She put a hand to her mouth as if to draw back the words. It was a completely involuntary move, asking like that. Still, it came out as naturally as asking Maria would have. Odd.
“Nice of you to ask but no, thanks. It’s a family thing. We shouldn’t intrude.”
She laughed. “You don’t know my family. We love intrusions. Besides, this is more like a neighborhood thing. There will be a crowd there and definitely lots of kids Eric’s age. It won’t be awkward if that’s what you’re worried about. No one will make any sort of assumptions about us.” At least, I hope not.
He met her gaze. “I wasn’t worried.”
Eric ran up to grab his hand. “Can we go, Dad? Please?” The child really had the puppy-dog eye thing perfected. Reva could see it wasn’t lost on the man either, which warmed her heart. The wind blew a waft of lemon-lime fragrance between them. The exchanged look between the two was almost comical, a Dad wanting to please his child but caught in an awkward situation. The boy’s facial expression tugged an involuntary laugh from Todd and Reva both.
“Don’t you think it’s impolite to invite ourselves to someone’s family get-together?” Todd placed his hands on hips and fake-frowned.
“If you had invited yourself, that would be the case—but you didn’t,” Reva corrected. “I wouldn’t have asked if I thought it an issue. I’m not that nice.” She grinned.
“Could have fooled me,” Todd said, “but I can see I’m severely outnumbered on this, so we’ll go. You’re sure it won’t be a problem?” He closed the distance between them, hands in pockets.
“Not one bit.” Reva nodded and gave a conspiratorial wink to Eric.
“Hey! It would be nice if someone didn’t fall for his game. I hate to see what will happen when he’s a teenager. At least let me have a little bit of control over this situation, please. What time should I pick you up?” He leaned toward her and lowered a teasing brow in mock admonishment.
Reva stared at six feet plus of solid strength and testosterone. The likelihood anyone would be able to push Todd to do something against his will was non-existent. He was a softie with the kid, an appealing trait in her eyes, but he wasn’t a pansy. The jovial attempt at intimidation encouraged a laugh from her and as she let it go, another strange feeling crept in behind it—warmth that wasn’t sun-induced. Although every inclination was to step into the man, she took a deep breath and backed up. She rattled off a time and escaped to the comfort of her house.
CHAPTER FOUR
It wasn’t often that Reva’s family showed surprise. When Maria brought home the short-term boyfriend who spent evenings and weekends in a theatre troupe, they’d barely given him a glance in his made-up white face and red lips straight from a performance. Reactions were a bit more noticeable when Tim was babysitting his neighbor’s toy poodle and carried it to the house decked out in its own shoes and silk bows. He stuffed the tiny dog in his shirt pocket and calmly took the few jibes he received later in the evening. His only response – “Cute girl, cute dog.” Ben, the eldest, made sure his kids fed it lots of jelly beans which left a trail of colorful stains on Tim’s shirt before it upchucked all over the silk bows.
Reva’s confidence that Todd and Eric’s appearance would warrant little more than a glance was quickly lost when they arrived. Her mother dropped the beer she intended to hand to Reva’s dad. Her jaw quickly followed suit by dropping as well. The action caused a double-take from the entire group.
“Hi everyone!” Reva said, attempting lightness.
Ben, enjoying the moment, barreled toward them and hugged her. “Hi you.” He slipped a hand from her back to reach toward Todd, who took it briefly. “Ben, Reva’s brother,” he said.
“Ah, the artist…I’m Todd, and this is my son, Eric.”
“They’re my neighbors,” Reva answered before any assumptions were made.
Ben grinned. “I thought all your neighbors were old farts and married couples.” He released her from the bear hug and stepped toward Todd. “You’re not married, are you?”
Reva slapped him on the back of the head. “Leave him alone, goofball.”
Ben’s head bobbled and he growled back a nice Spanish expletive. “So, how’d you meet Reva? Don’t tell me you were peeking over the fence.”
Ugh. This was a mistake.
Todd kept a serious face and answered, “Datemydad.com. Haven’t you heard of it? Great website.”
