Eve Langlais (12 page)

His eyes were serious when he answered. “I know you’re not into casual dating, and I’ve given this a lot of thought. Believe me. The truth is, I—” He hesitated, and to Suzie’s amusement, his cheeks turned pink. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t make any promises, but I do know I want to get to know you better.”

44

That had to be one of the nicest, most sincere things anybody had ever said to her and, on impulse, Suzie leaned up and gave him a kiss. Hunter’s eyes widened, then crinkled as he kissed her back.

Immediately, the fire in her body that had been simmering on low heat flared to life.

“Eew!” exclaimed Jared from behind them.

“Mommy, why you kiss Hunta?” asked Jessica, looking at them quizzically.

It was Suzie’s turn to blush as she stepped back. “Um, well, Hunter and I have decided to go on a date.”

“Whatha date?” asked Jared.

“He’s gonna be our new daddy,” whispered Jessica loudly, beaming from ear to ear.

Oh dear
, thought Suzie frantically. What had she done? Maybe dating wasn’t such a good idea.

Hunter, to his credit, didn’t panic and run. Instead, he crouched down. “I like your mother a lot, and I think she likes me,” he said with a wink up at Suzie. “A date is when two adults who like each other go out and have dinner and see a movie and stuff to see if they like spending time together. That won’t make me your daddy, but no matter what, I am your friend. Is that all right?”

Jessica bobbed her head hard enough to get whip lash. Jared, though, gave him a little scowl. “Are you gonna kith my mommy ‘gain?”

“I might if she lets me,” said Hunter with a grin up at Suzie who watched this interplay with her children with fascination. He’d handled that a lot better than she would have.

“Okay,” said Jared. Then, leaning in closer. “She wikes wet kitheth,” he whispered conspiratorially.

Suzie just about dissolved in giggles and, judging by Hunter’s clenched jaw, he had to fight hard to hold his laughter in too. “I’ll remember that, little buddy. Anyways, I’m going to finish back here and then go mow your front lawn now, if it’s okay. Then I have to go to work for a little bit. Will you take care of your mom for me while I’m gone?” Two little heads bobbed, and Jared puffed up his chest with importance. “How about I come by and see you all later?”

“How about you stay for dinner? The kids make a mean hamburger.”

“That sounds delicious,” Hunter said, staring at Suzie’s lips. She blushed again.
What am I, sixteen?

“Okay, so we’ll see you later then,” said Suzie, trying to act nonchalant, a hard thing to do when her panties were wet enough to wring. What exactly did her body plan to do with Hunter tonight?

“See you guys later,” he said with a cocky grin at Suzie as he started up the mower again. She and the kids sat out back, watching him finish the little patch that was left. Once done, he waved before he took the mower to the front of the house.

Suzie, bemused by the whole episode, floated into the house to make some lunch. She and Hunter were going on a date. She felt like dancing. And he’d be coming over later for dinner. Oh God, she’d have to shave.
Wait a second, I’m not planning on sleeping with him yet. Of course not.
Okay, so no shaving her kitty, just her legs. But maybe she’d give her kitty a trim, just in case.

An hour or so later, she heard the sound of Hunter’s Harley. Off he went to the office like he’d told them. God, could he be any sweeter, mowing the lawn for them and doing, well, man stuff? Was it too soon to dream of the what if’s? She wondered if he’d stay for a while after dinner so they could talk again. She’d love to know more about him—his family, his interests, maybe another kiss. Not a quick kiss like out back earlier. Oh no. She wanted a hot, tummy tingling, scorcher of a kiss like last night’s.

Even the thought of it was enough to make her body get all hot and aroused. She wondered how soon he could get his mom to visit so they could go on that date. Which made her wonder what his mom was like. What if she didn’t like Suzie? Time enough to cross that bridge when they got to it.

Deciding that standing around mooning after a man wasn’t going to get much done—fun as those daydreams were—Suzie went to work setting up her workstation while the kids colored. Her new Web project would be starting in a week, and she wanted to be sure everything was ready to go.

About mid-afternoon, the doorbell rang.

