“House is empty,” I stated, hoping she would catch on—fast.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” she responded, while leaning her bare hip against the counter and sipping her water. “It’s too quiet.”
“Yeah, but we’re all alone. We’ve never been alone. I hear that when you’re a parent and you find yourself alone, you should definitely take advantage.” I smirked at her.
“Is that what they say, huh?” She smiled coyly and sat her glass down. I stalked across the kitchen toward her and grabbed her hips in my hands.
“I don’t make the rules,” I whispered into her ear and started to nibble slowly.
I growled when her hands ran up the side of my face and into my hair. She knew that drove me crazy when she did that— it made me feel so fucking wanted. Her lips met mine before I could move them further down her jaw. I pushed her against the counter and pressed my hands to her back soothingly so I could unsnap her bra.
“Right here, in the kitchen?” she laughed. “The blinds are open.”
“Right here in the kitchen,” I hummed against her lips. My fingers tweaked her nipples and she moaned while pushing them closer to me. I picked her up effortlessly, sat her on the edge of the counter, and moved between her thighs.
“Damn, I want you so bad,” I couldn’t stop myself from admitting.
“Mmm,” she let slip from her lips. Her nails grazed my scalp and then she pulled my face closer to hers. “Can we do that new thing from last night?”
Straight to my cock. That’s where her words struck me. “Tell me exactly which part was your favorite. I want to hear your saucy mouth,” I murmured, moving my hands toward her lace panties.
Before she could respond, three sharp knocks pounded the front door. I leaned my forehead against her shoulder and pretended that I hadn’t heard anything. Her hands began shoving at mine before I could finish my current task.
“Lane, the door!” she whispered, as if whatever asshole was at our door could actually hear us.
“Dammit, who the hell is that?” I groaned. Stepping away from her delectable body, I clenched my fists open and shut.
As I was moving away from her, she reached out to grab my shoulder. I looked up at her in question, and she cleared her throat while pointedly looking down at my crotch. I had a huge situation between my legs that my gym shorts were not concealing. Of course I fucking did! I was seconds away from thrusting inside of my girl. Sorry, buddy. I regrettably adjusted myself up into my waistband and concealed the bulge as much as I could with my t-shirt.
“Do not get dressed. I’ll get rid of whoever this is,” I seethed.
She hopped off the counter as I dragged my feet toward the front door. I took a deep breath and tried to reel in my temper before I bit off our visitor’s head. When I opened the door, some dude a few years younger than me stood on my porch, appearing way too damn impatient. As soon as he saw me, he started to peer around my shoulder, trying to look in my house.
“Yeah?” That was as nice I could get. My dick was in the waistband of my shorts and my girl was probably naked on my bed. This guy had better beat feet.
“Raegan Hayes here?” he asked. At the mention of her name, I immediately started to take him in. Who the hell was this?
“Can I help you?” I bit out.
“Yeah, by getting Raegan for me.”
“Not your servant. Tell me who you are and I’ll think about getting my girl.”
“Your girl?” He faltered backward and I immediately locked up.
“You’re on my porch, man. I think you can show some respect and let me know who the hell you are.”
“Name’s Adam,” he spouted off, while continuing to look around my body. He had an accent that sounded like he was from Jersey, or at least he was trying to sound like he was from there. My inner New York cop wanted to come out and interrogate this douchebag. I already didn’t like where this was going. “Ree Ree!” he shouted past me.
“Get off my porch, asshole,” I growled. From behind me I heard a gasp and the shuffling of feet. I stepped inside and shut the door on my foot, letting it stay open only a crack. Raegan was barreling toward me and her eyes were as wide as a deer about to be struck by an oncoming eighteen-wheeler.
“Whoa, baby.” I held my hands out to stop her. “If you think for one second I’m about to let your fine, NAKED ass out this door, you’re sadly mistaken.”
