Off Limits

by Jules Barnard

  “Tyler!” I yell. “Knock it off, you jackass.”

  I rub Jaeger’s shoulders and his head lolls, his eyes drooping. He’s exhausted. Danielle was startling, but not our biggest problem. “What are you going to do about Kate?”

  He huffs out a breath. His muscles bunch up again, but his eyes remain closed. “I called my credit card company. Told them the situation and asked them to block those purchases. My father’s speaking to a lawyer. We’ll need to establish paternity before we move forward with custody arrangements if it turns out… Anyway, Kate acted like we’d live happily ever after. She’s nuts.” He shakes his head. “Not gonna happen. And she has to have another agenda if she’s trying to fleece me now. Gotta get her out of there.”

  “You think she wants your money?”

  I wasn’t raised to rely on a man for financial support. My mom taught us to take care of ourselves. It’s partly why I’m having issues with the career upheaval. I’m like a guy; I need to know I’m financially capable before I feel complete.

  “Oh, I have no doubt she wants my money, my home, whatever she can get. If I was sure the child wasn’t mine, I’d kick her out right now, but… I’ve had Mason and Adam asking around, though Adam’s been useless. He’s all bent out of shape over his breakup with Breanna.”

  “They broke up?” I interrupt. “Adam treated her like crap. Why is he so upset?”

  Jaeger shrugs. “That’s Adam for you. No one knows what goes on inside his head. He’s a good guy when it comes down to it, though.”

  “Let’s get back to the part where your friends are asking about Kate,” Tyler pipes up. “What did they find?”

  “Mason says she ran off with a guy from Reno after my accident. I was in and out of physical therapy and pretty messed up. Didn’t keep in touch with friends or hear the news. Supposedly, the guy she’s been dating since then deals drugs on the side. Light stuff—pot, acid. He started dabbling with meth over the last year and got caught running a lab out of Sparks. He’s serving time for it.”

  Unbelievable. “How does she go from you to a drug dealer?”

  He raises a shoulder. “The guy was loaded. Drove a nice car. Mason heard he bought her a place. I had things going for me back in high school, but once my Olympic career faded, she took off. I guess now that this guy is in prison, her funds have dried up too. She needs someone to leech off and is using our connection—our kid… if the little girl’s actually mine.”

  I slide next to him on the chair. I can’t stand Kate, but I don’t think mentioning it will help the situation. “Kate wants in your life because you’re beautiful and wealthy.”

  He wraps his arm around my shoulders and smashes me to his side. “You think I’m beautiful, babe?”

  I frown. “Everyone thinks you’re beautiful, including the Danielles of the world.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’re beautiful,” Tyler says drolly.

  Jaeger ignores him and looks down at me. “You’re the beautiful one. I think of myself as a manly sort of guy.”

  “Fine,” Tyler interrupts. “I’m the beauty. And being admired for my looks does not diminish my sense of masculinity.”

  I swivel my head. “Tyler, why are you still here? I’m trying to have a private moment with my boyfriend.”

  He stands and shoves the chair back in place, narrowing a look at Jaeger. “Just don’t make it too private.” Jaeger glares right back. My man is not having a good day. Tyler had better not push it.

  Tyler digs in his jeans pocket and pulls out his keys. “I gotta run another errand anyway. See you in a bit.”

  He leaves and Jaeger stands, pulling me up with him. “I have something in the back of my truck I want to show you.”

  Outside, Jaeger grabs two large boxes from his truck bed—one long, the other wide and flat.

  I stare at the packaging. “You bought camping gear?”

  “If I’m going to stay with you, I need a place to sleep. Your couch is nice, but I’m not looking forward to my knees dangling off the end again tonight.” He holds up the king-sized, pillow-top air mattress. “This way, we can sleep together.” His grin is highly suggestive.

  I like where his head is, but I eye the box skeptically. “Where exactly are we putting it?”

  He hoists the boxes on to his shoulder, grabs my hand, and walks to the gate. “Your backyard.”

  “Uhh, did you learn nothing from our game of catch at the beach? I’m not sporty, remember? That includes camping.”

