I met his gaze. “I wouldn’t care.”
He nodded. “Good man.” He glanced at his phone. “Bentley’s already reached out. Hal will see you later this afternoon.”
Overwhelmed, Liv buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Jordan, Aiden, and Maddox left, pulling the boardroom door shut behind them to give us privacy. I pulled her into my arms and held her close.
“I told you that you wouldn’t be alone.”
“I had no idea,” she hiccupped.
I tilted up her chin. Her usually bright eyes were dim and filled with worry. “We’re fighting this together, okay?”
“O-okay,” she sniffed.
“I need to ask something from you now, Liv.”
“What?”
“I need you to go home, pack up some things, and come stay at my house. I want you and Mouse close.”
“Why?” she breathed out.
“Because I do. It’s simple. He’s threatening you. You’re going to fight back—something I don’t think he expected. It’ll make him angrier, and I need to protect you. My house has an alarm, and I’m there.”
She rubbed a hand over her face. “Won’t it give him even more ammunition? That I’m living with my boyfriend?”
“He’s living with his girlfriend.”
“Fiancée. I’m sure he would argue the difference.”
I studied her and lowered my face close to hers, dropping my voice. “Is that what you want, Liv? I’ll take you down the street right now, pick a ring, and we can go to city hall.”
Her eyes flew open wide. “What?”
I warmed to the subject. “It will cancel out most of his arguments right there. You move in. We’ll get married. Mouse will have a stable home with two parents already. Hell, I’ll build a spot for your mom, and she can come move in too. A house filled with people to care for Mouse. He can go fuck himself.”
Liv looked shell-shocked. When I grinned at her with an exaggerated wink, she relaxed.
“Too much?” I asked. I had been teasing—mostly.
“A bit.”
“Okay. How about you move in with me?”
“Temporarily.”
I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “For now. But in all seriousness, I would feel better.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
I was surprised. I had been certain she was going to push back. Refuse and tell me she didn’t need any protection. It showed me how anxious she was over the situation.
“My dad and I will move Mouse’s bed and bookcase over later, so she has familiar things in the house,” I offered. “Your mom has Sammy until tonight so we can get this all handled today.”
“It seems like a lot of work for a few weeks. Why don’t I use one of the beds from the warehouse?”
“Nope. Both will go in the truck in minutes. Mouse will be happier. You pack whatever clothes and stuff you need. We can get anything you forget later.”
She huffed but grudgingly agreed.
I didn’t bother to tell her it wasn’t for a few weeks. I had a feeling once this was over, I wouldn’t let them go.
Hal Smithers closed the file and glanced up at Liv and me. He was younger than I expected—younger than me. His brown hair was short, his beard trimmed, and his suit expensive. There was an air of confidence about him, his gaze direct, and his demeanor intense.
He was perfect.
He tapped the file. “I’m not going to lie and say this is open-and-shut, but I’m going to make this very difficult for him. Very, very difficult.”
“Can he really do this?” I asked, aghast. “Waltz back into their lives after all this time and demand to be part of Sammy’s life?”
“Oh, he can demand anything he wants. It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t get it.” He sat back. “He signed his rights away. He has a huge uphill climb to get them back.”
“He said he is going to ask for visitation.”
He shrugged. “Again, he can ask for anything he wants. A judge will decide if it’s in Samantha’s best interest. Since he hasn’t had any contact, provided any support either financially or emotionally in her lifetime, it’s a pretty big if. I’ll fight it and use his past behavior against him.”
Liv shuddered, and I slipped my arm around her shoulders.
“From now on, Liv, you don’t talk to him about Samantha. I would prefer you not have any contact with him.” He studied her. “I know it’s your job, and this project means a lot to you, but you need to decide which is more important.”
“Sammy,” she replied immediately.
“Then figure it out.”
“I was thinking maybe Liv could do the design work but send an assistant to meetings and to do the on-site checking until WIN is off the project,” I offered.
