by Jenna Jacob
A look of relief crawled over her face. Sky simply smiled, then followed Nina into the kitchen. He stood back, watching his little girl place several magnets at the corners of her picture. Her little tongue stuck from between her lips as she focused, then turned and smiled with a look of triumph when the paper didn’t slip anymore.
As they gathered around the table, Greg helped Brooke—whose face now glowed—into her chair before slapping Sky on the back with a grin. Situated between Katie and Nina again, he found it far too easy to imagine enjoying dinner each night with both his girls by his sides.
Throughout the meal, Nina chattered about her friends at playgroup. She seemed to be blossoming into quite a social butterfly. It made him proud. He knew the children he and Katie had would be just as outgoing. Pausing in mid-chew, Sky raised his head and stared at her. When Katie glanced up, her brows knitted as a quizzical expression settled over her face. “What?” she mouthed.
Sky shook his head, forced a smile, and shoved a chunk of lasagna into his mouth. He was putting the cart before the horse… Hell, he was putting a semi in front of the goddamn Clydesdales. He didn’t dare want to spook her now, not after the fun they’d had. When the meal was done, Gran volunteered to bathe Nina and tuck her into bed. While Greg and his mom snuggled on the couch to watch television, Sky and Katie cleaned up the kitchen.
She stood at the sink, her hand immersed beneath a mountain of soapsuds. When he sidled up behind her, he brushed the hair from her slender neck…savoring these precious moments he had her alone. Gliding his lips up the column of her neck, Sky smiled at her sharp intake of air and the slight shiver rippling through her body. Katie craned her neck toward him, and he couldn’t keep from staring at the tempting bow of her lips. His cock began to lengthen in his jeans. It was as if he hadn’t gotten his fill of her…but then, he probably never would. Cupping her face, he slanted his lips over hers in a possessive and passionate claim. Katie opened for him. Their tongues met in the middle as the kiss turned blistering and wild. He finally inched back and stared at her glassy jade eyes. Her ripe, pouty lips shimmered in a glaze of wetness.
“Fuck…you’re beautiful,” he murmured before dipping in low for another kiss.
Every cell in his body screamed to tear off her clothes, prop her naked ass on the countertop, and plow his throbbing cock deep inside her. Instead, he had to settle for teasing her and pressing his erection against her ass. He let her feel his need, and Katie responded with a soft, mournful whimper.
“Sky, we can’t do this here,” she whispered in a ragged sigh.
Sky knew she suffered the same scalding need. “I’m not doing anything,” he protested with a wry grin. “But I sure would like to.”
“Well, I would, too, but…there’s an audience out there.” A playful smile tugged her lips before she flicked soapsuds at him.
“We could always go to your room again,” Sky cajoled.
“Oh, like that’s not obvious or anything.”
“When is Gran playing bunko again?” he asked, wiggling his brows with a sly grin.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged with a soft giggle. “Do you remember how we used to circle the days Gran would be out of the house on our calendars?”
Sky laughed and nodded. “I used to sit in my room and watch out the window until she was gone. Then I’d count to fifty just to make sure she’d turned off the road before hauling ass across the street to see you.”
Sharing memories, he and Katie laughed while they washed and dried the dishes. He couldn’t help but notice how much more relaxed she was now than when she’d first arrived. Sky hoped he’d had a hand in accomplishing that for her.
Greg poked his head around the corner. “I’m going to head out. I still need to feed the cattle tonight.”
“Thanks for everything, man,” Sky stated. He extended his hand, and they exchanged a hearty handshake.
“No thanks needed. I’m glad Brooke sent me to find you. It’d be all right if I came by in the morning to check on her, wouldn’t it?”
“I’d be pissed if you didn’t.” Sky grinned, watching the pensive expression smooth out over Greg’s features.
Katie drained the sink and dried her hands as the front door closed. Sky pulled her into his arms and rested his forehead against hers. “Have I told you today how beautiful you are?”
A bashful smile spread across her lips. “Yes, but I don’t think I’ve told you how flipping gorgeous you are, chief.”
They stood staring at each other, both wearing stupid grins. Sky couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so much alive.
