Sharp Edges

by Middleton, Kristen

  I watched my phone but the other person didn’t respond. Then a horrible thought flashed through my brain. What if Tina had sent me the message secretly last night and now her husband had received my response this morning? Had I just set Tina up with another beating from her maniacal husband?

  I began to panic, wondering what I should do. I very well couldn’t go over there to check on her, I was much too terrified and didn’t want my children hurt. Not for her or anyone else.

  Then it hit me.

  We could stay with my mother, if only temporary. My kids would be much safer out there and I wouldn’t have to worry about feeling threatened anymore. I could also let Jake know what was happening and he could help me without the risk of harm to my kids.

  I quickly called my mother back.

  “You’ve reconsidered?” she squealed, still much more excited than I was.

  “Well, actually I want it to be a temporary thing,” I said. “I’d like to bring the kids out for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. Nothing permanent.”

  “What about school?” she asked.

  “I haven’t really figured that out yet,” I said. “I’m sure I could work something out with their teachers. Like I said, it would only be temporary, until I’ve taken care of some problems out here.”

  “Well, let me know when you’re coming out,” she yawned.

  “I will. I’m still going to have to discuss it with Scott and the kids, but I’ll call you when I figure things out.”

  “Okay.”

  After I hung up the phone, I decided to dangle the idea in front of the kids during breakfast. Their reactions were better than I expected.

  “Are you serious!” cried Regan. “A trip to Florida! That would be totally awesome!”

  “Just for a couple of weeks,” I said, hoping it wouldn’t be any longer. “Grandma is lonely and needs company. She broke up with Kyle.”

  “He was a loser,” said Jeremy. “I’m glad she kicked him to the curb.”

  I bit back a smile. “Wow, don’t hold back. Tell me more.”

  “I can’t. You’d ground me for using such inflammatory language.”

  I ruffled his hair. “Well, then, thanks for sparing our ears.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  “Anyway, we have to talk to dad about this first,” I said, grabbing the syrup from the refrigerator.

  Jeremy’s face lit up. “Does this mean you’re staying back here with dad, to try and work things out?”

  “I’m staying behind because I need to find a job,” I said, handing him his plate of pancakes.

  “Well, I’m all for it,” he said, spreading butter over his food. “I need a change. It’s been too stressful around here.”

  “I know,” I said. “And I’m really sorry about that.”

  He shrugged.

  “Well, what about school?” asked Regan.

  “That’s what I’m going to have to figure out,” I said. “It’s almost Thanksgiving and you’ll have some time off anyway. I’m hoping it won’t interfere with your grades too much, and that they can give you homework to do while you’re out there.”

  “I wonder what dad will say,” said Jeremy, between bites.

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. Besides, it’s only for a couple of weeks,” I said.

  “I can’t wait to go,” said Regan with a wistful look. “We can hang out at the beach and go to Disneyworld. Oh, my God,” her eyes widened. “You have to take me shopping! I need some new clothes.”

  “We’ll need to talk to dad about that, too,” I said, knowing it would be his wallet paying for everything.

  After the kids left for school, I called Scott’s cell phone and left him message to call me back. Then I vacuumed the floors and did some laundry. As I was folding towels, I received a phone call from the gun shop. They’d already received the approval for my license.

  “I’ll be over soon,” I said, more determined than ever to purchase my handgun.

  “We’re open until eight o’clock tonight,” the man said.

  I hung up and took a shower. As I finished getting dressed, my doorbell rang.

  “I’m beginning to think you’re avoiding our morning jog,” said Jake, eyeing my jeans and light blue peasant top.

  “Oh, crap. I totally forgot.” I said, looking down at his hand, which was freshly bandaged. “Hey, what happened there?”

  He raised his fist and smiled. “I just got into a little scuffle last night. No big deal.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “A scuffle? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  I sighed. “Well, I guess my kiss didn’t help you very much.”

  He stared at my lips. “Sure it did. I’m not dead.”

  I laughed. “Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

  “You know what?” he asked, licking his lips.

  “What?’

  With a determined look on his face, he moved towards me, kicked the door closed with the back of his shoe, and grabbed me around waist. “Maybe we should try for more than a kiss this time.”

  “Jake,” I squealed, as his good hand slid over my butt and squeezed it tightly.

  “Like I said before,” he said, “sex is a great way to bring the heart rate up. But, to tell you the truth, you bring mine up every time I’m near you.”

  “We can’t,” I whispered.

  “Okay,” he said, sliding a hand over my blouse. “Then how about a little motivation, to get me going since you’re obviously not coming with me once again?”

  “To get you going?” I could tell from the swelling in his shorts, he was ready to go.

  “Jesus, you feel so good,” he groaned, squeezing my right breast. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all night. The things I wanted to do to you…”

  I closed my eyes as his fingers sought my nipple through the fabric and I felt my sex contract. Before I knew what was happening, he’d lifted both my shirt and peach lace bra, exposing my bare skin.

