Page 16 of Pike
Chloe
“Mommy, you’re daydreaming again.” Even Gemma’s sweet voice wasn’t enough to pull me from the constant loop of negative thoughts that invaded my mind when I let it go silent.
“Mommy’s just concentrating,” I assured her, keeping my back to her so that she didn’t see the distress I was sure was written all over my face. “Making lunch is serious business.” Meal preparation was one of the few things I knew I was good at, no matter what Marcus claimed. I was a good homemaker, dammit. Making lunch was so easy that my thoughts inevitably wandered to my current state.
Would this prison ever end? I knew it wasn’t fair to see it as a prison, not when the sole purpose was to keep me and Gemma alive, but the truth was that these circumstances weren’t so different than most of my marriage. I rarely left home because Marcus was so sure I would cheat on him, ironic when he was the one who slept with anything with a pulse. I should be grateful, and I was, but what was the point in surviving, in living life, if I would always be locked away for safety? I sighed heavily, wearily and turned the soup down to simmer while I prepared sandwiches.
Heavy-booted footsteps sounded, alerting me to Pike’s entrance to the kitchen. He let out a low growl that made Gemma giggle. “What is that smell?” I stiffened and braced myself for the insult. “It smells fucking delicious.”
Gemma gasped. “You said a bad word Mr. Pike.”
I turned to find my little girl with wide green eyes, hand covering her mouth in shock. Pike’s lips pulled into a crooked grin. “What’s a bad word?”
“You said it smellsbad worddelicious. That’s the bad word.” She was so confident in her proclamation I couldn’t help but smile.
He shook his head, still smiling. “There are no bad words, Gem, just words that only grownups can say.” He watched her, waiting for the words to sink in. “Understand?”
“Why?”
My body stiffened instinctively. Marcus hated when she questioned him and though he never hit her, he punished me for what he called her feminist curiosity.
“Because rules are different for kids and adults. It doesn’t seem fair right now, but you’ll be an adult for a lot more years than you’re a kid.” It was a simple answer without vitriol or judgment, just matter of fact.
His answer impressed me, but I tried to shake off that thought. It wouldn’t do either of us any good for me to soften towards Pike. There was a world of hate and anger between us, and nothing would change that.
Gemma mulled over his words for a long moment and then nodded. “Okay.” She turned to me. “Mommy is lunch ready? It smells really good.”
I smiled and finished making the sandwiches, piling them on a platter I found mixed in with the pots and pans before setting the table. “Okay. Food is ready.”
Pike brought water and lemonade to the table along with glasses, pouring some for Gemma who thanked him sweetly. He winked at her before filling the other glasses. It was all so domestic my stomach balled into a tight knot and clenched hard. This was what it should’ve been like with Marcus, but it never had been.
Not ever.
“Mommy?” The concern in Gemma’s voice pulled me from the past yet again.
I blinked to clear the memories and offered her a smile. “Eat up before Mr. Pike gobbles it up.” I flicked a gaze across the table where he was halfway through one sandwich already.
He grinned at Gemma. “She’s right. It’s really good.”
The warmth of his compliment wrapped around me like an embrace, and I sat with it for a few seconds before I grabbed a sandwich for Gemma and another for me. It was nice to cook for someone who actually appreciated my culinary efforts, however simple they were.
The table fell into a comfortable silence while we all made a dent in the corn chowder and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. It was a nice silence. Comfortable and almost soothing.Almostbecause it was hard to feel completely comfortable with Pike’s masculine presence taking up so much space. When he wasn’t growling at me I could admit—only to myself—that he was gorgeous and masculine. And tempting.
Too tempting for a woman who’d sworn off men as she hastily packed a few bags and escaped the life that trapped her in a cycle of abuse and isolation.
After two and a half sandwiches and two bowls of chowder, Pike slowed. I felt the weight of his gaze on me and resisted the urge to squirm. “I was thinking about our conversation about self-defense.”
My brows dipped. “I thought we exhausted that topic already.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes and amusement quirked his lips. “I didn’t think we did. You should reconsider.” His words were firm, but they weren’t a command.
“I told you it was a bad idea.” Why couldn’t he see that?
“I know what you said but I think that part is for me to decide.” He took another bite and chewed slowly, his gaze never left my face. “I think it’ll help you relax a little.”
My spine stiffened, my brows dipped into a frown and my lips pursed tightly. “I am relaxed.”
More amusement flashed. “You seemsorelaxed.”
