Page 35 of Can't Take Moore

My entire body locked beneath hers. “What threat?”

Stuck in her own head, Vienna continued as though she hadn’t heard my question. “Maybe I should have expected that she’d go this route after she made those comments about me needing a break because of my grief. But the way she’d said it was so vague, I thought I took the whole thing the wrong way. Or maybe I just refused to see how far she’d go.”

Pressing my fingers beneath her chin to tilt her head back so I could see her eyes, I asked, “How far she’d go with what, Vienna?”

Her brown eyes were pools of misery as she said, “I’m pretty sure she threatened to petition the court to have her named as my guardian, putting her in charge of my finances.”

My head reared back in shock. “She what?”

“According to my mother, the loss of my dad combined with the physical fatigue of training and performing in the Olympics is too much for me. I apparently cannot be trusted to make good decisions, as proven by my spur-of-the-moment purchase of a house in another state without having seen it first. Never mind that the money I used was my own. Or that I have an appraisal showing the house and land are worth more than I paid. It’s a good thing you pushed me to have the appraiser come out even though I didn’t need his report for a mortgage lender. It’ll help me show that I was of sound mind when I bought this place.”

Her tone was bitter, and I didn’t blame her one bit for her anger. “No fucking way is she going to get away with this. I’ll call my cousin Ryland. He’s a lawyer.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m not sure how much help he can be. If my mom really goes through with it, she’ll file the petition in Chicago. Not here.”

“Before he started his own practice last year, he worked for a firm that had clients in Champaign, Bloomington, and Springfield. He’s still licensed to practice in Illinois, too.”

Her laughter held no humor, only bitterness. “You should probably warn him that he might need to represent you, too. In case my mom decides to sue you for taking advantage of me. The investigator she hired told her that we’re dating, and she knows you were my broker for the deal.”

Her mom sounded like a real piece of work. I almost hoped she followed through on her threat of going after me, especially if she focused on me instead of her daughter. “I’ll let him know, but I’m not too worried, and you shouldn’t be either.”

“Maybe you should talk to your cousin before you get all cocky,” she grumbled.

“I’ll do that right now.” I brushed a kiss against her lips. “While you go take a shower…or even better, a nice relaxing bath.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that your polite way of telling me that I stink?”

“Fuck no.” I buried my face in her neck and breathed deep, my cock instantly hardening at her scent. “You always smell good, even when you’re hot and sweaty after I fuck you breathless.”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that.”

“Don’t worry, princess. Your man definitely has plans that involve lots of orgasms later,” I promised, loving that I could call myself that.

“Good, those are my favorite kind now that I have you in my life.”

“Go, relax a little. Wash off the stress of what happened with your mom and sister.” I lifted her off my lap. “I’ll call Ryland so he’s in the loop if she follows through on her threat.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She leaned forward to give me a kiss, but the brief touch of her lips wasn’t enough for me.

Gripping the back of her head, I held Vienna in place while I devoured her mouth, my tongue sweeping inside to tangle with hers. I didn’t lift my head until she was breathless. “That’s something you don’t need to worry about. I’m here for you, princess.”

“I know you are. Thank you.”

I watched the sway of her ass while she walked toward the stairs, then pulled out my cell to call my cousin. Just as I thought I’d get his voicemail, Ryland picked up. “What’s up, Dean?”

“I need some legal advice for my girlfriend…and maybe myself, too,” I announced before giving him the rundown of everything Vienna had shared with me.

“Shit, man. I’ve seen some terrible shit as a lawyer, but even I think this is incredibly fucked up. But the good thing is that her mom will have a difficult time if she does follow through with her threat. The first one being that with Vienna moving here, there are jurisdictional issues. I could easily argue that a Chicago court has no right to determine her competence when she’s a resident of Mooreville.”

I heaved a deep sigh. “That’s a relief to hear.”

“And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. If it comes down to it, I’ll throw everything I’ve got and then some at her mom to get her to back off,” he promised.

“Thanks, cuz.”

“I’ll always have your back. That’s what family is for.”

They were, and it was something I was looking forward to showing Vienna.

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