by J. D. Light
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and glancing over at the man who looked seconds away from a nuclear explosion and then back at Wynn. "You know I can't actually read minds, right?" I asked, getting only a blank look in return. I sighed, grunting. "Yes, he's lying. His eyes are slightly more dilated than is called for in a room this bright. A man his size, even if I didn't suspect that he probably drinks daily due to his waistline and the fact that he smells like beer sweat, wouldn't be showing signs of intoxication if he'd only had one beer. I would venture to guess it was closer to one six-pack."
Wynn smirked, batting his eyes like he knew I'd have the answer, and completely distracting me with his gorgeous face. I was so busy enjoying that look and knowing that he had some kind of strange faith in me, that I didn't pay close enough attention to the forgotten Mr. Bradley, and he reached out, latching onto my shirt and jerking me forward.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." It was just as I'd thought. As soon as his breath fanned across my face, the smell of beer assaulted my nostrils, the smell mixed with whatever he'd consumed that day, making me turn my face away in disgust.
I heard the growl behind me, and glanced over my shoulder quickly, worried Wynn was about to do something crazy, like shift in front of the man, and possibly rip him to bits right there in the middle of the daycare. I'd never heard him sound like that, so dangerous, and if it wasn't for the situation we found ourselves in, I'd be having a hell of a time keeping myself from doing something stupid, but it would be the type of stupid that would end far more pleasantly for the two of us.
"Mr. Bradley, release him right now," Wynn said, his voice dangerously low and incredibly sexy.
Mr. Bradley glanced over at Wynn too, probably confused about the man's sudden aggression. I honestly wasn't sure how I'd react if Wynn actually came anywhere near the man who was starting to show violent tendencies in his intoxicated state. Wynn could probably take care of himself, but I wasn't about to let this asshole touch him, so I reached up, squeezing the man's wrist and forcefully making him let go of my shirt," putting an arm out and planting a hand against his chest just in case he decided to try anything else.
"Hi, Mrs. Bradley," I heard Wynn say, presumably talking into the phone, but I didn't turn to look, since I had my eyes on Mr. Bradley, ready to step between him and Wynn if necessary. "Your husband is here to pick up Erika, but it's clear that he's been drinking. I can't release her to him at this time, so I was wondering if you were going to be able to pick her up today, or if we should call someone else."
I could hear the pitch of another voice coming through the line that sounded feminine, but I couldn't understand what she was saying.
"No," Wynn said, the politeness slipping from his tone slightly, to be replaced with irritation. "I'm sorry, he's definitely not in any condition to drive her the ten miles to your house." There was another pause, her voice coming across the line again. "Okay, ma'am. I'll keep her until you get here."
He hung up the phone, and I heard him take a deep, steadying breath before he stepped forward. I chanced to glance in his direction, finding his face tinged with pink and his jaw set angrily, telling me he was furious, but doing his best to control it. "Okay, Mr. Bradley. Your wife is picking Erika up at eight. Would you like me to call you a cab so you can make it home safely?"
"Fuck no," the angry man said, once again stepping closer, probably intending to intimidate. "I'm taking my daughter home. In my car."
Wynn was a good five inches shorter than Mr. Bradley, but I didn't for second doubt that if necessary, he could do significant damage to the man, even if he wasn't intoxicated, so I wasn't at all surprised by the fact that he was far from intimidated.
He stepped closer to the man, and I stepped closer to him, unable to fight with the part of me that wanted to protect him, no matter how much logic was reminding me that Wynn was a shifter. "I'm sorry, sir. Your daughter is not going home with you at this time."
"You can't tell me how to raise my daughter." Spittle flew from the man's mouth as he once again took another step toward Wynn, and I growled, barely resisting the urge to reach out and pull Wynn away from the man.