He thought it over and nodded. “It might work.” He met my gaze. “What about you, Van?”
“I can handle myself.”
He snickered, the sound without humor. “From what I’ve been told, this guy excels at getting under your skin. Can you really?”
“I’ll move my stuff from the trailer. I’ll work out of one of the empty apartments. I’ll only communicate for business reasons, and I won’t be alone with him. I won’t give him the chance to get to me.”
He huffed a sigh. “I’ll be honest. This complicates things, but I understand you have a job to do. But one wrong move can affect this case—you understand?”
“Yes.”
“As soon as I get the papers from his lawyer, I’ll respond. I’ll try to get this before a judge privately and nip it in the bud. Hopefully we’ll get one of the judges I have in mind on the case.” He paused, flipping open the file. “Aiden tells me he has Reid digging into Mr. Nolan’s background.”
“Yes,” I replied.
He smirked. “I would kill to poach Reid away from BAM. If anyone can find anything to use against Nolan, it’ll be Reid.”
“I still don’t know why Chris is doing this,” Liv stated. “He didn’t want her before. He has never liked children. He wanted nothing to do with her.”
“Revenge. Anger. Jealousy. To be a prick.” Hal made some notes in the file. “I’ve seen it all.”
“What should we do?” Liv asked, her voice quivering.
He sat back, regarding us. “Stick to your schedule. Live your life. Make sure Samantha is taken care of. Don’t engage with Mr. Nolan, no matter what occurs. Let me handle this.”
“Can he win?” I asked, my voice tight.
“It’s rare it happens in cases where the rights have been voluntarily signed away. But it can occur.” He addressed Liv. “From what I see, your daughter is happy, well-cared-for, and thriving. There is no reason a judge would take her away from you. If I do my job right, we’ll shut this down as quickly as possible. But on the off chance he wins, you will have to prepare yourself that he might be part of her life. We would demand supervised visitation and a limited amount of contact, at least to start. It’s not as if she’ll suddenly be living with him on a part-time basis.”
“I don’t want her with him at all. He’s a terrible person,” Liv protested. “He would destroy her the way he tried to destroy me.”
“That’s what we need to show the judge. Did you confide in anyone? Were there witnesses to the way he treated you?”
Liv sighed. “My mother. I didn’t have a close friend. Chris sort of cut them all off. And I was ashamed, to be honest. He made me ashamed.”
“Typical.”
He folded his hands on his desk. “Leave this with me. Let’s see what Reid comes up with. I want you to write it out. All of it. Any detail of your time with him—especially when he found out you were pregnant. Anything you think of—you never know what could be significant.”
“Okay.”
He stood. “I’ll let you know when they make the first volley.”
I shook his hand, watching as he reached for Liv’s shaking palm. He met her worried gaz
e. “I’ll do everything I can, Liv. Trust me—you’re in good hands with me. I eat people like Mr. Nolan for breakfast and shit them out before lunch. I will break him.”
Her lips curved upward in a tremulous smile. “Okay.”
I met his gaze. “I look forward to it.”
Liv
Sammy bounced on her bed, her eyes bright.
“I love my room!” she crowed. “My bookcase is perfect here!”
“Calm down, Sammy. No more bouncing on the bed. I don’t want you to fall,” I murmured, sliding some clothes into the dresser Van had brought into the room for her.
She sat on the edge, looking around the room. “Is this forever, Mommy?”
I turned from the dresser, glancing around the room. How Van had done this, I had no idea. Her bed was here. Her bookcase. Toys, dolls, and books. A few pictures. Even her table and tea set. Drapes had been hung to match the cushion Van’s mom had made. A bright rug covered the floor.
I had brought Sammy and my mom back to Van’s place. His parents were there, helping Van. My mom and Lila bonded over Sammy. Dinner was ready. Sammy’s room set. All I had to do was unpack the two suitcases I’d had ready and Van had added to the truck. It was as if the house was waiting for us. It was lovely and somehow overwhelming at the same time.
