The phone rang and rang, yet he didn’t attempt to pick up. He didn’t have the stomach for more intense discussions with customers at the moment. One of the others would get it. He threw a pen across the desk. Damn. Both of these women were so entrenched in his thoughts at the moment that he’d taken his mind off work and had accomplished nothing all morning. Dammit. This was not going to happen. He had a business to run; he didn’t have time to idle away precious minutes on a woman. Correction…women.
“Annie can go to hell for all I care,” he muttered. Still, the woman had threatened to cut off his contact with Eric. In fact, she’d flat out said he wasn’t coming over again until Reva was gone. How dare she throw ultimatums at him? And Reva. She’d settled into his living room and become extraordinarily nice and complacent. Distant. Like a damn valet or something. He wanted the woman that had made him boost the fence. That’s the real girl. Not this cardboard cutout that avoided contact. “And Reva too.”
But he didn’t mean it.
***
Todd slammed the door when he arrived from work, jolting Reva’s attention from her review of the new project she had worked on at his coffee table for the past two hours. She glanced at the time on the screen. Five after eight; he’d obviously had less than a stellar day. She cocked an eyebrow when he tossed keys on the kitchen counter and strode past her to the bedroom. He hadn’t glanced her way and when the door closed decisively, she took that as a leave me alone gesture. She shrugged. As long as he stayed there, she wouldn’t get worried.
He didn’t.
Bare-chested and in loose fitting shorts, he strode through the room. He grabbed beer from the fridge and exited to the backyard. She watched through the window as he took two drags from the beer and plopped it on the table, then went to a garden shed in the back corner. He came out with a bunch of tools. He hacked at the bushes along the side fence as if they were insurgents attacking his castle. The fierce movements rippled through his shoulders and back.
The glisten of sweat showed on his forearms before Reva realized she’d stared out the window for at least twenty minutes. She knew better than to interrupt a man on a mission and he certainly seemed to be. Yet, the anger seemed to drive his actions more than anything else. If she didn’t at least ask, she was certain the bush would be nothing but a six-inch stalk before he was done.
“Todd, you want a drink of ice tea?” She held out the glass and smiled. He swung his eyes to her. Cold. Hard. Whatever was going on, he was filled with it.
“Thanks. I have a beer,” he said through tight lips.
She waited while he went to his beer and took three long sips, his eyes slivered through dark lashes at her. She reassessed the intention to ask what was wrong. She’d learned a long time ago not to pry. Besides, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“You don’t want that bush anymore?”
He slid eyes to the leaves and seemed to wake up. The previously five-foot tall leafy life was at mid-thigh and diminishing. The weight of the world almost visually slid from his shoulders onto the pile of debris at their feet. Todd gave a short laugh. “I guess I got a little carried away.”
“Did you? I thought maybe you wanted to get rid of it entirely.” She recognized the symbolism in her words. Get rid of it entirely. Get rid of me entirely. All he had to do was say so. Maybe it was time to go home. Whatever her threat was, whoever it was. They’re gone now.
Todd grabbed the glass from her fingers and drank it down in one long effort. “No. Just trim it back a bit. It was starting to peek through the fence.” He handed the glass back to her, the touch of his fingers along hers warm and wet with sweat. “If it twines itself into the fence, the boards will start loosening and fall off. Eventually, they’d be destroyed and I’d have to replace them.”
God, did he really intend the analogy of it all? Was she really intruding on his life that much? Entwining herself into his home, his life, until he needed to extricate her before things got completely awkward?
“Um. I was thinking I should probably go home this weekend. Things seem to have calmed down.”
The fact that it startled him into looking at her again left a small tingle of warmth. “Annie is refusing to let me see Eric as long as you’re here,” he stated flatly.
Well that seals it. “I’ll get my things together and head home tonight then.”
“NO.”
“Yes, I don’t want to cause problems. You’ve been great. Besides, whoever it was is gone.”
“That’s a bad idea.” His words didn’t match the gruffness in his voice. Nor the abrupt, severe movements he made as he lifted the shears and strode to deposit them in the shed. He reappeared a minute later and practically mowed her down as he lifted the pile of green flitters and carried them to the trash. Reva stepped back and folded her hands across her chest with the glass in hand.
“You’re angry,” she stated.
“Yesss. Why do women have to control every miniscule thing? What the hell is wrong with just letting a person enjoy themselves and not intrude on it? Tell me, Reva. Is that like a training thing women go through as teenagers or something? They think they have to dangle themselves like carrots in front of a guy just waiting for him to try to grab it, then jerk the damn thing away? And like idiots, we grab and think there’s something worth the effort in there. But there isn’t.”
Reva gulped and blinked. “I don’t…” She was confused.
“That’s right. You don’t. I do, and I keep thinking it’s worth it. But it’s not. I’m sick of it. I don’t need this shit. I have a business to run. And whether she knows it or not, I’m the best damn parent Eric has right now. Why does there always have to be some stupid drama?”
“Yes, you are.” She didn’t look away. “Which is why I need to leave. He needs you.”