"And that is truly unfortunate, since you don't seem to know how to put her safety before your selfishness," Wynn said through clenched teeth, even as he continued to keep his tone completely polite. "You're right, sir, I can't tell you how to raise her, but I do have the ability to keep her from going home with you while you're in this state. I can easily call the police down here to make sure I'm correct about that, but I don't think that would go the way you want."
I could see the deliberation on the man's face, and for a moment, I thought his intoxication would make him stupid enough to push his luck, but after several long moments, he spun, stomping over to the front door and walking through it before slamming it hard.
"I'm calling the police." Wynn wasted no time, dialing nine-one-one as we went to the window, watching Mr. Bradley's progress.
He'd already explained the situation to the dispatcher before Mr. Bradley managed to stumble his way to his car, and he took several long moments to check and recheck his pockets, probably looking for the keys, that I was now wishing I'd been enough in my right-mind to steal out of his pocket when he jerked me into his body, since I could feel them pressing into my chest from the pocket on his shirt.
I had no doubt the police would have the intoxicated man picked up before he even made it down the block at the rate he was moving, if they didn't get him before he actually managed to get in the vehicle, since when he stepped off the curb and out into the street, I saw his keys land in the grass as the man stumbled out into the middle of the road, still searching his pockets.
Chapter Two
I tensed at the sound of the knock on the front door, having locked it after all the other parents had come to get their kids, not wanting to leave myself vulnerable just in case Mr. Bradley decided to come back.
I knew I could handle the man fairly easily, but there was always a chance somebody like that would come back with a weapon, and I was in no mood to be shot.
I peeked through the peephole in the door, my heart flipping at the sight of Boyce, his handsome profile shown to perfection as he looked off to his right. I sighed, and it must have been pretty loud, because he frowned, looking back at the door. I quickly opened it, giving him a bright smile, and ushering him and the beautiful silver dog inside.
"You're back," I said happily, unable to keep the giddiness out of my voice. "And you brought Teddy and pizza."
Was there ever a better combination in the history of the world? This gorgeous man, his gorgeous dog, and my favorite food. A rough afternoon might just shape up to be a decent evening.
I opened my mouth to thank him, when Erika squealed at the top of her lungs and ran into the kitchen area, immediately running up to Teddy and reaching out to pet him. Teddy was of course completely on board with that, and regardless of the fact that Boyce had been nervous about how he would act around kids, he started wagging his stubby tail and prancing in place, his paws in constant motion as he tried to figure out what he was going to do because everything looked so exciting.
"Teddy thought you and Erika might be hungry," Boyce said, smirking down at the dog and kid duo.
Erika's eyes lit up when she looked over at the two boxes sitting on the counter. "Pizza!" she said excitedly, mimicking my thoughts. "Yes."
She scrambled over Teddy following along behind her, making it clear he had a new friend and wasn't about to lose track of her, and I smirked at them as I pulled some paper plates from the cabinet and placed two slices of pizza on one. I hesitated a moment, looking up at Boyce and then looking down at the two adorable, hopeful faces of Erika and Teddy. There was no way that pizza wasn't about to get shared with that Weimaraner, so smiling brightly at Boyce, I did my best to be as nonchalant as possible as I slid another piece onto the plate, batting my eyes innocently.
I should have kno
wn my actions wouldn't go unnoticed. This was the man who somehow seemed to have eyes on everyone at all times, but I reminded myself that he did bring the dog and the pizza as he leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised, shaking his head slightly.
"What do you say to Mr. Donovan?" I asked Erika brightly, hoping an adorable child would distract him.
"Thank you, Mr. Donovan," Erika said politely, reminding me that despite her father, and her mother's odd behavior on the phone earlier, she really was a well-mannered, happy child. Something had to be said for that. "Pizza is my favorite."
"You're welcome," Boyce said, nodding politely at the girl.
"Erika, just this once, why don't you and Teddy go eat in the TV room," I said softly, melting just a little at the way her little face lit up.
