He nodded.
“Say it.” I spit out the words.
“We’re clear,” he mumbled.
“My lawyer will contact you when the papers are ready for your signature. He will also file a restraining order against you. As far as you’re concerned, Valentina never existed.”
He rolled his eyes.
“You don’t wanna fuck with me.” I moved closer, fists at my sides. He stumbled and fell, his arm up to protect his face.
He sat on his ankles and wiped the blood off his lip. “All this for that chick. She must’ve done you something good. He shook his index finger at me. “I remember—”
At least, the asshole didn’t disappoint. My pulse spiked as I grabbed him by the collar and half dragged him across the room toward the front entrance. I opened the door with my free hand and tossed him out. Exactly as I’d wanted to do the moment he waltzed in. I was glad I’d waited. We had a productive chat. And now he wouldn’t be a problem for Valentina and Max anymore.
Out on the driveway, three security guards stood at attention. Em must’ve called them. Good. Now he knew the house was heavily guarded.
“Make sure he never sets foot in this place again,” I said to the guards.
“Yes, sir,” they all said in unison.
The little prick was scared shitless. That was smart of him. The gate was a half mile from the house. I stood by the threshold as the guards escorted him out of the property, and waited until all I could see was the dust his car tires left in their wake.
Frazzled, I trudged back upstairs. Em fussed around me, trying to put some kind of ointment on my hands. In the end, she settled for giving me a bag of ice to put on my knuckles.
“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” Eyes wide, she set a fresh drink on one of the tables out on the terrace.
“Just wrapping up some old business.” I took a deep breath to ease the burn in my lungs and washed down the bad taste in my mouth with a swig of the bourbon.
“Why do I get the feeling this has something to do with Valentina? He looked familiar. Max’s dad?”
I met her gaze and nodded. She let out a loud sigh. But other than that, she took pity on me and didn’t dwell on it. Maybe I had no business meddling in Valentina’s life like that. But I couldn’t stand idle and watch as that asshole terrorized her again. The only reason she’d moved on with her life, why she lived in peace, was that she was certain Max’s dad didn’t want anything to do with them. I didn’t want that peace taken away from her.
If he had found a way to reach Valentina, I had no doubt he would’ve played that card. Shake her up again to get her to pay up. I pegged him as someone who wouldn’t be above using Max for his own gain. No doubt he’d come back because Valentina was with me. An easy payday, he probably figured. I didn’t regret getting involved.
The now-familiar sound of gravel crunching under tires got my attention. Em mumbled something on her way out.
“Em.” I called to her. “You have nothing to worry about. He’s not coming back.”
“Not after that beating.” She chuckled. “The question is, how did he find out about you and Valentina?”
“I don’t know. As far as I can tell, Annie is the only one who knows where Valentina lives. Not even her parents know.”
“How indeed.” She shook a finger at me before she left. “You have to be careful.”
Over by the cottage, Valentina and Max headed inside, carrying grocery bags. If she had come straight home, she would’ve ran into Alex. They didn’t deserve this. Now I understood her comment from the other day. It really was a blessing he didn’t want anything to do with us. Max growing up with someone like that…
Just as he did with me, he probably showed his true colors after Valentina got pregnant. In his mind, he no longer had use for her. So he had no problem showing her the real him. The son of a bitch hit her. I should’ve beaten him into a pulp.
Max’s giggles brought me back. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but something he’d said prompted Valentina to chase him. When she caught up to him, she tickled him until he wiggled out of her reach. His little backpack bounced all over the place as he darted toward the house. She stopped at her porch and glanced my way. I waved hello, and she returned the gesture with a bright smile that made my heart go into overdrive, and damn if my cock didn’t react.
As Em had said, lately everything I did had something to do with Valentina. My anger and jealousy toward Alex, the insatiable need to be with her, to protect her and make her happy. It all stemmed from the same place. I was in love with her.
