Page 64 of Breaking Conviction
He assessed the shirt he’d tossed on the counter, likely to see if there were any burns before sliding it back on. When his body was finally covered, he leaned forward at an awkward angle against the island countertop, drawing her attention to the thickness straining against his jeans’ zipper. He snorted and she met his laughing eyes as he adjusted, hiding his hard-on behind the island cabinet.
“Mommy, is they ready?” Thea asked with an insistent pursing of her lips.
Naomi yelped, somehow forgettingagainthat little eyes and ears were present. She smoothed her dress and coughed.
“It’s ‘are’, baby, but yeah, the cookiesareready. I just gotta drizzle the caramel...”
Wes’s eyes were still full of need and Naomi quickly diverted her attention to the baked goods. She’d get caught up in the moment again if she let herself, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go without throwing herself at the man. “Wes was just helpin’ me.” She turned back to T, who was now walking into the kitchen from the living room. “You only get one, alright? It’s almost your bedtime. I don’t want you bouncin’ off the walls when I’ve got work tomorrow and you’ve gotta go to day care.”
Wes grinned as Thea rounded the counter like a racehorse. “Ready for that cookie, huh?” He picked her up like her forty pounds were nothing and tossed her in the air, causing giggles to cascade throughout the concrete aesthetic. He quickly turned her to face the oven, settling the girl’s slipping crown back onto her head. “I say you should at least be able to pick the one you want. So which one shall Princess T have, hm?”
Thea giggled and hugged his neck before her face grew serious over the most important decision a four-year-old could make.
“That one—”
Wes caught her hand before she could get too close to the pan and burn herself.
“This one?” he asked, pointing to two flat, crispy cookies that had morphed into one.
Guess I overmixed the dough after all.
“The princess gets what the princess wants.” He looked at Naomi and winked. “Just like the queen.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“This is Naomi,” she answered the phone after it rang for the zillionth time. The stairwell had spotty service, so she’d waited until she’d gotten to the second floor to answer. Thea’s school had never called before and Naomi’s stomach clenched tighter with every step.
“Hi, sweets.”
Naomi stopped dead in her tracks as Dean’s rough voice replied over the phone. She hadn’t heard it in weeks, thanks to Wes changing her number.
“D-Dean… wh-why are you callin’ me from Thea’s school? I-I thought you were at work.” He’d never picked Thea up without being asked, not even when he’d threatened Naomi with the possibility.
“Got off early so I could surprise my little girl. I told you that, remember? I tried to get a hold of you, but for some reason, my phone hasn’t been able to get through. Thankfully, Thea’s nice teachers said I could call yournewnumber from their line.” Rancid charm oozed off his manipulative tongue, making her feel even more nauseous.
“There’s a reason you don’t have this number, Dean. I told you—”
“Granted, you’ve been forgetting a lot lately, haven’t you?” His voice was light with an undercurrent of fury that only she would be able to detect. “Like the way youforgotto tell me that you were taking Thea on vacation? Her—again, very nice—teachers informed me of that when I called a couple of weeks ago to make sure you hadn’tforgottento send her to school without her coat. Good thing I decided to keep tabs on my girl after that.”
“Keeping tabs? What? Oh my god, Dean, just… please. Let’s keep everyone else out of this.”
“Of course, I had to make sure my little girl is safe and sound after hervacation. It was easy enough to have one of my guys help out with surveillance. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you don’t have to come pick Thea up. I took care of it, so I’ll see you at home.”
Her pulse stuttered to a stop. “Dean? You can’t take her. If you wanna talk, let’s talk. L-leave Thea at school and we’ll work things out.”
“Oh, nah, sweets. I think that particular ship has sailed. Excuse me for a moment, I’ll just be right in the hall.” His words were muffled while he presumably spoke with Thea’s teacher. A brief second later, he was back to his true, harsh voice, scratching her insides raw. “Listen up, Naomi. I’ve got Thea and I’ve also got a promise. Come home, and it’ll be different. We’ll be together, just like the family you always wanted.”
Naomi growled. “I thinkthatparticular ship has sailed,sweets. You made sure of that the last time you hurt me.”
“Thought you might say that, so here’s the other plan. Come home… or you’ll never see Thea again.”
The air in Naomi’s lungs stilled, making her feel like she was suffocating. “What?”
“I think you heard me, but I’ll elaborate. I’ve hidden away pretty sizable sums in various private bank accounts over the years and I’m about to get an even bigger one. One that’ll set us up for life. Us bein’ me and Thea, or… all three of us. It’s your call. But if you’re not in the picture, I’m gone, sweets, and you’ll never be able to find us. Not even with your fancy new friends.”
“What friends?”
He chuckled. “Sure… Like I don’t know you’ve been whorin’ yourself out, suckin’ on BlackStone cock in exchange for free room and board. I told you I knew you, Naomi,” he tsked. “It’s disappointin’ really. Not a good example for our baby girl, and certainly not if you ever tried to bring the law into it. My friends on the force would back me up and the judge might not be so accommodatin’ with custody rights after he finds out you kidnapped our baby to be with your new boyfriends.”