  Okay, there’s no technique required in camping. I’m just not a fan of cold and rough sleeping arrangements.

  He drops the boxes on the cement patio outside the back door. “You go hiking. You can’t be that opposed to the outdoors.”

  Foiled by my own actions. I grumble and he grins at me.

  Jaeger rips open the tent box, an act that would have taken me thirty minutes with the help of a large screwdriver and scissors. His muscles and large paws are a huge turn-on. I follow those clever hands as he sorts and puts together the tent.

  “I bought one with a skylight.” He glances up and smiles. “We can look at the trees and stars at night.”

  I’m sort of following what he’s saying, nodding in agreement. But mostly I’m thinking about that tent and how see-through it is. It’s definitely not soundproof. We’ll have to be quiet…

  This could work.

  I grab the mattress box and hand it to Jaeger to open. He tears it apart and I smile happily, admiring the muscles flexing through his jeans as he bends and builds our home with his bare hands.

  He glances up and sees me watching. Instead of scolding me for the dirty thoughts that must be evident on my face, his jaw clenches and he works faster.

  I love this man.

  Chapter Thirty

  Our tent is the size of a motor home. Then again, Jaeger is too. Unfortunately for my housemates, the patio has been compromised. Our giant tent-home takes up the length of the cement pad.

  I’m lying on the mattress, which is surprisingly comfortable and mattress-like, staring at the stars through the skylight. Jaeger crouches his way in and zips the tent closed. I can stand without having to bend, but that does not apply to overgrown men.

  He removes his shirt, and my mind goes blank.

  I sit up abruptly. “Wait. We have to talk,” I say, but I’m staring at his chest, my gaze trailing to his eight-pack and the waistband of his jeans. I force it up, only to find him smiling knowingly.

  I plaster a somber expression on my face. “Don’t think it’s okay for half-naked women to show up at your place, because it’s not.” There, I told him.

  He sits next to me, and I’d like to say the indentation of the air mattress is why I fall into him, but I think it’s all me. Damn. Being a hardass girlfriend is more challenging than it looks.

  It’s a good thing Jaeger’s a good guy, but we still need to talk. “Why did Danielle show up?”

  He drops onto his back, an arm across his chest. “I had no idea she was interested in that. She’s bought some commissions from me and introduced me to other clients. We’ve had a working relationship for a couple of years now, and she’s never come on to me.”

  I hold up my finger. “I beg to differ. She clung to you like a wet blanket in the Blue lounge.”

  “Really?” He shakes his head. “Okay.”

  “Seriously? You don’t know that a woman’s coming on to you when she touches you and leans her breasts against your arm?”

  “I never thought about it.”

  “Does this happen often?”

  He shrugs, and I can tell the answer is yes, but he’s being modest.

  “Jaeger, what if a guy had his hands on me that way?”

  “I’d tear off his arm,” he says without hesitation.

  “Okayyy, so it wouldn’t be all right.”

  “Hell no.”

  I stare, and he glances away. “I get it, Cali. I know what you’re saying.” He sits up. “You understand, though, that
I’m not interested in anyone but you? From the moment I saw you in the cocktail lounge at the casino next to Blue, I did everything I could to make you my girlfriend.”

  He did? I think back to that night and the days that followed. I suspected he was flirting, but I was still with Eric and trying not to think about my feelings for Jaeger.

  He tucks a lock of hair, more red than gold in the moonlight, behind my ear. “No one else existed once I ran into you again. You’re all I’ve thought about. Honestly”—he shakes his head—“I might have picked up on Danielle’s intentions sooner if I hadn’t been so caught up in thinking about you. And then there’s this mess with Kate I’ve been dealing with.”

  He rolls me on top of him. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it clear to Danielle and anyone else that I’m not interested. I have everything I want.”

  Whelp, that clears things up for me. I nuzzle his neck and kiss him beneath his jaw, straddling him.

  Jaeger needs to push back more when it comes to Kate, but his heart is in the right place. He doesn’t want to make the wrong move when it comes to a child’s life. Kate weaseling her way into the middle will have to be dealt with—but maybe not right now.