Sammy had been in her element. Nanna Lila, Poppa Joe, plus Grammie, all glued to her words. Van, who sat beside her, made sure she ate and let her sit on his lap after dinner was done. His muscular arm held her safe as he chuckled at her stories. Looking around the table, I felt the love, and more than once I had to swallow the thickness in my throat. Van’s eyes met mine, his slight nod and understanding gaze making my chest warm. Our parents left not long after dinner, Joe and Lila insisting on driving my mom home. I had a feeling I would be seeing lots of them together.
Van cleared his throat from the doorway. “We don’t know how long it’s for, Sammy. A few weeks until they fix the apartment for sure.”
We had told her a pipe burst and we were staying at Van’s while it was fixed. When she found out her bed and bookcase were already there, she had been excited. Add in the touches from Lila, and it was perfect for Sammy.
“Oh, okay. I like forever, though.”
Van grinned, his eyes crinkling the way Sammy loved. “I like it too, Mouse. We’ll see how it goes, okay?”
She clapped her hands. “I’ll be good!”
He kneeled beside the bed, his tone gentle and loving. “You’re always good, Sammy. You’re one of the best kids I know. It’s a grown-up thing, okay? Not you.”
She flung her arms around his neck and said something in his ear. His expression grew tender as he held her close, a small bundle in his massive arms.
“Me too,” he whispered back.
I had to blink away the tears in my eyes as I turned back to the dresser. I loved the way he was with her. Her friend, protector, and father figure, all in one giant package. Gentle and sweet with her and those he loved, but fierce and stern with those who threatened them.
I wiped away the moisture and turned around. “Okay, kiddo. Bath time and then bed. It’s late.”
She didn’t argue, and as soon as her bath was done and she was tucked in, she was asleep. I watched her for a moment. Van stepped behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. “We’ll leave the bookshelf lights on,” he murmured. “And I added a night-light in the hall in case she wakes up and is confused. We’ll leave the doors open.”
I leaned back into him. “You’re so good to us.”
He pressed a kiss to my head. “I’m just getting started, Liv.” He drew me to the door. “Now, it’s your turn.”
Twenty minutes later, I was in the huge tub in Van’s en suite. He had filled it and added bubbles, turning the lights down low, and had soft music playing. He’d even left a glass of wine on the edge.
I leaned back with a sigh, letting the warm water soothe away my tension. Van came in, set a thick towel by the sink, bent over and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then turned to leave.
“Stay,” I asked.
He settled beside the tub, entwining his fingers with mine. “Okay, Livvy?”
“Yes. Considering the day it’s been, more than okay. I don’t understand how you did all you did and…” My voice trailed off.
He chuckled. “My parents helped. A friend helped, and we loaded Mouse’s bed, bookcase, and other stuff in about ten minutes. My mom did the rest—the rug and drapes, and she and Dad set it up. The dresser was in the other room. None of it was a lot of work, so relax.”
“Did you-did you talk to Bentley or Jordan?” I asked.
He studied me. “Do you really want to talk about it now?”
“Yes.”
He huffed out a long breath. “Jordan said the meeting was tense but fine. John wasn’t happy about the past relationship either, but given the story Nolan had told him about Sammy, was very supportive of him. Bentley laid down some very strict demands, and John agreed to them. John’s a smart man—this is too lucrative a contract for him to lose. Being part of a BAM project is huge for his status. If Bentley canceled the contract, it would hurt him, even if he sued BAM. With the reputation BAM has, his business would be toast.” He smiled tightly. “The three of us will have very little interaction from now on. Especially you and Nolan. It’s not really necessary, and Kim or someone can handle any meetings if needed.”
“What about you?”
“I will attend meetings with Jordan or Aiden present. Most of our communication will be via text or email. He’ll get as little chance as possible to get personal with me.”
“Have I jeopardized your job, Van?” I asked, worried.
