Page 30 of Tusk's Fury

I glance at Victoria to make sure the noise isn’t waking her up. She moves a little but settles down almost immediately. I slip out of bed, pad over to the door, and crack it open, expecting to see Clara with the food she promised.

Instead, it’s Tusk. He steps back, and I see that he’s prepared a little dinner table for us. Sighing, I realize that I’m not doing a very good job of staying away from him.

My stomach rumbles instinctively at the sight and smell, and I realize I’ve not had anything to eat since breakfast. So, I graciously accept his invitation. “I’m actually starving, so thank you for bringing food,” I tell him gratefully.

His face lights up, just like it always did when I was pleased by something he did. Tusk is that rare mixture of courageous, protective, and very much a people-pleaser. Just my kind of guy, but I can’t let myself go there again.

“I didn’t know what you were in the mood for, so I got a little of everything.”

When he starts opening bags and boxes, I realize what he said was true. I snag an egg roll and take a bite while he unpacks everything. He’s got everything from Chinese food to steak and potatoes, to fried chicken, and even fish.

“Where did you get all this?” I ask, awed by the sheer variety. “Everything looks so fresh and delicious.”

He presses his lips together to keep from laughing and then finally tells me, “The food should be fresh, I hovered over them while they prepared it all. Tex said I was being an ass, but I wanted you to have something nice after working hard all day taking care of that kid. When’s her mother coming back?”

I freeze with the egg roll almost in my mouth, not sure how to answer his question. When my hand comes back down, he reaches over and lifts it back up.

“Eat up while it’s hot.”

I take another bite and think about how to break the news to him that he’s a dad. I don’t know how to explain that the baby is mine, much less his.

Meanwhile, Tusk is happy as a clam. “You’re not the only one starving. I’m warning you right now that you’re gonna have to become a much more aggressive eater if you expect to get your fair share tonight. If you give me half a chance, I’ll eat all the food before you get any.”

I can tell by his tone and amused expression that he’s only joking. Tusk is a bit of a free spirit. He tends to say whatever pops into his mind. It’s a quality I’ve always liked about him. He’s so genuine and down-to-earth. I hate fake people, and Tusk is anything but pretentious.

I reach out and start filling my plate with everything that looks good. “I only had oatmeal today, so I’m going to eat a little more than I usually do.”

“By all means. If we run out of food, I’ll be happy to get us more. Granted, those cooks at the restaurant downstairs won’t be happy to see me coming, but ask me if I fuckin’ care.” Glancing up at me, he adds, “In case you’re wondering, I don’t.”

I lift my fork and make a tight circle around the food on the table. “If we were cavemen, you’d be a high-value mate because you’re a good hunter and gatherer.”

He chuckles. “You got that right, beautiful.” He waggles his eyebrows and falls right into flirting with me, just like old times. “I’ve got a lot of qualities that would make me a good mate for some savvy cavewoman. I’m a hard worker and therefore a good provider. I’m also apparently super fertile.”

I almost choke on my mouthful at that statement. My heart’s racing and I wonder if Tex has told him. Rather than blurt out to him that he’s a father, instead I skirt around the issue and say, “Is that so?”

“Yep, according to my endocrinologist.”

“What’s an endocrinologist?” I ask between bites of food. I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but whatever prompted this change in topic doesn’t seem to be related to me or Victoria. “I’ve heard of them before but never really knew what they did.”

“I don’t know everything they do, but mine helped me and my ex-wife with fertility issues.”

My stomach drops. Clara had told me that he definitely wasn’t getting back with Gina, and in the months since I left there had been no hint that he was even remotely interested in rekindling their marriage. But what did Clara know? She and her sister barely spoke anymore, and if they were planning on getting back together, then they’d probably be sneaking around. I try and shove the spark of jealousy that flared up when I thought of them to the back of my mind, because it’s none of my business anymore. Instead, I try to look interested while shoving food around on my plate.

“Back then, Gina was hell-bent on having four kids. I think she wanted a daughter and that never happened for us. I was in the habit of just agreeing to whatever she wanted. She made my life miserable if I didn’t.”

“That sounds terrible,” I say, trying to sound supportive.

“No matter how hard we tried, she could never seem to get pregnant with the last one. She used to berate me constantly, saying I wasn’t man enough to get the job done. It pissed me off at the time, but there was nothing for it.”

“I guess if you’re super fertile, it wasn’t you, right?”

“Hell no, it was not.” He grins like a Cheshire cat. “It cost a shitload of money, and apparently, I was shooting millions, and her fertility had taken a dramatic nosedive for some reason. Seeing her face when the doctor told her, was one of the best days of my fuckin’ life.”

I knew a bit about their marriage, this story was more evidence that they weren’t happy. I mean he was talking about having another kid when they clearly were at each other’s throats all the time. “You never mentioned that before, why is this the first time I’m hearing it?”

“Trust me, you do not want to know.”

I scrunch my nose up a bit, thinking it over. I decide to bite the bullet, if him and Gina were trying to make a go of it, then I needed to pull off the bandage, “I think maybe I do want to hear the reason.”

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