After finishing half of the chips and dip, Elle curled up on the end of the couch and acted sleepy.
“Were you planning to watch sports all day?” she asked.
“I’d normally head downstairs to the clubhouse soon.”
“Can I come with you?”
Losing my temper, I asked, “What part of you being in danger are you not fucking following?”
“You’ll be with me. Wait, are younota badass?”
“Great, so now you want me to act as your human shield?”
“Of course. If you end up killed protecting Wilbur and me, I won’t have to deal with the custody battle.”
“You’re fucking hilarious.”
“Sometimes, I’m quite funny, yes.”
Elle stood up and walked to the bathroom. I took her food and shoved it into the fridge before returning to the couch.
Texting York, I informed him that I wouldn’t be at the clubhouse tonight. I also warned him that Elle and Sabrina Reed were in town.
“Be on the lookout for trouble,” I told my road captain.
Elle finished in the bathroom and sat closer to me. Her gaze was warm and inviting. Having never seen her look at me this way, I was a little freaked out.
“What does the expression on your face mean?” I asked, feeling suspicious.
“I was really nervous about coming here, but you’ve been so sweet. I’m feeling relieved now.”
“I like sarcasm, too. But I think it would help if one of us played this thing straight.”
“Okay, then,” Elle said and turned around on the couch to sit on her knees. Her fingers caressed my lips while she wore a soft smile. “I was thinking that I’m glad you’re the one I made this baby with. Even with us living so far apart and you being a huge asshole, I feel good about you being my kid’s dad.”
“Why?”
“I think you’re a magnificent man.”
Immediately distrustful, I muttered, “In what way?”
“Your insecurity is adorable,” she mocked and patted my thigh in a sexy way. “Number one, you’re handsome, which bodes well for our son being good-looking. Number two, you’re smart, which is helpful since I would hate for Wilbur to be a dummy with a genius brother. Number three, you’re strong, which will make our son feel safe. But most important, I’m happy because you’re the guy I’m attracted to, and I usually find men sexually uninteresting.”
“Why do you think your pussy is so dry toward men?”
“Maybe there’s no reason. Or maybe it’s that my dad is special, and I knew other men wouldn’t be.”
Elle sat next to me and kissed my forehead. I waited for her to expect something from me. When she focused on the game, I tried to imagine having a casual relationship with this woman. We could be friends with benefits. Or raise the kid from two different towns and enjoy occasional hookups.
Things could work out as long as my enemies never learned of her value to me.
ELLE
All evening, Zodiac’s bedroom threatened me with a good time. I kept glancing at the open door. We finished the game, ordered Creole, and switched to watching an action movie. Our time together felt like a date. Through it all, I imagined what sober sex would feel like.
Eventually, the night got late, so I took my phone into Zodiac’s room and called Sutter before he went to bed. We talked about the show he watched with his grandparents. He sounded tired and maybe a little nervous. Though I’d stayed overnight at the Sorority House before, I was far from home tonight.
After Sutter told me goodnight and hung up, I sat quietly and missed my boy. Finally, though, I remembered why I had come to Baton Rouge, so I got my ass back in the living room with Zodiac.
