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Yeah, you. “Nah.” I shrugged. “Just thinking about cars. What else?”
Her violet gaze spoke volumes, and what it said the loudest was that she didn’t believe me. But that was the good thing about best friends—they knew when to push and when to let it go.
“Hmmm,” was her only reply.
“How was your day, honey?”
She laughed and rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Work is always great. The people, though? Not as great.” There were signs of tension on her face now, signs she’d tried to hide earlier, and I wanted to know who had upset her.
I asked the question with my eyes while Titus ate every topping, one by one, off his pizza before annihilating the crust.
A brief shake of her head told me she didn’t want to talk in front of Titus, and I nodded in return. “Isn’t that always the case? If I could just deal with the cars and not the drivers, my job would be perfect.”
Persephone laughed, and the sound was rich and husky, the same sound she’d made when my fingertips traced the curve of her breasts. “You hear that, Titus? Ryan wants to talk to cars all day.”
A quick look at the little boy found him asleep with a hot wing in his hand, ranch dressing all over his mouth and pizza sauce smeared across his forehead.
“Is it wrong that I feel proud of him in this moment?”
Persephone laughed. “Men. You’re all alike, even when you’re little boys.”
She wasn’t too far off the mark. “I’ll hose off the little human and you can take care of the kitchen?”
“Oh, sure, leave me with the so-called women’s work.”
“I’m happy to strap on that floral apron and clean the kitchen, if that’s what you want?” I already knew the answer.
“No. Put those ridiculous muscles to good use trying to hose off a sleeping five-year-old.” Her hands waved at Titus, asleep in my arms. “Have fun.”
I winked. “I always do.” The kid was easy to take care of on most days, but when he was asleep, he was perfectly malleable. There were no adorable faces to convince me to read a fourth of fifth bedtime story, no arguments about why nighttime teeth brushing was unnecessary. He was a fun little dude, but tonight I was eager to get back to the older member of the Vanguard family.
Ten minutes later, the boy was washed and in pajamas, asleep in his bed, one leg hanging out from the blanket. I kissed his forehead and left the door half open. “Night, little man.”
“Night, Ry,” he mumbled. “Love you.”
I used to think it was bullshit when people would say how much kids changed your life, your way of thinking. And then Titus came along with his open requests for hugs, his easy affection. It had changed me. For the better. “Right back atcha, kiddo.”
He smiled and turned over, and I went in search of the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. Dreaming about.
The kitchen was empty, but mostly clean for a woman who hated cleaning more than any other chore. Why she didn’t just hire a cleaning service, I had no idea, but she refused whenever I brought it up. When she wasn’t in the living room, I smiled, knowing exactly where she would be.
In the back porch, overlooking the gorgeous flower and herb garden that formed the perimeter of her backyard, she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed at the ankles, propped up on the banister. Two beers were uncapped on the small table, each on a wicker coaster.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
She was deep in thought, but eventually a long sigh escaped from her lips. “Why do men have to suck so much? Present company excluded, of course.”
“Of course.” I smiled and took the seat beside her. “Want to talk about it?”
Persephone shook her head and sighed heavily, and then she started talking. “What is it about me that made a guy think I’d want to be his side piece? Do I have ‘slut’ or ‘easy’ tattooed across my forehead? Is there some vibe that professional side pieces give out to show they’re available?”
I wanted to hunt down that asshole and give him a taste of my fists. “Of course you don’t, Persephone.”
She shook her head, blocking out my words before she turned to me, eyes sparkling beautifully in the moonlight. “Then what is it?”
“You really want to know?” Sometimes, she asked a question when she didn’t really want an answer, so I found it easier to just clarify.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Easy. You’re gorgeous, smart, bubbly and accomplished—too much woman for most of us mortal men. Any man in his right mind would want you, and would say or do whatever it took to have you. If that means making you feel like you’re not worthy of being more than a side piece, for a chance, that’s what they’ll do.”