45

Odd. Couldn’t be Hunter. She hadn’t heard the bike coming back, not that she’d been listening for him, of course. The doorbell rang again, and Suzie frowned with annoyance. Probably a stupid door-to-door salesman. Well, she’d take care of him.

Suzie swung open the door and then just about slammed it shut.
Oh my God, no
, she thought as she stared at him standing there, looking the same as he had three years ago. On second impulse, she swung the door shut, but a leather clad foot slid between the door and the jam, stopping it. Suzie backed up, the urge to run so strong, but she couldn’t. She had to protect the children who were, thankfully, still up in their room playing.

“Go away, Damian,” she said as he opened the door and walked in.
Gee, make yourself at home
, she thought, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart.

“Is that the way to greet an ex-lover and the father of your children?” Damina said. His voice, the voice that once she’d loved to listen to, now grated on her ears and caused her flesh to prickle.

“Donating sperm doesn’t make you a father. Go away before I call the cops.”
And before the children
see you
, she thought. Suzie snuck a quick look at the stairs, and was relieved to see the children hadn’t come down to see who had come to call.
Please let them stay up there a few minutes while I take care of the
bastard who abused me.

“And whose fault is it that I didn’t have a chance to be a father? Hmm, Suzanne?” he said, stretching her name. Damian and her mother were the only two people who ever used her full name. She’d always preferred Suzie. “It wasn’t me that left and kidnapped my children.”

Suzie felt a pang of guilt. What she had done was wrong, maybe. . . .Wait—he was doing it already.

Trying to get inside her head and twist things. No, this time she’d make damn sure she didn’t let him get under her skin. Gone was that naive girl he’d manipulated three years ago. Being a grown woman now, she could see the game he played, and no way would she be falling back into that trap. She’d had every reason and right to leave him. Abuse in any form was unacceptable!
Yeah
, said her little inner voice,
stick
to your guns
!

“If you wanted to be a father then you shouldn’t have mistreated me and the children.” Ha, she’d told him, and her voice hadn’t even shook when she said it.

“Cry me a river,” he said sarcastically. “You were free to leave with the girl child. Not my fault you chose to stay.”

Nope, he hadn’t changed. “You bastard!” Suzie spat. “Get out!”

“Not without my boy, Suzanne.”

“Never. You leave Jared alone, or I’ll call the cops.” And she would. No way was she letting him bully her this time round.

“And what will you tell them, you stupid slut? That you’re refusing a poor father the right to see his children? Will you tell them how you kidnapped them?”

Suzie glared at Damian. “Get off my property. You can’t prove the children are yours. It’ll be my word against yours. It was your decision not to put your name on the birth certificate. Guess you’re regretting that now.” Another odd thing she’d explained away at the time. God, the clues had been there all along, but she’d just been to blind too see them.

“Now, Suzanne,” he said condescendingly, talking to her as if she were a simple-minded child. “A simple DNA test will prove my claim. You can’t win. Hand the boy over.”

“Over my dead body.”

“That can be arranged if you like,” he said, his cold eyes like an arctic breeze freezing her into stunned silence. He couldn’t be serious. Could he?

“You’re really sick, you know that? I will not hand Jared over to you. He deserves better than you.”

46

“Better, like your new suitor?” At Suzie’s stunned look, he laughed. “I know all about you and your neighbor. Just can’t keep your pants on, can you? Easy back in college and easy now. Your mother was so right about you.”

Suzie couldn’t help herself. She slapped Damian, and God help her, it felt good.

Damian’s face snapped to the side with the force of her blow. He turned back to regard her, one hand rubbing his jaw as he worked it.
Oops, that might have been a mistake
, she thought, judging by the way his whole being seemed to harden. The sharp planes of his face sucked in, giving him a cadaverous look.

How had she ever thought him handsome?

“Now you’ve made me angry, Suzanne,” was the only warning she got before he lunged at her. Suzie didn’t even have a chance to scream. His hands were around her throat, choking her. Suzie clawed at his hands, but they were like steel bands around her throat, squeezing and cutting off her air. She felt herself going faint, black spots dancing in front of her eyes, her knees buckling as her body grew weak from lack of oxygen.

Suddenly, the pressure was gone, and Suzie crouched on her hands and knees, gasping, her throat raw with pain.

