Uncovered Desires_A Single Mom Alpha Male Protector Romance

by Kelli Walker

  “I’m so glad you called me over for your lunch break. I wouldn't get this kind of gossip at the restaurant sitting in that kitchen.”

  “This isn’t gossip, Bella. This is my life,” I said.

  She reached over and took my hand as I held my palm out for her.

  “You know I’m proud of ya. You know that, right?” she asked.

  “He was so kind,” I said. “The second I got uncomfortable and told him to hold on, he stopped. Without any regard for the position he had been put in. Just stopped and held on until I spoke again.”

  “That’s a real man, Isabelle. That’s how they act.”

  “I could tell he was holding back, though. On my account.”

  “Who gives a shit? Look, did you enjoy yourself?”

  “I really did, Bella.”

  “Did he ever make you feel uncomfortable?”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “Did he get off?”

  “Bella,” I said, giggling.

  “Did he?”

  “Yes,” I said. “He did.”

  “Then he had a good time. I saw the way he was looking at you when he showed up with that plate of grocery store cookies.”

  “That still kills me,” I said, smiling. “Like he thought we wouldn't know.”

  “Maybe that wasn’t the point,” she said. “Maybe the cookies were just a way for him to cross the street and come over.”

  “But why would he need an excuse, then? Why not just come on?”

  “Because you’re a very intimidating woman around these parts.”

  “I’m a highly-gossiped about woman around these parts.”

  “Samn damn different in this town,” she said.

  “I’ll toast to that,” I said.

  I clinked my glass with Bella’s beer bottle as we sat there in my kitchen. But I couldn’t get my mind off Tristan. Just thinking about him made my body lock up with pleasure. Being in his grasp and pinned underneath his body made me come alive. It was foreign to me, the idea that a man could be on top of me and still make me feel comfortable.

  “Earth to Isabelle, you there?” Bella asked.

  “Sorry,” I said. “What was that?”

  “I didn’t say anything. But you did get that far-off look in your eye. Thinking about Tristan?”

  I rolled my eyes at her as a grin spread across her cheeks.

  “Isabelle, I know this is a touchy subject for ya, but hear me out. It won’t hurt you to indulge your intimacy life in some sort of fashion. It’s time. You’ve been a mom to two boys and a businesswoman for years. You went through hell and back, and it’s about time you allowed yourself to relieve that stress from your body.”

  “I think that’s the daintiest way you’ve ever put ‘have sex’ in your life,” I said.

  “I could come up with some other ways. Slapping skin.”

  “Don’t.”

  “Rocking the bed.”

  “Bella.”

  “Toe-curling bonanza.”

  “Seriously?” I asked. “Bonanza?”

  “Your cheeks are flushing, so I must’ve hit a nerve.”

  I laughed and shook my head as my cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

  “There ain’t nothing wrong with a man that can make a woman’s toes curl. It’s been way too long for me. Makes me want to bust out my skirt and heels and venture into Austin for a weekend.”

  “Well, I hate to break up the gossip train, but I have to get back to work. I’m finishing up a couple of Tristan’s pieces so I can get them delivered before sundown today,” I said.

  “He gonna give you a tip?”

  “Are you for real right now?” I asked.

  “It’s an honest question!” Bella said, laughing. “Your delivery to him could come with a real nice perk. Especially if it’s that sturdy dining room table you make.”

  “Out,” I said. “Right now.”

  “A little too far? I’ll rein in it. Please! Don’t kick me out! Let me live through you, Izzy!”

  I laughed along with my best friend as I shoved her out the door, waving her off as she got into her car. I watched her all the way down the road before I made my way out to the shed, settling my mind on work. All I had to do was assemble the pieces and his television stand as well as a couple of his chairs would be ready for his home. Power tools cranked up and nails were gunned into sections of wood. Furniture came alive before my very eyes as sweat dripped down my brow. I looked at the clock and saw it was four in the afternoon. Did the boys have practice after school today? I sighed as I racked my brain.