The TV room was actually just the living room of the large house I'd made into a daycare. There were four bedrooms and a fairly large den at the back of the house. Each room served as a different play area, which helped a lot with teaching the older kids organization and the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves. The den was perfect for nap time, and they would all go find their mat and their special blanket each day around one and pull them out, and Olivia and I would take turns with who read naptime stories and who cleaned up the snack mess.
We'd been thinking about adding another room and moving the crafts so we could turn that room into an infant room, then hiring someone else so we could have babies, but I was extremely picky about who I was going to let work there, and the only person I'd found so far that I knew was attentive, patient and capable of getting along with both Olivia and me while having at least an awareness of shifters for the few shifter children we had in the daycare, didn't seem to be getting my subtle hints.
Boyce would be perfect for the job, even if he did seem a little gruff, and though it was by no means a deciding factor, I wouldn't mind having him around to look at, not to mention this inexplicable need I seemed to have for being around him at all times.
"Thank you," I said, looking up into his gorgeous gray eyes, thankful that I had something to do with my hands as I plopped three pieces of pizza on a plate. "You didn't have to bring dinner. I was just about to order pizza myself."
I handed the plate over to him, paying a little too close attention to his biceps as they stretched the sleeves of his black T-shirt when he moved.
"I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself, right now," he said, setting the plate on the counter beside him and bracing his hands on the edges by his hips, showing off his perfect form.
I honestly didn't know how the man walked down the street without being mauled. He had striking features, eye-catching blond hair, and bronzed skin. I'd had the pleasure a couple of times of seeing him outside without a shirt on in the morning when he'd taken Teddy out to potty, and I knew that golden skin at least covered his torso. I'd have liked to know if it went further, but I'd spent far too much time watching out my window in hopes the man would venture outside and forget his britches, but alas, that had not happened yet... that I knew of.
"I talked to Flynn and he assured me that Mr. Bradley has been arrested..." he went on, reminding me that I needed to do something besides stand there and let my eyes move over the black tee molded to his pecs and lying flush against his abs, so I cleared my throat and started making my own plate. "...but I can't help but be a little leery of the family in general––obviously with the exception of Erika––since she was going to let her ride home with him in the first place."
Damn, that was fucking sweet. He and I both knew I was plenty strong, but the fact that he cared enough to be uneasy made my stomach flip happily.
"I know," I said, trying to keep from smiling too big. "And thanks. Mrs. Bradley is usually pretty attentive, but she's had to start working doubles because Mr. Bradley lost his job a few months ago. She didn't tell me why, but I know the owner of the hardware store where he worked, and she said he showed up to work still drunk from the night before. It apparently wasn't the first time she'd suspected him of it, but it was the first time he threw up in the bushes out in front of the store. I know it's not really an excuse for her to let her daughter ride home with a drunk, but I have honestly never had any trouble with her before."
I'd gotten the impression that she hadn't been aware just how much Mr. Bradley had had to drink.
When we both had our plates, I grabbed three juice pouches out of the refrigerator and ignored the uptick at the corner of his mouth when I handed him his as we made our way into the TV room.
Erika and Teddy were engrossed in a learning show that had oddly shaped dancing characters when I sat her drink pouch down next to her plate, while trying to block out Teddy from Boyce's view as the handsome dog was not being the slightest bit inconspicuous about licking his chops, making it obvious he'd been snacking on pizza.
Erika was on her knees on the floor next to the coffee table, and Teddy was taking up half the couch so I sat next to him, knowing Boyce would just kick him off if I didn't sit between them, and then the big blond eased into the narrow space between me and the arm of the couch, leaning around me to eye the dog, who just blinked at him innocently, making me laugh.
Boyce elbowed me in the ribs, and I laughed harder, which helped a bit with the fact that our sides were pressed up against each other pretty tight, and I was feeling that all too familiar heat that seeped under my skin anytime I touched him.
I knew I needed to keep my shit together, since in my tan slacks, there was absolutely no way he wouldn't be able to see how much his closeness affected me if I didn't keep a bit of a handle on it, and it was almost worth letting the grease from the paper plate ruin them, just to have something sitting in my lap, as even the shift of his body against mine as he simply breathed in and out was making it incredibly hard to concentrate on anything else.