He tossed the last of the leaves into the trash and brushed his hands together. Reva was keenly aware of the muscles in his chest heaving up and down. Todd stomped toward her. “What exactly do you need, Reva? Have you ever considered that?”
“I don’t need anything.”
“Then what the hell do you want?” He turned to his beer and threw back the last of the liquid that must have been hot after sitting so long.
“Nothing.” The smell of the cut leaves wafted around them. A sweet accent to the sour air. She moved from one leg to the other and looked over the fence at her yard. “I’ll go now.”
Squaring her shoulders, Reva lifted bare feet and moved to his back door. She slid the glass open and tufted across the carpet to her bag. She’d just take what she could carry and send one of her brothers for the rest. Tim was at the house now. He could gather it all up.
“No.” Todd’s voice feathered lightly against her ear.
“It’s best. For you.”
“It’s not Reva, and I’ll be the one to decide what’s best for me.”
“I’m not trying to—” She wanted to say control you, but Todd grabbed her arms.
He pulled her against him, turning her body to curl into his chest. His rock solid, sweaty and slick chest. Mmmm. Damn, it was hard not to want to stroke that, even with all the anger burning underneath. Unfortunately, he’d made it very clear that he’d had enough women in his life. I don’t need this shit, he’d said. Well, neither did she.
She wrenched her hands up against his skin and pushed hard. He tightened his grip.
“You’re staying. If you leave, she wins again. This isn’t something she has any say in. I won’t let her. Yeah, Eric needs me. And I need him. But I’ll be damned if that woman is going to push my buttons again.”
“I don’t want to stay. I want to go home. I want to get back to normal.”
Todd lowered his head closer and stared at her mouth. “Tell me something,” he murmured against her lips, “what’s so great about normal?”
No answer was expected. He brushed his lips across hers. Once. Twice. Then glanced across her nose before delving his tongue into parted lips that waited for
him.
Good tonsils, she thought. Warm, wet kisses. Scratch that. These were hot, wet kisses that he rained on her hungrily. His anger had simmered much of the day and though it had eased, there were still flames of emotion firing his desire. What’s great about normal? She knew she didn’t want the life she had with Nick. Nor did she want whatever was happening now. Okay, well now at this moment was good.
Todd engulfed her in sweat, testosterone, and his delicious male scent. Whatever the emotion he’d had earlier appeared to have slipped from between them and propelled him into her. He kissed hard, seeking to dig into her. To whittle away at the control she’d had thus far. Maybe the control didn’t matter. What good had it done her? The life she’d had certainly had no strings of normalcy. Maybe normal was overrated. Maybe anything more than just this was too. She knew he was sick of it. Sick of women. Sick of her. But this felt like the first real good thing she’d wanted in years. And she did want it. Him. But it scared her.
Uh-oh.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Epiphanies come at the strangest, most inconvenient moments. Todd frowned at Reva unintentionally. Her eyes were open, not closed as a man would expect from a woman. Her mouth warm and inviting. She wanted to leave, but for all the wrong reasons. In fact, he doubted it was what she wanted at all. He had no false impression she wanted to be with him. No, the clarity of what she’d been through had to make her realize the importance of family and friends in the situation. His house was simply safer. Still, with his announcement about Annie’s ultimatum, she’d take the risk. She’d leave.
But he wanted her to stay.
“What?” Reva’s brows furrowed.
“Tomorrow’s Friday, right?”
“All day, why?”
“Annie told Eric I’d take him rock climbing.” He ran a hand over Reva’s hair.
“So, you’re taking him tomorrow? Don’t you think he’s a little young for that?”
Todd smiled. “No. I thought I’d take him Saturday. There’s a park about an hour off the freeway that has several large granite outcroppings. It’s more of a nature trail but since it’s all rocky, we call it rock climbing.”
“I know the place. I’ve been there.”
“You stay two more days and we’ll all get up in the morning and go. It’ll be nice. We can pack a lunch and eat it when we get to the top. Eric loves the place.”
“Uh, that’s kind of a bad idea, under the circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
“Annie doesn’t want me here—or around Eric.”
“Annie doesn’t get to vote.”
“She said—”
“She also promised I’d take Eric rock climbing when she dropped him off last weekend. She wouldn’t dare back out. She can’t possibly refuse since she’s the one that suggested we go. Why waste it?” He patted her cheek and extracted himself from her grip. Or released her from his.
Reva agreed reluctantly. Friday evening though, he debated if he’d made the wrong assumption of her acquiescence. His concern elevated after he’d been home for two hours and no sign of her. Repeatedly, he paced to the living room to validate that her bag was still in the corner. He wore a path to the bathroom to check on her make-up, shampoo, and deodorant.
By eight, he stood on the back porch and watched her dark house like the peeping tom he’d exposed days earlier. A neighbor would surely notice. At eight-fifteen, Todd fired off a brief text. “You okay?”
“Yep. Great. See you later.” Sure. Thanks for explaining.
“This is stupid,” he muttered before returning to his computer and pulling up the orders for Monday. He delved into the work, forcing himself to take his mind off personal matters. The fact that he even had personal matters to think about pissed him off.
