Take It Down A Notch

by Weston Parker

  Dressed in only jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt now, he headed for the exit. I paused, calling after him. “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

  “Are you kidding?” He looked at me over his shoulder but didn’t stop walking. “It’s like a fucking furnace in here. I’m going to enjoy the fresh air while I can. Thanks for your concern, Mom. Since when do you care?”

  “I don’t, jackass.” I took off after him, finally catching up to him on the sidewalk outside. Clear blue skies had brought with them a cold snap that made me shove my hands in my pockets.

  Finley walked along like he didn’t even notice it. “What did you have in mind for lunch?”

  “Cheap and dirty?” I suggested as I fell into step beside him.

  His blue eyes brightened. “I love cheap and dirty. I know just the place, too. It’s not far. Jackson and I found it last week.”

  Today’s version of cheap and dirty ended up being a Mexican place with plastic tables, spicy food, and ice-cold beer. There were no bells or whistles, and it was perfect.

  “How was your date last night?” Finley asked once he’d exhausted all his complaints about being forced to work so soon after New Year’s Eve. Apparently, two weeks off to recover would have been in order.

  I’d listened to him, but I couldn’t bring myself to give him my full attention until he asked about my date. God, it had been great.

  Raeanne was—I didn’t even have words for it. She was what had kept at least half of my attention while my best friend had been talking.

  “Fuck, man, I think I might be addicted to this woman.”

  His red brows went up as high as they could go. “Are you shitting me?”

  I shook my head. “Nope. I’m serious. One night with her didn’t get her out of my system at all. If anything, it did the complete opposite.”

  A loud groan fell from his lips as he dropped his head into his hands. “You fucked her? For Christ’s sake, Declan. We talked about this.”

  “I know, but I’m being careful. I didn’t put the moves on her, didn’t initiate it, and offered to stop even though it would have given me the worst case of blue balls in history to have done it.”

  He tilted his head, a smirk replacing the worried set of his jaw. “Really? You were all respectful and shit? I’m having a hard time imagining that.”

  “Don’t be a dick.” I tossed a piece of the complimentary nachos at him. “You know I respect women.”

  “Yeah.” He snorted. “You respect them all the way to bed, and then you respectfully forget all about them the very next day.”

  My eyes narrowed on a glare. “It’s not like that.”

  He laughed, but he finally put his arms out to the sides and lifted his shoulders. “What? Did you really expect you could tell me that you were addicted to some chick and not have me giving you shit about it? Do you even know me?”

  “This is bad, isn’t it?” Sex was supposed to be just sex, but sex with her transcended just sex. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and even worse, it wasn’t even only the way the night ended that I couldn’t get out of my head.

  Finley stilled, his gaze keenly taking me in before he did a double-take. “Holy shit. Are you falling for her?”

  “No,” I scoffed. “It feels like it’s my turn to ask if you even know me this time. This is me we’re talking about. I’m not falling for her. I just like her and her son. That’s it.”

  He arched a brow but didn’t argue with me. “Sure, it is. What’s the problem then? Why is it bad?”

  “She doesn’t like rich people,” I admitted.

  Finley lowered his chin, disbelief mingling with laughter on his expression. “Let me guess. She doesn’t know you’re one of the richest in the state?”

  I shook my head. “It came up right at the beginning of dinner. I didn’t want to say anything in case she ditched me right there.”

  Laughter bubbled out of him then, loud and seemingly endless. He managed to get a few words out in between, though. “Now you have to be shitting me. Is the mighty Declan Hobbs afraid of a woman ditching him? And because of money no less.”

  “It’s not funny,” I growled. I didn’t know where all the growling noises were coming from.

  A protective, possessive beast had been born in me last night when she’d told me about the asshole who’d donated his sperm to Lawson’s conception. It was all I could do not to demand his name and address in that moment, leave her to track him down and then beat the shit out of him.

  This was a side of me that had never made an appearance, and it was interesting, to say the least. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but it was that beast that kept growling. I was sure of it.

  Questions formed in Finley’s eyes when he heard it, but he swallowed them down and shook his head. “Do you realize that you’ve now told this woman two lies? You lied about why you were in the program, and now you have to pretend to be poor. Trust me. That’s funny. Hilarious even”

  “No, it’s not,” I insisted. In fact, when he put it like that, it was decidedly un-fucking-funny. “I’m fucked, aren’t I?”

  He shrugged, but his shoulders were shaking with more laughter. “If you need to look poor, you can borrow some of my clothes. That ought to buy you some time until you figure out how to un-fuck yourself.”

  “I don’t know if there’s any way to do that.” And why did I care anyway? “I mean, I want to be honest with her, but I’m pretty sure I’m the epitome of everything she seems to hate. Something is telling me it’s a little too late to think the honesty card is going to win this game for me.”

  Finley scratched the red stubble on his chin, and his eyes narrowed in thought as they swept from one of mine to the other. “I think you might be right, and you know I don’t say that lightly. Do you know why she hates the rich? That might be the answer to how you can fix it.”

