by Tonya Brooks
Her knees threatened to buckle. The breath froze in her lungs. Her entire musculature system seized. Her heart might have actually stopped beating. Time stood still as she stared into his beautiful turquoise eyes. The eyes that still haunted her dreams. The eyes that stared back at her every time she looked at her son.
“Hello, sunshine.”
His voice slid over her senses as smooth as silken sheets over naked flesh. It wrapped her in warmth, bathed her in love, and set every nerve ending in her body aflame with longing so intense that it physically hurt. She shook her head in denial. Reece was not standing at her door. This wasn’t real. Her mind simply could not accept it.
The edges of her vision began to blur, the world tilted on its axis and she swayed helplessly with it. Jolie knew she was falling before her knees gave way and blackness totally engulfed her. The last thing she was aware of was arms wrapping around her like bands of steel. Of being lifted and gently cradled against a chest as hard as rock.
A sense of contentment consumed her.
She was finally home.
***
Reece had shouldered the excuse for a door open and barely managed to catch Jolie before she hit the floor. Hell, he'd known seeing him would be a shock, but he'd never imagined that she would actually faint. Cursing himself for seven kinds of fool, he realized that he should have agreed to let Dane warn her that he was coming.
Kicking the door closed, he turned to carry her to the... what the fuck? His eyes scanned the tiny apartment in shock. It wasn't even large enough to be called a studio. His goddamn bathroom was bigger than this. Hell, his shower took up more space than the kitchenette situated on the left.
A rickety bistro table with two mismatched chairs sat just inside the doorway. A twin size bed was placed sideways at the opposite end of the room and reached from wall to wall. A shabby, oversized chair flanked the head of the bed while a small chest of drawers with an analog TV sitting on top sat opposite it at the foot.
The appliances were even more outdated than the TV, and if the high pitched whine coming from the refrigerator was any indication, barely operational. Layer upon layer of paint was peeling from the walls and the faded linoleum floor was cracked and torn. The shoebox apartment was immaculately clean, but no way in hell was it fit for habitation.
Son of a bitch.
He carried Jolie five steps to lay her gently on the bed. His wolf had a fit at the loss of physical contact, but he convinced the beast they needed to care for their mate. He opened the door beside the chest and revealed a small closet with less than a dozen worn and faded garments hanging inside.
A wave of anguish washed over Reece as he recalled ordering her massive designer wardrobe be removed from his home and burned. But it was the cardboard box sitting at the bottom of the closet that hit him on a visceral level and left him reeling. It was overflowing with the kind of cheap dollar store toys that he'd been lucky to get as a child.
And now his son was being subjected to the same miserable childhood.
Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, Reece opened the next door and stepped into a bathroom so small he could barely fit inside. Grabbing a threadbare washcloth from a shelf above the toilet, he turned on the cold water to wet it. The pipes made a god awful noise before cloudy water shot out in spits and spurts.
Cursing viciously under his breath, he walked back into the main room and noticed that the front door hadn't closed. Fan-fuckin-tastic. He'd warped the damn thing. Putting his shoulder to it, he shut it and flipped all three deadbolts. The damn locks were absolutely useless because they were sturdier than the door.
He went back to the bed and lay down beside Jolie, running the damp cloth gently across her face. His wolf reveled in the contact and wanted to rub his scent all over their mate. God, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It killed him to know that he had hurt her. That because of him she was living in abject poverty.
Reece had thrown her out of their home with nothing but the clothes on her back. He'd had George cut off her access to their joint checking account, canceled all of her credit cards, charge accounts, and club memberships. Determined to make her suffer for betraying him, he'd left her with absolutely nothing.
Nothing except the child that she had dared to claim was his.
His cold-blooded actions hadn't been entirely out of revenge. No, he'd been convinced that once she discovered he'd cut her off completely, that Jolie would run to her lover for assistance. Just like his mother had always done. He'd wanted to know the man's name so he could destroy him. And he would have.
But the private investigator that he'd hired to follow her had assured him that there was no other man. Reece had refused to allow the investigator to tell him anything at all about Jolie. The only thing he had wanted to know was the one thing that could not be discovered. And now he knew why.
There had never been another man.
Remorse turned to fury at what he had forced her to endure. The sooner he got them out of this miserable hovel, the better. There was no need to pack their pitiful possessions. They could leave them behind and buy everything new. Whatever she wanted. Whatever they needed, Reece would gladly provide. He'd do whatever it took to atone for the hell he'd put her through.
Jolie would never want for anything again. He was going to show her how much he loved her, how much he needed her, every day for the rest of their lives. He couldn't resist leaning over and placing a tender kiss on her softly parted lips. Jolie sighed and smiled and he found himself smiling down at her before he kissed her again.
CHAPTER TWO
Jolie was having that dream again. That damn delicious dream where Reece was making love to her. The one where he whispered how much he loved her, how much he needed her. The one where he swore he'd never leave her, that he'd be with her forever and a day. Because wolves mate for life.
The one that always left her smiling until she woke up and realized that it had only been a dream. The one that always left her aching inside because believing that he loved her had been nothing but a dream. A dream that had become the worst nightmare imaginable. A nightmare that she could not wake up from.
