by Nina Levine
“I asked you a question.”
Another deep breath. “Your password, Tenille?”
She rattled off four digits, which I keyed into her phone. I then scrolled through her contact list to find Craig’s number, all the while, ignoring her tirade about what an asshole I could be.
Craig answered on the fourth ring. “Where the fuck are you, Tenille?”
I saw red.
“This isn’t Tenille.” If a voice could commit murder, Craig would be dead.
“What do you want?” he spat back.
I squeezed the phone. “I want you to know that I know what you did. And I want you to also know that in my world, a man doesn’t hit his wife and get away with it.”
“So, what? I should watch my back or some shit? You’re gonna come get me?”
“I don’t come get people, Craig, but I do take care of them,” I said far more quietly than I was feeling. A hurricane of violent thoughts raged inside me. In my mind, I’d already hurt him a million different ways. Some of them, the kinds of ways a person didn’t survive.
Silence for a beat. And then—“Put my wife on the fucking phone, asshole.”
“If memory serves me correctly, I never divorced Tenille. And I sure as fuck didn’t die. Which makes her still my wife.”
Silence again. “Fuck you!”
The phone went dead, and my eyes met Tenille’s. Confusion lay there. “Oh God.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “This is a fucking mess, Aiden.”
I nodded. “Yeah. But if you want to leave Craig, there’s your answer.”
“That’s not an answer! It doesn’t matter if we aren’t technically married, we were together for a long time, and we have a lot of shit to work out.”
Why did women have to make everything so damn hard? In my mind, it was a no-brainer. She wasn’t happy. She wanted to leave Craig. They were never legally married. Fuck up solved.
“So what’s the plan now?”
She stared at me with a broken expression. “I don’t know.”
“Stay here for a bit. Figure shit out.” I refrained from telling her to never go back to Craig, but God help him if she did. I’d never take my eyes off him again.
“Yeah, maybe.” She seemed anything but certain, but this was still fresh. Tomorrow things might be a little clearer.
“And Tee?” At her questioning look, I softened my voice a little and said, “I’m sorry about coming home like that.”
She nodded. “I shouldn’t have lost it with you.”
It killed me that she had to navigate this new relationship with me. That I’d brought this on us. But there was no way back, only forward.
Changing the subject, I said, “Have you and Charlie figured stuff out?”
“Yeah, we had a good talk. But if I’m gonna be staying here for a bit, you need to be prepared for lots of arguments between us.”
I could only imagine. Charlie had inherited her parents’ temper. “I’ll deal.”
“Mum!” Charlie called out.
“What?”
“Come here.”
“No, you come here if you want me.”
She went quiet for a moment before yelling, “God, why do you have to be such a pain?” She stomped out to the kitchen, glaring at her mother. “I need to know which lipstick looks better on me.” She held up two options.
Jesus, all that for lipstick.
Tenille pointed at one of the lipsticks. “That one. Why?”
“I’m Facetiming with Jamie tonight. I need to look my best.”
I scowled. “I thought that little shit was in the doghouse.”
She gave me an unimpressed look. “We moved past that.”
“What happened to leaving him out in the cold for a while like Monroe said?”
Tenille’s eyes hit mine. “Monroe?”
“She’s cool, Mum.”
Tenille’s brows arched and her body snapped straight. Something was going on here, but again, I had no fucking idea. “Who is she?”
Charlie frowned at Tenille’s sharp tone. “She was at skating last night with her friend’s daughter.”
“So she’s not your woman?” Her icy gaze penetrated mine. Fuck, she ran hot and cold.
Before I could answer, Charlie said, “They’re not together. They hardly know each other.”
Monroe wasn’t my woman, but Tenille didn’t need to know anything further about our relationship. The last fucking thing I needed right now was to revisit the fact I’d come home straight from fucking another woman. That conversation hadn’t gone so well the first time; I could guess where it would lead if mentioned again. A man didn’t need to issue any invitations to break the peace in his own home.
Chapter 18
Monroe
“You’re walking like you’ve been thoroughly fucked. Is there something you’re not telling me?” Tatum said on Friday night. We’d skipped drinks at the pub after work because Nitro had asked her to lay low due to some club stuff going on. She’d arrived at my place about an hour and a half ago carrying a bottle of Jäger and cans of Red Bull. Jäger wasn’t her favourite drink, but she’d recently started doing Jägerbombs with me because I loved them so much.
I made us another round of drinks. I’d lost count, but it was probably our sixth round. Passing her glass, I said, “That’s because I have been thoroughly fucked this week. And can I just say, I’m pretty fucking sure it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
She looked at me over the rim of her glass. “Fuck me, you slept with Hyde?”
I sagged against the kitchen counter where we sat. The thought of sex with him made me swoon. I’d hardly thought about anything else over the last two days. “I did.”
“And?”
The breath whooshed out of me as images of fucking him ran through my mind like a video—a video I’d been watching like a crack addict since Wednesday night. “Sister, the man knows what the hell he’s doing.”
She laughed and drank some of her Jäger. “Are you going to go back for more?”
“I don’t know. He tried to boss me into saying yes to more, but I’m not sure I want to go down that road.”