Did he really say that? Ben’s face washed with confusion. She knew he hadn’t decided whether Todd was serious. Reva suppressed a giggle and confirmed. “That’s right. Great website. Amazing how many single dads are out there. And you know what they say about single dads, don’t you? Eric, come meet my parents’ dog, Scooter.” She took Eric’s hand and hustled him across the yard where the dog chewed vigorously on a rawhide bone. She had severely underestimated her family’s reception of her companions.
Within seconds, Maria beelined toward her. She tugged on Reva’s forearm and whispered into her ear, “Where’d you find the hunk?”
“Online dating site,” she said, straight-faced. She might as well keep rolling with the fun.
“No joke? Which one?”
Hook, line, and sinker. Reva kept her head down, concentrated on Eric to suppress the twitch of her mouth.
“Desperategeeks.com,” she managed to say with a straight face. “Strictly for technology professionals like me.”
“Wow. That sounds so incredibly thrilling.” Maria rolled eyes and patted her hand to her mouth in a fake yawn. “I bet you have all kinds of things to talk about. Why didn’t you mention him this morning?”
Reva flinched as a hand grasped her shoulder. “Because we were afraid we wouldn’t finish getting her furniture moved in before we came over.” Todd’s voice sounded serious behind her yet she could feel the hint of amusement as he squeezed her flesh. His breath tickled the back of her neck. He enjoyed the charade.
“What!” Maria squealed. “You’re moving in with him? Oh my God, does Mom know?” She threw a hand over her mouth and glanced nervously at their parents. Good grief, when did her sister get so gullible?
“No.” Reva grinned. “And don’t tell them.”
“Don’t tell them? Are you crazy! You know they’ll have a cow. You said you’re not even seeing anyone and now, all of a sudden, you’re moving in with some guy and his kid? After everything you’ve been through!” Maria strode frantically toward the group gathered by the grill to spread the news.
Reva tsked under her breath. And she’s supposed to be the peacekeeper in the family. Ben had already preceded her so Reva felt sure they’d have a lot to talk about for a while. It takes time to determine how to extricate a crazy sister or offspring from the clutches of yet another wrongly-suited man.
Eric looked up. “She’s moving in with us, Dad?”
Todd patted him on the back. “No, buddy. It’s just a joke. Nobody’s moving anywhere. We’re just pretending.”
A twinkle passed over Eric’s youthful eyes. “I love jokes! Can I pretend too?”
“Don’t you think this is getting out of hand?” Reva asked.
Todd shrugged and bent to scruff the dog’s ears at eye level. “It’s just a little fun. Serves them right for prying. Besides, we’re not hurting anyone, are we?”
He turned his face up to hers and grinned. Why’d the guy have to be so ridiculously delicious-looking?
“But I can’t have them thinking I’m moving in with someone who—”
“You met on the internet? Or has a kid?” Scooter, the traitor dog, lifted and lashed out a tongue to swipe Todd’s cheek. Todd didn’t even back away or scrunch his face up, although he did close his mouth.
“That I barely know,” Reva finished. “I’ve never been that careless.”
Todd laughed. “Even more funny. Do they really think you’re that stupid?”
It’s complicated.
He leaned to a knee and looked past Reva’s hip. Over her shoulder, she noticed her par
ents headed their way. By the decisiveness of their steps, she expected a confrontation. “Guess the game’s over, roomie,” Todd said.
Clearly he had no intention of continuing the charade with her parents. It was one thing to fool her siblings—they spent too much time nosing in her private life anyway. If he thought she was going to lie to her parents about him just for fun, he was shit-out-of-luck. Reva knew better than to cross her mother. The woman had a temper that was unrivaled; even Reva’s dad knew when to back down against Angelina Zamora. Reva braced herself for the explosion as she looked at the red puffy cheeks and blazing eyes on the otherwise beautiful face.
“Reva Zamora, you better not…” Her voice pitched as she raised a finger and punched it toward Reva’s face. Todd stood, left Eric, and quickly strode to intercept.
“Hello, Mrs. Zamora.” He held a hand out daring her not to take it. “I’m Reva’s neighbor Todd, and that is my son, Eric. We met her a few days ago and she very kindly invited us over today when we were out working in the yard. I hope you don’t mind us crashing your family get-together.”
