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“They just need to get used to you,” I murmur, wringing my hands and I introduce him to my colleagues. They look at him with a mixture of admiration and apprehension and I want to tell them that he’s not dangerous but I’m annoyed by their reaction at the same time. He’s a good person. “Maybe its best if you sit down,” I add, encouraging him to sit on a chair far too small for him and for a moment I worry it’ll give in under his weight.
I smile at the other kids who peek out of their hiding places and stare at Derex as if both horrified and fascinated. “It’s okay,” I murmur, nodding at them. “You can play with him. He won’t bite.”
In response they shudder, shaking their heads but one brave boy crawls over the floor and grabs a plastic spoon. Wide-eyed, he brings the spoon toward Derex’s mouth and Derex throws me a helpless glance that makes me smile.
“You’re supposed to pretend you’re eating.”
Derex frowns, his shoulders tensing with aggravation as if he doesn’t see the point of this but then he pretends to take a couple of bites and the boy coos. Banging his little fists on the table, the boy brings the spoon to Derex again when all of the sudden what I dreaded happens.
The chair cracks underneath Derex’s massive weight, causing him to fall on his back and he lets out a wildly inappropriate curse. Silence fills the room loud enough to hear a pin drop, until I shamelessly start sniggering and then the kids burst into laughter. Even the teachers laugh, the kids coming out from hiding and now Derex is their favorite person. They make him chase them and act like a dragon that they then pretend to slay.
In the midst of everything, Derex and I make eye contact and I grin at him. He winks back and even though I’m getting ahead of myself, I can tell he’ll be a good dad one day. A softness spreads in my chest and I feel so wonderful I’m surprised I’m not levitating. Here I was afraid this would be a disaster...and this is how good it turned out.
But it seems that I spoke too soon because Derex’s demeanor changes the moment the day’s over and the kids ready to be picked up. “You stay right here,” I tell him nervously. “I’ll get this over quickly and then we can go home.”
He gives me a long look that drips with arrogance. Apparently he’s not the kind to wait in a corner while his woman interacts with other men but I guess I already knew that. “I just want to introduce myself, moon baby,” he purrs. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t know if you s...should,” I stutter, but he ignores me, moving to stand in the doorway and blocking it with his wide shoulders as the fathers try entering. Growly and about as approachable as a minefield, he shakes the men’s hands, gritting,
“I’m Luna’s male.”
They grimace, their eyes tearing and I can tell he’s shaking their hands just a little too hard. Heck...is it really necessary to have a pissing contest? According to Derex there is and he makes sure to let everyone know I’m his, before handing over the kids and he’s so quick and efficient that my colleagues gawk.
“Is he for hire?” one of them asks. “That went smoother than when we do it.”
Yeah, because the dads were probably afraid they’d get their heads bit off by a giant northerner and I let out a sigh, crossing my arms over my chest because my colleagues better not tempt him. I’m sure if they offer him a job, Derex will see it as an excellent opportunity to keep an eye on me. As soon as the last child’s out the door, he turns to me and there’s a smug look on his face. He stalks over to me, his shoulders wide and strong enough to function as rafts in a time of crisis and I force myself to not get giddy now.
“Happy?” I hiss as he throws me an unbothered glance. “They’ll never dare pick their kids up again.”
“That certainly wasn’t my intention,” Derex smirks and I pout. Sure it was and he got exactly what he wanted. Now no man will ever dare get within ten feet of me and glancing up at Derex, I get a little bit suspicious. Today I was reminded of just how scary he can be, by looking at him through the eyes of others.
There is something seriously intimidating about him. Too intimidating for a bounty hunter...and a thought crosses my mind. Who is the man I live with, really?
****
I feel the mattress dip as he gets up in the middle of the night. He’s trying to be noiseless and I have to admit he’s as slithering as a snake but I’ve been preparing for this all day. I lay still, my back turned to him as he gets dressed. There’s the rattle of his coat and then comes the rattle of his weapons and I gulp.
Making sure to keep my eyes closed, I stop breathing when he leans over and plants a kiss on my head. It bursts with tenderness and I struggle to stop my mouth from curving, needing to remind myself to not get all mushy. He murmurs a sweet nothing and then he’s out the door. Ripping off the duvet, I yank on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and leave the house. The street is dark and silent, the lampposts shining their gold over well-groomed lawns and I look left and right.
He can’t have gone far. My brows rise when I see a figure turning the corner. Aha! I knew I’d catch him red-handed and I’m going to spend the whole night following him around, see what he’s really doing. He’ll be so shocked when he finds out I’ve been following him, probably make up some excuse he’ll hope I’ll buy but he can’t explain things away if I see them with my own eyes.
I’ve even brought my phone with me to document everything so that he’ll be forced to tell the truth and I want to congratulate myself on how clever I’m being. There’s just no way he’ll get away with this...
Turning the corner, my eyes flare when I see him again and this part of the street has fewer lights and I can’t quite extinguish everything but I register the dark coat and the fast, almost fidgety movements... he’s definitely hiding something big. Grabbing my phone, I snap a couple of pics as he walks toward a black car that just stopped and gets in.
The lights from the car blaze and my heart stops when I see the busty woman behind the wheel and he leans over, kissing her right on the mouth. What the...The lights flare again and I notice that’s not Derex. That’s some other man and my knees shake from relief but then I grow frustrated because this means I completely lost him.
Muttering to myself, I back but freeze the moment I hit a chest about as hard as a brick wall. I know that chest intimately and I raise my trembling face. Derex looks down at me, his eyes stirring with both amusement and annoyance.
“What are you up to?” he purrs, almost sensually and viper like, causing me to shudder.
“Thought I’d go for a walk in the neighborhood. Couldn’t sleep.”
He raises his brows. “That’s a surprise, considering you were barely breathing when I left you.” I wince and he adds, “Luna, is there something you want to tell me?” When I don’t reply, he murmurs, “You were spying on me, weren’t you?”
“Spying?” I blurt before faking a laugh. “That’s just rich. Can’t a girl take an after midnight stroll without being accused of s...spying?”
Derex looks down at me, his face displeased. “Go back to bed. Now.”