The constant zinging of energy along my skin was about to make me lose my mind, and I'd resorted to pulling my legs up and hugging a throw pillow to my chest to hide everything down south when there was another knock on the door, and I sighed in relief, scrambling up out of my seat, and giving Boyce my back as I squeezed by him, smoothly adjusting myself as I rounded the couch and made my way to the door, glancing down and thanking the good Lord when I saw that I'd managed to hide things for the most part, and unless Mrs. Bradley walked in and looked directly at my dick, she probably wouldn't notice just how attracted I was to the man who was… apparently, only a few steps behind me.
I raised an eyebrow at him as I unlocked the door, but he didn't pay me much attention, his focus already on the wood standing between us and Mrs. Bradley. I licked my teeth, trying not to smile like a raving lunatic as I opened the door, wondering what he thought the tiny woman might do to me.
"I'm so sorry, Wynn," Mrs. Bradley said, her eyes sad and her face looking exhausted. "I didn't realize he was starting to drink so early in the day now." I held a finger to my lips, pointedly glancing in Erika's direction, and she lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "He was supposed to be going out looking for a job."
I ushered her into the kitchen area and over to one of the stools at the counter, pointing to the box of pizza in offering, and she shook her head, smiling gratefully. Alicia Bradley had been a young mom, and I knew she was probably barely twenty-six, but over the last few months, she'd seemed to have aged almost ten years.
She was still a beautiful woman, and her sweet daughter clearly took after her with her chocolate-brown hair, matching eyes and russet complexion, but the dark purple skin under her eyes and the dull quality to her hair and skin, made it hard to miss that life hadn't been easy for her lately—not that anyone would be able to tell by her daughter's attitude, but if things were as bad at home as I was starting to suspect, it was only a matter of time before Alicia wouldn't be able to hide it from her any more.
"I'll have it set up so my mom will come pick her up for the rest of the week," she said, her voice going high at
the end as a yawn snuck up on her. "Oh, sorry." She shook her head, clearly trying to shake away the sleepiness. "I don't know how much longer I can do this. I've put up with a lot over the years, telling myself his job was more physically demanding than mine, and I didn't know what he was going through, but it seems like I'm just making excuse after excuse for him, and now I don't even have his job as an excuse."
"Are you planning on staying with him?" I asked gently, knowing it was a touchy subject for most people, and not at all sure where she stood on it.
"I don't know," she whispered, nervously looking toward where her daughter now sat on the couch, her hand absently stroking Teddy, who was eating the attention up. "I've never even thought of leaving. Before he lost his job, there was no doubt he was the main breadwinner, and though he was shit as a husband, he was actually pretty good as a dad. It never occurred to me I had a choice if I planned on having custody of Erika."
"What about now? How long has it been since he's worked? Five months?" She nodded, pursing her lips. "You've been the sole provider for your household for five months, and I know far too much of that goes to his alcohol. Maybe it's time to consider that you're a lot stronger and more capable than you thought."
She licked her lips, nodding. I was struck with just how much that statement seemed to change her face as some of the color came back to her cheeks, and her eyes looked brighter and suddenly full of hope.
"Yeah," she said, eyes focused on something across the room that I doubted either Boyce or I could see. "This is his third DUI, and I don't have the money to bail him out. He just might be in there a while. Maybe now would be a good time to figure out how I get along without him."
She sat there like that for several moments, her eyes growing brighter and brighter by the second. "Thank you for staying late, Wynn," she said suddenly, turning a radiant smile on me. "You don't know how much I appreciate it." She glanced over at Boyce, probably just noticing my stoic bodyguard, though how anyone could overlook the big, gorgeous man, I didn't know. "And thank you too… I'm sorry. I don't seem to know your name. Are you Wynn's boyfriend?"