“I’m not a kid. And I didn’t learn that technique there. My first self-defense class taught me that handy little trick.”
Careful, Lo. My inner voice urges caution. He can’t know that you know who he is.
Mom’s face pales at the mention of my self-defense classes. She knows why I was there, and the guilt continues to eat at her. I hate how she believes it’s still her fault. But I can’t tell her the truth, because that would hurt her more.
“Are you going to explain who he is, or do I have to figure this out myself?” I ask as the douche straightens up.
Mom helps the monster to his feet, and they sit down on the couch. She pats the empty space beside her. “Come sit beside me.”
I remain standing. Eyeing the asshole with thinly concealed hatred that is all genuine. But I can get away with it, because this is a natural reaction for any daughter finding her recently widowed Mom in such a situation with a strange man.
Begrudgingly, I’ve got to admit he’s hot. Even if his dirty-blond hair is unkempt, hanging in loose waves around his face, and his blond goatee could use a trim. He’s covered in ink, and he’s got muscles stacked upon muscles. His dark jeans hug broad thighs, and his open plaid shirt is stretched across wide biceps. He reeks of cigarette smoke and arrogance, and I cannot believe he succeeded in capturing Mom’s attention.
It’s as if she deliberately chose someone the complete opposite of my father.
Dad had slicked-back dark hair and zero ink, and while he worked out and kept his body in good condition, he was no muscle-bound freak. At ten years older than Mom, and a certified career obsessive, he was rarely out of custom-made suits. He sure as shit wouldn’t have worn threadbare jeans, a creased white T-shirt under a blue-and-black-plaid shirt, and scuffed biker boots.
“Harlow.” She sighs, pleading with her eyes, but I’m not conceding.
“I’m fine standing.” I glare at him as he circles his arm around her back. “Take your hands off my mother.”
An amused grin tips up the corners of his mouth, and the expression is familiar. He removes his arms, holding up his hands, flashing me a row of straight white teeth as he smiles. “We’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
It’s exactly what I’m thinking, and it’s clear the stakes have just been raised.
My mind churns as I try to figure it all out.
An icy-cold shiver creeps up my spine and I narrow my eyes at him. “So, you’re not a gold-digging motherfucker preying on a vulnerable widow so soon after she lost the love of her life?” My tone easily conveys my disbelief, and I deserve a pat on the back for my stellar acting skills.
A muscle clenches in his jaw, and he loses some of his fake warmth.
“Harlow.” Mom gasps. “I know you’re shocked but that’s no excuse for losing your manners.”
I snort. “Get real, Mom. The asshole just told me he’s my new daddy, and you expect me to mind my manners around him?!”
She cuts him a glare. “Neo shouldn’t have opened with that.”
I bark out a laugh. “Neo? Are you fucking kidding me? Does he have a swastika tattooed somewhere on his body?”
“No! Of course not. That’s the name he was born with.” Mom rubs at her temples. “Please just sit down and let me explain.”
“I’m not talking with him here.” I drill a venomous look at the blond douche.
He stands. “I’ll go. I’ve shit to handle anyway.” He pins me with a devious look before he pulls Mom up into his arms and slams his lips down on hers. His arms sweep around her back as he dips her down low, devouring her mouth in a deliberate show of control.
I want to rip his mouth and his hands from her body before decapitating him. I dig my nails into my thighs, visualizing torturing the douche in my head to avoid killing him for real. Doubt Mom would appreciate that even if I’d be doing her a favor. And there’s no way I’d risk jail time for the jerk.
This guy is bad news, trouble with a capital T, and somehow, I’ve got to find a way to make her see that.
“If you’re finished assaulting my mom with your disgusting tongue, I’d like to speak with her,” I snap, as my emotions get the better of me. I’m sure he did that purely to rile me up, and I’m so disappointed in Mom because she’s swooning in his arms like she’s never been kissed before.
He breaks the kiss-slash-assault, reeling Mom into his chest, clasping her close so he can eyeball me over her head. “I love your mom, kid. Always have. Always will. I get this is a shock, but it’s happening, so you’d better deal with it.” His eyes narrow to slits as he sends me a silent warning.
Gone is the pretend warmth.
His mask is down, and the danger is fully evident.
Does he know I know? Or is this usually the way he reacts to daughters of the women he’s fucking?
All the tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck, and I swallow a lump of fear as slow realization dawns.
He smirks, pinning me with an arrogant look that says if I get in his way he’ll destroy me.
I bury my fear, shove all emotion aside, and confidently lift my shoulders, staring coolly at him with a look that confirms it’s “game on.” A brief look of admiration flits over his blue eyes before they darken in warning.
“Go.” Mom extracts herself from his embrace as the two of us remain locked in our face-off. “Let me talk to my daughter. All will be okay.” She pecks his lips, and I puke a little in my mouth.
“Later, beautiful.” He kisses the top of her head while maintaining eye contact with me, and another blast of ice-cold fear slaps me in the face at the calculating quality to his gaze.
I underestimated this man.
He’s not just a monster.
He is something else.
Something I’m much more afraid of.
He’s the devil incarnate, and he’s determined to make my life a living hell.
Bile churns in my gut as my mind whirls at the potential implications.
I watch her watching him leave the room with my heart deflating. She has feelings for him. My life is about to become ten million times harder.
The door slams after him, snapping me into focus. I shove my emotions deep inside and concentrate on learning as much as I can.
“I’m so sorry, Harlow.” She cautiously walks toward me.
“How could you, Mom?” I shake my head, unable to hide my disgust. “Dad’s only gone four months, and you’re already fucking someone else?”
She flinches at my words and my tone, but I won’t apologize for speaking my mind.
“I’ve known Neo since I was eleven years old,” she explains. “He was my childhood sweetheart and the man I was engaged to when I met your father.”
My stomach drops to my toes as I realize this is even worse than I feared. “What? Why have I never heard of him before?”
My mind is whirling ninety miles an hour as I struggle to process this latest puzzle piece.
Dad told me he’d had to win my mother’s heart, but he never told me she was engaged to another guy, and Mom has never spoken of any other man but my father. I knew she was only twenty when they met, after Dad moved back here to take up a position with a leading law firm, and that he was thirty and steadily progressing his legal career.