  Hopefully the remembered to write it down on the calendar inside.

  I set the furniture off to the side to settle into the screws and nails, then I made my way inside. Sweat dripped down my back as dust gathered in my hair, coating me in a sheen of roughness that only a shower would be able to get rid of. I looked at the calendar and saw DeShawn’s pathetic attempt at scribbling down his schedule. But yes, he did have ‘LX’ practice after school.

  And it seemed as if Dom had something called ‘Cuss Club’.

  ‘Hess Club’?

  My only guess was that it could possibly be a Chess Club of some sort, but either way neither of the boys would be back until dinnertime.

  My eyes panned out the window to look across the street. Every time I had a free slot in my day, Tristan popped into the forefront of my memory. But he soon fell from my mind as my body stopped, my eyes hooked on a figure at the end of my driveway.

  My eyes locked with his and that glare was unmistakable. It had been well over a decade, but I’d know those eyes anywhere. I reached for my cell phone in my back pocket as the man stood out there, his hands in the pockets of his pants as he stared straight into my kitchen.

  Shit.

  Where was my cell phone?

  I looked back at my kitchen table and saw it sitting there by my empty glass. I lunged for it, my shaking hands pressing the red emergency button on the front. I held it up to my ear as tears crested the folds of my eyes as every fiber of my being rocketed into a sudden panic.

  “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

  “Yes. Hi. My name is Isabelle Carpenter. I live at 210 Everacre Rd. in Georgetown. My son’s biological father who is out on parole is standing at the end of my driveway looking into my home.”

  “All right, Miss Carpenter. Can you describe the man?”

  I dashed back to the window, my eyes searching for him. I leaned over the kitchen counter and looked as far as I could in either direction. But Darnell, who I knew had been standing at the end of my driveway, was nowhere to be seen.

  “Miss Carpenter? Are you still there? Can you hear me?”

  “I-I’m still… still here,” I said.

  “I have an officer dispatched to your location. Is he still there?”

  “I don’t see him, no. But I promise you, he was right there. Just standing on the curb staring into my house.”

  “You said he’s out on parole?”

  “Yes. I got word from my lawyer that he was paroled and released a few days ago,” I said.

  “And you’re sure he’s not in the house? If you’re being held against your will, say ‘I’ll have to call you back’.”

  “He’s not in the house. He’s just… gone. He was there, and now he’s not,” I said.

  “Miss Carpenter, I want you to breathe. An officer is two minutes out, and he’ll come take your statement. From there, he’ll be able to let you know what you can and cannot do, and if you do feel there’s a threat, the officer can walk you through what to do next. Stay on the phone with me, and don’t answer your door until the officer announces himself.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it,” I said.

  “It’s not a problem. Just take deep breaths.”

  I leaned against my kitchen table and drew a deep breath through my nose, trying to quell the fear rushing through my veins.

  Darnell had been on the edge of my driveway.

 
Holy shit, Darnell Winston knew where I lived.

  Tristan

  I pulled onto my street and felt a shiver run up the back of my neck. As I crept closer to my home, I saw a sight that rattled my cage. A police car was parked in Isabelle’s driveway and I saw her standing on the porch wiping at her eyes. I whipped my truck into my own driveway before turning it off, then started across the road as the officer made his way to his vehicle.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  I looked up and saw Isabelle charge into her home before she slammed the door.

  “You related to her?” the officer asked.

  My eyes clocked his nametag in my peripheral vision. Deacon.

  “I’m a concerned neighbor who recognizes that woman lives alone with two growing boys,” I said.

  “Honestly? There ain’t much I can do about it. She’s a spooked woman who thought she saw something. Nothing more than that.”

  “Is she all right? Are her boys hurt?” I asked.

  “Like I said, nothing but a woman home alone giving herself the creeps and getting jumpy at people walking down the road. That’s all.”

  But I knew better than that.

