Catch 'n' Kiss (Are You Game?)

by Cahill, Rhian

  “I’ll be there.” Dan waited for Luc to step aside, but he didn’t. “Are you going to make me sit out here all night?”

  Luc sighed. “I guess not, but considering she asked me not to call you when Cassie suggested it, I’m not sure if it’s good for my health. She’s pissed, man. I’ve never seen her so angry before.”

  “Good. Maybe she’ll finally give Colin what he deserves instead of treating him like a respected friend.”

  Luc arched an eyebrow. “She told you about him?”

  “Enough for me to know he doesn’t deserve her loyalty even if he is the girls’ father.”

  “C’mon, let me get you a beer and we’ll talk. There are a few things I’d like to do besides let the police take care of the situation.”

  Dan knew in Luc’s line of business he could probably have a man disappear, and while he would love for Jody to be free of her ex-husband, he didn’t think getting rid of the man completely was the right move. “As long as you’re not going to ask me to help you hide the body, I’m in.”

  Luc laughed as he led Dan into the kitchen. “Nothing as dramatic. But we are going to make him wish we’d chosen that avenue.”

  The sinister grin that spread across Luc’s face made Dan’s blood run cold. If he wasn’t serious about this man’s sister, now would be the time to back out. Even with that threat hanging over his head, Dan didn’t plan on going anywhere. He wasn’t sure how this thing with Jody would play out, or whether they were meant to be together, but he was more than ready to find out. And definitely ready to put in the effort necessary to make a relationship between them work. He’d even grown fond of the girls, and they’d only spent one evening together so far.

  “Dan?”

  Jody’s voice had both him and Luc spinning around. “Hey. You okay?” Dan asked.

  She stood in the doorway, her hair all messed up, half in, half out of her ponytail. “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking up on you and the girls.” He walked towards her in slow, measured steps. She seemed fragile somehow. “Do you need something?”

  “No. I heard voices.”

  “Sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you.” Dan got within touching distance and couldn’t help but put his hands on her. He cupped her shoulders then ran his hands up and down her arms. “Are you cold?”

  “Stop.” She stepped away. “I don’t need coddling.”

  “Okay.” He moved back a step. “But maybe I do.”

  “What?” Her sleepy gaze met his.

  “I need to know you’re okay. I saw what he did outside…” Dan shuddered. “I need to know he didn’t hurt you, Jody.”

  Jody’s mouth kicked up on one end. “Physically? No, I’m fine and so are the girls. Emotionally, he may as well have taken that bat to my heart and soul because of what he said in front of the girls.” She closed her eyes and a single tear slid down her cheek.

  He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t stand back and watch her struggle to hold it together. Stepping close, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in. This time she came. It was like a dam bursting. Her whole body shook with the sobs racking her chest. Dan glanced over at Luc to see the other man clenching his fists, a jaw muscle ticking, and wondered if they were having the same murderous thoughts right now.

  Dan indicated the living room with his head then scooped Jody into his arms and carried her into the darkness. He sat on the couch and held her in his lap. She cried and cried, her tears soaking the front of his shirt, but he didn’t care. If he could, he’d take away every one of those drops, every bit of her pain. Except the only thing he could do was hold her tight and let her fall apart somewhere safe. Luc moved in front of him and placed a box of tissue on the coffee table. Nodding thanks, Dan went back to soothing Jody until her sobs turned to the occasional hiccup and she slipped off to sleep.

  Sitting in the dark, Dan held her while she slept and came to a startling realisation. He’d fallen for this woman. Hook, line and sinker, he was done. She’d found her way under his skin and he’d never seen it coming. He wanted to laugh. To shout it from the rooftops, but he figured she’d think he was insane for admitting to such deep emotions when they’d barely moved into being friends. Sure, they’d had sex. But if anyone knew sex wasn’t love it was him. He’d spent half his life having sex, and not once had he loved any of those women.

  Instead, it had taken someone not looking for love, or a relationship, to snag his heart. And didn’t that just fuck with his head. He could have professed his love to any other woman and she’d have been glad to hear it. Except, like his mother always said, nothing worth having comes easy, and Jody would have to be the least easy woman he’d ever dealt with. Now he had to figure out how to convince her he was serious. And how to make her fall in love with him in return.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jody wasn’t sure why she was annoyed. She should be more than happy to have everyone’s support. And she was. Kind of. Cassie had taken the girls to Luc’s house a little while ago, but she was still stuck at the police station going over and over her statement. The officers had been wonderful with the girls. She’d been worried about letting them talk about what had happened with their father, but there had been a police psychologist waiting when they’d arrived and then Luc had pulled some strings somewhere and had a private counsellor come in to help them deal with the trauma.

  The counsellor had gone with Cassie to spend the rest of the day with Leigh and Amy. Jody couldn’t believe any of this was even necessary. Colin had really gone off the deep end this time. Mind you, in all the years she’d known him, last night was the most emotion she’d ever seen from him. Shame he’d chosen to put that level of intensity into a negative sentiment. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off the black cloud hanging over her. She’d be more than happy for this ordeal to be over. Now.