  “Jake,” I moaned as his tongue replaced his fingers, sending hot tingles all the way down to my pelvis.

  “Lindsey, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered, flicking the tip of my nipple.

  I was completely on fire as his warm mouth moved to ravage my other one. I grabbed the back of his head and held on as he became more demanding with my breasts, squeezing, licking and nibbling. If it hadn’t been for the sudden shrill ringing of my phone, I would have given him anything he wanted, right there in the entryway.

  “Ignore it,” he growled.

  “I can’t. It could be the school.”

  “Fuck,” he groaned as I pushed him away to answer the phone.

  I cleared my throat. “Hello?”

  “Lindsey?” said the voice on the other end.

  Crap, my mother-in-law.

  “Hi, Molly.”

  She sighed. “Have you seen Scott?”

  “He was here for a little while, yesterday evening. Why?”

  She sighed. “Because he didn’t come home last night.”

  I sighed. “Well, he’s made some new friends. I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

  “I’ve left several messages for him. It’s not like Scott to ignore my calls.”

  Maybe he’s too busy screwing his co-workers to answer mommy’s call.

  “Well, I’ll try calling him again later. If I talk to Scott, I’ll let him know you’re worried, Molly.”

  “Thanks, Lindsey,” she let out a ragged sigh. “I’m sorry about everything. He didn’t get into specifics, but I know he hurt you.”

  “It’s not your fault, but thanks.”

  “He adores you, you know.”

  “He has a funny way of showing it,” I answered, dryly.

  “Oh, everyone makes mistakes, Lindsey. Why, his father and I have had our problems throughout the years, but we’ve always managed to pull through. I know you and Scott will, too.”

  “Maybe. Listen, I’ve got to go. Scott’s picking up
the kids tomorrow night. I’m sure I’ll talk to him before then and I’ll have him call you.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  After I hung up with her, I turned around to face Jake, who was regarding me curiously.

  “I should really get going,” I said. “My errands.”

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “What, the phone call?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Something about Scott?”

  I shrugged. “I guess he didn’t show up at his parents’ home, last night and now his mother’s worried.”

  He snorted. “What is he, ten?”

  I laughed. “I know. They’ve always coddled him.”

  “Where do you think he is?”

  “Considering his mood when he left here, more than likely, he’s with one of his new girlfriends.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “What kind of mood was that?”

  “The same kind you were in a few minutes ago,” I teased.

  His face darkened. “Did he try anything with you?”

  It was a bizarre conversation – my “almost” lover asking if my husband had tried anything with me.

  “Nothing happened, although he certainly wanted it to.”

  He swore under his breath. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with him.”

  I walked over to Jake and put a hand on his forearm. “He’s not dangerous and I can certainly handle myself. He’s just having a hard time with all of this.”

  His nostrils flared. “Having a hard time is what put him in this position to begin with. As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near you, let alone try to fuck you.”

  His harsh words startled me. “He’s still the father of my children, Jake. I have to see him, like it or not.”

  He stared at me for a few seconds and then his expression softened. “I’m sorry. It just burns me that your husband took you for granted the way he did.”

  “I’m not going back to him,” I stated. “I’ve made up my mind.”

  A wicked smile curled on one side of his mouth. “I know that. Not while I’m around.”

  I tilted my head and smiled back. “You’re pretty confident of yourself, Detective Sharp, aren’t you?”

  Jake pulled me close and stared down into my eyes. “I’m sure that you deserve better and I ‘m willing to give it to you, if you let me.”

  “Somehow, I believe that you will.”

  He started kissing me again, his hands wandering to my backside.

  “Stop,” I laughed, pushing him away. “I have things to do and you were on your way down the street, if I remember correctly.”

  He adjusted his shorts and smiled. “How am I supposed to run with a hard-on?”

  Although, I seriously wanted to help him get rid of it, I just couldn’t take that next step. Not yet. “You live right next door, go home and take a cold shower.”

  His eyes darkened. “How about a hot shower? There’s room in there for two.”

  “Enough! God, you don’t give up easily, do you?”

  Sighing, he moved towards the door. “Not when I know what’s involved.”

  “I’ll talk to you later,” I said.

  He turned to me and smiled. “Oh, we’ll be doing more than talking.”

  I grabbed the pillow from my loveseat to throw at him but he ducked out of the door laughing before I had a chance to hit him.

  “Men,” I grunted, although I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I watched him jog back towards his house, one hand hiding his crotch.

  Chapter Twenty

  Two hours later, I walked out of the gun store with my new Taurus, along with ammunition and a gun case. One of the clerks, a heavyset guy with tattoos all over his arms and plates in his ears, had given me a quick lesson on firing at their shooting range, which was behind the store. Although, I probably couldn’t hit anything yet, I now had a general idea on how to load the gun and fire it, if needed.