Dear God, no
! Jared had come downstairs and attacked Damian, his little fists pummeling to no effect.

“You leave my mommy alone!” he screamed. “Go away! Go away!”

“Hello, son,” said Damian, grabbing Jared’s hands and holding him immobile. “Aren’t you glad to see your daddy?”

“You’re not my daddy!” Jared cried, struggling.

Suzie wanted to cry too. This couldn’t be happening.

Suzie struggled to her feet, wheezing as she attempted to breathe. The sight of Damian holding her son, his clawlike hands, hands she’d once thought graceful, digging into Jared’s flesh was too much.

Suzie saw red. How dare that bastard touch her son! If anger could have killed, Damian would have keeled over then and there. She should be so lucky.

“Let him go, you bastard,” she said, the words coming out raspy. She grabbed Damian’s arm, trying to pull Jared free.

Damian let go of one of Jared’s hands only to swing it at Suzie and punch her in the face. Suzie held on through the dazing pain and kept tugging. But a second fist came flying and smashed her even harder. Down she went, hitting the floor hard, the whole left side of her face throbbing. Her left eye swelled shut from the force of the blow, and she could only squint through it blearily, trying to see what was happening.

A new wail pierced the room, and Suzie looked up in horror as Jessica came flying down the stairs and threw herself on Damian, pummeling him with her little fists.

“No! No! No!” screamed Jessica, her face tear-streaked.

Suzie tried to cry out “stop,” but her voice was just a low whisper that Jessica never heard above her wailing. Suzie watched in horror as Damian backhanded her baby girl and sent her flying to land in a crumpled heap on the floor. Oh God, had he killed her?

Suzie wanted to scream. How could this be happening? It was her worst nightmare realized. She struggled to her knees. She needed to get Jared.

Damian watched her struggling with a cool smile, his flat eyes glittering in satisfaction.

“I told you to give him to me, but you just had to do this the hard way. You always were a stupid slut. One can only hope my son got my brains instead of yours.”

Jared was crying, wet streaks making his still chubby cheeks glisten. Suzie wanted to tell him it would be okay, but before she could say a word, Damian dragged Jared outside.

Suzie crawled to the door, tears running down her face, and peered out. Jared was screaming as Damian dragged him off the front porch, his little body twisting as he tried to escape his father’s iron grasp, but one little boy was no match for the strength of a grown man.

47

Suzie prayed a neighbor would come out and stop this.
Anybody. Please
.

But the street remained silent. Suzie, using the door, pulled herself up and staggered out onto the front porch.

“Bring him back,” she pleaded. “Please. We can set something up. Visitation? Anything? Just don’t take him. Can’t you see how scared he is?”

Damian just grinned evilly. “He’s mine, bitch. Say good-bye because you’ll never see him again.”

“I’ll tell the cops. They’ll make you give him back,” she said desperately.

“Good luck with that. Where we’re going, none of you mundanes can follow.”

What the hell did he mean? Where was he taking Jared?

Suzie lunged out the door and tried to grab Damian. He just sidestepped and laughed as she fell to the ground at his feet.

She could hear Jared screaming, “Mommy!” But a couple of hard kicks in the head by the world’s biggest bastard knocked her out cold.

48

Hunter walked into the agency with a whistle. Suzie had agreed to go out with him. He had no idea why this made him so happy, but it did. And she’d said yes even after the pathetic little speech he’d given about liking her. Okay, so it was true, but talking about your feelings like that, out loud, well, that just wasn’t manly. He’d just have to remember not to tell anyone. Oh, and he’d have to hit the gym and sweat a little maybe, too. Anything to bring his testosterone levels back up so he stopped spouting sappy shit whenever he saw her. Since when did the hunter talk about his feelings? The boys back home would just be howling if they’d heard him. Hell, he’d have howled too if it was one of them.

No one sat at the computer desks, and Bob’s office lay empty, so Hunter made himself comfortable at one of the desks. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, he started writing a letter to his mother. What to tell her?

Dear Mother
, he started writing.

I hope you and the rest of the family are doing well. I know it’s been a while since I wrote, but I’ve got good news. I’ve
met someone I really like, and I think you’ll like her too.