Free Siren in Bloom [Texas Sirens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Sophie Oak Page B

Shelley said, shaking her head as a young man in a hoodie took the seat across from Designer Bag Lady. He kept his head down, bobbing to music only he could hear.
    Holder laughed a bit. He had a jagged scar that ran down his cheek, but his smile seemed genuine. Shelley could definitely buy that he was ex-military. He looked like he’d kept up the workout regime. His shoulders were massive, his neck corded with muscle. “There’s no such thing as an ex-SEAL, ma’am. A SEAL’s a SEAL. We old guys just don’t get to play anymore. But it’s funny you should say that. I can’t seem to find any. I was in town talking to some clients and tried to look up an old teammate of mine. He works at a club now as a therapist.”
    Seriously? No. She sighed and asked the question anyway. “Leo Meyer?”
    Holder pointed at her, his eyes widening in surprise. “Yeah. Wow. You know Leo?”
    Leo seemed to be everywhere today. “We work for the same man.”
    “Julian Lodge.” Holder nodded his head. “Yeah, I read up on him when I found out Leo was working for him. He’s an interesting man. He’s got quite the reputation, though I wonder how much is hype and how much is true.”
    Designer Bag Lady looked up, her perfectly painted mouth dropping open. “You work for Julian Lodge? The infamous Julian Lodge? Tell me something—is that man as hot in person as he is in pictures?”
    Shelley smiled and nodded. Her boss was a lovely man. “I’m redecorating his building. Yes, he’s gorgeous, but he’s also happily married.” And to more than one person . She didn’t say that out loud. Julian jealously guarded his privacy. “And his wife is pregnant.”
    That was one he hadn’t been able to hide. Pictures of Dani had made the society pages just the week before.
    “Damn it. All the hot ones are taken.” She grinned. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a billionaire.”
    Her cell phone rang, and she picked it up, leaving Shelley alone, talking to Holder.
    “So how is Leo doing?” Holder asked, his big, callused hands on his knees. He leaned forward, curiosity on his face.
    How was Leo? He was gorgeous and remote and impossible to forget. “He’s fine. He’s made a good life for himself. He was my brother’s therapist. I can safely say the man is a miracle worker.”
    She didn’t mention that the club he worked at was an infamously private BDSM club. She glanced out the window as the train stopped again. Two stops left, and then she would get out and walk the block and a half to her place and try to convince herself she wasn’t making a horrible mistake. She didn’t have long until Wolf would knock on her door.
    Why hadn’t he let her come back on her own?
    Holder continued on. “I can believe it. He was the go-to guy when you needed a good talk. He would listen to everyone. Man, I remember Leo. He was always a flirt. He was a great guy, but he was all about the chase, you know what I mean? I was surprised when I found out he got married.”
    Her heart nearly stopped. She turned back to Holder, praying she wasn’t flushing. Leo had been married? He’d never once mentioned he’d been married. And she’d never noticed him flirting with other women. He’d always been so focused on her when he’d been around her. “I never thought of him as a flirt.”
    Holder snorted a little. “God, he was the biggest flirt on the team. We called him Casanova. And he preferred his women to be unavailable. I don’t think he ever actually cheated with any of them, but he liked to play around when there wasn’t any possibility of commitment.”
    She felt her whole body go hot with embarrassment. She was torturing herself over a man who hadn’t bothered to mention that he was divorced. She’d told him almost everything. She’d spent hours on the phone with him. Ostensibly they had been talking about Trev and how to handle him and how to deal with his drug and alcohol problems, but she’d found herself telling the handsome