“Hands off!” I roar into the space between us.
With every step I take, my ears ring and my heart threatens to beat out of my chest. This guy needs to drop his fucking hold on my girl STAT, or shit’s about to get real ugly.
Dark eyes turn to mine, but he does nothing to remove himself from Anaya. Asshole.
“Now, why would I do that? She’s my wife.”
His words are like a blow to the head. I knew who he was as soon as Sam called it in, but seeing him here in the flesh—holding what’s mine—has me feeling positively murderous.
“Ray.” Anaya wiggles out of his hold, and lucky for him, he lets her. “Meet Austin. Austin, this is Ray.”
“Her husband.” He beams, though Anaya’s face sours.
“I wish I could say it was my pleasure, but it’s not. What are you doing on our property?” My lips peel back in a snarl.
“I’m your guest.” The asshole wears a self-satisfied smirk, and it takes everything in me not to beat it off his face.
Needing confirmation of this, I turn to Anaya’s mother, incredulous that she would allow such a thing. “Mary?”
She’d been hanging by the doorway when I arrived, but she’s working her way toward us as my brothers and Sam offload from their vehicles. “Yes, it’s true. He’d used an alias to book his cabin.”
Her eyes are apologetic, but even if what she’s saying is true, this fucker can’t stay. “Then I guess we better issue a full refund, because he sure as hell isn’t staying here.”
My chest is rising and falling rapidly when Anaya’s small hand falls on it, bringing me some sort of calm, at least until her words crush me where I stand.
“Austin, he’ll only be here for a little while. He just needs closure, and I suppose maybe I do too. I owe us at least that much.” She’s speaking, but her words won’t sink in. It’s like I’m frozen in horror, trying to will what she’s saying away. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like for him to stay. I promise to not let it affect my time with the kids.”
I’m blinking. Staring. Shocked. How could she want this man here? After what he did to her? And then to say she won’t let it affect her time with the kids… that means she’ll be seeing him at night, when Amanda and Alex are asleep.
God. My stomach pitches at the thought of them together, his filthy hands all over her delicate skin, and I just about rip my hair out.
A strong hand lands on my shoulder and I see that it’s Jack, his eyes full of concern before they turn to Penelope. “Yes. If it doesn’t affect your time with the kids, then it’s fine that he stays.”
Jack’s fingers dig into my shoulder, knowing that I’m wholeheartedly objecting to this bullshit, but he’s agreeing to it anyway. Even though I know where he’s coming from, the only thing making me keep my mouth shut is that Anaya requested it herself.
For him. The dick bag who cheated on her.
Ray’s eyes have flitted down to where Anaya’s hand is still perched, and I can’t help but preen at that small victory. That’s right, fucker. She might still be married to you, but I’m the man she’s freely touching.
Unable to hold back, I wrap an arm around Anaya’s waist and bring her small frame to mine, whispering into her ear, “If he crosses a line, even once, he’s out on his ass. Understood?”
Anaya shivers in my hold, her neck flushing red at my open display in front of the others. But ask me if I fucking care. She finally nods, whispering a soft yes into my chest.
I run my nose along the shell of her ear. “Yes what, baby?”
She pulls her head back and gasps, her intense blue eyes focusing on mine as her whole body trembles.
I’m thinking I’ve asked too much of her when she surprises the hell out of me. Anaya grabs me by the collar and brings me down to her height, her lips by my ear. “Yes, Daddy.”
It’s barely audible, but the words still reach me, heading straight for my cock. Jesus, this is all so wrong. I’m getting visibly hard right in front of Anaya’s husband. Before I can fully process that, my nanny is pushing me away and turning toward the steps.
“Ray, mom will have someone show you to your cabin. As for me, I have a job to do.” Her long blond hair is swaying as she walks back toward the main house and away from her bumbling husband.
“But, but… when will I see you?”
She’s just reached the door when she turns to him. “If it’s not too late, then maybe I’ll stop by when the kids are asleep.”