Because the cold hard truth was that Reece had never loved her. If he had, he wouldn't have walked away and left her completely shattered. He couldn't have turned his back on her and their baby. But he had, and he'd done it in the cruelest way possible. He had broken her heart, destroyed her dreams and crushed her spirit.
Had it not been for their son, she never would have survived. Bryce was her reason for living and the only thing she had to show from a marriage that had been over before it ever began. Jolie hated that she still dreamed about Reece. Hated that her foolish heart longed for him, that her body still ached for his touch, even after everything he'd done.
And this damn dream wasn't helping her to forget.
Not when she could feel the heat of his muscular body lying next to hers, the gentleness of his touch. God help her, she could even smell his cologne. The faint scent of scotch. And his kiss. Oh, those wonderful kisses that could render her incapable of thought. Much like they were doing now, she thought and sighed in utter bliss, a smile curving her lips.
His lips covered hers again and she purred in absolute contentment. Mmm, the dream was even better than she remembered. It was so real she could almost believe that Reece was actually there, holding her, kissing her, loving her... Her eyes flew open and she stared at the man poised above her in complete and utter shock.
Holy hell! Reece was really there! A maelstrom of emotions roared through her at the realization and fury such as she had never known consumed her. Jolie placed her hands against his chest and shoved with all her might as she snarled, "Get the fuck off of me!"
Reece fell backward and wound up sitting on his ass on the floor, staring up at her in astonishment. Jolie had no idea why he was there and at the moment she didn't give a damn. She scooted off the bed and stood glaring down at him with eyes full of fire. "Ge
t the hell out!"
Rising lithely to his feet, Reece replied evenly, "I'm not leaving until we talk."
"Now you want to talk?" She demanded and laughed bitterly. "You're four years too late." He managed to look chagrined at the reminder, but Reece Lassiter didn't have a clue what remorse was and she knew it.
"Jolie, I know I don't deserve it, but please, do me the courtesy of listening..."
"The same courtesy you showed me when you threw me out?" Jolie demanded as she stomped over to the door and began unlocking all three locks. She turned the knob and pulled but the door didn't open. Then she saw the wood was splintered and the chain was still attached to the hook on the frame. "You broke my door!"
"It doesn't matter since you're not staying here," he informed her impatiently. "My mate and son..."
"Your son?" She snapped indignantly and was thankful that Bryce was at a friend's house for a sleepover. Jolie didn't want her ex anywhere near her son.
"Yes, dammit, my son," he insisted. "This place isn't fit for either of you to live."
That pissed her off even more. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you kicked us out with no place to go," Jolie snarled and grabbed the doorknob with both hands, yanking as hard as she could, but the thing would not budge. "Open the door, Reece. Open the goddamn door and leave."
"Sunshine, please let me…"
Sunshine. Hearing him call her that was the last straw. Jolie whirled around and every ounce of loathing that she felt was plainly visible on her face. "Open the door and get out or I will scream until the neighbors call the cops," she warned in a tone all the more lethal for its softness. "It's your turn to be hauled away in handcuffs."
Without a word, Reece walked over and pulled the door open. He stepped outside and turned to face her, his expression filled with regret. "Jolie, I'm sor…"
She slammed the door in his face, cutting off the apology that he didn't mean and she didn't want to hear. The door didn't shut properly so she grabbed a chair and wedged it under the knob to make sure it stayed closed. Jolie just stood there, arms wrapped around herself in a protective gesture until she heard the sound of his footsteps walking away.
Only then did she give in to the riot of emotions still swirling through her and released her tenuous self-control. Her entire body began to shake and a sob of despair tore from her chest. The unexpected visit had served as a potent reminder of what she had lost. How much she had loved him. How much she still missed him.
The grief and anguish she felt were too raw, too near the surface, ready to explode and destroy her in the process. She walked into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face and was shocked at her reflection in the mirror. Eyes of clearest blue looked haunted and her complexion was as white as a sheet.
Determined to focus instead on how much he had hurt her, Jolie dredged up every ounce of pain and humiliation that she had borne and gave herself over to the disturbing onslaught. She willingly wallowed in a cesspool of sorrow and shame and welcomed the biting lash of pain that accompanied it.
As the emotional turmoil threatened to tear her apart, she watched her eyes harden until they resembled the blue diamond engagement ring that she had once worn so proudly. Until the woman staring back at her was nothing but a beautiful doll, empty, lifeless, a broken shell that nothing and no one could touch.
Not even the man who had destroyed her.
Safely wrapped in a cocoon of loathing, hatred and rage rolled off of her like waves in a storm-tossed sea as a lone tear trickled down her cheek. She angrily dashed it away with a trembling hand. Jolie had cried enough over that man for two lifetimes and she vowed that it would never happen again.
She could not comprehend why he had decided to admit that Bryce was his son after all this time, but it sure as hell explained his appearance. Jolie had learned the hard way that Reece Lassiter was completely ruthless. If he wanted something, he took it. And when he tired of it, he threw it away. Just like he had with her.
