Page 55 of Savage Heart

Suddenly, the laughter died, and with it, Liz’s patience.

Standing upright, she slammed her good hand down on her hip, and met Amelia’s glare with one of her own, one she’d perfected over years of dealing with bigger, more vicious bitches than Amelia—she had to have learned something in all her years in Foster care, and then all that time caring for the mean wives and mistresses of rich men.

Don’t slap the bitch…don’t stab the bitch….

“He’s your man, is he?” Liz drawled, shrugging.

Amelia huffed, then snapped, “Yes, he’s mine, has been for years. He dumped your ass, then he found me, claimed me—you can’t come back with that brat of yours and try to take him back.”

Liz surged forward, practically slamming their chests together in her need to get into Amelia’s face. Glaring death into Amelia’s suddenly wide, fearful eyes, Liz poked Amelia’s chest.

Her voice cold and deadly as black ice, she spoke, her lips inches from Amelia’s now pale face, “You ever call my daughtera brat again, I’ll be more than happy to show you my skills with a surgical blade.” Amelia reeled back, her eyes like saucers, but then the bitch was back.

Taking a step back—like the coward she was—she scoffed, crossed her arms, and sneered, “You can’t threaten me—Trouble is my ol’ man, which means when you threaten me, you threaten him, and I don’t think he’d take kindly to you talking shit to his woman.”

Was she serious?

Liz snorted. “You do realize that my daughter ishisdaughter, too, right? You think he’d take kindly to you calling his little girl a brat? You’d think he’d side with his whore over this daughter?” Liz hadn’t seen Trouble with Erika for all that long, but she knew, deep in her bones, that man loved his daughter. Would kill and maim and die for her. There was no way he’d take Amelia’s side over Erika’s, no matter how golden her pussy.

Amelia’s smirk returned with a vengeance, and Liz could see the calculation behind the other woman’s eyes.

“Of course, he’ll side with me. All I have to do is suck his fat cock and ride him until he comes—he’ll do whatever I say.”

Her words stung. Liz knew that Trouble and Amelia had fucked, but she didn’t need to hear the details of what they got up to.

Biting back the twinge of jealousy, Liz shrugged. “I doubt that, but go ahead and live in your land of delusions.”

Amelia stamped her foot—like a goddamn preschooler—then bragged, “He comes to me and then hecomes—every night.” Liz’s eyebrows shot to her hairline at that. Seeing Liz’s reaction, Amelia chuckled, grinning like she won something. “Yeah, you’re surprised, but I don’t know why. Where do you think he is every night? He comes to me, we fuck, and then he tells me how much he can’t wait to get rid of you and that brat, so he and I can get married.”

Ignoring all the other shit Amelia said, Liz’s brain stuck on one thing….

“He’s with you…everynight?” she asked cautiously.

Amelia’s grin only got more self-indulgent. “As soon as he’s done dealing with club business, he comes to me. I’m his ol’ lady, he misses me when he’s gone all day. Where else would he be?”

At home, with me and his daughter.There hadn’t been a single night since they’d moved in that Trouble hadn’t been there to tuck Erika in, then spend the rest of the night pesteringherwith his soft touches, forehead kisses, self-deprecating humor, and demands to know about all that happened over the last ten years they were apart. Some of the time, they didn’t talk at all, instead they watched reruns ofAmerican RestorationorAmerican Pickerson the History Channel—both shows had grown on Liz, and she raptly watched as middle-aged white dudes got aroused over junk. No matter what she and Trouble did, Trouble was there, in his house, until Liz went to bed after midnight. Unless he was slipping out after she went to bed, Amelia was lying.

Not wanting to do a deep dive into the psyche of a two-faced clubwhore, Liz heaved a loud sigh, then turned away, giving her back to the other woman.

“Do and say what you want, Amelia, you will anyway. But I do suggest you keep my daughter out of your mouth. I don’t give a shit what you think, even if Trouble didn’t do something about it, you better believeIwill.” Looking over her shoulder, Liz watched Amelia squirm. Turning back toward her desk to hide her humor at the woman’s obvious nervousness, Liz rolled her eyes at the woman’s retort.

“You’re a doctor, you can’t threaten me,” Amelia bleated.

Liz swung around, her grin as malicious as she could make it.

“I’m a mother first, Amelia. I will protect my daughter no matter what it takes, and if that means I slit your throat, losemy license, and spend the next twenty-five to life being some stallion stud’s bitch, I will. Don’t doubt me on that.”

Hopefully, having taken Liz’s words to heart, Amelia huffed, stamped her foot again, then flounced out of the room.

Trouble is my ol’ man…he comes to me…he and I can get married….

As Amelia’s words hit Liz again and again, she slumped down onto her desk chair and fought back the burning behind her eyes. She wouldnotcry over Trouble. He wasn’t hers—no matter what he said. No matter the long-lost hopes and dreams of marriage and a happy life the younger Liz had woven with Erik Skaarsen ten years ago. Now, today, Amelia had claim to him, and Lizneverhad a true claim to him—he’d never been hers, even though she’d believed that with every beat of her heart.

According to what Trouble had admitted to Bonnie that night at Tipped, Trouble never wanted Liz, he’d only been after easy pussy, and she’d fallen so hard and so fast for him, she’d basically handed him everything he wanted on a silver platter. Easy pussy when he wanted it, a place to crash when he needed it, and all the ego stroking he desired. All he had to do was say and do what he thought she wanted, just to keep her dangling.

And once he was done with her, he’d scraped her off, breaking her to pieces in the process.

No. Trouble wasn’t hers. She didn’t want him, not anymore.

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