“Why not? If it was that good, I’m surprised you haven’t already called him. You don’t usually say no to good sex. Plus, you told me you’re sick of one-night stands.”
“I want more than casual sex with a guy, Tatum, and I think that’s all Hyde is offering. Honestly, why would I put myself in the situation where I get attached to him when he’s not interested in getting attached to me?”
She rested her elbows on the counter. “Do you like him enough to want something more?”
It was a question I’d been going over and over in my mind. One I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer. But this was Tatum and I told her everything. “I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with him. He’s too damn bossy for me most of the time, but then he will say or do something that impresses the hell out of me. He seems like a good dad, and I think that says a lot about a person.” I sighed. “Yeah, I like him. But it doesn’t mean much if there’s no hope of anything happening with him, you know?”
“I understand what you’re saying. But you know what? Sometimes we don’t know what we want until it’s given to us. You’re pretty hard not to love, Roe. Hyde might just change his mind once he gets to know you.”
A loud knock sounded from the front door, followed by, “Roe! Let me in, I’ve got shit I neeeeed to discuss!”
It was Savannah. I’d never seen her so excited when I let her in. She practically bounced on the spot.
“I just met the father of my babies!” She exclaimed. I was almost sure she was about to pee her pants from the happiness radiating off her.
I followed her into the kitchen where Tatum and I were set up with drinks and nibblies at the kitchen bar. “Who? And where? You want a drink?”
She madly nodded and motioned with her hand for a drink. “Yes, I need all the drinks to celebrate.” Sliding onto one of the spare stools, she conti
nued, “We met on the train coming home from work. I practically poked his eye out with my umbrella. I said sorry and just about fainted when I realised how good-looking he is. He’s a fucking suit! I’ve been fantasizing about him ripping his tie off and tying me up with it ever since I had to say goodbye to him.”
I handed her a drink. “So, what, you guys spent the ride home talking? He asked for your number? You’ve got a dinner date this weekend? I need to know everything.” I was heavily invested in this story already. Any love story was worthy of my attention. Because, love… who the fuck didn’t love love?
“Yes, yes, yes! To all of that!” My sister was a die-hard romantic like me. “I’m gonna need your help picking a dress to wear. And will you do my make-up? Say yes or otherwise I might just stab you at this point.”
I laughed. She seemed so worked up about needing my help. “I’ll do it, babe. We can go shopping for a new dress tomorrow morning if you want. I haven’t got any plans for the weekend yet.”
She collapsed against me with relief, hugging me. “Yes! That sounds perfect.”
“What’s his name?” Tatum asked.
Savannah’s face lit up again. “It’s the absolute perfect name ever. Theo.”
Tatum’s lips curled at the ends, and I knew she was trying not to laugh at Savannah. She loved her, but she also wasn’t all about the dramatics that my sister was well known for. The extent of Tatum’s ability to handle drama and over-the-top behaviour was with me. And I was sure that was only because she loved me so much.
“I love it,” I said.
Tatum finished her drink and shoved the empty glass across the counter at me. “Yeah, it’s a cool name,” she agreed. Although she wasn’t a fan of Savannah’s excessive excitement, she always threw her support Savannah’s way.
Savannah’s smile could have lit my house. “It really is.”
My phone vibrated on the counter. Checking it, I found my mother calling. “Put the kettle on. I’m about five minutes away.”
“Huh?” I wasn’t aware she was coming over, but the way she said it was like I should be expecting her.
“To hear about Savannah’s new man! She rang me and told me to come over.”
I slid off my stool and made my way to the kettle. Flicking it on, I said, “You should have gotten Dad to drive you so you could have a drink with us. Tatum’s here, too.”
“He’s driving. Pour me a drink instead.”
I grinned. I loved having my family around me. “Done.” I ended the call and announced to the girls, “Mum’s on her way. It’s time to get serious here. We’ve got a lot of celebrating to do. Tatum’s found the perfect cake for her wedding. And her man’s on total board with it. Sav’s found herself a suit. And I’ve had the best sex of my life.”
“I promise we’ll get to the cake, Tatum, but Roe, you need to spill about this sex.”
“It was with a biker,” Tatum said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“No!” Savannah said, shocked. “I thought you were all about the steady, stable guys.”
She was right. I’d been so vocal over the years about always steering clear of bad boys. The longest relationship I’d had was with the kind of guy you didn’t bring home to your parents. It had ended badly with him cheating on me and lying to me about almost everything. It took me a long time to recover my self-esteem after that. And I’d put on a lot of weight in the process. I’d sworn I’d never date a guy like him again.
“Sav, if you saw this guy, you’d know why I slept with him. It was just sex. It’s not like I’m dating him.”
Tatum made a weird noise and raised her brows. “Don’t believe her, Sav. I predict she’s going to be all over this guy soon.”
“We’re here!” Mum announced from the front door. She had a key to my place and let herself in.
Dad followed her into the kitchen. “You girls had dinner yet?”
I shook my head. “No, we’ve just been eating cheese and dips. You hungry?”
“How about I go and grab some pizzas?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “But before you go, I need the light changed in the hallway. It’s too high for me. Can you do it?”
