We make our goodbyes, and Aaron and Clarke barely register we’re leaving. They’re way too caught up in each other.
Riggs opens the door, and I slip out before him. I make my way down the porch, Riggs right behind me.
“Well, that was miserable,” he mutters as he pulls keys out of his pocket.
“Not a romantic?” I ask snidely over my shoulder as I traverse the sidewalk to the short driveway where my Mercedes is parked. Riggs’s car is behind me.
“Nope,” he replies, but then adds, “Neither are you.”
How dare he make such an assumption about me? Even if it’s partly true. “You have no awareness whatsoever, so I don’t believe you’re in a good enough place to make such judgments.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demands as I reach my car.
I turn around to face him. “You’re cold and detached.”
“You’re vain and shallow,” he tosses back. “So lack of awareness cuts both ways.”
“You’re insipid and boorish,” I retort.
He actually laughs and waves his hands in a way that mimes he finds me amusing. “Ooh, look at the fancy, rich lady using fancy, rich words.”
Fancy? Rich words?
“Listen, motherfucker—”
That’s as much as I get out—an effort to show him I can be coarse—when his arms come to my shoulders and he snatches me against him. His mouth collides with mine, and there is no holding back the groan of pleasure that rips out of my throat from his taste and touch.
And, oh wow, can the man kiss. Domineering and in full control, he presses my entire body against my car and holds me hostage while his tongue invades my mouth.
It is the most searing, penetrating, debilitating kiss I’ve ever had, and I find myself getting dizzy.
And then… Riggs wrenches away. I’m only momentarily pleased to see his chest heaving slightly, telling me he was as affected by that as I was.
But his eyes narrow, dropping briefly to my lips, which feel bruised and swollen. “That was eye-opening. At least now I know how to get you to shut up.”
I can’t even gasp in outrage because I see his words for what he’ll never admit them to be—a coward’s way of removing himself from a situation that felt all too real and good.
It scared him.
I don’t say a word in reply, because it scared me too.
Never in a million years would I have thought the best kiss of my life would come from someone I abhor. I have to wonder what’s wrong with me.
Riggs gives me no more time to contemplate. He pivots sharply and marches to his Lexus. Without a backward glance, he gets in his car and drives away.
CHAPTER 11
Veronica
Sitting at my kitchen table, I take final stock of my school supplies. I have the same giddy feeling I would normally have on the first day of any given school year. I may have turned my back on college when I met Jace, but no one understands how hard it was to give it up because I absolutely love learning. I love lectures and reading and taking notes and I even love being tested on my knowledge. I’m a natural in an academic environment, and I’m eager to knock out the rest of the classes I need to complete my business degree.
I feel like I’m making headway to meet my long- and short-term goals. Classes start next Monday—four short days away, and I cannot wait.
I check the time, noting it’s still a few hours before Janelle gets out of school. Riggs is on a four-day road trip, due back tomorrow.
We agreed that when he’s gone, Janelle will stay with me rather than at their condo, in deference to my convenience.
Janelle started back to classes two days ago, though she was not eager to return. When I asked her why, I got some vague excuses and that she was going to miss working full days at the shop. I’m hoping she just needs more time to acclimate.
Her first night at my place after Riggs left, we set out some ground rules. While I’m Janelle’s friend, I didn’t want her to forget that I’m also her guardian. While I have no intention of being the strict overseer that Mrs. Blair was, I do have certain expectations. If she meets those expectations, in return she gets certain liberties.
For example, I am okay with her walking from school to the bookstore—four city blocks—as long as she goes straight there with no dawdling. I’m okay with her working until the shop closes at seven, as long as she’s able to get her homework done each night.
These were not things I discussed with Riggs ahead of time, mainly because I’m so mortified that I let him kiss me after we hurled insults at each other, I’d prefer never to run into the man again. Since that night after Aaron and Clarke got engaged, and before Riggs left for his away games, we communicated only once—via text—to firm up the dates I’d be caring for Janelle and to provide me with some additional information.
Either way, I laid my rules out to Janelle, and she had no qualms. And I have to admit, the last three days she’s been with me have been a lot of fun.
I’ve always wanted kids and I suspect I’d be a good mother. While I’m not exactly in a mothering role, there are certain aspects to it in my guardianship of Janelle. For example, when I check to see if her homework is done, I do so not from a perspective of ensuring rules are followed but from my concern that she earn good grades. It comes through in my tone, because Janelle is never offended when I check in on her to make sure it’s complete.
Each night after she goes to sleep, I text Riggs an update. It’s very simple, usually something like, All is well on this end. Janelle had a good day.
He will reply when he’s able to with a simple Thanks for the update.
Of course, Riggs and Janelle frequently talk or text while he’s gone, so I know he’s assured she’s fine, regardless if I share with him.
It’s working, and I really enjoy having her with me. She’s a good kid who is blossoming.
Today is my last official day of training Janelle at the bookstore. She pretty much has it all down, and frankly, I don’t need to go in this afternoon. But I guess I’m feeling nostalgic since come Monday, a new life starts for me. I want to have one more afternoon in the bookstore where we can talk about silly stuff in between customers, or debate about books we’ve read. I learn so much about her every day, but she still holds tight to her past. I don’t ask about it, figuring if she wants to share with me one day, it will be on her terms.
My phone rings, startling me. I pick it up from the table, not recognizing the number.
Normally, I don’t answer a call unless whoever is calling is in my contacts. Nowadays, most unrecognized numbers are spam, and it irritates the hell out of me. But now that I’ve got care of Janelle, I need to be open to calls from any source, and given it’s a local area code, I answer.
“Hello?” I say pleasantly.
“Ms. Woodley?” a male voice says.
“Yes.”
“This is Jim Cresten, principal at Clair Ridge.”
I sit up straight in my chair, my pulse hammering. “Is Janelle okay?”
Janelle goes to a prestigious private school here in downtown Phoenix, not far from the bookstore and Riggs’s condo. They’re all within a handful of blocks of each other.