by A. M. Myers
“Hey, y’all. How’s dinner?”
Mason jerks back, a bewildered expression on his face. “I’m sorry. Can we help you?”
“What are you doing here?” Kady hisses, her teeth clenched and fire igniting in her gaze as she glares at me. My cock hardens and I smile.
“Oh, Kady, baby, you already know.”
“You son of a bitch,” she whispers under her breath as Mason clears his throat, his gaze flying between the two of us.
“Kady, do you know this guy?”
She nods, her fist clenching on the table. “This is the ex I told you about.”
Oh, so she told him about me, did she?
Anger radiates off her in waves, hitting me like an atom bomb and I’ve never been so goddamn turned on in all my life. She’s magnificent.
Turning to Mason, my smile is a little more forced. “I’m Noah, Kady’s fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé,” Kady snaps and when I turn back to her, I swear I can see her blood boiling. The zipper of my jeans digs into my flesh and I chuckle as I reach under the table to discreetly adjust myself as she continues to glare at me. Mason and all the other diners disappear while we continue our silent face-off and my heart thunders in my chest, picturing how hot it would be if I could get her underneath me right now. Some of my most vivid memories of the two of us happened when I got her in bed after one of our knockdown, drag out fights and she was never this angry at me. I can only imagine that we would scorch the earth right now.
Someone clears their throat and I jerk my gaze away from her.
“And why are you interrupting our dinner?” Mason asks, irritation slipping through his polite southern boy mask. Ignoring Kady’s eye daggers, I turn to face him and lean back in my chair as I grab her glass of wine and take a sip.
“What did she tell you about me?”
He copies my pose, leaning back in the chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world, his expression turning cocky. “That you just got back to town and that the two of you are ancient history.”
“Kady, baby,” I coo, turning to look at her with a disappointed expression. “That’s not exactly true, is it?”
“Yes, it is,” she challenges, daring me with her gaze to continue. Adrenaline races through my veins and my cock aches. Fuck, I need this woman so bad.
“No, it’s not.” I turn back to Mason. “Let me give you the lowdown, Mason. You seem like a nice enough guy so I do feel a little bad about all this.” I motion to the three of us.
“Shut up, Noah,” Kady growls. I ignore her.
“But you’ve got to understand, I met this girl in sixth grade and from the moment I saw her, I knew she was the only girl in the world for me. We were together for nine years and we were engaged when I royally fucked up and got myself sent to prison. You with me so far?”
He nods and grits his teeth. “Yes.”
“Noah,” Kady whispers again, a threat clear in her voice.
“So, I get locked up and my girl here, she just disappears. We’re talkin’ no record of her anywhere and trust me, I looked but there’s only so much a guy can do behind bars.”
Mason’s gaze flicks to Kady and she sighs but I refuse to look back at her.
“I got released a little over a week ago and that’s when the search really began.”
Kady grips my arm and my entire body lights up like I’ve been tasered. It’s the first time she’s touched me in seven years and it’s fucking everything.
“That’s enough, Noah.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. “No, it’s not.”
“Look,” Mason cuts in and I turn back to him. “I think Kady has made it very clear how she feels about your reappearance in her life so I think it’s time for you to leave. And stay away from her.”
“See, you’re not understanding me, Mason. What you and Kady have…” I laugh. “It’s nothing. Less than nothing compared to the connection we’ve shared for most of our lives and if you think I’m just going to walk away from that, you’re dead wrong.”
He arches a brow. “Are you threatening me?”
“Shit, I really hate to be such a cliche but no, it’s not a threat, it’s a promise. Like I said, you seem like a nice guy but it’s not going to stop me from taking what belongs to me.”
“It’s like that, huh?” he asks, his gaze flicking to Kady. “Seems like a threat to me. Maybe we should go to the police and tell them you’re harassing my girl.”
No, motherfucker.
Big mistake.
I glance behind him and Kady’s gaze shifts to me as she chews her bottom lip.
Bingo!
Based on how well Kady has hidden herself over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s hiding from more than just me. I have no idea what happened to her to scare her so badly but she won’t go to the cops. And despite all her objections, I’m not convinced that she really wants me gone either. Sure, she says she’s moved on but that’s a crock of shit. All it takes is one look in her eyes to know that our connection hasn’t dimmed at all in the seven years I’ve been gone. Turning my focus back to Mason, I nod.
“That’s certainly your right.”
He studies me for a second before scoffing. “You’d really go back to prison for her?”
“I would die for her,” I growl, leaning forward like I might lunge across the table as I level a glare at him. I hope he sees just how serious I am. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Kady and they should both realize that.
“It’s time for you to go,” Kady says, giving me a little shove but I ignore her, locked in a battle of wills with her new boyfriend and I won’t back down.
Not now.
Not ever.
“I’m not just going to roll over and give up.”
