Chapter Eight
Sean’s mother
and Jess’s daughter sat together at a picnic table while her ex waited in line.
Sean released Jess’s hand as they neared the snack bar. “You want something,
sweetheart?”
Her fingers
seemed to follow his a moment before she stepped back with a slight smile. “A
glass of iced tea would be good if you’re buying.”
“That’s it?”
“Did I forget
to mention you’re taking us out to eat later? I’m saving room for Crab
Thermidor.”
Sean
chuckled. “Ah, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Thanks for
feeding me seafood.”
Jess’s grin
speared longing through his chest. He wanted to kiss her without worrying about
what anyone else thought, not his mother or her daughter and sure as hell not
her ex. He bent to tug a leaf from her hair and inhaled her delicate scent. “Thank
me later?”
“You have no
idea what I’ll do for good crab.”
Her soft sigh
launched cravings he couldn’t satisfy in public. “Knock it off before I forget
where we are.” He pushed her toward the tables. “Go visit with your daughter. I’ll
be right back.”
She walked
backward a couple steps before she grinned and hurried away.
He stepped
into line behind Kurt. The two of them could not have been more opposite in
appearance. Kurt looked the part of the wealthy jetsetter despite the fact that
Mel said he had no real job. His shoes were of fine leather, and his pants bore
a high money label. The man had money coming in from somewhere. Sean worked
hard to hide his wealth most days, but Kurt put out vibes that did not match the
financial reality of the simple salesman he claimed to be. The guy was handsome
though, probably more so twenty years ago. He had to give him that.
Kurt looked
over his shoulder. “How long have you known, Melanie?”
“About two
hours.”
Confusion
flitted across his face. “I’m sorry?”
“I met her
today. Jess provides security for my mother.”
The loser
turned fully around with a laugh. “That’s right, I forgot about her little job.
Like my Jessie could intimidate anyone.”
Wow, the man
needs a swift kick.
“She doesn’t like being called Jessie. Didn’t I hear her remind you of that
earlier?”
“Aw, that’s
the way she is. She picks at everything. She’s not serious.” He ran his hand
through his hair as he stared toward the table. “She used to be a reserved mouse,
but look at her over there. Damn, she’s hot. A little too bossy now, but that
can be fixed with the right touch.”
Sean stuck
his hands in his back pockets to avoid strangling the other man. “So you want
her back?”
“Not long
term.” Kurt elbowed Sean’s ribs as if they shared a joke. “No one wants his old
lady to be old. You know what I mean. But I wouldn’t mind taking her for a spin
or two to see if that spirit carries over to the bedroom.”
Pompous son
of a bitch.
Sean glanced at Jess. Would she kill him if he took her ex out of the picture?
“Jessie used
to be a half decent lay, but she didn’t have it in her to enjoy it. She looks
like she might have learned how though.” The bastard had the nerve to laugh. “Must
have taught herself.”
“That’s
enough.” Sean shifted so the women could not see anything except his back and
glared down at the shorter, much older man. “Listen to me, you dick. I don’t
care if you’re Mel’s father or if Jess will hate me for interfering, if one
more negative word about that woman comes out of your mouth, I’ll plant my foot
in your ass.”
Kurt stepped
back. “What the hell? She’s my wife. I can say whatever I want.”
A couple guys
in front of them shifted to see what had to sound like a fight brewing.
Sean didn’t
care who heard him as he moved a step closer to the prick. “She’s not your wife
anymore. In fact, she’s with me.” Okay that was stretching the truth a bit but
who cared? “From the sound of things, dumping you was the best decision Jess
ever made, and I can guarantee she doesn’t want you back.”
The other two
men no longer pretended disinterest. They turned around and listened openly.
Kurt’s chest
swelled like a banty rooster. “Are you sleeping with her? Damn, how desperate
do you have to be? She wasn’t worth a shit in the sack twenty years ago. Why
the hell would you want her now?”