A soft whoosh signaled the front door easing closed just before the click of the lock acknowledged it. Todd was pleased he had finally been able to lose himself in work. Something that used to concern Annie, but Reva understood. Hell, he’d seen her entranced at the kitchen table with her head just above the keyboard.
He glanced down. The time on the taskbar of his flat screen said 11:42 p.m.
Friday night, out late. He realized he’d made a lot of assumptions when it came to Reva. It wasn’t his business to know where she was or who she was with. Obviously her brothers did because they hadn’t called and weren’t at her house.
A shuffle signaled her proximity and he looked up with a scowl. She leaned against the doorjamb and watched. “You busy?”
“What do you think?” His voice, decidedly gruff, was almost a stab at the sweetness of her statement. She could have at least told him where she was so he wouldn’t worry.
“I’ll leave you alone then. Goodnight.” She disappeared.
***
Children are immune to altitude and heat. Eric trudged up the granite outcropping with ease. His tireless march kept Reva on her toes as he pointed out every bug, lizard, and weed along the way. Too bad trees didn’t grow on rock. More shade would have been nice.
Still, the child’s constant chatter brought a smile to her lips as her lungs heaved from the fast pace. Even with all the jogging, she winded a bit. When they reached the top, the view of the surrounding area amazed her. She’d been there before but it had been years. She’d forgotten.
“Nice, isn’t it?” Todd said from behind.
“I’d forgotten. I haven’t been here in ages. I told some of the people at work about it and everyone agreed it was one of those great places to go that one always forgets. Look. You can see the river on the far side of the city. It’s beautiful how the clouds almost hover. Do you do this often?”
“Three or four times a year. Eric likes it and it’s a good way to spend a day. I don’t have a lot of time with work or we might do it more often.” Todd turned and set his backpack down to dig through it.
Reva yawned and stretched bare arms to the sky. She’d worn a tank top under her hoodie. The hoodie had come off in the first thirty minutes and was tied around her waist. The trek had warmed her almost as much as a morning run, with less stress on the knees. She was still tired though. She hadn’t slept well.
Todd had been too busy to talk and she craved the discussion on her news. The conversation with her cousin, David, went well. It was always handy to have a lawyer in the family.
“Did you adopt Eric while you were married to Annie?”
Todd twisted around and squinted into the sun at her. “That’s random. Yes.”
“Have you ever thought about talking with your attorney about her ultimatum?”
“I had a friend in college who went to law school. I talked with him a long time ago. He said since Eric’s not my natural born child, it’s unlikely I could challenge her on much of anything.”
She frowned. “You need to meet my cousin, David.”
“Why not? I’ve met the rest of your family. You hungry?” Reva glanced behind Todd to the blanket spread on the ground. He’d emptied his backpack of sandwiches, chips, and drinks.
“Dad, check out this lizard!” Eric stood over a bump of rocks, intently focused on the small life-form sunning. It watched him warily.
Reva didn’t mention the situation further but she ground over it silently. She had to get David and Todd together. David had sounded pretty optimistic. Unfortunately, he also said it might get ugly. Todd said he didn’t deal well with drama. From his comments, he’d had more than enough of that already. Ironically, she recognized the falseness behind his words. He dealt with it alright.
Three plus hours later, Reva trailed after Todd and Eric to their cars. They’d ridden separately so Todd could drop him home immediately after. He was annoyed that Reva insisted, but she had no intention of spoiling the outing with a nasty parental scene in front of the child. Now, as they meandered toward the end of the fun, she was pleased with her decision. Eric chattered away as they eased toward the parking lot, his fingers entwined in Todd’s.
“I have to s
top and get gas on the way back. See you at the house?” Todd asked.
“Maybe. I thought I’d go ahead and get my things and head home.”
“In a hurry?” He glanced over the numerous cars parked around them as a family of four moved closer. Eric peered up, his head swiveled from one to the other.
“Nope. Eric, you need a drink? I thought I’d stop at the store by the park gate and get a water.” Quick change of subject.
“Yes, ma’am.” He dropped Todd’s hand and ran to their vehicle.
Todd reached a hand to slip Reva’s wayward hair behind her ear. The simple act normally would have caused her to jump backward. Not so with him. “We’ll follow you down.”
The roll of his shoulders as he moved to his car brought further warmth to her already clammy skin. She slipped into her car and steered downhill to the store.
Inside, Eric ran to the restroom with Todd following. Reva grinned. She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t help but enjoy a day like this, and the two of them as they bantered back and forth. The drinks were in refrigerated windows toward the back. She managed her way down the aisle and opened a door to extract three water bottles.
“Well, hey there, Reva!” a voice called behind her. Startled, she glanced up with the bottles balanced in her arms. Adam. She looked toward the bathroom.
“Hey, Adam. I didn’t expect to see you here.” She stepped back and let the door close, encapsulating the cool air that had felt so good on her face.
“Yeah, what a surprise,” he admitted. “I was just up the road, bicycling with some friends.” Adam waved a hand at the window and Reva noticed a truck outside with a bicycle’s handlebars over the tailgate.
A coolness tingled along her skin and she glanced back to see if anyone had opened the fridge behind her. Nope.
Sassy, Sexy, and Stalked Page 17