Angelina’s mouth dropped open as she choked back any further chastising of her daughter. “But Ben said you…I mean, Maria thought…”
Reva chuckled at the way she quickly deflated.
“We were just playing around.” Todd ran his fingers through his hair.
Reva’s parents stared at them with cautious curiosity. They seemed unwilling to let him off the hook so quickly.
“Besides, from what little I know about your daughter, I doubt she’s the rebellious type that would do something crazy. Especially without your knowledge or approval.”
Right on cue, Reva’s brother, Tim arrived behind her Dad. His height spanned an extra three inches over her father’s round frame, which added serious intimidation to his words. “Do I need to kick some ass here?” Tim asked.
José Zamora prided himself in the fact that his sons were almost as protective of their sisters as he was. When Tim’s chest bumped protectively against his back, he turned and pressed a calming hand to the chest that certainly could do some damage. “Easy there, big boy. If there’s an ass-kicking required, I’ll be the one to do it. Why don’t you take Todd, here, over and get him and his kid a burger?”
“Dad, this isn’t the divide and conquer trick is it?” Reva asked. She settled her hands on her hips in a mocked warning. “Take it easy on the guy, will you? I just met him a couple days ago. It would be embarrassing if you get him arrested before we even know anything about him.”
Todd shot his head up and looked at the group. Oh, yeah. She should have remembered that José was prone to overreaction when it came to his daughters. She hated the idea of a guy being involved in a Spanish inquisition with her family, which is why she had hesitated to introduce Nick until they had dated a few months. Nick was straight-laced and conservative. Stiff, if she wanted to be honest. They were merciless with him, teasing and pranking until he was completely confused. Still, when the chips were down and Nick slapped her around for the third time, the police showed up at her doorstep and cuffed him, courtesy of one really pissed off José Zamora. And she’d been thankful.
José didn’t hesitate to get involved if his daughter’s safety was at stake. He likely would have gathered up Tim and Ben and whipped the guy into unconsciousness if they’d lived closer. As it was, all he had done was pick up the phone. Reva knew it tore her dad up that he had to call the cops when he preferred to teach a lesson himself. It wasn’t that he was a violent man but he had been miles away and could only depend on strangers to keep her safe. It had always been his knowledge that family is a better bet every day. Fortunately, the distance kept things relatively civil and the police handled it well. Not that abuse is ever civil. As soon as Nick was in jail, Reva packed up and drove home. Her hasty departure left her with a black mark on her credit and her job history that had been difficult to erase, but no matter. She was alive, recovering, and strong. Where Nick had tried to make her feel less than capable, her family did just the opposite.
José laughed nervously about the arresting remark and clamped a hand on Todd’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s just messing around. I only sent one of her boyfriends to jail and he deserved it. Go ahead, get some food.” Her dad gave a quick squeeze and released Todd to Tim.
Reva watched the two equally gorgeous men saunter toward the grill. It occurred to her that Tim would find a tough match in Todd Grisham—probably tougher than expected. Yet, Todd didn’t seem the type to seek out an altercation.
“He treats you good?” José asked.
“Jesus, I barely know the guy, Dad. And if you guys keep this up, it’s unlikely I’ll know him for long. He’s just my neighbor. He doesn’t treat me any way at all. Don’t go all over-protective on me, okay?”
“Can’t help it. You have a history.”
“History. One guy is a history?”
“Yeah, if you nearly married him, it is.”
“Dad, you know I never would have married Nick. I’m too much like Mom to let some idiot with a superiority complex try to control me.”
She attempted humor but it was lost. Two seconds of silence grew into ten as both accepted the undertone of what could have happened. Hindsight made it sound easy to walk away but they all knew it had taken a lot out of her. They saw the dampness in her spirit that had occurred and the wariness she tried to conceal.
“You’re not at all like your mother. If you were, it never would have gone that far. You’re as much my daughter as if you stepped out of my skin. There’s not a person on this planet that you wouldn’t try to please and win over. You always were one to attempt to befriend rather than get in a pissing match.” José patted his baby girl on the cheek and followed Tim and Todd, but not before adding, “That’s a good thing in most situations. You just have to know when it’s not and give it up.”