Chapter Twenty
Say You Believe Me
Valentina
On Wednesday, Cole stopped by to deliver another latte. We sat on the cottage porch, drinking our coffees, while a patchy drizzle made dimples on the puddles across from us. Just as we used to do before we met back at the coffee shop. Except now he looked at me and I stared back. And I couldn’t stopped thinking about Saturday night.
“Punching walls again?” I pointed at the cuts on his knuckles.
“Ran into a wall.” He shrugged.
“You’re not gonna tell me?”
“Not today.” He kissed my hand, sending a flutter of goose bumps up my arm. “When are you going to let me take you out on a real date?”
“What?” I almost spit out my drink. A real date? Like a couple? The image of the night we spent together was so vivid in my mind still. The idea of having a repeat of any of that made my legs feel weak. This felt different, though, as if he wanted more than sex.
He let out a long breath. “Would you like to go out with me? Tonight.”
Do I want? Yes. I crossed my arms. “I can’t. I promised Max we’d cook dinner together.”
Shoulders slumped, Cole lowered his head, rubbing the nape of his neck. The sad look he gave me wrapped itself around my chest and squeezed tight. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him, but I couldn’t change my plans with Max.
“No outsiders allowed?” He raised an eyebrow, flashing me one of his charming smiles, and I melted a little in my seat and gripped his hand. “Lunch then,” he said.
“Today?” My eyes flicked to my watch. “Like in five hours?”
He nodded.
“Tell me what happened to your hand.” I had a pretty good guess what’d happened.
Yesterday when Max and I had come home, I saw Alex leaving the property. I couldn’t tell if he’d seen me. He certainly didn’t show it, but that didn’t matter. The shock of adrenaline hit so fast and hard all I could see were dark spots. Everything that’d happened the day I told him I was pregnant came rushing back: the punches across the face because I’d ruined his life, the yelling, and his description of what would happen to my family and me if I ever told anyone Max was his.
In the end, Max’s little voice brought me out of my panic attack. Then I saw Cole up in his terrace, having a drink as if nothing was the matter, and I convinced myself I’d imagined the whole thing. In an instant, all thoughts of Alex vanished. By the time Max and I had gone inside the cottage, I felt safe. But Cole’s raw knuckles were proof I hadn’t hallucinated Alex. Somehow, he’d found us.
“Oh, we’re negotiating now.” He sat a little straighter, wolfish grin on. “How are you going to make me talk?”
“If you tell me, I’ll meet you for lunch. I’m working from home today. I only have an hour, so we’ll need to stay in.”
“Are you sure? If we stay, we may end up doing something else.” The lust in his expression promised this lunch would turn into another marathon of mind-blowing sex.
“What could you possibly do to me that you haven’t done already?”
Leaning forward, he cupped my face and kissed my lips. I melted into him and cursed my own stupid no-sex rule. His breath on my neck sent shivers down my back.
“Sweetheart, there’s so much more we haven’t done. I’d like to get better acquainted with that tight little ass of yours…and these.” His fore
finger brushed the curve of my breast. “One night is not enough. Do you believe me now?”
“Oh.” I nodded and shifted away from him. Noon could not come fast enough.
He pulled back and stood. “I’ll see you at eleven.”
I swallowed against the hum in my chest. “Noon. I have a lot of reports to do.” I reached for his good hand and held it tight. “Now tell me what happened. It was Alex, wasn’t it? “Deep down, I wanted him to say no.
The blue in his irises was almost gone. He clenched his jaw and met my gaze. “I was hoping you wouldn’t find out.”
“I saw him leaving. What did he want?”
“Nothing.” A deep scowl flashed across his forehead. He shook his head once and treated me to one of his smiles. “He’s the biggest douchebag I’ve ever met, though. I hope you understand not all guys are like that.”
“I know that now.” I placed a hand on his chest, and he covered it with his. His heart beat hard against my palm.
“Are you sure? I wonder if this is why you’re so quick to run away. To assume the worst in men. In me.”
“Not you.” Tears stung my eyes. I wasn’t crying for Alex. I was crying for me and all the time I’d lost because of him. “You’re different.”
