“Oh hell no,” Stella said. “You’re giving him the smoldering eyes. I’m out of here.”
I waved to her, my eyes never leaving Sebastian’s. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, I lunged at him and he caught me in a tight embrace. My legs were suspended off the floor, my arms locked tight around his neck, as our mouths met in a bone-melting, spine-tingling kiss.
He dragged me to the bedroom and then spent the rest of the night making sure I knew what I’d be missing out on if I didn’t give him a second chance.
Good thing he didn’t know I’d already forgiven him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“When I was a lizard, I climbed up the wall and sat on the roof,” Luca said, his hand on my cheek to make sure I was listening.
“When were you a lizard?” I asked, my attention on my son.
“Last weekend,” he said, the earnestness on his face adorable.
We were in the backyard, Lena playing with Stella in the sandpit, Luca sitting with me on the grass. We’d been playing Go Fish when he dropped his cards to tell me a story that included him being a lizard.
A loud knock sounded on the front door, interrupting our conversation. I looked at Stella, who narrowed her eyes.
“I’ll have a look at what’s going on,” I said, getting back to my feet. “You good with the kids?”
“Of course. But maybe take the bat with you,” she said, pointing to the baseball bat lying next to our blanket.
No way would I take a bat with me, so I waved her off and made my way inside and to the front door. A look outside made me wish I had, in fact, taken the bat with me.
I ripped the door open, interrupting Jim mid-knock.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my lips thin, my nostrils flaring like an angry bull about to charge. The thought of doing exactly that didn’t sound like a bad idea at the moment.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, then pushed past me and inside the house. “You’re in danger.”
“No kidding,” I grumbled and watched him walk into the living room. I turned back to the road, wondering where Gears was. No way would he just let Jim come up to the front door.
When I saw no sign of him, I followed my ex, who was making himself right at home. “Jim, you need to leave. You can’t be here.”
He was pacing, his movements jerky, his hair a mess, his clothes wrinkled and dirty. “You need to pack a bag and come with me.”
I looked at the ceiling, praying for patience. “No way. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Not liking my response, he grabbed my arm, pulling hard.
“Everything okay?” Stella called out from the back door, and Jim released me.
I stuck my head in the hallway and asked her, “Can you take the kids to get ice cream? Jim is here.”
Her eyes bugged out of her head and she took a step inside. I shook my head, and she nodded before going back outside.
I knew I could count on Stella to take the kids out the side gate so they wouldn’t see Jim. One crisis averted, I turned back to the bane of my existence.
“Leave,” I said, pointing to the door.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked, brows furrowed.
I prayed for patience and non-murderous thoughts to survive this conversation. “Of course I’m not mad. Why would I be mad about you owing a motorcycle club money and getting me caught up in your mess? And let’s not forgot the money you stole from me. In case you missed it, we’re not together anymore, so my money is not yours.”
Surely nobody would notice if I hid his body in the backyard.
“Whoa,” he said, putting his hands up. “I didn’t intend for them to come after you. And looks to me like they made themselves right at home here. Maybe I should be the one who’s mad.”
