But there would be no regrets today, at least not on my end. My brothers stepped up, forming a line of defense. Any violence coming my way would also have to contend with my entourage.
Cody’s eyes darted toward the door, making it clear he did not intend to throw himself on the sword for Nick like my brothers would do for me. He gripped Nick’s arm and dragged him back. “Nick, come on.”
I followed after them, making sure they found their way out. But Jess’s ex wasn’t ready to go. Ripping his arm out of Cody’s grip, he stood his ground. “Noah, does Quinn scare you? Is that why you’re crying? Come here, I’ll protect you.”
Clearly unsure what was expected of him, the boy looked to his mom and then to his father, dismay playing out over his face. It was a decision no child should ever have to make.
And, with tears trailing down his cheeks, Noah Ledger ran to me.
28
Jess: The Drill
Iclimbed over the top of Quinn, his hard body sending a current through me. My hair fanned out like an upside-down umbrella as I arranged a series of kisses along his face.
“Is it morning already?” His voice was rough with sleep, but that didn’t stop his barely awake fingers from sliding up my thigh. I wanted to be the first thing he touched every morning for the rest of his life. How lucky would that make me?
“It is,” I said, sucking in my bottom lip as his hand moved up my sleep shirt and traced the swell of my breast.
“And you want me to leave,” he said, knowing the drill well.
Every morning was the same thing. I set my alarm fifteen minutes earlier than Noah’s, then tiptoed into the bathroom to do my business before brushing my teeth and fluffing my hair. I would then sneak back in and place kisses onto my sleeping prince.
And every morning, he slipped out the front door for his trip to the Starbucks on the corner, where he would chat up his coffee mistress for a while before returning to an empty apartment, or if it were a weekend, to a well-rested Noah who was none the wiser.
“I neverwantyou to leave,” I said, teasing him with the subtle swivel of my hips.
“How much time do we have?” he asked.
“Minutes.”
“I can do it in sixty seconds,” he bargained, grabbing his phone and setting the stopwatch.
I wrestled for his phone, snagging it out of his hand and holding it up.
“Look, woman.” He swiped for the phone. “You’re cutting into my performance time.”
“As tempting as sixty-second sex sounds, you know the drill.”
“Iknowthe drill. I just don’tgetthe drill. Noah knows what’s going on. He’s not dumb.”
“He’s nine, Quinn. He’s a baby.”
Quinn’s brows rose.
“What?”
“Maybe I was an early adopter, but I was choking the chicken by the time I was his age.”
“No you were not!” I gasped.
“Yes I was. Why do you think god made opposable thumbs, Jess?”
“To grip stuff, you perv!”
“Exactly.” Quinn showed off his version of gripping ‘stuff,’ and it did not mesh with mine.
“All I’m saying is, I think Noah can handle me waking up here in the morning.” Quinn sucked in a breath, hesitating. “Look, Jess, I didn’t want to have to tell you this, but the other day when I was at Starbucks with Debbie… I had an espresso.”