Jess’s gasp
ripped at Sean’s heart. He hadn’t heard her join them or he would have tried to
head off the bastard’s crude words.
One of the
observers shook his head at Kurt. “Not cool, dude.”
Jess stepped
in front of Sean. He put a hand on her shoulder, offering support while she
decided how to handle the son of a bitch. “You are going to criticize my
skills in bed? Are you kidding?”
Her laugh cut
the air and Kurt looked pissed. The strangers at his back moved closer hemming
him in.
Jess didn’t
back down. “I spent the first ten years of my adult life confused about why
everyone thought sex was so great. It took me another five to realize it wasn’t
me. It was you and your inadequate and inconsiderate dick.”
“Shut it,
bitch. I don’t know when you started to think otherwise, but you’re nothing.”
“Like I care
what you think.”
Kurt’s hand flashed
toward Jess. Sean slipped an arm around her waist and swung her out of harm’s
way before grabbing Kurt and twisting his arm behind his back. “I warned you. Now
you’re done. Let’s go.”
Jess glared
daggers at him for interfering. “Sean, you’re making a scene.”
Security
chose that moment to intervene. Two beefy men in park uniforms approached the
group from opposite sides. “Everything all right here?”
Kurt twisted
to escape, but Sean didn’t relax his grip. Kurt grunted as he faced the guards.
“This man accosted me.”
Trouble
shimmered in the heated air. Sean sighed. The guards moved in, one on either
side, blocking him in. He had to talk the situation down. “It’s nothing,
officers. A misunderstanding. I was about to escort this man from the premises.
He seems confused.”
The largest
of the security guards edged closer. “Release him, please, sir.”
How the hell
had he become the bad guy? “Jess, will you please step back?”
His mother
and Mel joined them, and Melanie glared at her father. “What did you do?”
“Me? I didn’t
do a damned thing. This ape attacked me.”
The young
listeners stepped closer. “That’s not true. This guy said some pretty nasty
things about the big guy’s girlfriend then swung at her when she took him down
a peg.”
Melanie looked
appalled. “You tried to hit, Mom?”
The guards
listened without moving. Confident the other man wouldn’t lash out in front of
them, Sean released Kurt’s arm.
Jess stood
silent.
Melanie
glared, hurt and confusion imprinted on her face. “Damn it, Dad. Why do you
have to be a jerk time after time? Couldn’t you for once be the good guy Mom
always claimed you were?”
Moisture
shimmered in Jess’s eyes. “Leave it, little girl. I’m fine.”
Sean’s heart
ached for mother and daughter. He moved closer to Jess offering support though
he knew she’d refuse it. He was wrong. She reached behind her and found his
hand. Her slender fingers curled around his. He squeezed back, careful to let
her take what she needed. “Let’s settle this and go back to the boat. You and
Mel can talk there.”
One of the
security guards cleared his throat. “If I can get your names, we can wrap this
up. Then I suggest you all call it a day. The island sun can be too much sometimes.”
Kurt shook
his head. “This is ridiculous. I want this man arrested.”
“Let’s start
with your names, sir.”
“My name is
Kurt Avakian and this behemoth is Sean McCloud.”
Sean groaned
as the vocal young man perked up.
“I knew it!”
He punched his friend’s arm. “Dude, this is S. L. McCloud.”
“Who?”
“Glory
Hunt, Justice, Welkcan Rally, Dark Star Savage. Remember that show about game
designers?”
“Really?” The
redhead grinned and held out his hand. “We love your work.”
Sean shook
the young men’s hands. “Glad to know it.” He turned back to the officers,
anxious to end the situation. “Can we get this over with?”
“Of course.” The
security guard opened his notebook and jotted down their names. Then flipped it
shut and tucked it back in his pocket. “That’s all we need. Keep it outside the
park from now on.”
“That’s it?”
Kurt searched the small group. “Are you all blind and stupid? The man accosted
me.”