She looked down at her body and gasped, apparently realizing she was almost completely exposed. She dashed down the hall and returned with a cotton dress thrown haphazardly over her head. I didn't like how quickly she was trying to get out there to see this guy.
“Ree Ree?” I asked her in a hoarse whisper, as she ran on bare feet back toward me.
“You’re mad?” she breathed. She lifted her hands up to my chest and I loved the warmth that poured out through my thin shirt.
“Never at you, babe.”
“I just need to know why he’s here. Please, just let me talk to him. Alone.” Her voice was small, but it was also final. There was that word again… alone. Except this time it didn't include me.
“I don’t like this,” I admitted. Maybe to anyone else this would seem as if I was being a possessive caveman, but our situation wasn’t normal. She had been kidnapped, for Christ’s sake. I think my feelings were justified. Now someone from her past life was here—in Texas—and all of my protective instincts were lighting up. I wanted to grab Raegan, go get our kids, and keep them all within my sight.
“I don’t either, but he’s harmless…” She waved it off as if she really believed her words.
“I’ll be on the other side of this door. That’s as alone as I can let you be. Please, don’t push it, Rae.” I straightened her dress for her, pulled it up higher to cover her cleavage, and looked into her blazing green eyes—the very eyes that I had come to enjoy seeing open every morning and close every night. No one was going to take that away from me.
She moved for the door and I leaned in to kiss her forehead, right over her scar. I didn't mean to remind her it was there, but it was my comfort that she was actually here. She rubbed her fingers over it self-consciously and shut the door behind her.
RAEGAN -
Shit, shit, shit, shit! When Lane and I had been interrupted in the kitchen, the last person I ever imagined would be at our front door was Adam. Adam Murphy aka Braden’s father. Even though he didn't deserve that title.
I could tell that Lane didn't know who he was yet; he just didn’t appreciate the attitude I have no doubt Adam gave him. Adam had nothing on Lane—literally, nothing. His build was scrawny compared to Lane, and not once had he ever looked at me as if I rose and set the sun all on my own, which was basically the way Lane looked at me on a daily basis.
There had been a time when I would have followed Adam anywhere. I knew he was an extreme gambler and he set off on trips to Vegas constantly. If at any point he would have asked for Braden and me to come with him, I would have. I would have dropped anything for Adam. I was also nineteen and an idiot.
I thought Adam had been just as crazy about me as I had been about him. He was always showering me with gifts and showing up wherever I was to surprise me. I wouldn't hear from him for a week or more, and then he would pull this big romantic gesture and I would melt at his feet. Looking back, it had all been so childish.
Then, I found out I was pregnant. I made the mistake of telling him right before we went in to see a movie, but I just couldn’t hold it in anymore and he had been off to God-knows-where the previous four days. At first, his reaction seemed totally normal. He was speechless. A tight smile stretched across his face and he grabbed my hand. I knew that he would need time to process the news.
When he excused himself halfway through the movie to go to the restroom, I clearly remembered a sinking feeling in my stomach the second he turned out of my sight. I made myself wait a full five minutes, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. The restrooms were empty. Yeah, I check
ed. He ditched me, changed his number, and moved. I had never known someone to be so desperate to disappear.
Of course I would have preferred some help, but I was okay with it being just Braden and me. Adam had come back around at one point wanting to talk, and begrudgingly I’d agreed to meet up with him. Turned out, I didn’t make it to that little reunion because I’d been kidnapped. And then it was just Braden, Kate, and I. Now we had Lane, and I didn't want any newcomers to mess things up. I was happy. Braden was happy. Why was Adam here? And now in Texas, of all places. Guess I was about to find out.
I stepped out onto the porch and looked up into his eyes, cringing when I saw them. I had forgotten how they were an identical match to Braden’s. Braden had my naturally tan coloring and brown, almost black hair, but he also had Adam’s brilliant golden eyes. Looking at Adam’s eyes was like viewing Braden twenty years down the road. My throat choked up at the idea.