  “Well, thank you for coming out to check on her anyway,” I said.

  “What did you say your relationship to her was again?” he asked.

  “Just a concerned neighbor who likes to keep an eye out on those around me.”

  “Uh huh. Well, son, you have a good day. And the next time you talk with your neighbor, tell her to lay off the day drinking.”

  Then he got into his patrol car, cranked up the engine, and drove off.

  I watched him ride away and memorized his license plate number. I allowed my training to take over as the voice in my gut grew from a dull roar to a screeching banshee. I turned my head towards Isabelle’s front door before I started to her porch, my mind trained on only one thing.

  What the hell happened while I was gone?

  I knocked on her door and watched as it slowly swung open. Her eyes were red from crying and her cheeks swollen from wiping at her tears. I opened my arms for her and she stepped into them, my feet backing us into her home so I could close the door behind me. She sniffed into my shirt and I stroked her hair, hoping that none of the grease from my fingers were tainting her soft strands. But I saw what the officer was talking about.

  There were two opened beer bottles sitting on top of her kitchen table.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “He was here,” she said breathlessly.

  I crooked my finger underneath her chin and rose her gaze to meet mine.

  “Who was?” I asked.

  “DeShawn’s father, Darnell. He was here, Tristan. I saw him.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  “They don’t believe me. That officer didn’t believe me.”

  “But I believe you. And at one point in time, I had a job that overruled his position. So talk to me. Where did you see him?”

  “At the end of my driveway, Tristan. Just standing there, looking through my kitchen window.”

  “Did he have a weapon you could see? A gun? A knife? Was a truck with him that was parked somewhere you didn’t recognize?”

  “I-... I don’t know. I don’t think so. I can’t remember anything like that. I only remember his face. How angry he eyes looked. He knows where I live, Tristan. I didn’t live in this house when he was arrested. How does he know where I live?”

  “Did you tell the officer that? Did you tell him that you didn’t live at this address when DeShawn’s father was convicted?”

  “I told him everything. About Bella coming over. About us talking. About Darnell popping up after she left. But all he said was he would do what he could. That’s all he kept repeating. ‘We’ll do what we can, ma’am’.”

  “So are those drinks Bella’s?” I asked.

  She looked back at the kitchen table before her neck flushed.

  “I wasn’t drinking,” she said. “And even if I was, two beers isn’t enough to make someone hallucinate.”

  “I had to ask,” I said. “Where are DeShawn and Dom?”

  “At school,” she said breathlessly. “DeShawn’s got LaCrosse practice and Dom has Chess Club, I think.”

  “You think?”

  “His handwriting on the calendar is terrible. But it’s better than me thinking he’s at ‘Cuss Club’.”

  She nodded her head towards the fridge as I stroked my thumb over her cheek. She was shaking. Filled with a fear I knew was genuine. She had all of the involuntary reactions of someone who was reliving a traumatic moment. Dilated pupils. Eyes darting around. Uncontrollable shaking of smaller appendages. The shuffling of her feet. All indications of her body coursing with unused energy sent from her adrenal glances into her bloodstream.

  Her body wanted to run away from the moment.

  My mind raced back to the truck sitting on the curb that night. The one that blinded me with its lights before it sped out of the neighborhood. I knew better than to think it was nothing but a coincidence. I knew the two of those incidents were linked somehow. What I didn’t know was if Darnell had access to any sort of a vehicle. And if Isabelle didn’t notice a truck sitting anywhere on the street, then how did that man get to her home?

  So many unanswered questions, and I knew I couldn't answer them without Jackson’s help.

  “Come here,” I said as I pulled her body closer.

  I scooped her up into my arms the second she pressed her face into my chest. I walked her through her kitchen and into her living room, then sat down onto the couch. She smelled of sawdust and primer and her skin was scratchy. Coated with a layer of shaved wood she hadn’t washed off from her workday. I felt a little less guilty being coated in grease, but I hoped none of it rubbed off onto her furniture. I cradled her close to me as her face nuzzled into the crook of my neck, my hand sliding against hers before I rested my fingertip against her pulse.