I smile and shrug. “Makes no difference to me. She’ll end up back where she belongs in the end either way.”
“Yeah, we’ll just see about that. The two of you may have had something real years ago but I’ve been the one here, taking care of her every need, not you.” His shot hits its mark and he smirks as I slam my fist on the table and shoot up. He stands also and we go toe-to-toe, ready to throw down as a hush falls over the crowd and every eye in the room turns to stare at us.
“It’s time for you to go, Noah,” Kady threatens under her breath and I continue staring at Mason for a second before nodding and turning back to her. Before she can stop me, I reach out and take her hand in mine. Her eyes widen and she sucks in a breath as our eyes meet.
Fucking victory, motherfucker.
“I’ll be seeing you, baby.”
A giant man dressed all in black, who can only be security, starts working his way through the dining room so I release her and hold my hands up as I back away from the table.
“Y’all enjoy your dinner,” I call before winking at my girl. The surprise on her gorgeous face melts away to reveal her glare and I flash her a wide grin.
Shit.
This is gonna be fun.
Chapter Seven
Kady
Noah fucking LeBlanc.
God.
I could kill that son of a bitch right now. Maybe that would finally wipe that smug ass smirk off his stupid face. Actually, no it wouldn’t. He loves me angry so it would only egg him on. Which just pisses me off even more.
Screw him.
Ever since he showed back up in my life - I keep asking myself the same thing: who the hell does he think he is? And just when I think we’ve reached the limit of how crazy he’ll get, he develops a new layer of insane and surprises me. Clenching my fists in my lap, I grit my teeth and try to take a deep breath as I stare out the window of Mason’s car, imagining several different ways I could kill him. I mean, showing up at my house is one thing but to follow me to dinner with my boyfriend and then crash it… the man has lost his ever-lovin’ mind! Not to mention that no matter how much I tell him to leave me alone, he just keeps showing up and ruining everything I’ve built in the void he left in
my life. Allowing him back into my world is playing with fire and I’m not the only one that could get burned this time.
Mason has been silent since we left the restaurant and I glance over at him, wincing at his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. God, what is he thinking right now? I wouldn’t have blamed him if he stood up and decked Noah but he surprised me by simply standing up to him and he looked so damn confident doing it. But I know him well enough to know it’s eating away at him.
“Mason?”
He spares a glance in my direction before turning back to the road in front of him. “Is he why you won’t move in with me?”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head as I drop my gaze to my lap. Over the past few months, Mason has been trying to convince me to take our relationship to the next level but I’ve refused. It’s not because of Noah or because I don’t want to live with Mason but there’s so much about my life that he doesn’t know, things that could put him in danger, and I’m not ready to tell him all of that yet. Hell, he and I have never even had sex because of how screwed up I am.
“Sure seems like it. From where I’m sitting, Kady, it’s all starting to make sense now.”
I meet his gaze before he turns back to the road. “It’s not that simple, Mason. There are things about me that I’ve never talked about and it would be unfair and unkind of me to move in with you before you know them.”
“So tell me,” he demands as we pull into the driveway of the cabin. I shake my head.
“I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“It’s like that, then?” He puts the car in park and turns to look at me.
“Like what?”
Sighing, he looks away for a second, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Our one year anniversary is in two weeks and I’ve done everything I can to show you what you mean to me but you still don’t feel secure enough in us to tell me about your past.”
“I told you it’s not that simple.”
“Then simplify it for me, Kady!” he yells and I suck in a breath as tears burn my eyes. He glances over at me and whispers a curse before opening his door and jogging around the front of the car. When he gets my door open, he pulls me out of the car and wraps his arms around me as he buries his head in my neck. “I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry. You didn’t ask for this mess and maybe I never should have agreed to that first date. Mason, you’re one of the best men I’ve ever met and you deserve so much more than me.”
“Hey,” he whispers, pulling back and brushing the back of his fingers on my cheek. “Don’t talk about the woman I love like that.”
“You love me?”
He sighs. “I probably should have told you before now but I’ve been doing my best to show you how I feel and I didn’t want to scare you off, especially after how long it took to even convince you to one date. And I realize that now it probably looks like I’m only saying this because your ex showed up but I’m really hoping you can see past that.”
I nod. “I can. I just…”
“Please don’t say anything right now, babe. You need time to process, I get that. Just tell me again that I have nothing to worry about.”
I press my hand to his cheek and smile. “Ancient history, I promise.”
“Do you want to go to the police?”
Oh, that is a bad idea.
For so many reasons.
“No,” I answer, pursing my lips. “I don’t want to ruin the rest of his life. I just want him to move on.”
He studies me for a second before nodding. “And you think he’ll eventually give up?”
No.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Okay, then.” He pulls away and grabs my hand as we begin walking up the path to my front door. When we get to the porch, I notice the single red rose laying in front of the door and sigh.
