He didn’t look good. For a man who’d been a jock in his teenage years and who had taken pride in his appearance, he’d let himself go. A pot belly pushed against the old, long-sleeve shirt he wore over a pair of baggy jeans. And his sandy-blond hair had receded more than she remembered, a greasy sheen covering the strands that remained. At just the sight of him, she wanted to wrap her arms around herself for protection, but she held on to the watering can, refusing to show him she was afraid.
“What do you want?” she asked in the wake of his silence, during which he’d obviously been taking in her appearance, as well.
“I came to see my wife.”
“Ex-wife,” she reminded him.
“Right. And I admit, when I came home to sell Mom’s house, I didn’t plan on seeing you.”
“Then why didn’t you stay away?” she asked.
“I would have until I saw you and Davenport together at the Blue Wall. You and I had an agreement and you went back on our deal.”
She blinked at him, completely blank as to what he could mean. “I don’t understand.”
“I told you to stay the hell away from him and you agreed.”
“Back when we were together!” she said, shocked he’d even care who she saw or what she did now. “We’ve been apart for two years. Last I heard, you were involved with another woman. Why do you care what I do or who I see anymore?”
He cracked his knuckles, a gesture she was too familiar with, and it was all she could do not to run for the safety of the house. But Billy was respecting the distance she’d insisted on and the neighbors were still outside, so she forced herself to remain calm.
“I’m free again. My girlfriend and I broke up, but don’t worry. I have no interest in taking you back. You’ve had a kid, put on a few pounds, and lost your shine. But nobody touches what was once mine. Especially him. Something about that pretty boy always got under my skin. Because I wanted you and he had you first.”
His insults didn’t faze her but his possessiveness despite the fact that he no longer wanted her wasn’t a good sign. If he was single and he’d lost the woman who was funding his lifestyle, he’d be miserable and he’d want to make her feel the same way. He was a bully, a man who lived to push someone else around, and in the past, she’d been easy for him to abuse. He obviously thought he could pick up where he’d left off.
“Kyle didn’t have me first, as you so crudely put it. We’re good friends. And you no longer have any right to dictate who I see or what I do. As a matter of fact, you never did.”
“Wrong. Because if you keep hanging around with Davenport, I’ll be sure to remind you what happens when you don’t do what I say.”
She knew what his reminders meant. He’d hurt her. When she least expected him to show up, he’d ambush her and make sure she knew he was the boss.
His eyes gleamed with what she could only call determination and that caused her stomach to churn, nausea overtaking her. “I know how to get what I want out of you, Andrea.”
She gripped the plastic watering can tighter. He did. He knew how to get under her skin and have her flesh crawling as she waited for him to replace the emotional torture with the physical. She had the same old reactions to his threats now. Her stomach was twisting in fear and sweat popped up on the back of her neck, panic overtaking her, as she worried he’d hurt her.
But she refused to succumb to her fear again. “And this time I have no problem going to the police and telling them you threatened me.”
“Why would they believe you?” he asked.
When they were married, he would reinforce the fact that he was a football hero in this town and people would trust his word over hers. Thanks to her fear and his fists and looming, hulking figure, she’d trusted in what he told her.
She’d come a long way since then. Not that she wasn’t afraid. She was. She just wouldn’t cower anymore. “Why wouldn’t they believe me? I’m more than happy to tell them and we can find out. Come near me again and I’ll let them know them you’re harassing me. I’ll get a restraining order. Don’t test me, Billy. I’m not the same woman you were married to.”
She’d surprised him into silence.
This was the furthest she’d ever pushed or defied him, but she wasn’t worried he’d hurt her right now. He wasn’t worked up or in a frenzy, nor was there latent anger beneath the surface. He was merely here letting her know he was back and that he expected her to jump right back to obeying him.
“Stay away from Davenport and I’ll stay away from you.”
She waited until he strode to his car, got in, and drove away before her knees nearly buckled. She walked to the house, grabbed the handle, and let herself in, turning the lock behind her.
Andi did two things next. She looked up and called an alarm company and convinced them of the urgency to install a security system today, and she dialed Kyle and asked him to come over so they could talk.
* * *
Kyle was surprised to get a call from Andi asking him to come by. She sounded shaken up and he immediately headed over to her house. Everything looked quiet as he pulled his car up and parked in her driveway.
She answered and let him inside, looking around outside before closing the door behind them. She was pale, her hair looking as if she’d been running her fingers through it in agitation.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Come on into the kitchen.” She led him into the cheery room with sunshine coming through the window over the sink and the sliding glass doors leading to the outdoors.
He waited until they’d settled next to each other in chairs at the table before asking again. “What’s wrong?” He leaned in close, knowing she was upset and he wasn’t going to like what he heard.
She ran a hand through her unruly waves. “I had an unwelcome visitor earlier today.”
He curled his hands into fists and hid them below the table. “What did the bastard want?”
She met his gaze, eyes wide. “Apparently he saw us together at the Blue Wall. He wanted to remind me that I’d made a deal with him. That I promised not to see you again and he meant to make sure I held up my end of the bargain.”