And now he wanted his son. She knew it. For whatever reason, Reece had decided that Bryce was his and he'd stop at nothing to get him. For once, they were in complete agreement. If the big bad wolf tried to take her son, he'd have a hell of a fight on his hands. Because she would fight to the death to keep him.
***
Reece stalked outside and prowled back and forth in front of the decrepit building, much like the angry wolf inside him and just as dangerous. He'd expected Jolie to be hurt and angry because she sure as hell had a right to be. He'd even been prepared for her to vent and give him the hell that he deserved.
But he had not expected the absolute loathing that he'd seen in her eyes. The sheer hatred and bitterness evident in her tone. Jesus Christ, what had he done to her? His Jolie was a creature of sweetness and light, not this hissing, vitriol filled she-cat who'd wanted to claw his eyes out. Dane had been right. She wasn't the woman he remembered.
Jolie had kicked him out like he was some bum who had wandered in off the street instead of the man she had vowed to love forever. Just like he had done to her. Anguish filled his burdened soul and he leaned back against the crumbling brick structure, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration.
No way in hell was this over. His wolf growled in agreement. Reece had never admitted defeat in his life and he wasn't about to start now. He'd been in no-win situations before and found a way to come out on top. He just needed to assess the situation in a completely detached manner and keep his emotions out of the mix like this was any other problem.
Whether in a pack fight or a political negotiation, the first step was always to find his opponents weakness. That was simple enough. In Jolie's case, it would be their son. The next step was to exploit that weakness. That meant using the boy to get to his mother. Under normal circumstances that would not be a problem, but the thought of exploiting his child repulsed him.
How many times had his mother used Dane and himself to gain her own selfish wants and needs? How many times had they been subjected to painfully degrading circumstances beyond their control because of her greed? There were too many to count, and unfortunately, he remembered them all.
Since he was just as ruthless as the woman who had given him birth, he'd never wanted to put a child in the same position that he'd been in. Which was one of the reasons why he'd had that goddamn vasectomy, to begin with. Reece was a lot of things, but a hypocrite was not one of them. He'd never exploit his child to get what he wanted. Never.
He'd have to find another way to get to Jolie.
When the door opened, he looked up to see his mate exit the building and begin walking in the opposite direction. He scowled and wondered what the hell she was doing out on the street at this time of night. This neighborhood wasn't safe in the daytime and after dark, it was a fucking playground for predators.
Not just the human variety.
Pushing off the wall, he fell into step behind her, incensed that she was putting herself in danger. He followed behind her, moving silently and keeping to the shadows. He may not have lived on these streets in two decades, but he hadn't lost the survival skills he'd learned while there. Some instincts were just too deeply ingrained in his wolf DNA.
They had walked for two blocks when she entered an alley and his gut clenched in terror. Unspeakable things happened to women in alleys, some of them worse than death. Trading stealth for speed, Reece raced after her. When he rounded the corner of the building, Jolie was headed toward a door marked Employees Only.
He ran up behind her and grasped her arm. She gasped in fright, whirled around and swung at his face. He caught her fist before it made contact and saw her shocked expression when she recognized him. Without a word, he turned and began to pull her back toward the street, Jolie cursing him with every step and struggling to get free.
"Let me go, Reece," she demanded furiously and tried to twist free of his hold. "I'm going to be late for work, damn you."
Back out on the sidewalk, he saw the sign on the f
ront of the building and his head almost exploded. It was a strip club. His mate worked in a goddamn strip club! A vicious snarl ripped from his chest before he tossed her over his shoulder and stalked back to the car. Reece slid in on the driver's side and placed her in the passenger seat.
One look at her beautiful face revealed that she was pissed as hell. Yeah. So was he. "You son of a bitch," she seethed, the blue eyes flashing angrily. "You're going to get me fired!"
"My mate will not work in a fucking strip club," he seethed.
"Like I have a choice," she snapped bitterly. "Thanks to you, I'm unemployable. Everyone is too afraid of pissing off the big bad alpha to hire your ex-mate."
"Are you serious?" He asked incredulously.
"Does this look like Broadway to you?" Jolie demanded furiously. "I sure as hell didn't study dance all those years with the intention of stripping."
And there it was.
Confirmation straight from the source. Jesus fucking Christ. His mate was a stripper. The knowledge damn near eviscerated him. He and his wolf were enraged at the thought of other men seeing their mate as only he should see her. Of them lusting for the gorgeous body that Reece had spent countless hours making love to, his hands and mouth pleasuring.
Fuck!
This shit was killing him. Because he was the one to blame. He had left her no other option and she had been forced to survive any way she could. To provide for their son in the most humiliating manner possible. He deserved to suffer a thousand deaths for what he had done to Jolie, and this would torture him beyond endurance.
"Jolie, please calm down. We need to have a discussion like rational adults," he suggested hoarsely and fought to rein in his fury and the wolfs.
"There's nothing to discuss, Reece," she said in exasperation. "We're done. You ended it four fucking years ago!"
"And that was the biggest goddamn mistake I've ever made," he shot back and saw her mouth drop open. Yeah, well, he never had been good at admitting when he was wrong. "Please. Just talk to me. That's all I'm asking."