“From our unexpected dinner guest?” Mason asks and I nod as I lean down and scoop it up.
“I would assume so.”
He holds his hand out. “Do you want me to take it and throw it out?”
“Yes, please,” I answer, recognizing this for the test that it is as I hand the rose over to him. “Thank you.”
“Of course, baby.” He smiles and I lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him. A hum vibrates through his body as he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer, kissing me with all the love and devotion he confessed to moments ago. Running my hand through his brown hair, my eyes flutter closed and a feeling of familiar comfort blankets me as his other arm wraps around my waist. He holds me close to him, like somehow if he keeps me close enough, he won’t lose me and it breaks my heart. When he finally pulls away, he smiles but I can still see the hint of vulnerability in his gaze. Leaning in again, I press another quick kiss to his lips before he sets me back on my feet.
“Have a good night, babe.”
I nod. “Call me tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’ve got a bunch of showings so I won’t be able to see you tomorrow but I’ll find some time to sneak away and check in on you.”
“Okay.” I press another kiss to his lips before digging my keys out of my bag and turning toward the door. The rose is laying on the porch again and it’s been trampled, its petals scattered around it. I smirk as I unlock the door and step inside. When I turn around to say good-bye to Mason, he leans in and kisses me one last time.
“I love you,” he whispers, avoiding my gaze. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Text me when you make it home,” I tell him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze before releasing it. I watch him climb back in his car and back out of my driveway before closing the door and letting out a sigh. Jack cocks his head to the side, studying me as I plop down on the couch and drop my head into my hands.
What the hell am I going to do about this mess?
* * * *
Yawning, I stumble into the kitchen with Jack on my heels and grab a donut from the box of pastries Mason dropped off yesterday when he was picking me up for our date before turning on the coffee pot. As I carry my treat back over to the table, I sigh. I haven’t been sleeping well since Noah’s reappearance in my life but last night was especially bad as I replayed the scene at dinner over and over again in my head. Sinking into the dining room chair, I scoop my phone up off the table and pull up the text from Mason last night, letting me know that he got home safe, and send him a new message.
Me:
Good Morning :)
Call me when you can.
I toss the phone back onto the table and grab my donut before taking a bite and letting out a hum. Sugar and caffeine - that’s what I need to make it through the day. The dark, ominous clouds greeting me out of my kitchen window seem fitting for my mood today. Jack whines and plops his head down on my leg as he looks up at me with concern.
“What is that look for, huh?” I ask, scratching behind his ears. The motion sensor goes off and Jack’s head whips to the door, his entire body rigid as I stand up and walk to the window.
Shit.
Noah’s truck stops in front of the house and he steps out before reaching back inside and pulling out two coffees. As he slams the truck door and turns toward the house, I whisper a curse.
“Jack, bed,” I call and hear him snort behind me before the sound of his nails clicking against the floor fill the room. Jack is an excellent guard dog and if I didn’t order him to his bed when new people showed up at the house, he’d likely take someone’s arm off. I glance over my shoulder as he throws his large body into his bed with a pout and shake my head. “So dramatic.”
Noah knocks on the door and I point to Jack. “Stay.”
When I’m confident he’ll listen, I turn back to the door and take a deep breath before pulling it open. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, good morning to you, too, sweetheart.” He laughs, his gaze slowly falling down my body and back up again. “Gotta say, I love the pjs but I think I prefer the way you used to sleep with me.”
&n
bsp; An image of the two of us in bed together pops into my mind and I grit my teeth to fight off the shiver of desire.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
He holds up one of the cups in his hand. “I brought your favorite.”
“I have perfectly good coffee in here.” I arch a brow, challenging him, and visions of homicide creep into my mind when he laughs.
Well, at least one of us finds this amusing.
“Just take it, Kady. You really going to let it go to waste?”
Damn him.
Why does he have to know me so damn well? After growing up in group homes and foster care, I’m cheap as hell and can’t stand to let anything go to waste and he knows that. I rip the cup from his hand and take a sip, using all my energy to not give away just how good it tastes. Jack lets out a low growl from behind me and Noah turns to him.
“Cute dog.”
I glance over my shoulder as Jack lifts his head from his pillow and casts a disapproving glance at the door.
“Can I pet him?”
I purse my lips. “I would say yes but I don’t want him to catch anything. Rabies and Parvo are really contagious, you know.”
“You saying I’m a dog?” he asks, laying his hand on his heart. “That hurts, baby.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“I have an idea,” he murmurs as he steps closer to me and I back up. “Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and say what you really want to say to me?”
“What makes you think I have anything to say to you?”
He takes another step. My back presses against the open door as it hits the wall. “Because I can see the rage in your eyes every time you look at me and it’s not like you to hold back.”