  A second later, our clothes are off and we’re putting the translucent tent fabric to the test.

  The rest of the week goes by faster than I can blink. Between my job and school, and Jaeger’s commissions and meetings with lawyers, we’ve only seen each other at night.

  Tonight, I’m waiting in our tent, reading one of Gen’s smutty books. This one’s about a vampire with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I give her a hard time for reading this crap, but now that I’ve cracked one open, I can’t put it down. It’s freaking addictive.

  The screech of the zipper has me jumping back, tucking the book under my pillow. I roll on my side, head propped on my hand. “Hey,” I say, breathlessly, as if I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

  If Jaeger notices, he doesn’t show it. His eyes are at half-mast as he slips his wallet from his back pocket, kicks off his shoes, and crawls onto the bed face down. A rumbly sound comes from his chest. I think he said hello, but I can’t be sure.

  I crawl on his back and dip my head over his shoulder by his ear. “You okay?”

  He turns his head to the side. “Now. Don’t move. Feels good. I’ll be asleep in three seconds.”

  I’m worried about him. He’s wearing himself out. “You’re exhausted. What can I do to help? Do you want me to beat Kate up and get her sister’s phone number?”

  He snorts. “No. My lawyer has people searching birth certificates for information on her daughter. They offered to track Kate’s sister Hannah down, but I’ve got tomorrow off. I’m heading up again. I don’t want the lawyer getting involved yet. Don’t want to scare Hannah or the girl.”

  I roll to the side, facing him. “Let me go with you. I’ll take the day off too.” He studies my face. “It might be nice for them to know there’s another woman in the picture. Maybe Hannah doesn’t trust Kate. It could help smooth the situation over if she and her husband know you’re in a serious relationship. That you’re the kind of guy who commits.”

  His gaze is interested but guarded. “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.”

  Jaeger raises his head and kisses my lips. “I’d like that.”

  The next day we leave at six a.m. to beat traffic and catch Kate’s sister before she begins her day. We arrive in Reno at seven thirty, and pull into the Donner Springs neighborhood.

  “What’s Kate’s sister like?” I ask.

  “Hannah? No idea. Kate and Hannah didn’t get along in high school. I met her a couple of times, but the visits were brief. I’m surprised custody went to her. Kate manipulated her parents, but she had a better relationship with them.”

  “And the little girl’s name?” It could have been intentional on my part, to block what I don’t want to believe, but I’ve rarely asked Jaeger about his daughter. If she’s going to be in his life, I need to make a bigger effort to learn about her.

  His jaw tightens and he shakes his head. “Kate won’t tell me anything, not even that. She’s not making sense. Whatever I learn from Hannah, I know it will be different from what Kate’s telling me. For all I know, Kate dumped the child on her sister’s doorstep and told her to take care of it.”

  Jaeger checks the address on his truck’s GPS and pulls up to a small yellow house with a yard that needs to be mowed. “We’re here.” A maroon sedan sits in the drive, a car seat in the back.

  We walk up the driveway and I grab Jaeger’s hand before he knocks on the door. A child’s playful screech sounds in the background, along with a thunder of small footsteps.

  My heart pounds, my hands cold and clammy. I glance over and Jaeger smiles reassuringly. I think I’m more nervous than he is.

  The sound of a chain sliding free scrapes before the door opens. A woman with tawny, shoulder-length hair and dark blue eyes stands on the other side. “Yes?”

  “Hannah? I’m Jaeger Lang. I—uh, I dated your sister. Back in high school.”

  The woman blinks, her quick gaze taking in his size, then settling on his face. “Oh, sure. Hi, Jaeg. Is everything okay? I—uh, I don’t really keep in touch with Kate. If that’s why you’re here?” She glances at me curiously.

  Jaeger anchors an arm around my waist. “This is my girlfriend, Cali. I’ve seen Kate. I’m here because of what she told me. Do you mind if we come in and talk to you for a minute?”