“I won’t let him hurt you.” He pushed the hair away from my shoulder, letting his fingers linger. “I promise.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in the crook of his neck. He held me tight until I stopped crying.
“Come over when you’re ready.” He kissed the top of my head and tilted my chin up. “He’s gone for good.”
I nodded, and he turned to leave. My gaze followed Cole as he sauntered back to his house, his hands in his jean pockets, biceps bulging. Blowing out a breath, I wiped my cheek on my T-shirt and went inside. In the kitchen, Max sat eating a bowl of cereal he served himself. The bowl was full to the rim. Every time he took a spoonful, granola bits rolled off the dish and onto the counter.
“I see you’re ready to go. Let’s get in the car.”
“Okay. I’m just finishing up my homework,” he said.
My heart melted a little. Pre-K students didn’t get homework, especially in the summer. But I didn’t question it. Instead, I watched him trace letters with a crayon. He wrapped an arm around my waist and kept tracing. We deserved this happiness.
“Let’s go, Mom. We’re going to be late.”
“Yeah. Grab your shoes.”
We shuffled to the car side by side. Max waved at Cole when he saw him up on his terrace. “I like him.”
“Yeah, me too.” I sighed.
I drove Max to summer camp and made it back in twenty minutes flat. With flutters wreaking havoc in my stomach, I rushed through the list of tasks I had for the day. Every now and then, I would glance at the computer clock and the flutter would spread from my chest to below my navel.
Wait. What? Did I agree to a booty call with Cole? Oh crap. I buried my face in my hands. Cole was right—one night wasn’t enough. If I were being honest, I was running out of reasons to push him away. Max liked him, and Cole was great with kids. More importantly, Cole wanted to be with me. We deserved a second chance. The question was, would Bridget let us have it? What would she do if Cole didn’t turn in his signed divorce papers by Friday? I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed the thought aside. He’d said he would handle things with Bridget, and I trusted him. In a few days, he would be free again.
Two hours and forty-two minutes later, I sent my reports to Christopher. I stared at the clock until the numbers got blurry. Lunchtime wasn’t for another two hours, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I rushed to the bathroom and got ready in record time, donning a simple belted shirtdress. Oh shit, I was going on a real date with Cole.
My heart threatened to push through my chest plate in anticipation. I shook my hands in front of me while I paced the living room. Relax. It’s just a date. Why was this such a big deal? The clock beeped, and I almost jumped out of my skin. Jeez. It was eleven on the dot. Screw it. Rain pelted down on me when I dashed out the door and across the lawn, toward Cole’s house. No amount of cool rain could diffuse this want I felt for him. I needed this.
A shudder went through me when I reached the steps that led to the grand terrace and his bedroom. The wicked smile that pulled at the side of my mouth turned into a full-on grin as I started up the steps.
Gosh, do I have to be so obvious?
I turned around and sprinted back downstairs. Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my dress and headed for the patio door that led to the great room instead. It was open, but I knocked anyway, suddenly feeling like an intruder.
I stepped into the living room and called out to Cole. “Hello?”
“Hello.” A female voice came from the loft.
My stomached dropped. My whole world dropped. The voice sounded familiar. Was that Nikki?
“Valentina,” Cole said from the top of the stairs. His hair was wet, and he looked hot as all heck in his oh-so-thin white T-shirt and jeans. A big smile formed on his face as he rushed down the steps.
Nikki came down from the loft and met Cole in the living room, where I stood frozen. A half-naked and sweaty woman would do that to anyone.
“What the fuck, Nikki?” Cole stepped back from her, brows furrowed, eyes darting from her to me. He reached for me. “Valentina.”
My heart slowed to a painful beat until it squeezed into a tight ball. I couldn’t breathe. Did he really not know she was in his house?
“Darling, who is this?” Nikki asked.