Sean’s fans
shook their heads and the shorter of the two smiled. “I didn’t see anything
like that. Just you swinging at the pretty little woman.”
The redhead
chuckled. “Me either. McCloud didn’t touch you. I’d swear it in court.”
A smirk
tilted one side of the guard’s mouth, but it disappeared before Sean was
certain it had been there. “Mr. McCloud, would you like us to call the police
so you can press charges against this man for slander or attempted assault?”
Kurt snorted,
eyes wide in feigned innocence. “Are you kidding me? I’m the victim here.”
“You’re
always the victim, Dad.” Melanie flashed a stunning smile at the officers. “Shouldn’t
you add public nuisance to that list?”
Her father
glared. “That’s it. I’m out of here. Melanie, I’m sorry you’ve grown into a
bitch like your mother. Don’t expect anything from me after this.”
“I never really
have, Dad, and you’ve never disappointed me.”
Kurt swung at
his daughter’s cheek. Before Sean could react, Jess kicked her ex-husband in
the knee, grabbed his shirt collar, and jerked the man to his back when his leg
gave out. She pinned him to the ground, the angry mama bear in full evidence. “I
warned you long ago that if you ever hurt my girl again, I’d take you out.”
The security
officers diffused the situation, lifting Jess to her feet and restraining Kurt
before he could harm anyone.
The loud
mouthed stranger grinned. “Whoa! That was way cool. You should put that in your
next game, McCloud.”
Unwilling to
draw more attention, Sean shook his head at the younger man.
The redhead looked
embarrassed and smacked his buddy on the shoulder. They left without another
word. The security guards brought Kurt to his feet. One hauled him away as the
other stayed to talk to Melanie and Jess. “You okay, Miss? Ma’am?”
Both women
nodded and refused to press charges. After the park guard left, Melanie turned
to Jess. “Again? What did you mean by that?”
Jess cast a
helpless glance at Sean before she looked at her daughter. “You don’t need to
worry about it.”
“Mom, stop
protecting him.”
“I’m not
protecting him.” Jess crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
Her body
language screamed back off. Pain flitted across her face. She would hate a
public scene. Sean stepped closer, pressing her back against his chest,
offering what comfort he could. “Come on. Let’s forget this for now.”
Jess broke
away from his arms and faced her daughter. “I wanted you to love him the way a
little girl should love her daddy. That’s all.”
“But it was a
lie, Mom.”
Sean eased
further from the circle and watched his mother step in. Gentle arms that had
comforted him as a child wrapped around the other two women. “Your mother loved
you. The lie, though heartbreaking now, was a gift, Melanie. Jess gave you a
father while you were young enough to need him.”
A gift. That
was exactly what Jess represented and he had no intention of giving her back. The
three of them cried while he stood like a helpless fool. She was more than a
fling, more than the moment or even the short term. He needed this woman who so
generously and unselfishly protected those she loved. He wanted to be on the
list of people she cared about that much. When their tears shifted to shaky
smiles and self-conscious laughter, he nudged them toward the gate. “Come on
ladies, let’s go back to the boat where you can have some privacy.”
Jess wiped
her face with a grin. Her fair skin was blotched and reddened from the salty
tears, but her smile stole his breath. “Oh no, you don’t get off that easy,
Sean McCloud. You promised me seafood.”
Her obvious
attempt to shift the focus away from Kurt squeezed his heart. He wanted to kiss
her until she could do nothing except cling to him. He settled for a stroke
over her soft hair as he guided her and the others toward the line of waiting
cabs. “I never break a promise.”
She grinned
over her shoulder. “Yeah? Prove it, brat.”
His mother
and Mel climbed into the taxi, but he caught his sassy beauty around the waist
and pulled her close for a moment. “If we’re ever alone again, I promise to
make your whole body tremble with lust until you can’t walk without my help.”
Her whispered
groan tightened his groin as he settled her in the back of the cab and slammed
the door. Damn she fascinated him. He simply needed to convince her it was more
than a fling for both of them.