Adam looked me over and gasped when he’d finally made a full perusal. “Your head, Ree Ree.” His hand moved to gently brush down the side of my face and I knew he was touching my scar. That damn ugly scar—I would never be able to cover it up. The only reason it was starting to not bother me was that Lane seemed to adore it.
“Don’t call me that, Adam, I never liked it,” I whispered. His hand made me instantly uncomfortable.
Before I could swat it away, the door swung open and Lane’s bulky figure stepped out behind mine. “Hands down if you want keep them attached to your body.” His eerie calm yet menacing voice demanded compliance. I turned to see him looking intently at Adam’s face and saw the moment realization hit him. Stepping further into Lane’s body, I hoped to tamp down the emotions bubbling out of him.
“You’re Braden’s sperm donor?” he growled. I wanted to chuckle at that.
“Dad,” Adam corrected. “I’m his dad and Ree—” He caught himself from saying my old nickname. “Raegan and I go way back.”
“Oh, I’ve heard. I know all about your disappearing act. Where were you when they went missing? You sure as hell weren’t looking for them. You sure as hell weren’t talking to police. We didn't know a damn thing about you.” Lane tried to step closer to Adam, but I braced myself and tried to hold back as much of his weight as I could manage. “Better yet, where were you when your son was born?”
I could tell that had been hard for him to say. Lane would never be able to respect a man who ditched his child. Neither could I.
Adam stared at him for a heated moment, and I watched something similar to confusion cross his face. Surprisingly, he didn't respond to any of Lane’s questions, but instead asked, “Have we met before?”
“I’ve met a lot of deadbeat dads, but I think you’re a new one…” Lane shrugged. “Maybe I’ve arrested you before. Ever been handcuffed by a New York cop?” Lane was getting worked up and Adam shifted on his feet while looking at me again.
I turned to face Lane and looked up into his eyes until he reluctantly pulled his glare away from Adam. His hazel eyes, which had more green in them than usual, slid down to mine and I gave him a small, pleading smile.
“Let me take care of this. Please?” I tried to whisper, but honestly I didn't care if Adam heard as well. He had been uncharacteristically silent after Lane had torn into him. Probably a survival instinct. Without a word, Lane stepped back inside and closed the door. Adam’s eyes averted to the window, and I assumed Lane was leering at him through the glass.
I was actually surprised Lane hadn’t grabbed me and planted his lips on me so hard that there would have been no question as to what my relationship with him was. But instead of marking his territory, he had quietly stepped back like I had asked and now I wished I had let him stay. I needed his strong presence. I guess in a way, Lane didn't need to physically mark his territory. One look and you knew not to cross him.
“Why are you here?” I finally asked Adam.
“For you,” he replied. “And Braden, of course,” he quickly added, as if it were a hard thing to remember.
“You’re about five years too late for me. I want to say you’re too late for Braden as well…”
“Let me take you out, please,” he asked softly. “I miss you so much.”
“Are you insane? No!” I replied with clear agitation.
“He’s my son, Raegan. I have rights and I’ll find a way to establish them.”
My molars scraped together as I considered his words. “You’ve never wanted anything to do with him. Why are you even here?”
“I told you, I miss you. You’ve been gone for years. How would I have ever been able to rectify our situation?”
My hands flew up in the air. “Gone?! We weren’t simply gone, you… dumbass! We were kidnapped!”
“And now you’re back, so why can’t I at least get a shot at making things right again? You’re clearly okay,” he stated in a frustratingly casual tone.
“Clearly…” I grumbled sarcastically. “How did you even find us here?”
“Those bastard cops questioned me. I overheard that you were in Texas with a guy named Lane Parker. He wasn’t hard to track down. Seems he doesn’t take your safety into consideration.” His voice was annoying me and I could feel the beginning of frustrated tears, so I pulled in a deep breath and made myself calm down.
