And I make my move. “Caldwell.”
“Becker.” He grins, holding out his hand. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
I grip his hand hard when I shake it. “You shouldn’t be. I’m here a lot. I’m watching the kids for Chelsea.”
“That’s nice of you.”
Yep—that’s me. Fucking nice.
I guide him toward the front door, needing a moment alone. In the foyer, my voice drops low and menacing. “I just want to make a few things clear. If you treat Chelsea with anything less than perfect respect . . . if you ever think about doing something that will in any way hurt these kids . . . when I’m finished with you, there won’t be enough left to bury.”
My stare is unwavering.
He leans back. “Are you threatening me, Jake?”
“I thought that was pretty fucking obvious.”
Then he chuckles, smacking my back like we’re old friends. “Message received. You have nothing to worry about with me.”
Chelsea comes down the stairs and Caldwell opens the front door for her. He salutes me as he walks out. “Have fun babysitting, Becker.”
I stand there for a few moments after they leave, glaring at the closed door. Rory comes up next to me, looking in the same direction.
“He seems like a douchebag.”
“You’re an excellent judge of character, you know that, kid?”
Rory nods. And I tap his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go play Halo. I feel like annihilating something.”
? ? ?
It’s about eleven when Chelsea comes home. Blessedly alone. She walks through the front door and into the den—where we’re waiting for her.
All of us.
She kicks off her shoes. “Wow, hey—you guys are still up.”
I sit in the middle of the couch, Regan on my lap, Rory and Raymond on either side, Riley leaning against the back.
“The kids wanted to talk to you about something,” I explain.
Her gaze flickers to each of them. “What’s up?
“We don’t like him,” Rory says.
It takes a moment for Chelsea to understand. “Him?” Her thumb points over her shoulder. “Tom?”
“He’s a douche,” Rory confirms.
“He doesn’t seem very smart,” Raymond adds.
“He’s booooring,” Rosaleen chimes in.
“He’s cute,” Riley says. “But you could do better.”
And Regan ties it all together. “No!”
God, she’s eloquent.
Chelsea laughs. “All right. Well, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your feelings are duly noted. Now”—she sweeps her hand to the stairs—“go to bed.”
When the predictable groans and complaints begin, I back her up. “Go on, guys, just make it easy on yourselves. Rory, help Regan brush her teeth.”
“I’ll be up to tuck you in in a minute,” she tells them as they file past her like baby ducks in a row. Then her eyes fall on me, locked and loaded. “Can I speak with you outside? Now.”
And her tone means business. Guess her panties are twisted, but that’s fine with me—’cause my panties are pretty goddamn twisted at the moment too.
Okay, that didn’t come out right . . . but you know what I fucking mean. If she wants a fight, I’m more than happy to give her one. Or more than one.
Multiple.
Long, sweaty, bed-breaking . . . shit! What the hell is wrong with me?
Once the kids are upstairs, I follow her out the back door, my stiff strides matching her stomping ones, onto the dark patio. The French door slams with a bang and she doesn’t waste any time whirling around to face me.
“This isn’t fair! You can’t do this!”
“What exactly do you think I’m doing, Chelsea?”
“Turning the kids against any man I go out with. My love life is not up for a vote!”
The only words I process from that statement are love life. What the fuck is up with that?
“You have a love life?” I ask, horrified. The popcorn I ate during the movie with the kids turns to lead in my stomach.
She pokes my chest. “I have the right to be happy!”
Poke.
“Believe it or not, Tom actually finds me attractive!”
Poke.
“He likes talking to me, spending time with me!”
Poke.
“He wants me . . . even if you don’t!”
I catch her hand, spin her around, and press her back against the wall of the house. She glares up at me, chin raised, fearless and daring, her ice-blue eyes cold with fury.
Thinking straight went out the window when she started talking about other men. Weighing the consequences of my actions came to a halt the second she said I didn’t want her.
As if that was even fucking possible.
Now it’s all just mindless instinct. Pure emotion, fire, need. The need for my touch to be the last one she feels tonight. My lips her goodnight kiss. Not. Fucking. Tom’s.
“Wanting you was never the issue, Chelsea.”
I lean against her, feel her breasts achingly soft against my chest, my knee between her thighs, where she’s warm and heavenly. My face so close to hers, we breathe the same air.