  Unfortunately, she now had to file papers with the courts restricting Colin’s access to the girls. The idea made her sick, but the two lawyers either side of her—and the police—had insisted it was the best option. Luc had pulled more strings to get her the best representation in Sydney. Mackenzie Harris wasn’t even in family law, but here he was on her right, taking charge of all the legal proceedings. On her left was Mackenzie’s family-law expert. Jody was pretty sure this guy was smart enough to convince the court Colin wasn’t the girls’ father even with DNA proof.

  “Can we take a break?” Dan asked from his position leaning on the wall.

  She’d almost forgotten he was here. Almost. The low hum vibrating over her nerves didn’t allow her to eradicate him completely from her mind. Her eyes met his and the sudden sting of tears blinded her.

  “Never mind. We’re taking one.” He strode over and pulled her from the chair. “We’ll be back in five.” Dan didn’t wait for anyone to agree or disagree, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and ushered her from the room.

  They walked a short way down the hall then entered the men’s restroom where he locked the door after checking they were alone. He yanked a bunch of paper from one of the cubicles and handed it to her.

  “Let it go.” He pulled her back into his arms and held her. “I’ve got you.”

  She leaned on him. Let him take her weight—and not just the physical kind. Her tears were muffled against his chest, but the wretched sound of her sobs echoed off the walls. He held her close, ran his hands up and down her back and let her cry herself out. For the second time in twelve hours, she took advantage of Dan’s generosity, of his compassion, and gave in to the need to be weak—to allow someone else to hold her up.

  Jody knew she couldn’t keep doing this. It wasn’t his problem to deal with, and it was less than fair to expect him to put up with her messy life. God, she’d give anything to go back to being just a single mum dealing with a couple of emotional teenagers. Now she was the woman with the psycho ex as well. Not something she’d ever thought to be. Or something Dan had signed on for. With strength she didn’t think she had, she pul
led out of his arms and moved over to the sink.

  She turned on the cold water and ran some clean paper towel under the flow then pressed it against her closed eyes. The cool pads brought a little relief to her stinging eyes, but nothing would help the red puffiness that greeted her when she looked in the cracked mirror. Even the chipped and peeling glass couldn’t hide the ravages of hours of crying. She’d tried to conceal some of the damage this morning, except she’d washed that away with her latest jag. Her purse was back in the room so there’d be no emergency repairs.

  “Better?”

  She met Dan’s gaze in their reflection. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” He stepped closer behind her. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.”

  He cupped his hands on her shoulders and she was so tempted to lean back into his solid strength, but she didn’t. She couldn’t afford to rely on him, not when it was her battle to fight. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. I told Luc not to call you.”

  Dan spun her around to face him and brought his face down to within an inch of hers. “I didn’t get dragged into this, and we’ll talk about why you think I didn’t deserve to know about this later. For now, let’s get you ready to finish what you have to do to make sure you ex-arsehole doesn’t do this again.”

  “But—”

  His hand covered her mouth. “Nope. Not listening to anything except ‘thanks, Dan, I really needed a few minutes out of the room to regroup’.”

  God, he was so right. That nagging sense of annoyance had gone, and she felt ready to face the last of the necessary actions to deal with the fallout of Colin’s behaviour. “Thank you,” she mumbled against his palm.

  He smiled. “Much better.” Dan removed his hand and replaced it with his lips. But just when she thought he might really kiss her, he pulled away and reached for the wet towel. With gentle pats, he wiped her face.

  Her bottom lip trembled and Jody knew she was on the verge of crying again. Only this time it wasn’t sad tears that clogged her throat. Instead, it was his simple act of caring that had her on the brink of another meltdown. This man who’d been in her life less than a year had given her more of himself than her husband had in over a decade. How did she keep her heart from getting involved when Dan was doing everything her heart wanted?

  He’d not once pushed her for more than she was willing to give. Sure, he’d made it perfectly clear what his intentions were, but he’d not forced her to become involved with him at any stage. Not really. He may have ambushed her with the occasional kiss, but she’d willingly surrendered when he had. And she wouldn’t have done that if her heart wasn’t already involved on some level.

  “Ready?”

  Was she? Jody wasn’t sure she was ready for anything right now. Not when she’d just come to a shocking conclusion. She was falling for Dan. She might not be completely in love with the man, but it wasn’t far away, probably as close as one kind gesture or simple acceptance of her suddenly crazy life. He studied her with a probing gaze and she had to turn away to gather some composure—to bolster her walls.

  “Jody?”

  She turned back to him and nodded. “I’m ready.”

  “Are you sure? ’Cause we can take as long as you need. They aren’t going anywhere.”

  “No, they’re not, but they’re busy men who need to get back to their lives, and I really need to move on with mine. Can’t do that until I’ve sorted out this mess, and I need Luc’s friends to do that.”

  “I know you’d do it without them if you could or had to. Don’t for one minute think it says you’re weak for accepting their help.” Dan rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

  One more thing in the Dan-is-a-great-guy column. He got her. Totally understood that she needed to prove she was capable of taking care of herself and her girls. But he was right. Accepting help didn’t make her helpless, it made her smart.