Kyle clenched his jaw. “Are you fucking kidding me? He doesn’t show his face for two years, agrees to a divorce, gives up custody of his kid, and thinks he can come back and tell you what to do?”
“Billy isn’t happy. He lost the woman he left town with, and seeing us together, seeing me happy, well, that pissed him off. According to him, I was his and no one touches what was once his. Especially not you. Or something like that.” She shook her head. “Look, I realize this makes sense to no one but him… and me because I’ve lived with him.” She braced her hands on the table and pushed herself to a standing position, then began pacing around her small kitchen. “But I’m not giving into him again.”
He drew a deep breath, processing what she’d told him, from her ex threatening her to the fact that she was going to stand up to Billy this time around. One made Kyle furious, the other proud.
“He threatened you?” He rose from his seat, anger flowing through him.
She stepped up close, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. “He just reminded me that if I don’t do what he says, I know the consequences. That, yes, he’d hurt me.” She sighed. “He let the memories do the actual threats for him.” She shuddered as she spoke, telling Kyle how badly her ex had gotten to her.
“I’m going to pay that bastard a visit and make sure he understands he’s not just dealing with you anymore. If he wants to touch you, he’s going to have to go through me.” There was no way he was going to let her walk around in fear anymore.
“No.”
“What? Why not?” he asked.
She met his gaze, a stubborn tilt to her chin. “Because I’ve spent the last two years rebuilding my life and becoming self-sufficient and emotionally strong. If I let you fight this battle for me, I lose all the progress I’ve made. Billy needs to know that even if I’m
afraid, I can stand up to him.”
“How? He’s bigger, he’s stronger–”
“I took a self-defense class, remember?” She held up a hand. “And before you say anything, I understand it’s not enough for me to really go up against a man Billy’s size. But it gave me tools I didn’t have before to look out for myself. And I have a security company coming by later to install an alarm system.”
He had to admit he liked what he was hearing. She wasn’t just posturing. She’d thought through how to protect herself.
“If he touches me or harasses me again, I promise I’ll go to the police.”
He blew out a deep breath, her words penetrating the haze of anger surging through him at her ex. He heard her, knew how important her independence was to her after what she’d lived through. And though Kyle hated taking a step back and watching this play out, he understood that if he didn’t, if he kept pushing to take over, he would lose the progress they’d made.
He’d lose her.
“Okay,” he said at last.
“Okay?” Obviously surprised, she met his gaze.
He clasped both her hands in his and looked into those big brown eyes. “I don’t like it, but I understand why you need to handle it yourself. I respect your need to be strong.”
“But?” she wisely asked.
He hoped she knew there was more to his feelings because they were getting to know each other again. To understand one another on a deeper level.
“But please don’t ask me to turn my back and pretend none of this is happening. If you want me to respect your feelings about handling Billy, I need you to respect mine. And that means I’m going to be around a lot more often.”
She frowned at the prospect. “To keep an eye on me.”
He shook his head. “Actually, no. To keep an eye out for him.”
She blew out a long breath and eyed him warily. “But you’ll stay out of it?”
“Unless I see him bothering you, then all bets are off.” He ran a hand over her wavy hair. “Agreed?”
She relaxed her shoulders and sighed, her defenses finally down. “Agreed.”
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. “Is everything else okay?”
She pursed her lips and sighed. “Well, my father is gambling again. That’s never a good thing. He disappeared for a few days, turned up again on a high, according to Kane. Which means he’ll keep going, thinking he’s invincible.”
“C’mere.” He wrapped her in his arms, inhaling her alluring scent. “Are we alone?” he asked because he hadn’t seen or heard Nicky since he’d arrived.
She nodded. “Nicky’s at a friend’s. He wasn’t home when Billy came by, thank goodness.”
He kissed her forehead. “We’re going to get through everything together.” He said it despite her insistence on dealing with her ex alone.
He said it because they were a couple, and even if she wasn’t taking the relationship as one with a possible future, he was. And his goal was to get her to want the same thing.
The only way that would happen was if she understood he viewed her as the independent woman she wanted to be. Kyle just wanted her safe. To that end, if Billy laid a hand on her, there’d be hell to pay. But Kyle was going to spend his free time showing her how much he valued her, by respecting the boundaries she set up. While still keeping an eye out for the son of a bitch who’d threatened her.
* * *
A typical boyfriend brought flowers or chocolates to his girlfriend when he wanted to give her a gift. Kyle stopped by the flower shop on Monday and gave Andi a can of mace, and she couldn’t be happier. To her, this was proof he understood her need to take care of her ex herself. Because if Kyle had continued to push to handle things, she would have been hurt and angry. Now she knew he trusted her to deal with her own life. That meant a lot to her.
Now her plan was to ignore the threat of her ex-husband and go on with her life. Nicky had gotten one hundred percent on a difficult reading test yesterday, and today she was picking him up to surprise him with a trip for ice cream after school to celebrate. Even though the weather had turned cooler, in her mind, it was always time for ice cream.
