She turned the corner to the next aisle and sucked in a breath. Rows of black leather restraints, paddles, and whips lined the shelves along with loads of things she couldn’t identify. The photo from downstairs flashed through her brain. This was what she was signing up for—complete submission to a stranger. A golf-ball-sized lump lodged in her throat.
She picked up one of the items, a flogger according to the tag, and threaded her fingers through the soft strips at the end of the handle. The leather felt cool against her skin, but she imagined the material would heat up quickly when wielded by a strong hand. She resisted the urge to smack it across her palm to test the theory.
She’d never done anything with actual equipment. She and Reid had both been new to the idea back then and hadn’t ventured very far into this world. They’d worked with whatever they had around. She drew the leather across her hand again, and images of Reid standing behind her, flogger in hand, invaded her thoughts. A hot tingling fired up in her belly and crept lower.
She shook her head—God, she was so twisted up with this. Her body hadn’t forgotten what it had been like with Reid, how unbelievably explosive the sex had been. But the same thoughts that got her body slick and ready made her mind want to splinter into a thousand pieces.
“My God, Brynn LeBreck,” said a genial voice, startling her from her errant thoughts.
She looked up, fumbling to put the flogger back on the rack, and her breath caught.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to get more gorgeous,” Jace said, green eyes sparkling. “But clearly I was wrong.”
“Jace?” she asked, her mind still processing his presence as the broad-shouldered man gathered her into a crushing hug.
He stepped back, smiling. “Didn’t you know that’s who you were coming to see?”
She shook her head. “No, Reid didn’t mention it, and I didn’t realize your full name was Jason.”
He laughed and scrubbed a hand through his surfer-style blond hair. “That shithead. I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
No, but it would’ve been nice to be warned. She was going to kick Reid’s ass when she got back to the office tomorrow. She took a deep breath and smiled. Her problem was not with Jace. He’d never been anything but kind to her. “No, it’s fine. Actually, better than fine. It’s great to see you.”
He motioned for her to follow him. “Why don’t you come on back to my office so we can chat?”
When he reached his door, he swung it open and let Brynn walk in before him. The space was large, but cozy, resembling a sitting room in a fancy hotel more than an office. Only the massive cherrywood desk gave away the room’s true purpose. She settled into the cushioned wingback chair. “Beautiful office.”
“Thanks. I’d take credit for the decorating, but this was my sister’s project. She was starting an interior design business, and I was her guinea pig.” Instead of sitting behind his desk, Jace dropped into the matching chair across from her. “So how the hell have you been? Reid tells me you’re a therapist now.”
She crossed her legs and tried to give the appearance of being at ease, although her insides were knotted into a pretzel. “I am. I work at the Women’s Crisis Center.”
He grinned. “That’s awesome. I always knew you’d do something great. You were the only one who took your job seriously when we were working for Reid’s uncle. The rest of us were just a bunch of slackers. I only lasted a few months before Roslyn told me I should explore other opportunities.”
She laughed. “Well, I didn’t have much choice. It was work hard or head back to ‘Would you like fries with that?’ ” She glanced around the posh office again. “Looks like you’re not slacking anymore. Although, I’m a little surprised at the business choice. Weren’t you supposed to become a financial planner or something?”
He leaned back in the chair and smirked. “Yeah, the fam wasn’t too thrilled with my little venture. They’ve cut me out of the family fortune. But my finance jobs were soul sucking. I needed to follow my passion.”
She raised her eyebrows. “And your passion is selling whips and vibrators?”
A warm chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest. “Among other things. But yeah, I enjoy helping people indulge in their fantasies.”
She nodded and fiddled with the clasp of her watch, not sure what to say next. Was she supposed to just come out and ask? Hey, Jace, can you help me get into that super-duper fancy kink club?
He sat forward, his mop of blond hair falling across his forehead. “Relax, Brynn. Reid told me about your sister and why you want into The Ranch.”
She blew out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Oh, thank God.”
“Look, I’ll be honest. I’m a little nervous about sneaking you in. Grant, the club owner, is one of my biggest customers and if he found out I brought someone in under false pretenses, not only would I lose my membership, but a big chunk of my business.”
“Oh, Jace. I don’t want to put you in that position. I just—”
He held up a hand. “No, it’s okay—I know if my sister was in trouble, I’d want to do everything I could to help her, too. I was even willing to go look for Kelsey for you, but Reid said she’s not going to trust a stranger.”
She sighed. “Yeah, she’s hiding from some pretty scary people, so there’s no way she’s going to talk to someone she doesn’t recognize.”
“So that means it’s up to you. We just need to make sure you pull this off flawlessly.”
She wet her lips. “Flawlessly?”
“Yes. Grant Waters is crazy good at reading people. It makes him a top-notch master, but it also means he can sniff out bullshit at a hundred paces. You can’t go in playing sub—you need to be a sub. Really surrender.”
She uncrossed her legs and tucked her hands in her lap, trying to keep them from shaking. “Right.”
He gave her knee a quick reassuring squeeze. “I’m not telling you this to scare you—just to help you understand what needs to happen. The key is going to be not to overthink it. You know what to do.”
“I do?”
“Well, it’s not like it was a big secret that you and Reid were experimenting with D/s back when I knew you. You’re not a novice.”
She clenched her jaw. “Yes, apparently Reid was quite free with that information.”
His tilted his head. “Really? I thought I was the only who knew.”
No, at least one other person knew. And whoever that someone was had used it to their ultimate advantage to hurt her. Unless… She stared at Jace for a moment, a sick feeling rolling through her. What if he had been the one?
No. She dismissed the thought as quickly as it appeared. Jace didn’t have a cruel bone in his body. He would’ve never violated her that way. She shifted in her chair, shaking off the ridiculous idea. “It doesn’t matter. Ancient history.”
He paused for a moment as if he were going to push further, but the look on her face must have made him think better of it. He crooked a thumb toward the mini-fridge next to his desk. “You want something to drink? Beer, soda? I would offer wine, but despite the décor, I’m not that refined.”
The corner of her mouth tilted