Page 11 of Sexploration

My words trail off when I hear Josie’s footsteps on the stairs. They start out slow but quickly pick up speed. There’s no chance of chasing this dick off without her knowing now.

She stomps up behind me a second later. “Tommy? What the hell are you doing here?”

Josie steps up to the door, and my arm shoots out to create a barrier between them. She eyes it before shooting me a look that’s a mix of annoyance and amusement. I refuse to loosen my grip on the doorframe, even as she presses against me. This fucker isn’t getting near her. He’s lucky I’m not slamming the damn door in his face.

“So what, the two of you are playing house now? Is that it?” he snarls, his slitted eyes trailing over Josie.

I remember then that she’s wearing my T-shirt. It’s much more innocent than it seems. Josie was doing her laundry earlier and helped herself to one of my clean shirts from the dryer. But he has no right to act jealous or righteous.

I smirk at him, draping my arm around Josie’s shoulders. “Pretty sure you lost the right to concern yourself with what orwhoshe’s doing.”

Fuck you, asshole.

Tommy’s face turns bright red, smoke practically bellowing from his ears. “Excuse me.”

“Just tell me why you came here and go,” Josie clips.

“Maybe if you’d return my calls, you’d know why I’m here.” He shoves a manila envelope at her. “I picked these up from my lawyer yesterday. You need to look them over and sign them as soon as possible.”

This motherfucker has no tact at all, showing up here and throwing divorce papers in her face. He’s just begging to get his ass beat.

Go ahead, give me a reason, fucker.

There’s a slight tremor in Josie’s hand as she takes it from him, her body stiffening. “I’ll take care of it.”

“See that you do. I’d like this done and over with as soon as possible.” His glare settles on me as I tighten my hold on Josie, tucking her into my side.

She turns to address me, not bothering to respond to him. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go put these upstairs.”

The sorrow in her voice makes my chest ache, which only makes me want to hurt Tommy even more. I think we need to have a little chat.

I kiss the side of her head and let her go, watching over my shoulder to make sure she’s out of earshot before pinning my stare back on Tommy. “Time to go, dickhead. And don’t come back here again.”

His chin lifts with defiance, his feet staying planted. “You think you’re a big man now, huh?”

I step outside and invade his space, my arms crossed. “Certainly bigger than you, from what I’ve been told.”

He lets out a humorless laugh. “You’re pathetic, sniffing around another man’s leftovers.”

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“I’ve watched you drool over her all these years. Like a sad little puppy. And now that I’ve discarded her, you’re hoping you’ll get the chance to take a crack at her. Well, I hate to break it to you,pal, but she’s not worth it. She hasn’t put out for me in years. Which was no great loss because she’s a lousy fuck.”

My fist connects with his nose, fury flowing through my veins. He howls like the little bitch he is, stumbling backward down the stairs. His round eyes fix on me, blood gushing down his face.

“Don’t you ever fucking talk about her like that again, you sorry piece of shit. Now, get in your car and don’t even thinking about coming back here.”

He twirls on his heel and scurries to his car, not even glancing back in my direction before he peels out of the driveway. My stomach drops when I turn around to go back inside and see Josie standing just inside the doorway.

Damn it.There’s no way she didn’t hear what that motherfucker said.

She remains frozen and silent as I come inside and close the door, shock painted across her features. “Are you okay?”

She nods, taking a timid step in my direction. “Or at least, I will be.”

I close the rest of the distance between us. “I’m sorry. I...”

My mind goes blank as she wraps her arms around me, her gaze screaming her intention right before her lips connect with mine. The kiss is chaste and sweet, the kind that leaves you

---