  Hannah opens the screen door. “I’ve got to leave for work soon and drop off my daughter at school, but we have a little time.”

  She guides us to a living room with an overworn brown couch, the pillows askew. “Sorry about this.” Hannah tucks the cushions back in place. “My daughter’s going through a fort phase.”

  Jaeger smiles and sits on the couch. “Actually, your daughter is why we’re here.” He takes a deep breath, tension rolling off his stiff posture. “Kate told me we had a child together. She said you’ve been given temporary custody.”

  Hannah stares without blinking for a solid minute. “Mark!” she yells without breaking eye contact, her pitch escalating at the end. “Come in here, please.”

  A man in his early thirties walks into the living room from down the hall, wrapping a tie around his neck in a knot. His gaze goes straight to his wife, then touches on us. “I didn’t know we had guests.” It’s a statement, but there’s a question in his voice.

  “This is Jaeg,” Hannah says. “Kate’s ex-boyfriend from high school, and his girlfriend Cali.” Her tone is terse, but I don’t think it’s directed at us. “Please tell my husband Mark what you just told me, Jaeg.”

  Jaeger clears his throat. “I’m here because Kate returned to town and informed me we have a child together. She said you and your wife are caring for our four-year-old daughter, but she wouldn’t give me your number or specifics about the child, and I wanted to find out more information.”

  “What?” Mark’s voice is loud like a bark, his tone dark.

  A little girl runs into the room and grabs her father’s leg. She has straight blond hair pulled back with flower barrettes, and green eyes. She could pass for Jaeger’s daughter with her coloring, as long as no one saw her next to Mark. She’s the spitting image of her father, right down to the dimple in her chin.

  “Sweetheart”—Mark crouches and faces his daughter—“special treat this morning.” He smiles, but there’s a touch of tension in his voice. “You can play with your dress-up clothes before school.”

  The little girl frowns briefly, possibly picking up the edge in her father’s tone, then seems to realize her coup. Squeals ensue and she runs out of the room back down the hallway.

  Mark sinks into a chair next to his wife, his hands gripping the armrests. “What the hell is going on?”

  I’m tapping my foot and squeezing Jaeger’s hand to death. This is so not right. These people have no idea what we’re talking about.

&nbs
p; Somehow Jaeger remains calm. Even the contours of his face have softened. “I’m here to find out if I have a daughter.”

  “Well,” Hannah says, “I don’t know if you have a daughter, Jaeg, but I can tell you that my daughter came from my body, not my sister’s.” She smiles sardonically. “Childbirth is one of those things a woman doesn’t forget.”

  “Okay.” Jaeger nods. “Good.” He shifts in his seat, his brows bunching in thought. “You said you aren’t close to Kate, but do you know if she had a child?”

  “I don’t keep in touch with her, but my parents do. They would have known if she’d been pregnant. She’s close to my mom.” Bitterness seeps from her tone. “Mom puts up with Kate’s crap.”

  Jaeger rubs his forehead. “So there’s no way that the little girl I just saw or any other girl you’ve taken care of in your home is my child?”

  “There’s only one child we’ve raised,” Mark says. “And there is no way she is yours. Kate lied to you.”

  Jaeger takes a deep breath and leans back. “Okay. Okay—thank you. I’m sorry to have bothered you this morning.” He squeezes my hand and stands.

  “Jaeg,” Hannah says, “before you leave, tell me what’s going on with Kate. My mom hasn’t spoken to her in weeks. I don’t care what Kate’s up to, but it sounds like she’s getting into trouble again, and my mom should know. We thought her problems were behind her after her boyfriend went to prison two months ago. If she’s fabricating lies about having a child…” She looks to her husband. “I’m worried for our daughter, Mark. Maybe we should call the police.”

  “On it.” Mark pulls out his cell phone and walks away.

  Jaeger and I exchange a look.

  “She’s living at my house,” Jaeger says. “She said we needed to show a stable environment in order to regain custody of our child. I didn’t trust her from the moment she walked back into my life, but I didn’t want to tell her to leave in case she was telling the truth. Didn’t want anything bad to happen to the little girl.”