as Grant’s wardrobe. Comfortable furniture, simple decor. Not even a family photo in sight. The only make-a-Realtor-go-wild feature was the two-story wall of windows in the living room that framed the vineyard and the horizon beyond. “Wow, that’s some view.”
“Thanks. It’s why I picked this spot.”
She let her gaze go all the way to the top of the windows where they narrowed to a peak. Not a curtain anywhere. “Sacrificing a little privacy though. Anybody working in the vineyards could totally see you if you decided to have a romantic evening on the couch or something.”
He smiled as he led her through a hallway, his large hand like a heating pad on the base of her spine. “Not an issue. I don’t bring women here.”
She straightened. “Wait, like ever?”
He opened the door on his right and set her suitcase down inside the bedroom. “I have a whole playground at my fingertips. I don’t need to bring someone into my personal space.”
“Then why are you letting me?”
“Because you needed me to.” He flipped on the light switch in the bedroom. She followed him inside. “And because you’re the sub of two very good friends of mine. They would want me to keep you safe and off the roads.”
“You can’t let them know I’m here,” she said, the words whipping out of her mouth before she could reel them back.
He walked around the bed and folded the comforter down. “Oh, and why is that?”
“I— There’s just a lot going on and I need to be away from it all to think. I don’t want anyone knowing I’m here—my fiancé, Jace, Andre, none of them. And if any reporter calls—”
He paused in turning down the bed, looked up. “Darlin’, no press would even know the number to call. As far as the rest of the world knows, we don’t exist.”
“Good,” she said, nodding. “I need to be alone.”
“Three men on your tail. Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a bind.”
She groaned. “Are you seriously being punny right now? Because if I wasn’t so tired, I would totally throw something at you for that.”
He chuckled, the baritone sound making his chest bounce. “Sorry, unintentional. Is there anything else I should know? No bodies in your trunk, right?”
“None for now. Though a few people may want my head on a stake by the end of the day. It’s going to come out in the media that I’ve cheated on Daniel.”
He straightened, pinned her with his stare. “But you didn’t. I talked to Daniel myself when he set up your membership.”
“Yeah, well, open relationship isn’t something that’s going to fly with the general public. If I don’t take the fall, he’ll lose his television deal.”
“I see.” Disapproval marked his face like a thundercloud rolling over the calm plains. She shivered. His poor subs must fall over themselves trying to avoid that look.
Even though he wasn’t her dom she found herself scrambling for some way to make it better. “It’s the only way.”
“It’s your life, darlin’. But in my opinion, any man worth his salt would never let his woman take the hit for something that was his doing. His job is to protect you from anything and anyone who may hurt you.”