Page 63 of Piece Of Me

“Christ, Millie Sue, I don’t need to hear that. Men don’t want to know their moms are still getting busy.”

She laughed. “Sorry, I’ve got pregnancy brain. All the blood in my body is down here.” She pointed to her stomach. “Which means I have no filter. It’s pretty much the only time I can say what’s on my mind without consequence.”

“In whose world?”

“The only one that matters.” She winked. “Mine.”

“She seems happy,” he admitted, though was he the only one to find it weird she was spending so much time with Scarlett’s father?

“Whose that?” Millie asked, struggling to sit up. Taz followed her gaze and noticed a stranger standing just inside the gate. The newcomer was tall, with a head full of dark wavy hair that fell to his shoulders, and a pair of aviators that shaded his eyes. He was dressed casually in khaki colored cargo shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

“He looks yummy,” Millie Sue said. “Is he a friend of Angel’s?”

“No.” Taz frowned and scanned the yard until he found Scarlett, by the grill. He watched as she transferred steaks to a large platter and then glanced up. Her expression changed from light and easy, to something dark. And it wasn’t too far off to say she looked shocked. In that moment Taz knew that things had just changed. This was no stranger.

By this time, he was near Cal and Benton, and she ran over to them, eyes on her brothers. “Where’s Hank?” she asked, voice low and urgent.

“Inside with Rosie.” Cal looked confused. “Who is that?”

For a moment she said nothing, and Taz wasn’t sure if it was because she couldn’t, or because she didn’t know what to say. She looked at him and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

“Scarlett?” Cal prompted.

She took a step back. Visibly calmed herself. “It’s Malcom. Hank’s father.”

CHAPTER 20

Scarlett felt as if she’d been punched in the gut by a hammer. Not just any hammer, but the one that superhero guy with all the muscles had. The big one. The one that hurt.

She couldn’t breathe. And she wanted to cry. More than anything she wanted to yell and scream and throw some things. But she did none of that. In fact, she was frozen. Her feet were like iron balls stuck in cement and her brain was off the rails, going places she hadn’t visited in a very long time.

What was Malcom doing here? How was Malcom here?

“What the fuck does he want?” Taz took a step forward, and she grabbed his arm.

“Please, let me.” He looked angry and so did her brothers. This would escalate quickly if she didn’t get the situation under control. “I’ll deal with him,” she said to all three men.

Scarlett took a moment to compose herself, then turned and crossed the yard. She came to a stop a few feet from Malcom, and her stomach turned as he watched her silently.

Slowly he removed his mirrored glasses, like he was an actor on cue, and smiled. There was a time that smile did funny things to her, because man, he was handsome. More than handsome. Malcom David was like a Greek God, with perfect bone structure, dark mysterious eyes, and a mouth that could make a nun fantasize.

But he was also poison. Selfish. A narcissist with the ability to manipulate.

And he’d hurt her. Terribly.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, watching him closely. His expression was shuttered and that was dangerous because it meant he was hiding something.

“Why I came to see you, luv.”

“Don’t call me that.” The anger was back and she let it settle, there in the same spot where he’d pulled her heart from her chest, tossed it on the ground and stomped all over it.

He was silent for a few moments and then he sighed. “Sorry. Old habits.” The low Irish lilt was heavy, and there was a time the sound of his voice made her heart speed up, but now, all she wanted to do was smash her fist into his perfect face.

He shifted his gaze. “I see you have a protection detail. Do I need to be afraid?” His tone was teasing.

“Yes,” she replied. “All three of them would tear you apart if I asked.”

He laughed, though his eyes remained fixed. Dark and dangerous. “The one on the end looks particularly menacing. Is that one your new man?”

---