A tide of red covered Teagan's face and his frown deepened. He didn't like being reprimanded by an older man.
Amy stepped forward and touched Teagan's back, drawing his attention. "I've been getting to know Jared the past couple of days, he's a good guy."
Teagan jerked away from his sister, stepping back, distancing himself. "I don't give a fuck who he is or how much time you’ve been spending with him. It's not my business. I'm leaving."
Amy said, "You can't!" at the same time as Jared said, "Watch your language around your sisters."
Amy sent him a glare, clearly not appreciating his input. He grinned at her. She was cute when she was annoyed.
"Go fuck yourselves," Teagan muttered giving the room his middle finger. He charged past Jared, giving Jared enough distance so that they wouldn't touch, and slammed out the front door.
Amy ran after him, pressing her hands against the door and calling his name. Jared caught her arm so she wouldn't follow him out onto the driveway. Jared noticed a car parked at the curb. Teagan got in and the car took off with a screech of wheels.
Amy looked up at Jared with a glare. "Why did you come over here? I can handle it."
Jared had some serious doubts about Amy's ability to handle her brother. Not because she didn't care and not because she didn't know what to say to him. She could say and do everything right and the kid would still fight her. He was a teenage boy, only a few years younger than Amy, probably traumatized by the death of his mother and the arrest of his father. He probably made Amy's life a nightmare. Jared didn't bring any of this up though. Amy didn't need to hear it, not yet.
Instead, Jared asked, "Do you know this Keith kid? Do you know where your brother’s going to be staying?"
She nodded. "He lives by Teagan's high school. I can go over there if I need to. I don't particularly like Keith's mother. She’s too permissive, lets the boys stay up all night and play games on school nights, but we’re civil to each other."
"Good." Jared gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Then relax and let him go. You know where he is, he's safe. Nothing’s going to happen to him tonight. Get some rest."
She chewed on her lip and Jared could tell that she was thinking about arguing with him. Part of him hoped that she would. He wanted to see this woman put up a fight, put him in his place. There was so much potential, his dick couldn't stand the suspense.
Instead, she nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. I'll try to find him and talk to him tomorrow."
Jared wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and squeezed slightly. He bent over and kissed her forehead. Her face glowed and she gave him a happy smile. Jared glanced sideways and caught the grinning faces of two little urchins peeking out at them.
"Now, I think it's time you properly introduced me to your sisters. I assume that they’re the ones that ate the other half of that delicious pie you brought me yesterday?"
Giggles burst from the hallway and the two faces disappeared as Amy turned to look. She laughed and called out to her sisters, encouraging them to come out. Jared was instantly charmed by the two little girls. He’d met them earlier when he came over searching for Amy. They’d been cute but guarded and he’d been distracted by their gorgeous older sister.
Now he gave them his full attention. Millie, the younger one, looked exactly like her sister and brother. Dark hair, small compact body and serious eyes with a hint of mischief. Her sister, Sarah, was taller, gangly, had light brown hair and a quick smile. Though she was the youngest, Millie was clearly the more outspoken leader of the two.
Jared spent the evening with his three next-door neighbours: a woman and two children. Not something he'd ever done before, but something he hoped was a pleasant glimpse into his future.
Eight
Jared was going to make an idiot out of himself over his neighbour, he just knew it. She was young, pretty and refined. Jared was older, rougher and uglier. She was definitely out of his league. She was also an innocent. Maybe not a virgin, but close. He shouldn't touch her. He didn't fool himself into believing otherwise just because she was a phone sex operator.
His budding fascination with Amy was the reason he found himself in his garage the next morning at 4:30 AM, a sleepy scowl on his face as he searched for the companion helmet to his bike.
The evening before, as he was preparing to leave the house after meeting Amy’s family, he'd offered her a ride to work in the morning. She'd grinned at him and told him she had to be at her job by 5 AM. The whole idea of getting up that early for any reason was unholy to him and he was not a lazy man. Just a guy that liked his beauty sleep.
Of course, he knew why Amy did it. She was a woman with children to take care of. A woman who wanted to be home in the afternoons and evenings so she could spend time with her family. His admiration for her grew.
Amy had laughingly declined his offer of a ride, telling him only she should have to get up at that ungodly hour. She’d told him that she preferred to imagine him happily tucked in his own bed. Then she turned bright red at her own unintentionally provocative words. He’d grinned and winked at her, placed a hearty kiss on her lips, ruffled the girls’ hair and left.
He then set his alarm for 4:15 AM, determined to show Amy that he was willing to commit. At this point, Jared didn't know exactly what he was willing to commit to, but he wanted to spend some time exploring his growing attachment. If he had to do it at 5 AM in the goddam morning, then so be it.
Finally, he found the light purple helmet inside a box under his workbench. He dragged it out, dusted it off and checked it over for microcracks. It’d never been used, so it should be in perfect condition, but it was five years old. He had to be sure Amy would be safe wearing it. He shoved it in the box on the back of his bike, opened his garage door and hopped on the bike.
At the turn of the ignition, his bike roared to life. The sound combined with the rumble between his thighs, and the shaking ground beneath his feet was like an aphrodisiac. He loved everything about his bike. He’d never had a prouder moment in his life than when he'd gone to buy it, finally able to afford something this luxurious. It was a Harley-Davidson Road King. Black with brushed chrome accents.
He backed out of the garage, turned the bike in the driveway and roared down the street toward the bus stop he suspected Amy would be waiting at. Sure enough, as he closed in on the bus stop, he saw a lone woman, clutching a bag, bundled in a long light blue raincoat cinched at the waist.
She looked up as he approached, her face disinterested until she realized who was on the bike. Jared was gratified to see her pretty features light up with pleasure as she recognized him. He stopped in front of her, set his booted feet on the ground and leaned back to peruse her.
Even bundled up the way she was, she was still stunningly beautiful to him. He'd seen her in a bikini, and he knew exactly what curves lay beneath those clothes.
"Wanna ride?" he asked her.
She bit her lip, trying to hold back a grin, and looked the bike over. "I've never ridden one before."
Though her words weren’t meant to be sexy, Jared's heart and cock thought otherwise. "Well now, it's time to hop on and take a ride."