  I hid the gun up in my bedroom closet as soon as I arrived home. I’d already decided to keep it there during the day until I could afford an actual gun safe. At night, I would keep it close to my bed, until I felt like my family’s lives were out of danger, which I hoped would be soon.

  As I was about to leave the bedroom, my cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket and noticed that it was a private number. When I answered, there was only silence.

  “Hello?” I repeated a second time.

  As I was about to hang up I heard someone chuckle.

  “Hello? Scott?”

  “I’m watching you…” whispered a raspy male voice.

  I hung up the phone and dropped it on the bed, staring at it in horror. After a few seconds, it started to ring, again.

  “No,” I pleaded. “Leave me alone.”

  Frightened, I stepped backwards and right into someone’s arms. I opened up my mouth and unleashed a scream that would have woken the dead.

  “Hey, hey, hey, Lindsey – it’s just me,” said Jake, releasing me. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

  “What the hell?!” I hollered, tears in my eyes. “You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing in my house?”

  He took a step back. “Your garage was open and I noticed your truck parked inside. I went and knocked at the front door, but you never answered. I was worried, so I let myself in. Jesus, I’m sorry for scaring you.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh and put a hand to my forehead. “No, I’m sorry for freaking out. I’ve been so tense lately.”

  He moved closer to me. “You’re going through a lot of shit. I certainly don’t blame you for freaking out.”

  I stared up into into his face and realized at that moment, he made me feel completely safe. He was confident, strong, and obviously street-smart. I decided to throw caution to the wind and tell him everything. There was no way I could protect my kids all by myself and the person threatening me was obviously getting a kick out of terrorizing me now, too. I needed him.

  “I have something to tell you,” I said. “It’s been scaring the hell out of me.”

  His face grew serious. “Okay.”

  I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of my bedroom. “Let’s go into the kitchen and discuss it. I don’t trust either of us near a bed.”

  He laughed. “Well, I have a better idea, why don’t you come over to my house. I just made lunch. In fact, that’s why I came over, to invite you.”

  I smiled. “Really? You made lunch? I thought you weren’t much of a cook.”

  “Okay, you’ve got me. I picked up some sandwiches from the deli up the road.”

  “Well now that I know you didn’t make anything, how can I resist?” I teased.

  He smacked my rear and chased me into the living room. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” he said, grabbing my belt loop and pulling me towards him.

  “Hey, you’re the one who said you couldn’t cook,” I said.

  He turned me around and smiled down at me wickedly. “I can cook, just not in the kitchen.”

  “Somehow, I think you could cook there, too,” I said.

  His eyes smoldered with desire. “Let’s get out of here before I forget why I invited you to my place.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Like I’m any safer at your house?”

  “The truth is, you’re not safe anywhere with me,” he said.

  I locked up the house and followed him over to his place. When we walked through the door, the first thing I noticed was how bare and uncluttered his home was.

  “You don’t have much for furniture,” I said, glancing around his living room. There was a black leather sofa and a large sixty-inch television and a coffee table. No stylish lamps or end tables, no paintings, and definitely no interior decorations.

  “I also have a king-sized bed and a dining table in my kitchen. What more does a bachelor need?” he answered with a cocky grin.

  “Good point.”

  We walked through the living room straight into the kitchen, which was clea
n and simple.

  “Have a seat,” he said, pulling out one of his oak dinette chairs.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope you like chicken-almond croissant sandwiches?”

  “Sounds lovely,” I said.

  “So,” he said, grabbing a couple of plates from his cupboard. “Besides having sex with me, what else is scaring the hell out of you?”

  I laughed out loud. “I’m not scared of having sex with you.”

  “Bullshit,” he teased.

  “I’m not scared, Jake.”

  He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the counter. “Then prove it.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “You’re incorrigible.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve been called worse.”

  “I can imagine.”

  He stared at me for a minute and then turned back to the sandwiches. “So, tell me what’s on your mind.”

  I folded my hands on the table and stared down at them. “Someone broke into my bedroom the other night.”

  His head whipped around. “What?”

  I looked up at him. “It was a stranger, a man. He threatened me and my children.”

  “Why in the hell didn’t you tell me this before?!” he hollered.

  He was very angry but I understood why, especially being a cop. “He said he’d kill me.”

  His eyes blazed with fury. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  I went over everything, except for the part about buying a gun. I wasn’t sure how he’d react, being a cop and all.

  “You think it was the guy from the other night? Tina’s husband?”

  I nodded. “Well, I think he hired someone to threaten me. The guy in my house was much bigger than Jerry.”

  He rubbed a hand over his face and then nodded. “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”

  My eyes widened. “Take care of it? What does that mean, exactly?”

  He shrugged. “The less you know, the better.”

  “What?”

  “Lindsey, this guy is in law enforcement. Chances are the asshole helping him is, too. I’m going to have to take care of both parties involved.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Take care of?”

  He smiled grimly. “Like I said, the less you know, the better.”