Page 61 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

I threaded my fingers through her hair. All I wanted to do was cradle her against me and make any memories of that asshole disappear. “Volunteering will look even better, and you’ll get to spend time with me. Win-win.”

With a faint smile, she eased back and closed her eyes. “My baby is that frightened of her own father, and I was here, having incredible sex with you.” Before I could speak, she held up a hand. “Which I do not regret one minute of. I just wish she didn’t have a rough night.”

I chose my words carefully, fighting to keep my hold on her easy. The emotions moving through me didn’t lend themselves to gentleness. I was feeling far too violent. “What did he do to her?”

“Nothing,” Shelby said, almost too quickly.

“Then what?”

“It was me,” she said quietly as I fisted my hands against her spine. “Not like you’re thinking. He just raised a hand to me once. Berry saw it.”

“Raised a hand?” I asked slowly, taking a deep breath to ensure my voice was even. “Explain that to me.”

“Literally that. We were arguing and he was accusing me of terrible things, as he always did. He claimed to have seen me that day in an incriminating clinch with Greg, my client. I’d hugged the guy because a family member wasn’t doing well, and David saw it. Wasn’t anything, but he made it into something and got pissed as hell. He lifted his hand, and I didn’t realize Berry was hiding behind the door. She assumed he was going to hit me.”

“Did he?”

“No. He never did. Look at me, Dex. I’m telling the truth.” She gripped the lapels of my jacket, shaking me until I met her eyes. “He never laid a finger on me or Berry. But she thought he would or that he could, and that was almost as bad.”

I forced myself to unclench my hands so that I could smooth them up and down her back. “I would like to drive you to your parents so I can see Berry. And maybe meet your folks, so they know I’m not a bastard too.”

She reached up to skim her fingers over my cheek. “I can feel the rage in you. You’re a coiled spring. Normally, you don’t stay still a moment. Now you’re just…locked up.”

With effort, I unclenched my jaw. “I hate that the prick ever threatened you and accused you of something you weren’t doing.”

“How do you know I wasn’t?”

“Because I know you already.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t.” She lowered her gaze to somewhere in the distance before lifting it again, almost defiantly. “I was spending a lot of time with that client. He was younger, closer to my age. David was always yelling about me fucking him, about not wanting to sleep with my husband ‘because I’d gotten it out of my system’ at Greg’s house. Which, of course, was utter bullshit. I didn’t want to sleep with him because by then he’d poisoned whatever love I’d had for him. Worked out for him just the same, since it gave him a convenient excuse to make sure I got basically nothing in the divorce. He claimed he had or could get pictures. I had no idea of what and just shut it all down. I didn’t want to be dragged through the mud anymore.” She threw back her shoulders. “I’m sure you think I’m weak.”

“Just the opposite, in fact. I think you’re brave as hell.”

“I got my daughter, which is all I needed anyway.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Pompous dickhead is right.”

“I want to raise a hand to him myself. See how he likes it. Bet he won’t be as excited to fight with me as he was to threaten a woman. Hiswife. The mother of his daughter.”

“Dex, it’s over. We’re divorced. I don’t have to talk to him or see him. Neither does Berry. He even raised questions about her paternity and somehow finagled a sweetheart deal where he only paid me a pittance for support with no visitation. Pulled a few strings, I’m sure. Everything goes your way when you’re a powerful judge with equally powerful friends.”

Powerful friends like my father, which I hadn’t yet told Shelby. In my defense, I didn’t know how friendly they were. I’d only seen a couple photos online, some at awards banquets, some on the golf course. But my dad would golf with anyone.

And my memory sucked, so I had no idea if my father had ever mentioned him to me in passing. I hadn’t even remembered the long-ago nepo baby conversation with the dick until I’d done my most recent internet search.

I hissed out a breath. “If I see him, I’m not going to be responsible for my actions. Actually, yes, I will. I’ll take the charge and go to fucking jail if I can teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.”

“So, you can lose your license to practice law? For a—”

“If you’re going to say for a woman I barely know, don’t. Just don’t. I told you this had weight for me, and that wasn’t a line. If that’s not true for you, give me time to at least shower you off my skin before you poke holes in me, okay?” I raked a hand through my hair before I turned away to try to get myself together.

It was all fucking true. I didn’t know how I was already so invested with Shelby and her daughter. I didn’t know them well, there was no denying that. But we’d connected.

Or at least I’d connected.

If I was the only one on that score, well, I’d better fucking figure myself out.

“If I didn’t…if it wasn’t important to me, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not one for casual sex, Dex, if you hadn’t grasped that yet.” I shifted back to her as she exhaled. “I mean, I don’t want you to think that if you sleep with the lonely single mom, expect to deal with a clinger.”

“What if I’m saying I’d like you to cling? Okay, maybe not cling. But just lean a little bit now and then? I have big strong shoulders, and I very much enjoy spending time with you and Berry. What’s wrong with that?”

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