“It can’t wait?”
“It’s so dark without the light. I’m concerned Mum might trip. Her eyesight is so bad these days.”
“Yeah, okay, good idea. I’ll grab your ladder from the garage.”
“I’ll be fine,” Mum said. She hated any fuss about her eyesight or anything to do with her getting older. My mother liked to pretend she was still forty. I couldn’t blame her; I figured I’d take after her in that respect.
“It’ll take me five minutes,” Dad said as he turned to head into the garage. I loved the way my dad adored my mother. He’d do anything for her.
“Okay,” Mum said, clapping her hands together while looking at Savannah, “tell me everything.”
We spent the next twenty minutes going over Savannah’s man, Tatum’s cake, and my sex. Dad left during the middle of our conversation. And then Mum shared some news with us.
“Your father and I are going to buy a caravan and travel around Australia. It probably won’t be happening for another six months, but we’re getting organised for it now.”
My eyes widened with happiness. “That’s awesome!” They’d been talking about seeing more of Australia, and I’d been encouraging the idea. I was a huge fan of parents spending their kids’ inheritance—I wanted my parents to enjoy their retirement.
“Best news!” Savannah said. “Make us some more drinks, Roe. This definitely calls for cheers.” She left us to put some music on, and a few moments later my home came alive with beats and laughter.
It was about ten minutes later that my phone rang. I didn’t recognise the number. Usually when someone called who I didn’t know, I let it go to voicemail, but the alcohol buzzing in my system caused me to be a little playful. “I’m only interested if you’re tall, hot and know how to use what God blessed you with.”
Silence for a beat. And then a deep voice rumbled down the line. “And let me guess, if I like meat, that’s a bonus.”
Hyde.
I threw the last of my drink down my throat. “Always a bonus, tiger.” I squeezed my legs together. This was the call he’d promised me, and I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do. I needed to fob him off to give myself some more time. But damn if just the sound of his voice wasn’t sending my core into a state of need.
“How about you open your front door and let me in?”
Fuck.
He was here.
Fark.
“I’m kinda in the middle of family stuff.” Jesus, worst excuse ever. But fuck, I could hardly think straight.
“I can hear. Sounds like a party. Open the door, Monroe. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Oh. Good. Fucking. God.
Hyde making promises like that was dangerous. And that bossy tone of his that usually pissed me off? It wasn’t pissing me off this time.
“Who is it?” Tatum asked, but she knew. She could tell from my reaction who it was.
I moved the phone away from my mouth a little so I could answer her. “Hyde.”
Mum’s eyes sparkled. “Hot-sex Hyde?”
Fuck me.
Shoot me now.
He had to come over when my family was here.
“Yeah, Mum, hot-sex Hyde.”
“Monroe.” Hyde’s voice sounded from the phone. He didn’t say anything but my name, and yet I knew from his forceful tone the words he wasn’t saying. He was bossing me without even fucking bossing me.
“Can you come back later? Or tomorrow?” I knew what his answer would be, so I was just wasting my breath.
“No.”
I tried to ignore the look of pure expectation and excitement flashing in my mother’s eyes. “Fine,” I muttered and stabbed at my phone to end the call. Jabbing my finger at Mum, I ordered, “Stay here.”
She grinned, and I knew I had zero chance
of holding her back. Groaning, I headed to the front door.
I opened it to find Hyde gripping the top of the doorjamb with both hands, staring down at me with the kind of look that could only be described as carnal. Before I could gather my wits, he dropped his arms, scooped me around the waist and pulled me outside. After he had yanked the door closed, he forced me up against the brick wall and ground himself against me.
“Been thinking about you, sugar,” he rasped against my ear. “We need to make a plan to get you back in that shower of yours.”
My breathing sped up and butterflies took over my stomach. I placed my hand against his chest in a half-hearted attempt to push him away. That attempt failed. Mostly because I really didn’t want him anywhere but up against me. “Fair warning, my mother’s inside and she will probably open this door any minute.”
His heated gaze met mine. “Noted.” He settled his hand on my ass. “What time will this party of yours finish?”
“I don’t know.” I wanted to run inside and kick everyone out right now.
We stood in silence for a few moments, eyes searching each other’s. It was like he was trying to work something out in his mind. Finally, he bent and claimed my lips in a kiss that revealed his desire for me. It was raw. Rough. Demanding. He was letting me know he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.
Before he’d finished with me, my mother opened my front door and said, “Oh. My.”
I tried to end the kiss, but Hyde made a growly noise and pressed himself harder against me, his fingers digging into my ass as he held me in place. When he finally came up for air, he set me straight. “When I’m kissing you, you don’t get to end it.”
A sigh sounded from my mother. I barely heard it, though. Hyde commanded every ounce of my attention. I was fucking putty in his hands.
He let me go and turned to face Mum. “Jesus, there’s no mistaking you’re Monroe’s mother.” His tone made it clear he said this in the best way, and I guessed by the way my mother responded that he was looking at her with an appreciative gaze.
She flashed him a huge smile, her eyes dropping to take in his impressive body. “So, you’re hot-sex Hyde.”