On a normal pickup day, parents waited outside of the school in a big group. Teachers brought the kids up to the exit, but it was impossible to see who each child left with. That was just how it had always been at the school, but she’d usually managed to grab her son as he walked out and there had never been a problem finding him.
She saw his smiling face as he headed for the exit and waved her hand so he’d see her. “Hey, Mom!”
“Hey, you. Good day?” she asked.
“Eh. Too much math homework.”
She grinned. “Well, I’m going to make it a better one. We’re going for ice cream to celebrate your reading test.”
“Really? Cool!”
Before she could walk him through the crowd, she heard his name being called and they both turned to see Kyle making his way toward them.
“You left your math book on top of your desk,” he said, handing the covered hardcover to Nicky.
“Oh.” He blushed at the mistake and, at Andi’s nudge, said, “Thank you, Mr. D.”
“Thanks,” Andi said, knowing Kyle could have left the book on the desk as a lesson for Nicky, to learn to remember his things and be more organized.
“We’re going for ice cream,” Nicky said.
Kyle’s eyes opened wide with interest. “My favorite,” he said. “And I’m hungry.” He met her gaze, a deliberately pathetic smile on his face. “I could really go for some chocolate chip ice cream.”
She rolled her eyes at his playful game. “Would you like to join us?” she asked.
“Oh, that’d be awesome,” Nicky said.
“Let me think. I have work to do but…” Kyle deliberately paused. “Okay, you talked me into it,” he said, laughing.
She shook her head, but of course she was glad to see him and would like for him to come with them.
“I’ll meet you there,” he said, winking at her before turning around and walking away.
She put her hand on Nicky’s back and headed for the car, looking forward to their ice cream trip even more than she had been before.
They waited for Kyle at the store before ordering, Nicky choosing Rocky Road and Kyle choosing chocolate chip.
“Some things never change,” she mused as she ordered mint chocolate chip for herself.
“What can I say? I’m a creature of habit.” He shrugged and accepted his cone from the girl behind the counter.
Nicky had already gotten his and was sitting at a table playing with an iPad preinstalled at the counter, which Andi thought was a great idea for parents who brought kids into the store. Sometimes a mom needed a little downtime, and though she wasn’t feeling that way today, she didn’t mind that Nicky was enjoying himself on the gadget.
She’d gotten her ice cream in a cup and settled across from Kyle at a small table near where Nicky played.
“Any special reason for the trip here today?” Kyle asked, licking at the vanilla that dripped down the cone.
“Just a special treat for Nicky’s reading test grade,” she explained. “I can’t always spend after school with him if I don’t have coverage at the shop. I did today, so it worked out.”
He nodded in understanding.
She slid a spoonful of ice cream between her lips, his gaze on her mouth as she licked the minty cold treat off the spoon. She turned the plastic utensil and made sure to remove all the sweetness from both sides. A low growl escaped his throat and she froze at the sound, which was accompanied by a look of purely sexual heat in his eyes.
She didn’t have to wonder what he was imagining. Her mouth on his cock. An intimacy they hadn’t yet shared but one she had to admit she was eager to experience. And also one she shouldn’t be imagining in a public place with her son nearby.
She cleared her throat. “Don’t look at me like that,” she said softly.
<
br /> He leaned in close and whispered, “Like I want to eat you the way you’re eating that ice cream? Or that I want you to–”
“Nicky, how’s your cone?” she called out to him, despite knowing that her cheeks were probably a bright red.
“Good,” he said over a mouthful of food, without looking away from the screen.
“He’s not going to save you,” Kyle said, laughing.
She shot him a wry look.
Before either could comment, the store door opened and Phoebe walked in. “I was walking by and I thought that was you,” she said to Andi, walking up to the table. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not.” Kyle rose and pulled out her chair for her and she sat with them.
“I have some news about the house we were discussing. I was planning on calling you anyway.” Phoebe glanced over at Nicky and Andi got the message.
“Billy’s mother’s house,” Andi whispered to Kyle. “Phoebe’s office has the listing.” She looked to her friend. “What about it?”
“We got an all-cash offer. A couple is moving to town and wants to get their child settled into school as quickly as possible, so they want the house. They don’t even care that it needs work. They’re more than happy to do it and Billy was willing to sell for cash. Title search, home and termite inspection, and survey all handled. It should close before Thanksgiving.”
“Oh wow.” Andi was startled. “That’s fast.”
Phoebe nodded. “It happens sometimes. Not often, but…” She shrugged.
“Maybe Billy will leave town once it closes,” Andi murmured.
Kyle reached over and covered her hand with his. “We can hope.”
She glanced over at Nicky, who was still involved in his game.
“Okay, I’ve got to head over to Jamie’s soccer game,” she said. “Glad I ran into you.”
“Me, too,” Andi said.
“Take care,” Kyle said, rising as she stood. He sat back down again and glanced at Andi. “I was thinking.”
“About?” she asked warily.
“Having Braden Clark look into Billy. See what he’s up to now.” Braden was Juliette’s boyfriend and he owned a private investigation agency.
Dream (Rosewood Bay Series Book 4) Page 10