  Nodding, she said, “I know. I’m just not used to anyone except Lucas and my parents helping out or needing help with something this big. Colin has never gone off the rails like this before. Not even when I filed the divorce papers.”

  “So what set him off now?”

  Jody sighed. She knew. Colin had made sure it was perfectly clear what had pissed him off enough to come after her and the girls this late in the game. As usual though, it was too little too late. “He was served the divorce papers yesterday. We’ve been officially divorced in the eyes of the law for a few months, but he’s been MIA so he hadn’t gotten the final paperwork before now. And for some reason that is beyond my comprehension, he didn’t take it too well.”

  Dan’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “But he knew the papers were filed and would be processed in due course.”

  “Again, beyond my comprehension.” Jody took a deep breath and let it go slowly. “Okay, let’s get this over with. I want to get home to Leigh and Amy.”

  “After you.” He swept his hand out to indicate she lead the way.

  She smiled but didn’t quite feel it. The sadness that settled over her wouldn’t shift. It was extremely depressing to think her marriage had come to this. She’d had such high hopes and dreams for so many years. And for a while, she thought she’d found them only to have the rug pulled out from underneath her when she’d discovered Colin’s cheating. Even then she’d stuck it out, listened to his apologies and promises. Until she’d been confronted by the blonde. There was no way to ignore the fiasco that was her marriage then.

  Of course, she hadn’t walked or even insisted Colin leave even after that confrontation. No. He’d walked. And for that she would always hate a part of herself. But that was in the past and she wasn’t going to let him ruin any more of her self-esteem or her life—or the girls’. With that in mind, Jody made her way back to the interview room and the papers that would sever all ties she had with her ex and keep him away from Leigh and Amy until they reached the age of eighteen.

  Dan stood behind Jody as she signed her name to legal papers that would remove her arsehole of an ex from her life. He should be thrilled with this development, and part of him was, but there was also the complete sadness radiating off her that ate at his gut. She’d been forced into this by her ex’s actions, and no matter how right it was, she didn’t like doing it.

  He’d understood the basics of what Mackenzie was advising even with all the legal jargon the man had used. And Luc trusted the guy, so Dan was inclined to do whatever he suggested. Except it wasn’t up to him to make the decision. Jody hadn’t agreed immediately. She’d been full of questions, and only after thirty minutes of asking did she agree to lodge the documents to prevent her ex from seeing her or the girls. She made sure there was a provision for the girls to change their mind before they were adults but their father had no say in it and couldn’t contact them until they reached eighteen.

  Dan thought it was a good compromise considering both lawyers wanted her to block all contact between now and when Leigh and Amy were older. She signed the last paper and the officer who’d been in charge of the domestic-violence case added his reports and the two suited lawyers left them to file the paperwork with the court.

  “Please, take my card, and if you need anything further from me, don’t hesitate to get in contact.” The officer handed over a business card before he left the room.

  “I guess that’s it then.” Jody glanced around. “I thought I’d feel more relieved than I do.”

  “Give yourself some time. It’s been a crazy twenty-four hours.” Dan helped her from her seat. “Let’s get you home to the girls.”

  “Thanks.” She grabbed her purse from the table. “Where did Luc go?”

  Dan didn’t want to lie to her, but he also didn’t want to reveal where her brother had gone. “He said he had something to do.”

  She eyed him wearily. “He better not be doing anything that will jeopardise the papers I just signed.”

  He smiled. She knew her brother well. “Haven’t a clue.” With a hand to her lower back, he u
shered her out of the police station and down the street to where they’d parked hours ago.

  Luc was there, leaning against the hood of his black Explorer, arms crossed, dark shades covering his eyes, in a tough-guy stance that had people veering right to the edge of the sidewalk near the building to avoid him. As they got closer, Jody tensed until she all by vibrated beside Dan.

  “Do not tell me you did something I’m not going to like,” she said when they were a few feet away.

  Luc straightened to his full height. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

  “Lucas!”

  “Relax. All I did was make sure he saw me when that weasel of a lawyer got him released on bail.” Luc walked to the passenger side and opened the door. “Hop in, the girls have decided we’re having barbeque for dinner at my house. Cassie has taken them to the shops to pick up some food, so you have time to go home for a change of clothes.”

  “Why do I need a change of clothes?” Jody asked as Dan helped her up into Luc’s SUV.

  “Oh, did I not mention they want to have a sleepover at Uncle Luc’s house?” Luc grinned, but Dan didn’t miss the worry lines creasing his forehead.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’d rather just pick up the girls and go home.” Dan could hear the strain—the exhaustion—in Jody’s voice.

  “At least have dinner at Luc’s. Besides, you won’t have to worry about cooking and Leigh and Amy will be occupied by the three of us and not constantly thinking back to last night.” Dan wasn’t sure his arguments were enough to sway her. “It’ll be good for all of you to have a number of distractions.”

  Dan saw the moment she gave in. And while he was happy she agreed to Luc’s suggestion, he didn’t like watching the fight drain out of her. He hoped it was just the results of the long stressful day. He’d never seen her look so vulnerable before. She buckled up and he closed the door and turned to Luc.