A roar of laughter erupted as Todd confessed to Ben and Maria. He’d punked them, a feat not easily done in her family, and they respected that. Several glances her way assured her that they should have known she couldn’t snag a guy like him anyway.
CHAPTER FIVE
When the sun receded below the roof of the house, Todd met Reva’s gaze. Those eyes could captivate him, big and brown, almost like velvet. Eric’s head was bobbling as he fought off the sleep that threatened to end his playtime with new-found friends.
Reva passed a hand softly across his scalp and nodded. “Time to go, big guy,” her voice cajoled. The kind of voice that one could get used to. The gentleness of her hand on Eric’s head made Todd curious. Would she have that same gentleness if they were on his own skin? Running up his back or clutching into his pecks? The breeze caught a paper napkin on the picnic table. It floated in the air briefly before hitting the ground.
“That’s right. Time to go before someone falls asleep.” Todd scooped Eric into a fireman’s hold with the small, dirt-covered face buried into his neck. “You don’t mind leaving this early?”
“I’m thrilled. There’s only so much family abuse a person can take.” Reva mustered a smile.
Damn, that’s a good smile even when she’s tired.
“I’ll make excuses while you go put him in the car. Be right there.”
Todd waved at her family and carried Eric off. When she joined him a few minutes later, the smile was still there. He felt a tug at his heart. Odd, he hadn’t expected to be that comfortable around Reva. Hadn’t expected comfort around any woman. His marriage had tainted him, he guessed.
“That was fun,” he stated when they reached her house.
Eric had dropped into a slumber in the back seat, one leg curled under him, the other slanted toward the floorboard. Todd rushed to get Reva’s door before she opened it, and walked her to the step.
“I’m sorry they reacted like they did. It was unexpected. They’ve never really been wary of anyone I’ve brought home before. I guess it’s different now that I—” She cut off the sentence and glance
d away.
“Yeah, they told me about that.” Maria had filled him in on the angry fiancé that nearly beat the shit out of her before she had the sense to pick up and leave. He wanted to kick himself for teasing her about living so close to family. Had she lived closer then, the asshole probably wouldn’t have touched her. Knowing the Zamora men, they would have given him something to remember about mistreating women.
“They did? Oh great. Now, you’ll think me a total screw-up.”
“Not even close. Why would you say that?” Todd shook his head. Something stirred in him. A protective instinct perhaps? The wind caught the ruffled neckline of her shirt and blew it away from her skin. When the streetlight cast a blue glow across the curve of her breast, he recognized the instinct as nothing protective. It was more primal than that. He had enjoyed the game with her family, getting them all riled up. The mischievous sparkle in her face lit him up too. Even more interesting was his reaction to the banter. A temporary partnership had formed between them based on humor. He wondered if that had been missing for her as much as for him these past years. He liked the spark of it, the ease that she went with him in the teasing. It was alluring. The light on her face at the moment was even more so, trickling across the fullness of her lips to taunt him. Those lips probably tasted as great as they looked. It would be a damn shame if they didn’t.
Huh. Guess he’s finally over the bitter divorce. “I’d better go,” he said. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Thanks for accepting.” She leveled those velvet brown eyes on him and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He was going to kiss her. Yeah. Had to. That mouth is just sooo… “Goodnight, Todd.” She slipped inside the door and left him standing wondering if he’d misread the signals.
The following day Annie showed up just after lunch and whisked Eric off as if she’d missed him. Todd knew better but thankfully Eric didn’t. It was a relief that the boss didn’t come with her; Todd might have mishandled that. He knew it would happen eventually but until now, he had considered a quick jab to the nose would be the proper introduction. Perhaps a hand-shake and a few choice words would work nicely too. After all, the son-of-a-bitch saved him from the cold-hearted cow. Now, he just needed a way to salvage Eric from her claws too. He knew that impossible but it was still nice to dream.
Sassy, Sexy, and Stalked Page 3
