Page 155 of Sinning for Santa

“Tell me, Jaxcen, have you seen my son?”

I stiffen, my eyes darting up to watch her face.

“Your son?” her tone is surprised, and her brows are hitched.

“Damon. He has my hair colour and eyes,” Warrick explains, and I want to end the fucking call.

No one is meant to know his son is here. What the fuck is he doing?

“Oh, do you mean the little boy I thought was Devon’s?”

I jerk back at her words, her amused gaze darting to mine briefly before she continues talking to my brother.

“He’s your son?”

“Yeah. Wait… Why’d you think he was Devon’s son?” Warrick asks, and I’m just as fucking curious to find out that answer, so I listen intently and I move my fingers over the top part of the device.

“Well, he looks like Devon, but I guess so do you. You look like a younger version of him.”

“But better looking, hey?”

I roll my fucking eyes again as Jaxcen giggles slightly, but then stills, like she’s scared her moment of happiness will set off the fucking bomb.

Easing my fingers from around the device, I’m about to take the phone back when Jaxcen speaks again, her tone snappy.

“What did you do to Marilda?” she asks my brother. “Why is she here hiding from you?”

A chuckle rumbles from my chest. “She’s got you all figured out brother,” I say, but Jaxcen keeps the phone angled her way.

I want to tell them I can’t feel a trigger, but there’s just something about her conversing with my little brother, and telling him off that has me sitting back on my heels and watching on.

“Look, it’s not what I did.” Warrick tries to explain, “It’s what my wife did.”

Jaxcen frowns, her lips parting to speak and then snapping shut before she manages to ask her next question.

“Your wife? As in Marilda?”

It’s natural for her to come to that conclusion. Marilda had his son, after all.

“No,” Warrick answers quickly, and I’m fucking curious as to why he’s giving Jaxcen the time of day to answer. He tends to be cautious around strangers. “Marilda isn’t my wife. Amanda is.”

I snicker at the confusion sweeping over Jaxcen’s face, and decide to put her out of her misery.

“Long story short, Warrick stepped out on his wife, Amanda, with Marilda, who didn’t know he was married at the time, since he conveniently left that out,” I explain and Jaxcen’s shocked blue gaze shifts to me. Fuck, I love her eyes on me. I love her attention. “War got Marilda knocked up, and when she came calling to tell him, she came face to face with his wife.”

“Oh,” she murmurs and I laugh.

“Yeah, oh.”

“Not fucking funny,” Warrick snaps, dragging Jaxcen’s gaze back to the screen.

“Kinda is,” I mutter, standing and moving around the chair Jaxcen is strapped to, checking if there are any more obstacles before I can free my little mouse.

“But why is she here? Who is she in danger from?” Jaxcen asks, and again, most people assume a man is the culprit, but occasionally, the violent one is the female, especially when said female is already naturally violent, and learns that her husband cheated on her and knocked the woman up. The fact Warrick still has his dick is a fucking miracle.

“From Amanda. My wife. She…” Warrick trails off, and now that I’m behind Jaxcen, I can see his face as he looks around, like he is checking to make sure Amanda isn’t nearby. “She’s very possessive of me.”

“Oh.” Jaxcen nods, but I cut their conversation off, taking the phone from her grip.

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