And with that threadbare promise, she’s off, leaving me hard and aching in her wake. She’s a little spitfire, my girl, and even though she can probably hold her own, there’s no way I’m letting her go see him without some sort of protection.
“Sam, please take Mr. Garcia to the cabin next to ours.” I turn toward my two brothers and gesture toward the house. “Family meeting.”
I don’t have to say more, my brothers just nod and follow me into Jack’s office. After my declaration at the cabin, they can probably sense what I’m feeling. This situation is all kinds of fucked up, and it needs to be fixed immediately.
“HOW COULD YOU?” I pin Jack to the wall as soon as Jace closes the door behind us.
“Easy, brother. You heard Anaya. She wanted him to stay here.”
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, Austin. The way she was blushing in your arms, you’d think she was your wife instead of his.” Jace snickers as he pours three rocks glasses. “I’m surprised the fucker didn’t start throwing punches with how you were touching her.”
I release my brother, but not before shoving him away. “Yeah. Well, I still don’t like it. He shouldn’t be here.”
Jace hands me a glass. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. Based on what she said, it’s just for closure, anyway.”
I raise the amber liquid to my lips and swallow it in one go. “I still don’t trust him. She’ll be in his cabin at night. That’s not safe. We need to turn on surveillance and post close enough to intervene in case anything happens.”
Jack goes to sit behind his desk, turning on his computer in the process. “Doesn’t that seem a little excessive to you? I mean, the transgression that caused their breakup. Was it violent?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean it can’t escalate to that here. Mary greeted him with a shotgun, for fuck’s sake.”
“Yeah. Well, that’s still none of our business.” Jack raises a brow, begging me to argue, and of course I do.
“It’s my business because she’s mine!” I growl, declaring ownership even though I have no right to.
Jack sighs. “Look, Anaya asked if it was okay. It’s something she clearly needs if she’s willing to voice it in front of everyone.”
Jack’s words make sense, but I don’t like them one bit. “I see what you’re saying, but I’m not letting her go unprotected. I can’t. Ray is being put in a cabin next to ours. This should let me keep a close eye, and if that fucker so much as sneezes funny, he’s out of here.”
“Fine, but you risk her getting angry. You’re straight up violating her privacy, and so far, other than a hunch you have, there’s nothing to warrant it. Nothing’s come back from the men of WRATH, has it?”
My eyes narrow. “No. But again, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing there.”
“Just let Austin do his thing, Jack. It’s his own funeral if she kicks him to the curb.”
Jack shakes his head and sighs. “They’d have to be something first, in order to kick him anywhere. And from the sounds of it, that wasn’t a done deal.”
I’m huffing my way to the door before I swing it open. “Yeah, how about you let me worry about that. Seems to me like you’ve done enough, agreeing to this bullshit.”
I don’t even let Jack respond, slamming the door behind me as I step into the hall and nearly run Mary down.
“Mr. Crown.” She’s averting her eyes, knowing full well she’s in deep shit with me.
“Mary. Why?” I stand there, unwilling to back off or elaborate. I made it clear she was to call me if this ever happened again, but she didn’t. She called the foreman.
“I…” She finally looks up, defiance filling her steely eyes. “I didn’t think it was prudent. Not with the way you look at my daughter.”
I’m taken aback by her words. God. Am I that obvious? “Explain.”
“I thought it was best if I called Sam. He wouldn’t have the need to inflict bodily harm on Ray the way you were about to, had my daughter not stopped you.”
Wow. Just wow. Is that what happened? My mind flits back to when Anaya had laid her hand on my chest.
Yup. There’s no doubt that I was on a one-way path toward kicking Ray’s ass. Still reeling from this, I stumble past the house manager. “Fine. But next time, call me anyway. Whatever the consequences, they’re mine to deal with.”
I’m in a fog, heading back toward my cabin. I need time to think. This is all too much and all too fast.
Am I letting my feelings for the nanny cloud my judgment? She’s still married and I’m still fucked up from everything that’s happened. Maybe it’s best if I give her a little space.