“Ahem. Sorry to interrupt,” Greg apologized awkwardly.
“No worries. I, um, I thought you left,” Sky answered as he eased back from Katie.
“I did, but…” Greg seemed unusually nervous. “I was heading down the steps when a car pulled into Gran’s driveway. Do you know someone who drives a black Bentley?”
Sky watched as the blood drained from Katie’s face. A tremor shook her body. She jerked as if to run, but Sky simply gripped her tightly as his heart lurched in his chest. “Doug drives a black Bentley, doesn’t he?”
She nodded her head as fear swam in her eyes. He bit back a curse.
“I think I’ll hang out here a little longer, if you don’t mind.” Greg’s voice was suffused in concern.
“Not at all. As long as you look the other way when I kill the son of a bitch,” Sky spat. The fear palpitating off Katie’s shaking body made him want to kill Doug even more.
“You’re not going out there to confront him,” Katie ordered sternly.
“The hell I’m not,” he countered. “He has no right or reason to be here—”
“I’m the reason,” she cried as she tore from his grasp. “This is my problem; I’ll go deal with him.”
“Over my dead body,” he warned unequivocally. “You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’ll let you face that prick alone.”
“I don’t need you to fight my battles,” she declared, lifting her chin. “If you go out there, you’ll only make things worse.”
“How so?” he asked, blinking in disbelief.
“He knows I was in love with you.”
“Was?” he pressed.
“No. I mean…I still am…but Jesus, Sky. Doug doesn’t need to know I still am. That’s like adding fuel to a fire. I’ve got a gun. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t care if you’ve got a goddamn tank. You’re not going up there alone.”
“Fine,” she hissed. “But I’ll do all the talking. Understood?” Katie slapped her hands on her hips and pinned him with an angry glare. He knew once she donned her bitch wings, his chances of reasoning with her were over. Sky let out a heavy and unhappy sigh.
“If he tries to raise a hand to you, don’t get in my way. Because I will kill him. Understood?” Sky didn’t bother trying to mask his fury.
“I’ll, um…go sit with your mom,” Greg mumbled uncomfortably before leaving the room.
Katie glared at Sky as if he were the enemy. He scrubbed a hand through his hair before he reached out and pulled her against him once more. “I don’t want to fight about this, but I will do whatever it takes to protect you.”
“I don’t want to fight, either,” she huffed, then sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared. He threatened to make me pay if he had to hunt me down. There’s no telling what he’s planning to do.”
“All the more reason for you to stay here, where you’re safe.”
“But I don’t want you confronting him, either. He’s…unstable.”
“I know. I doubt highly he’ll be receptive to a man-to-man talk. So I intend to make it clear that you’re not going back to him—”
“It won’t do any good,” she quickly interrupted. “I’ve told him that. Obviously he still hasn’t gotten that through his thick skull. He’s not going to hear you, either.”
“Then fuck him. Nobody has to confront him. When he fig
ures out no one’s home at Gran’s, maybe he’ll give up and leave.”
Katie snorted. “You don’t know him. He’ll wait for me or, god forbid, Gran until one of us shows up.”
“Hey, Sky?” Greg called from the family room. “Looks like the visitor is leaving.”
As he and Katie exited the kitchen, Sky found Greg peering out the side of the curtains in the family room. “He’s backing out onto the road.”
“Good.” Sky nodded. “Maybe he’ll go back to hell.”
Katie exhaled a huge sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around Sky’s waist.
“Katie…honey, you’re as white as a ghost. You’re going to be just fine,” Brooke assured, though her tone was ripe with worry.
“I am now that he’s gone.” Katie nodded. “I’m just afraid he’ll come back.”
Sky feared the same, but even more disconcerting was the fact that he couldn’t guard Katie twenty-four seven. Yes, she had a gun, but what if Doug caught her off guard or alone? The thought of losing her to the crazy-ass son of a bitch made Sky’s blood run cold.
Suddenly there was a thunderous knock on the front door.
“Greg, take Mom back to her bedroom,” Sky instructed. “Tell Gran to take Nina there after her bath for stories. I don’t want this piece of shit laying eyes on my family.”
