Page 24 of Outlaw

My eyes shot to Stevie again, who was happily watching thescreen. I felt flushed all over. Hearing Linc talk about me being bent over a sink and fucked the way he’d done to me in Vegas, or my pussy in general, set a tingle off between my legs that did not need to be there. I was going to have to live under the same roof as this man. Getting messed up in the head over him was not going to happen. I refused to give in to my attraction to him or think of him as anything more than the dictator he was.

“He doesn’t, does he?” Linc asked. “Because he is boring. Polite. Thoughtful.Kind.” He clipped out the words as if they were insults rather than the way I had meant them. “Not one of those traits equals a man who knows how to fuck.”

I licked my lips and took a steadying breath, not wanting him to see that he affected me at all.

“My sex life isn’t something I will discuss with you,” I told him, sounding too breathless. Dammit. I cleared my throat and tried to scowl. “This is inappropriate and off topic.”

Linc’s eyes trailed down to my chest. “I’ve fucked your pussy raw. I know exactly how your cunt tastes, and you’ve pulled my hair while calling me God. I’d say we are past the uptight bullshit. I’m not your dentist.”

Now, the tingle was an ache. Dammit! I hadn’t had sex in over a month. Hudson had been so tired in the evenings that he often fell asleep on the sofa before Stevie went to bed. Then, he’d wake up to leave. That was all this was. I was clearly in need of an orgasm.

“You’re blushing. That’s cute, seeing as I’ve had your legs wrapped around my head while you came all over my face.”

Jesus! Would he shut up about it already?

“Linc, stop,” I said, holding up a hand, and a deep, sinister laugh sent a shiver over me. “We have a child together. She is my only concern here. You have given me no choice but to uproot our lives and come here to live with you. I don’t need a recap of five years ago. I need to know when we are going to get ourthings and when I can talk to Hudson. I also need to explain all this to Stevie, and she’s going to have many things to ask you. She’s inquisitive, and seeing as how I have lied to her about her real father, this is going to be an even bigger shock.”

That got his attention.

His eyes narrowed. “What did you tell her about me?” The husky tone was gone.

At least I’d stopped his trip down memory lane.

Time to face up to this lie for the first of three times I would have to do it.

Sucking in a deep breath, I steeled myself before replying, “I told her you were dead.”

He said nothing as he stared at me.

Wanting to defend my lie, I continued, “You walked out of the hotel room with no way for me to contact you. I was left with a pregnancy that cost me my job—although do not get me wrong; I wouldn’t change it. I was given Stevie, and that was worth all of it. I struggled to eat and keep a roof over our heads, and at times, I hated you for it. Because she deserved more. Eventually, I was able to give that to her. But it was you I blamed for the times she went without. To me…youweredead.”

I watched as his eyes showed the range of emotions that his expression did not. It remained the same. He studied me, then shifted his focus to Stevie. “And I paid for it. By missing four years of her life.”

Fine, whatever. He had missed a lot, but I’d done what was best for her. Not that any of it mattered now. He was getting his revenge. He’d snatched everything I had wanted and worked for away from me with the snap of his fingers.

“That lie gets cleared up today. She needs to know I’m her father. That everything I’m going to hand to her is from the man who will take care of her. Protect her. I don’t want to hear her refer to the dentist as her new dad ever again.” Controlled rageflared in his eyes as they swung back to me. “Change in plans. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to get your things. Once you know what you’d like to bring back here, we can leave my men to pack it up, and I’ll take you to speak with the dentist. Stevie can stay in the car with me. There’s a television in there, and I’ll be sure, uh,Blueyis available for her to watch.”

He was going to sit in the car while I went in and talked to Hudson? That would make it worse. There was a sliver of hope that Hudson might possibly forgive me. How could he even consider it with Linc waiting outside for me? It would just be rubbing salt into the wound.

Hudson told me he loved me regularly, but I’d never said the actual words back to him. He never mentioned it, but I knew he’d noticed. Every time he said them, I saw the pleading in his eyes. The hope that I’d say them back. Doing it now would not only be yet another lie, but it would appear calculating. I did love him, but I wasn’t in love with him. I was going to make it up to him by being an excellent wife. And when he was ready, maybe have a child with him. It was all slipping away. Melting in my grasp like a piece of ice until it was all gone. Splattered on the floor, unable to return to what it once had been.

“I don’t suppose I can talk you into staying here. Stevie could stay with you,” I finally said after a brief second of panicked silence.

He shook his head. “No. She needs to stay with you until I am secure with how to handle any allergic reactions or choking. We’ll go together.”

This time, his words hadn’t been spoken as a demand. They weren’t harsh. Instead, there had been a flickering of unease. Was he scared to keep her? I watched him carefully. Taking in the moment of weakness I’d never thought I would see on this man. All over Stevie. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. Already, he cared about her safety. An odd feeling settled in mychest. One I couldn’t yet define.

Eleven

Branwen

Linc had gotten a phone call and excused himself to go take it after telling me to make myself at home. I wanted to laugh at that, but he was stalking toward the glass doors before I could respond at all. I’d gone to sit on the sofa and pulled Stevie into my lap, where we watched two more episodes ofBluey. Burying my nose in her hair, I forced myself to relax. Her hair smelled like wildflowers from the shampoo we’d used at the motel last night. Focusing on her and only her, I was able to bring my anxiety down enough that the pounding behind my temples slackened.

We remained like that for well over an hour, and then Stevie wanted to go find the pool. She was over the moon and begged to go swimming. I promised her she would get a chance to. She didn’t know yet that the pool would soon be a part of her daily life. I had almost told her several times but stopped myself. Iwanted to wait until Linc was here. She’d want to ask him things, and I felt like his presence would make it more real for her.

Jayda came to collect us and show us the bedrooms that would be ours. The rooms were across the hallway from each other and identical in size and layout. Both had en suites and walk-in closets that were as big as the bedrooms in our apartment. The only difference was that mine had a balcony overlooking the backyard. Stevie’s room had a window nook with fluffy pillows and a small ledge, where several books were currently tucked.

There was a selection of swimsuits for Stevie to choose from hanging inside her closet, along with clothing, underclothes, and pajamas. I’d not expected that, and Jayda informed me that if anything wasn’t to my or Stevie’s liking, I should let her know, and she’d take it back. Apparently, she’d been sent out on a shopping spree.

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