“You’ll never have me in any way, shape, or form. And I’ll let you know right now I’ll fight for Braden. I don’t care if this battle takes years in court, I’ll fight for him.”
“And I’ll fight harder, sweetheart. I know you can’t afford the legal fees, so unless you’re gonna get your juiced-up boyfriend to go into bankruptcy for you, I suggest you and I discuss a few things.”
Damn him, he was right. I would never be able to gather enough income in time to even come close to paying a lawyer, let alone a good one. I couldn’t burden Lane with that either. He didn’t sign on for all the baggage I was now toting around.
“Face it, babe, he’s my son. He shares my DNA and don’t think I won’t play the distraught father who has missed his son for four long, agonizing years in court.”
“You’re a bastard,” I seethed.
“All I’m asking is for you to come out with me and discuss this. I’m not asking to take my son home with me.”
“You’ll never be alone with him,” I quickly bit out.
“We’ll see. You either come to dinner or I call up my lawyer tonight.” He tucked his hands into his pocket, waiting for me to respond and looking as if we were discussing whether or not I wanted chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Not something as serious as my son’s life.
“We discuss Braden and nothing else.” My words were tight, and I hated that he was making me feel helpless.
“Tonight?” he asked. I shook my head and he quickly asked, “Tomorrow night?” I just couldn’t. It was too soon.
“I need a week. Next Friday?”
“A week!?” he almost shrieked. “I gotta get back…”
“You don’t sound like a guy that wants to be in his son’s life,” I growled at him.
“Fine!” he half-shouted, sounding exasperated and utterly frustrated. “I’ll be here Friday. Seven sharp. Be outside, I don't want to have to deal with your guard dog.” His chin lifted toward the window and I really hoped Lane hadn’t heard that. He started to walk down the path toward the driveway and I turned to face the door.
“Raegan,” I heard him call out, his voice softer than before. I looked over my shoulder at him with my hand on the knob. “You look amazing.”
I sneered at the bastard and walked back to the man who was good for me. Good for Braden. All Adam was going to do was rock our peaceful boat, although right about now I felt like he was about to completely capsize it. Why couldn't we just be happy for once? Lane’s arms were open wide when I stepped back inside, and I crashed into his warm embrace, burying my nose into the clean scent of his shirt.
“I need a drink,” I mumbled into his chest.
“You’re still my girl, ri
ght?” he asked into my hair. I could tell he had tried to hide his vulnerability, but it was laced in every word he spoke. I reached up and ran my fingers up the sides of his face and roughly into his hair. He closed his eyes on contact.
“Of course, baby.”
“Then I’ll buy you a drink, and after that, you can tell me what the hell went on out there. But right now, we’re taking advantage of our empty fucking house.”
I nodded my head because besides finding Braden and running away to some super-secret hidden location where Adam would never be able to find us, I needed what Lane was offering. So with that, he secured the front door and then pulled me back to our bedroom. I could tell this wasn't going to be slow and loving. No, Lane was feeling a fire raging through his veins, and my body began to vibrate at the anticipation of what he was going to dole out. Oh yes, my man was about to mark his territory.
- SEVENTEEN -
LANE -
“’Bout damn time everyone got together again!” Jaxon bellowed over the music while we watched our girls playing pool. Audrey was schooling all of them, but apparently she’d picked up shit like that when she had to drag her drunk-ass dad out of a bar three to four nights a week.
Jaxon was right. We were finally all out on the same night. Cole, Jax, Jace, and all the girls. This time my girl was part of that. My girl. I had a girl. Actually, I had two girls. I know, I know, I’m a lucky bastard.
Em brought over clothes for Raegan to borrow since they were about the same size, and all Raegan owned right now were t-shirts. I tried to get her to wear this sexy little black dress that showed off her amazing legs, but Raegan was feeling self-conscious about the scars on the back of her leg and wasn't ready just yet for the world to see them. It’s a shame because I would have enjoyed watching those stems all night in their full glory.
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