The need to protect all the people he loved thrummed through his veins like a bass drum. A second knock, louder than the first, echoed through the room. Greg led Brooke—who bore a look of fear on her face—down the hall. Before the couple disappeared, Sky shot his mom a wink to reassure her that he had everything under control.
“Open the door,” Katie instructed as she raised her chin up in false bravado.
“Believe me. I’m not about to let that fucker hurt you.”
“I know.” She nodded.
With his senses on high alert, he used his body to block Katie from view as he twisted the knob and pulled the door open. Standing on the other side of the screen door was Doug—the animal who’d beaten and raped his Katie. Sky could barely harness the urge to rip the frame off its hinges and snap Doug’s neck like a twig.
He was medium height and average weight, with dirty-blonde hair cropped short, and there was nothing impressive at all about Doug except his designer suit. He looked like every other pretentious, exec-u-fuck on the planet. Sky knew he could intimidate Katie’s ex-lover and business partner without an ounce of effort. A part of him felt disappointed. Sky knew it was going to be way too easy to fuck with the gutless prick’s mind.
He knew Doug didn’t want him to see it, but Sky saw a flicker of reservation in the asshole’s eyes. Good. The abusive prick had zero experience dealing with someone bigger and badder, and he certainly didn’t have a clue he was dealing with a trained killer. Sky welcomed the blackness filling him. He couldn’t wait to use some of the finer skills he’d learned in Iraq on Doug.
Silently studying the man, even without knowing his penchant for drugs, Sky knew the junkie was higher than a fucking kite. Addicts were unpredictable at best. Sky honed his senses to an even higher level.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Sky asked, keeping his tone calm and even.
“I sure hope so.” Doug smiled, acting all amiable and shit. Sky wanted to laugh in his face. “I’m looking for the woman who lives across the street.”
“Gran?” Sky asked, baiting the hook nice and slow.
“No,” Doug replied.
Sky didn’t miss the hint of disdain laced in his tone.
“I’m looking for…” Doug craned his neck, peering around Sky’s shoulder, and spied Katie. “There you are. Hello…darling.” A flash of malice darted over his face though his voice held a sickening sweet tone. “I’ve come to take you home.”
Sky’s lips peeled back in a feral sneer. Undaunted and against his better wishes, Katie moved in alongside him and shot Doug a confrontational glare. Instinctively, Sky wrapped his arm around her waist, watching closely as Doug’s loving façade fractured and a disconcerted countenance settled over the prick’s face. Sky wanted to celebrate with an inward victory party, but Doug grew increasingly agitated by the second. Yes, messing with the moron was much easier than he’d expected.
“I’m not going, Doug. I’ve already told you that. You’ve wasted a trip.”
A barely perceptible tremor shook her body, but Katie’s tone was encouragingly steady and strong. Sky gently squeezed her hip to further boost her resolve while remaining primed to insert himself between her and Doug in a heartbeat.
Doug all but ignored her words as he focused on Sky. “So you’re the Indian who popped Kaitlin’s cherry, right? Was she as lousy a fuck back then as she is now?” A humorless chuckle peeled off his throat.
Seething with anger, Sky felt her tense beside him. He now knew how Doug had stripped away her self-assurance…he’d picked at her self-esteem. Manipulated and criticized her over the years until he’d suffocated all the fire inside her. It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to push past the screen door and pulverize Doug’s face.
While Sky had suspected this confrontation would take a brutal nosedive, he hadn’t anticipated it happening so soon. The time had come to take the gloves off and come out swinging…figuratively…at least for now.
Inching closer to the screen, Sky leveled Doug with a taunting glare. “You don’t have a clue, do you? Guess that explains why a pussy like you needs to buy so many hookers. They’ll do anyone…even an impotent, pencil-dick piece of shit like you, for the right amount of money.”
Katie inhaled a shocked gasp as Doug’s face turned fiery red. His nostrils flared, and Sky smirked, knowing he’d scored a direct hit, as intended. The satisfaction felt glorious. Sky didn’t bother trying to hide the gratified smile that tugged his lips. Verbally knocking Doug on his ass was fun, but he would have preferred to use his fists.