  Her heart was racing.

  I had to find a way to calm her down.

  “You know the offer still stands,” I said. “One phone call to a friend of mine will give you a lot of answers I know you want.”

  I felt her nod into my skin and I sighed with relief. Thank fuck. Because I was ready for some answers myself.

  “I can go call him now and-”

  “No,” Isabelle said.

  I looked down at her as she lifted her head from my shoulder, her eyes hooked to mine.

  “Just… stay with me for a second?”

  The fear in her eyes was unmistakable, and I wasn’t going to leave her in the condition she was in.

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll stay.”

  Then her head fell back to my chest and I leaned into the cushions of her couch.

  We sat there like that until I heard the sound of a car rolling into her driveway. I felt her stir, drawing in a deep breath as her legs began to stretch. I had a feeling she had fallen asleep against me, and part of me didn’t like the fact that she had woken up. After what she’d been through today, she needed the rest wherever she could get it.

  “Oh my gosh, I didn’t do anything for dinner,” she said.

  “Ma?” DeShawn asked. “You here?”

  “What’s for dinner?” Dom called out.

  Isabelle slipped quickly from my arms as she stood to her feet.

  “How does pizza sound?” I asked.

  “Tristan?”

  “Hey, Tristan’s here!”

  “Where’s Mom?”

  “Can we get a meat-lover’s pizza?”

  The boys came around the corner throwing questions at me as I stood to my feet. But the second their eyes landed on their mother, they froze. Her boys were very intuitive. Then again, Isabelle hadn’t quite recuperated from her scare a little while ago. I pulled out my phone and opened up the pizza application, punching things in as the boys set their stuff down onto the floor.

  “You okay, Mom?” Dom asked.

  “You don
’t look so well, Ma,” DeShawn said.

  “I’m fine,” Isabelle said. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

  “I got a large meat-lover’s pizza and an order of bacon-and-jalapeno cheesy bread. What other pizza do we want?” I asked.

  “Something with bacon on it,” Dom said.

  “The cheese bread and the meat-lover’s has bacon on it,” I said.

  “Who in the world said we had to limit bacon intake?” DeShawn asked.

  I looked over at Isabelle and watched the first smile of my day cross her face.

  “He’s right,” she said. “Bacon is a viable food group. Put bacon, hot sauce, mushrooms, and onions on the other one.”

  “Mom knows how to build a pizza,” Dom said.

  “Sounds like she does,” I said with a grin. “And if you give me a second… it will be… ordered. Delivery time is thirty to forty minutes.”

  “That gives me enough time to shower,” DeShawn said.

  “And you need it,” Dom said.

  “I need one, too, to be honest,” Isabelle said.

  “Same here. So, showers and reconvene in thirty?” I asked.

  My eyes darted over to Isabelle and I saw her shoulders tense.

  “You sure you’re okay, Ma?” DeShawn asked.

  “She’s fine,” I said. “How about you guys go clean up for dinner and get into some pajamas. We’ve got pizza and sodas and family. The only other thing we need is a good movie.”

  “Oh! Can we watch Iron Man 2?” Dom asked. “I borrowed it from a friend today. It’s in my backpack.”

  “DeShawn? You okay with that?” I asked.

  “I’m all over the Iron Man movies. If we’ve got time, we can catch One and Two,” DeShawn said.

  “A movie marathon sounds good to me. Isabelle?” I asked.

  I looked over at her and saw her eyes scanning me. Her beautiful stare, clouded with so much anxiety, fell onto mine as a relieved smile crossed her cheeks. She nodded her head before she walked down the hallway, conceding to the shower she needed without another word.

  I watched her disappear into her bedroom before the boys piped up.

  “What happened today?” Dom asked.

  “And don’t give us that shit about her having a hard day,” DeShawn asked.