Liv's Journey Read Free Page A

Tonight's not such a good idea."
    Whoops. He'd made a mess of it somehow. He dropped his hands slowly. "Mind if I come by tomorrow? I have to help my brother Ace with our side business, but I'll have some free time in the afternoon."
    "Side business? Now you have my curiosity." She turned toward the sound of her name being called from outside. "I have to go. Tomorrow would be okay. Thanks for lunch, Trey."
    "My pleasure," he said as she hurried out of the truck. Her perfume lingered, leaving a sweet and subtle reminder of her behind.
    * * *
     The small cabins that accommodated ranch guests were well-appointed, despite their rustic looks. Liv's was spacious, but not fancy, consisting of one large room and a bathroom. Everything was clean and fresh-smelling. She found the pale blue walls relaxing, and she needed to relax. She considered having a shot of vodka from the mini bar, but then habit kicked in and she turned away from the impulse—too many calories.
    She thought over her time with Trey and the things she'd discovered about him. He was a nice guy; maybe he was too nice. Liv had a tendency to fall for men who treated her badly. She was attracted to men with confidence and surety, even forceful personalities, but she didn't like being treated like a doormat. It was hard to find a person who was capable and ambitious as well as concerned for her happiness.
    Trey might be one.
    Or he might not.
    Contemplating the following day and anticipating meeting him again was exciting, but she tried to keep it in perspective. It was obvious that he was attracted to her—asking for a second date was an indicator—but, truth be told, a lot of men were attracted to her because of her looks. She could dress down and go without makeup, but something about her appearance still got attention. Since she'd gained weight, she couldn't understand it. But it was undeniable.
    She hated to think that Trey was focused on bedding a supermodel rather than knowing the Liv inside the body. That made her want to halt the relationship before it got much of a start. Being disappointed by people was depleting, and in many ways, she'd rather keep a good-guy impression of Trey, even if their friendship had to end, rather than find out he was the usual kind of schmuck.
    But, like him, she'd soldier on. The prize, if it even existed, would be worth the potential disappointment.
    She had a five a.m. call the next morning, so Liv bathed and went to bed. Her last thoughts before sleep were of Trey's callused hands on her face.

Chapter 2
    After spending a few hours of comfortable talk with his brother Ace, Trey slept poorly. It wasn't Ace's fault–Trey couldn’t stop thinking about Liv and her secret. His first thought was that he'd love to spank it out of her and then kiss it to make it all better, but he had the distinct feeling that subtle would work better. And, since his inclination was to find the submissive side of a woman and give her what she craved, he needed to find out what Liv's proclivity was in that regard. If she wasn't as submissive as he guessed, then the idea of even a casual relationship was out. He didn't like women who tried to steer him around by his dick.
    When morning finally rolled around, Trey ceased torturing himself by trying to sleep. He got up and met Ace—always an early morning person—at the kitchen table and joined him for breakfast.
    "So, the BDSM Boot Camp is startin' in two days. What can I do to help?"
    Ace took a bite of a fresh biscuit and followed it by a sip of strong, fragrant coffee. "I got the food yesterday, and moved most of the equipment out of the storage shed and into the old house. There are a couple more pieces that I could use a hand with. And then I have to take out some of the conference furniture and prepare the smaller private rooms."
    "Are you expectin' the same turn out as last year?"
    "Yeah. 'Bout fifteen couples and triads and maybe ten singles. Not too many new faces, but a few. There's one girl