She knew who I was. I was Saturday. And I was here on the wrong day. I looked down at my hands, knowing I couldn’t be mad at Cole. He never said we were exclusive. Instead, I was furious with myself. For letting myself think Cole would want a serious relationship with me. He obviously didn’t. He just happened to have an open spot in his weekly rotation. And here was proof.
Nikki rushed to his side and whispered fast in his face. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, and I didn’t care. My chest hurt as I trudged toward the door. This was our good-bye, but without the closure.
“When I get back, you need to be gone.” Cole’s voice rumbled inside the house.
By the time I reached the lawn, my legs felt stronger. I broke into a run. At the fork in the pathway, I had the cottage to my right and the driveway to my left. I went left. I needed to put distance between Cole and me. A loud thunderclap followed by lightning in the distance made me run even faster to my car. Before I reached it, I ran into an oak tree. Or at least it felt like it. Cole stood between my Civic and me.
“Let me explain.” His voice quavered. The sad and pleading look in his eyes cut right through me. “Please—”
“I think things were pretty self-explanatory back in there. Let me go.” I sidestepped him, but he put out his arm.
“Not until we talk.”
I moved toward to the cottage, but he blocked me again. On the second try, he bent down and reached for my legs. He slung me over his shoulder, knocking the air out of me.
“You’re not seriously doing this?” I said through gritted teeth.
“No more running, Valentina.”
As the rain continued in a relentless downpour, he sprinted up the grand staircase to his bedroom. With every step, my stomach bounced against his hard shoulder. I put my hands out to lessen the blow, but his back was wet and slippery.
He slowed his pace when we reached the landing. After a moment of hesitation, he strolled past the tables and chairs and dropped me onto his bed. He was on top of me, my hands over my head. I bit my lower lip, trying to catch my breath. Not much I could do to stop the tears from rolling down my temples.
“Let me go.”
“I will. But please. Listen to me first. I didn’t know she was here. And I sure as hell didn’t invite her over.” His whole body shook. He was inches from me. Water dripped from his hair onto my face. “You have to believe me. I haven’t been with anyone. Not since I firs
t saw you at the coffee shop.”
I wanted to believe him. He had looked surprised when he saw Nikki in his living room. The knot in my stomach loosened slowly, and I let out a breath. He bowed his head and let out a small moan before he bent down to kiss me, a deep, hot kiss.
He pulled back, releasing my hands. Cold air seeped through my wet clothes. Standing by the bed, his gaze on me, he reached behind him and pulled his T-shirt off. Shoes and jeans came next. “Take off your clothes.”
Desire pooled instantly between my legs. Heat unfurled slowly and left me weak. “No.”
“They’re wet. You’ll catch a cold.” He disappeared through one of the doors on the other side of the bed and came back with a white fluffy towel in his hand, still gloriously naked. Damn, that was a good look for him.
“I don’t care.” I crossed my arms. I had a hard time standing my ground while sitting on his bed, shivering.
He draped the warm towel around me, pulled me toward him. “Do it or I will.”
I shut my eyes and reveled in the sweet rush of heat that sprung from my center and lingered for a moment before scurrying down to my toes. Too many days had gone by since the last time we were together. I undid the first button, aware of every inch of his skin within my reach. I slowed down my movements, and our gazes locked. If I took my dress off, my no-sex rule would go out the window. Or had it gone out the window this morning?
He pulled at the fabric tied in a bow around my waist, and his breath hitched when my shirtdress parted to expose my bare breasts. Yeah, the no-sex rule had gone out the window this morning.
“You’re killing me,” he mumbled. “Tell me you’ve reconsidered.”
I nodded. “You were right. One night is not enough.”
He cradled my neck, mouth hungry on mine while his hands peeled the dress off me. He walked me backward to the bed, and I plopped myself on the mattress, my gaze on him as he slowly knelt in front of me. His smile told me he planned to make me pay for making him wait this long. I closed my legs before he could position himself where he wanted. I didn’t feel like giving in so easily, or maybe he just brought out the rebel in me.
Love Over Lattes Page 17