  “No idea. It didn’t seem like a good idea to push it at the time. Like I said, I didn’t want her to bolt before she could see I wasn’t like that. She’s smart enough to put two and two together. Pushing her, combined with the fancy restaurant I took her to and having just told her that I had a lot of friends, would’ve given her more than enough numbers to complete that equation.”

  His head dipped to one side first and then to the other. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Finley wore his heart on his sleeve and his feelings on his face. At least, to me he did.

  When he thought something, I knew what it was mostly before he even had to say it. While I couldn’t read his exact thoughts on this one, I knew he was worried.

  Worried about who though, I wasn’t sure. He’d made it clear that he had an affinity for the Big Brother program and the kids in it. He’d also warned me against fucking around with Raeanne and Lawson as a result.

  Although he hadn’t met them, I knew he cared about and was concerned about them all the same. No one I knew had a bigger heart than Finley.

  But he also cared about me, and he knew me well enough to know that I’d never spoken about a woman this way. I’d also sure as shit never cared for a kid the way I cared about Lawson.

  Finley thought for a long minute about what he wanted to say before he finally spat it out. “I think you need to ask yourself what you want with this woman, dude. If you’re looking for anything more than a fuck-buddy, you’re going to have to tell her the truth and be ready to work your balls off to get her to give you another chance if that’s what it takes. Your family name is going to give the truth away to her at some point, and if that happens and you haven’t told her, I’m not sure there’s enough work to be done to make up for it then.”

  “Fuck. I was worried you might say something like that.” But now that he’d confirmed my suspicions, what the hell was I going to do about it?

  Chapter 20

  Raeanne

  “Knock, knock,” Tessa shouted from the front door the next morning. “Are you up?”

  I walked out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee r
eady for her, offering it up when they came into view. “I’m up and ready for action.”

  “Mommy,” Lawson called, running over to give me a big hug. I hugged him back, holding tightly to his little body before releasing him. “Tessa and I had so much fun. We talked about this book she read last year. It’s about the Big Five in Africa, and she loaned it to me.”

  “She did, huh?” I looked over at Tessa and gave her a quick nod of thanks. “Did you say thank you?”

  He nodded. “I told her you’d buy her ice cream to thank her when I’m done reading it.”

  “You do get an allowance, you know?” I smiled down at him. “Don’t you think you should be the one to buy her ice cream to say thank you?”

  He pursed his lips, giving the suggestion serious consideration before he nodded. “Yeah, okay. I will.”

  “Good.” I dropped a kiss on his soft hair and straightened up to hug Tessa. “Thank you for watching him. I’ll buy you ice cream to thank you for that.”

  She laughed, giving her head a firm shake. “With all these promises of ice cream, I’m going to be rolling around by the time summer comes.”

  I eyed her slender figure and arched an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to consume a whole ice cream parlor in one sitting every day of the week for that to happen. Have you guys had breakfast?”

  “Yes, Lawson and I made pancakes.” She beamed at me. “Turns out, he reads well enough to read recipes properly, and they actually came out pretty well.”

  “They came out really well,” he agreed.

  “I wanted to give you some time to have breakfast by yourself this morning.” She emphasized the words have breakfast in such a way that I knew the eating of actual food had nothing to do with her insinuation.

  A coy smile lifted the corners of my lips. “That’s too bad. I was expecting you earlier, so I had breakfast all by myself.”

  Her eyes flashed with disappointment, but then she shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. “Poor you. Lawson and I had a blast, though. What are you guys going to get up to today?”

  “Can we go to the park?” Lawson asked.

  I frowned, quickly glancing out of the kitchen window to check the weather before I answered. “Sure. No rain clouds today?”

  “Nope. I checked when Tessa and I were on our way over. I’m pretty sure we’re in for a clear morning.”

  “Great,” Tessa said. “I’ll join you.”

  Neither of them listened when I tried to argue that it was way too cold outside, even if it was a clear day. We bundled up in scarves, hats, gloves, and coats and decided to walk to the park down the street from our house.

  The playground was bright but nearly abandoned. Instead of running for one of the play areas, Lawson pulled a book with a lion on the cover out of his backpack and pointed to a sunny spot beside a tree. “I’ll be over there. I really want to read the next chapter of this book.”

  “If you’re going to read, why did we come to the park?” I asked, shivering as I adjusted my scarf. “It’s freezing.”

  “It’s nice to know I can play when I want to once I’m done reading,” he said, giving me a look that said he didn’t quite understand why I had questioned him.

  I dropped it, shrugging as I decided not to question him about it anymore. “Okay, honey. Remember, there’s some hot cocoa in my backpack if you want some.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” he said, but he was already walking to the spot he had pointed out to us. Tessa and I both frowned as we watched him, but neither of us said anything.

  Lawson had some quirks, but he was a good kid. Reading genuinely was his favorite activity, and if he wanted to do it outdoors, then so be it.

  After he flopped down on the grass, he opened his book and, within seconds, was completely enthralled. I glanced at Tessa as we made our way to a bench where we could sit and still keep him in our line of vision.

  “Is there anything violent in that book I should know about?”