A palpable rage rolled off Doug’s body, but he simply stood as if trying to digest the insult. It was obvious Doug wasn’t used to people pushing back. His hands clenched into fists as he narrowed his eyes on Katie. Sky’s muscles drew taut, ready to spring at the slightest provocation.
“I’m done talking to your boyfriend. He’s nothing but a tool. You, on the other hand, have one minute to get your ass out here, bitch,” Doug growled.
Katie twitched and grew an even ghostlier shade of white.
“You call her a bitch again, and I’ll rip your tongue out,” Sky promised in a lethal whisper.
As if gaining her strength from him, Katie thrust back her shoulders, standing tall and defiant. “Leave, Doug. I’m done talking to you.”
A smarmy smile spread over the deviant’s mouth, and Sky reached down, gripping the handle of the door.
“I told you what would happen if I had to hunt you down, now didn’t I?”
“I’m not afraid of your threats…or you. Leave.”
“If you’re not afraid, then come outside and talk to me, Kaitlin. We have a lot of unfinished business to take care of,” Doug taunted with a wicked sneer.
Sky squeezed Katie’s hip again, this time in warning to stay put. He’d had his fill of the asshat’s manipulative bullshit. Shuffling Katie out of the way, Sky shoved the door open and stepped onto the porch. Doug’s eyes grew wide, but the stupid fool thrust out his chest as if meaning to stand his ground.
“You may not have anything to say to me, but I’ve got a shitload to say to you.” Sky leaned in close. “Get the fuck out of here while you still can,” he whispered in an icy, murderous tone.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Life’s under no obligation to give us what we expect.
-Margaret Mitchell
Katie stood quaking in fear as she watched the two men square off. She had no doubt Sky would kill her ex as long as he didn’t have a gun hidden beneath his designer suit jacket. The whole scene felt surreal. Katie’s worst fears had come true. Doug had known all along she’d sought refuge with Gran, but she’d never imagi
ned him coming all this way to make good on his threat…but he had. It only solidified the fact that he was desperate to get her back…and at any cost—that fact frightened her beyond comprehension.
The air between the two men sizzled and crackled as tension mounted. Things were about to get ugly, and Katie knew she had to do something to defuse the situation. Unfortunately, she was too terrified to think of anything. Doug hadn’t even given Sky a passing glance. Instead, he’d pinned her with an unholy stare.
“You need to put your dog on a leash, Kaitlin. We have business to discuss, and I haven’t had my rabies shot.”
Oh, fuck. Sky was going to rip Doug in two. Without thinking, she charged out the door and stepped between the two men.
“There’s nothing to discuss, Doug. Reed will be in touch with your lawyer soon. You can either buy me out or our lawyers can find a buyer for the company, but I’m not going back to Chicago.” Her tone sounded patronizing, but Katie didn’t care. She needed to slay this dragon, once and for all.
Doug’s jaw ticked in anger, and his eyes turned dull and lifeless the way they always did when he was riding the edge of sanity. He’d expected her to cower and submit. Katie was glad to prove him wrong. Raising her chin, she squared her shoulders as the screen door squeaked behind her. She drew a glance over her shoulder to see Gran step outside, wearing a look of disgust. Sky snagged Katie around the waist and tucked her behind him.
“You turn yourself around and go on back to Chicago,” Gran scolded as she pointed a bony finger at Doug. “There’s nothing for you here.”
Easing in next to Sky and Gran, Katie watched the familiar plastic smirk curl at the corners of Doug’s mouth. “You must be Gran. Kaitlin’s told me a lot about you.”
Katie squirmed, attempting to nudge Gran out of the way and shield her. She’d kill him herself before she’d let him lay a finger on her grandmother.
The sudden burst of confidence felt invigorating. Surrounded by the people she loved…who loved her, too, made her feel invincible. As if a veil had been lifted, she saw how Doug’s violent and unpredictable behavior had damaged her psyche. How she’d allowed him to tarnish all the bright and shining pieces of her. She’d let fear steal the life out of her. No more.