“No. I talked to Bentley this afternoon. We had a frank face-to-face meeting, with Aiden and Maddox there as well. He’d calmed down and it was fine,” he assured me. “I think Bentley’s impression of Nolan helped. He was pretty full of himself in the meeting at the start. It didn’t last too long once Bentley finished with him.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. I felt terrible for what was happening, yet at this point, I couldn’t fix it.
Van rose up and lifted my chin. He bent close and brushed a kiss over my lips. “I know what you’re thinking, Liv. To be honest, I think Nolan going after you and Sammy was something that was going to happen, regardless. My gut tells me this was planned. Even if we had gone to the boys with the info and WIN hadn’t gotten the job, this would have happened. This way, we can keep an eye on him and try to figure out why. Even Bentley thinks that way.” He stroked my cheek. “Everything is fine, okay? Our jobs are safe. You and Mouse are safe. You’re right where you should be.” He stood. “Well, almost.”
“Almost?”
He looked down at me, his dark gaze intense. “I want you in my bed, Livvy. Soak for a while and finish your wine. Once you’re relaxed, come to me, and I’ll help you relax a little more.”
I felt a rush of desire from his words. “I’m actually done in here.”
“There’s no hurry.”
I offered him my hand. “I want to be with you, Van. I need you.”
He pulled me up, the water splashing over the edge of the tub in his haste. He lifted me as if I weighed nothing, wrapping the towel around me. He ignored the water streaming from my body and carried me to his bed, kissing me the whole time. He tasted of coffee, cinnamon, and mint. Of Van. I wound my fingers into his hair, moaning into his mouth as he laid me on the mattress. He stood over me, his breathing hard and fast.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, stroking my skin, trailing his fingers over my collarbone. “So soft and pretty. I love how you look in my bed.”
I clasped his hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing his knuckles. “I want you in the bed with me.”
He pulled his shirt over his head, his toned and muscled torso bare in the dim light. I watched with hooded eyes as he slowly unbuckled his belt and kicked out of his jeans, leaving him in only black boxers that clung to his muscle
d thighs. He cupped his growing erection, meeting my gaze.
“Is this what you want, Livvy? My cock?”
“Yes,” I breathed out. “I need you inside me, Van.”
He slid his fingers inside the waistband of his boxers, back and forth, a wicked expression on his face as he teased me.
“What’s the magic word?” he asked, his voice low.
“Please.”
He pushed down his boxers, his cock springing free. Long, heavy, and swollen—I ached for it. For him. I held out my arms.
“Make love to me, Van. Make me forget. Just for a while.”
He moved between my legs, his chest pressing to mine. He held himself over me, his weight resting on his forearms. He skimmed his cock along my center and I lifted my hips, wrapping my legs around his waist.
He dropped his face to mine, our lips barely touching. “I’m here, Livvy. Right here, baby. I’ve got you.”
A tear rolled down my face and he kissed it away. His mouth covered mine, and for long moments, there was only the feel of his lips on me. The taste of him as his tongue stroked and tangled with mine. The way his body covered me, the hard planes and sinewy muscles firm under my touch. He slid into me, stilling as we were joined, a low groan deep in his chest.
“The way you feel around me, Liv…” he whispered as he began to move—long, unhurried glides of his hips. “There is nothing like it. There never will be. Promise me I can have it all the time. Promise you’ll be here.”
I was already rushing toward the edge. It was as if he knew my body and how to drive me to ecstasy quickly and took great pride in doing so. I gripped at his back, whimpering in need.
“More,” I pleaded, my voice shaking as I grasped his shoulders and pulled him in tighter. “I need more, baby.”
With a long hiss, he began to move in me vigorously, hitting the spot only he had ever found, and I broke. I cried out, his mouth covering mine to stifle the sounds as my orgasm rushed over me, powerful and intense. I shook with the force of it, my body spasming around him. His release followed, and he drove himself as deep as he could, stilling, pouring himself into me until he was spent.
Van: Vested Interest #5 Page 22