  “It’s about the animal kingdom, so probably. Nature can be brutal, but it’s still nature. No way can you keep him sheltered from that.”

  If she had thought it was really inappropriate, she wouldn’t have given it to him at all. So I knew that despite what she said, it was safe.

  “I thought you’d read the book?”

  “I started it.” She smiled. “Remember that zoologist I went on a date with last year? He suggested it, but we ended things before I could finish it.”

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stifle my chuckle entirely. “Only you, I swear. Do you promise there’s nothing bad in it?”

  “I promise,” she said. “It’s boring as shit. It didn’t go into any graphic details about the hunt or the kill or anything like that in the part I read. It’s fine. I’m sure of it.”

  “Okay.”

  Her eyes shimmered in the morning light. “Besides, if he gets scared, you can always call Declan to come and protect you both. How did it go last night by the way?”

  “Ah, finally. The reason why you wanted to come to the park.”

  She laughed, throwing her head back and shaking her hair out at the same time. “Busted, but I really did also just want to spend some time with you too.”

  “I’m glad you came along.” I reached up to adjust my short ponytail, eyes roving the edges of the park to make sure I didn’t detect any threats to Lawson’s safety. It was second nature for me to be aware of our surroundings at all times.

  Even if it felt like my head was in the clouds over the ecstasy I’d experienced last night. “Dinner went really well. I haven’t felt that way about a guy in a long time. It’s like I can’t lie to him, like I want to bare my soul and watch him do the same for me.”

  “Wow, that’s surprisingly intense.” She raised a brow, worry darkening her eyes. “You should be careful with him. You don’t even really know who he is. I mean, I know you guys have spent some time getting to know each other, but who a person really is can be very different to what they pretend to be.”

  “I think I know who he really is,” I argued, contemplating what I knew about him while I did. “I have a good grasp on who he is as a person. He comes across as all cocky and arrogant, but he’s not really. He has a surprisingly soft side, he’s not afraid to open up, he can be very tender, and he somehow understands things without my needing to explain them to him. He gets me.”

  “So there’s a gooey center beneath the yummy but hard chocolate exterior?” she teased, but the worry remained on her brow.

  “Something like that. It’s nothing to worry about, though. I promise. I’m not looking for a husband. I just like spending time with Declan. It’s like you said. Two consenting adults who are on the same page can do whatever they want to do.”

  She nodded slowly, but not all the worry I saw in her expression disappeared. “I really hope I was right if that’s the one bit of advice I’ve ever given you that you’re actually going to follow.”

  “You were right,” I said. “Plus, I know what I sounded like just now when I was describing what I felt about him, but I promise you it’s nothing serious. Please don’t worry. I’m going to be fine.”

  She dragged in a deep breath, closing her eyes to wipe the doubt away. “Yeah. Of course, it is. I know it will be. I just worry about you out there in the big bad dating pool all by yourself. Now that that’s done, I want details. Did the night end with a kiss at your front door or an orgasm in your bed? How was he? Did he treat you right?”

  “Fuck, yes,” I said. “There really is no other way to describe it. He was amazing. It was amazing. Who knew sex could actually feel that good?”

  Tessa laughed, clapping her hands with a delighted flourish as she bounced on the bench. “I’m so happy for you. See? You started the New Year with a literal bang, which is great. This is going to be your year, girl.”

  “I hope so.” It seemed silly, but I kind of agreed with her. Things hadn’t gone my way for a very long time, and it felt like just maybe they were starti
ng to look up for me.

  Lawson ran up to us, the book closed under his arm. “Declan is going to have to hear about this book. It’s so interesting, Mom. Animals are so cool, even if they can’t talk to us.”

  “That, they are,” I agreed, taking the book when he handed it over to me. “Are you going to go play now?”

  He nodded. “I want to see how fast I can run. Did you know cheetahs are really fast? I wonder if I am.”

  “Probably not as fast as a cheetah, but if you practice, I’m sure you’ll be plenty fast enough.”

  “Do you think Declan runs? Maybe I can practice with him?” Lawson didn’t wait for my answer before he took off, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him to the other side of the park.

  As I watched him and with his words replaying in my mind, I had to admit that I might have undersold my feelings for Declan to Tessa just a smidgen. The truth was that I was having a hard time not liking him. He made both Lawson and me happy.

  How could I not like him?

  Chapter 21

  Declan

  “Mr. Hobbs, may I see you for a moment please?” Wayde didn’t make it sound like I had much of a choice about how to answer his question. He didn’t even wait for a response before he pivoted and headed into his small office at the Big Brother hall.

  Sighing as I wondered what stick was up his ass this time, I followed him and shut his door behind me. The space looked more like a paper storage facility than an office, but it had two dingy chairs and a desk that looked like it was about to collapse under the weight of all the paper on top of it.

  Wayde sank into the chair at the far side of the desk, not motioning for me to take the other. I sat down anyway. “What can I do for you, Wayde?”

  “Connor Lake. I saw you speaking with him on your first day here.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared me down as he brought one ankle up to rest on his knee.

  My eyes narrowed in confusion. “Yeah, so?”